A CODE LETTER FROM ROBERT MORRIS TO GENERAL WASHINGTON
See [page 216].
The code letter that may have given General Washington the greatest thrill required still another dictionary to translate it. It was that used by Robert Morris, the financier of the Revolution. On another page the closing half of one of his letters is illustrated. Historians tell us how Washington had appealed to Morris for funds to conduct the war. Sometimes he was fortunate in raising a sufficiency but at a critical period it seemed to Robert Morris that his only prospect was to obtain the needed sums from a wealthy Quaker. “How can I, friend Robert, who am a man of peace, lend thee money for the purpose of war? Friend George is, I believe, a good man and fighting in a good cause; but I am opposed to fighting of any sort.” This was the Quaker’s plea, but Morris recalled that Washington had also mentioned the urgency of funds for the secret service. That appealed to the Quaker. “The gold was dug up from his garden and handed over to Morris to forward to General Washington. His adopted son Custis says: ‘Its application to the secret service produced the happiest effects upon the cause of the Revolution in that critical period of our destiny.’”[62]
The code used by the Culpers covers too much space for reproduction here. However some of the words most frequently used have been collected and will be found on the page following, and a section of the original code prepared by Major Tallmadge for General Washington is reproduced on [page 218].
This is part of the secret code used by General Washington, Benjamin Tallmadge, Robert Townsend, and Abraham Woodhull, during the Revolutionary War.
| USE OF | MEANS | USE OF | MEANS | USE OF | MEANS |
| e | a | 711 | General Washington | 15 | advice |
| f | b | 28 | appointment | ||
| g | c | 712 | Clinton | 60 | better |
| h | d | 121 | day | ||
| i | e | 713 | Tryon | 156 | deliver |
| j | f | 151 | disorder | ||
| a | g | 721 | Major Tallmadge | 178 | enemy |
| b | h | alias John Bolton | 174 | express | |
| c | i | 722 | Abraham Woodhull | 230 | guineas |
| d | j | alias Samuel Culper | 286 | ink | |
| o | k | 723 | Robert Townsend | 309 | infantry |
| m | l | alias Samuel Culper, Jr. | 317 | importance | |
| n | m | 724 | Austin Roe | 322 | inquiry |
| p | n | 345 | knowledge | ||
| q | o | 725 | Caleb Brewster | 347 | land |
| r | p | 349 | low | ||
| k | q | 726 | Rivington | 355 | lady |
| l | r | 356 | letter | ||
| u | s | 727 | New York | 371 | man |
| v | t | 476 | parts | ||
| w | u | 728 | Long Island | 585 | refugees |
| x | v | 592 | ships | ||
| y | w | 729 | Setauket | 660 | vigilant |
| z | x | 680 | war | ||
| s | y | 745 | England | 691 | written |
| t | z | 708 | your | ||
| 341 | January | e | 1 | 73 | camp |
| 215 | February | f | 2 | ||
| 374 | March | g | 3 | ||
| 22 | April | i | 4 | ||
| 373 | May | k | 5 | ||
| 336 | June | m | 6 | ||
| 337 | July | n | 7 | ||
| 29 | August | o | 8 | ||
| 616 | September | q | 9 | ||
| 462 | October | u | 0 | ||
| 427 | November | ||||
| 154 | December |
A SECTION OF THE CODE PREPARED BY MAJOR TALLMADGE FOR GENERAL WASHINGTON’S SPIES