|
|
 |
Spies & Intelligence |
|
One of the tasks ideally suited for Loyalists was that of the secret service. Loyalists came from all social, ethnic and economic classes of society, and were therefore able to mingle and interact easily in the countryside, under the guise of being Rebels themselves. In addition to acting as spies, several prominent Loyalists ran intelligence networks. Cortland Skinner, the commander of the New Jersey Volunteers, directed an elaborate spy web in New Jersey from his headquarters on Staten Island. Beverly Robinson, colonel of the Loyal American Regiment, used members of his own corps as well as others to gather information in Westchester County, New York. The greatest Loyalist intelligence gatherer, though, was Lieutenant Colonel Oliver DeLancey, Jr., the Adjutant General of the British Army in America after the death of Major John Andre´. Many Loyalist civilians assisted these spies on their missions, as well as helping couriers moving secretly from one area to another, Loyalists hiding from the Rebel authorities, or escaped prisoners of war. By their efforts, hundreds of men of all descriptions safely passed through the countryside. The documents below illustrate some of the hazards and successes of the secret service.
Click here for ---> Top of Page
The On-Line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies
|
