SECRET SERVICE SECRETS
The hazard of transmitting letters in the ordinary way between Headquarters and the Culpers continued to increase. It taxed the ingenuity of General Washington, as his preceding letter indicates; and Major Tallmadge carefully studied the subject. The first crude use of a few ciphers (ten for New York and twenty for Setauket) was no longer deemed sufficient. Early in July, 1779, Major Tallmadge prepared a “pocket dictionary” in which a new code was arranged. Copies were furnished the Culpers as well as Headquarters. Reference to it is in a letter from Washington dated July 27, 1779,[16] and a copy of the code is now among the letters of General Washington in the Library of Congress.
In letters Major Tallmadge’s name was never used on Long Island. He was always addressed as John Bolton. He had also a number, which was 721. Abraham Woodhull was always addressed as Samuel Culper or Culper Senior, and was known by the number 722. Robert Townsend was Culper Junior, and his number was 723. Austin Roe[17] 724, Caleb Brewster 725, George Washington 711, New York 727, Long Island 728, Setauket 729, etc.
The stain letters were doubtless the most clever, but only fragments of them have survived. However, copies of those that reached Headquarters were made by Alexander Hamilton and other trusted members of the General’s official family, and these are still preserved among the Washington Papers. Sometimes they reached the General in a manner that alarmed him, as the following extract shows:
“C——r, Jr. should avoid making use of the Stain upon a Blank sheet of paper (which is the usual way of its coming to me). This circumstance alone is sufficient to raise suspicions. A much better way is to write a letter in the Tory stile with some mixture of family matters and between the lines and on the remaining part of the sheet communicate with the stain the intended intelligence. Such a letter would pass through the hands of the enemy unsuspected and even if the agents should be unfaithful or negligent, no discovery would be made to his prejudice, as these people are not to know that there is concealed writing in the letter and the intelligent part of it would be an evidence in its favor.”
Probably Major Tallmadge had not explained that Townsend’s method was to conceal the sheet by forwarding with it to him an entire package of the same folded letter-paper, in which there was no way of discovering this particular sheet except by knowing its position.
It was such a letter from Townsend that Culper Senior mentions in his of September 19th.[(116)] He also relates how it became necessary for him to expose himself in order to protect Brewster, who with his boat was waiting for it. Culper Junior’s tenth letter is dated October 9th.[(117)] In it he says:
“A considerable number of Troops are on the West end of Long Island. The 17th Dragoons at Hemstead, the mounted Legion and Queens Rangers at Jericho, and the Foot belonging to the Legion are at Oyster Bay. No arrivals of any consequence since my last, except those mentioned. The spirits of the troops flag much, but still some flatter themselves that there is yet a probability of England rising superior to all her enemies. There does not appear the least prospect of this place being vacated this fall, tho I believe they would be glad to have them at home.”
With this Samuel Culper encloses his twenty-fifth letter, in which he relates how he was captured and escaped, as follows: