"355"
Many intelligence historians consider her one of this country’s
first female undercover operations officers. Still others refer to her as the
“hidden daughter of the American Revolution.” While defending against British
transgressions in and around New York, George Washington came to rely heavily
on the information she supplied him. But even today, she is known only by the
designation “355,” the code-number for “lady” in an encryption system used by
the famous Culper Ring.
It was to the Culper Ring that “355” reported, having been
selected for the silent service by Abraham Woodhull, chief of the clandestine
group. A Long Island farmer, Woodhull’s nom de espionage was Samuel
Culper, Sr. His principal agent was a Quaker dry goods merchant named Robert
Townsend, who was known as Samual Culper, Jr. This fictitious father-son
arrangement formed the basis of the highly effective Culper network.
Utilizing a variety of tradecraft, including a type of
invisible ink developed by the brother of future Chief Justice John Jay, the
Culper Ring provided timely and accurate intelligence to American military
leaders, most notably General Washington.
It is believed that “355” was a member of a prominent Tory
family, a position that would have allowed her virtually unrestricted access to
British political and military leaders operating in the New York area.
For her part, “355” helped expose Benedict Arnold’s treasonous
role in the surrender of West Point and neighboring military outposts, an act
that earned him a £20,000 gratuity from the British government.
She also facilitated the arrest of Major John André, the head
of England’s intelligence operations in New York, who was eventually hanged as
a spy on orders from General Washington.
While in New York, the debonair André kept company with any
number of beguiling and available women. Taking advantage of this, “355” worked
the parties he gave and attended, paying careful attention to what he offered
during conversations that were often plied with considerable quantities of ale.
Any substantive information “355” gleaned from these indiscretions, such as the
deal to hand over West Point for payment, was surreptitiously passed by way of
the Culper Ring to an appreciative George Washington.
It is believed that “355” was actually Robert Townsend’s
common-law wife, with whom he had a son. When the junior “Culper” learned that
his prized operative and lover was to bear his child, he pleaded with her to
forgo her dangerous espionage work. She refused, believing, and rightly so,
that the information she was providing was of the highest value.
“Three-fifty-five’s” days were, indeed, numbered, thanks, so the historical
reflection goes, to the traitor Arnold, who gave her up once he had defected to
Great Britain following the arrest of André.
In October 1780, “355” was captured and ordered held in fetid
conditions aboard the prison ship Jersey, which was moored in the East
River. While incarcerated, she gave birth to a son, whom she named Robert
Townsend, Jr., after the Culper Ring operative. She died shortly thereafter.
To new intelligence service hires, “355” is often cited as an
inspirational example of a trusted field agent, who has retained her anonymity
even 222 years following her death. The young woman’s contributions to
America’s War for Independence did not go unnoticed by the head of the fabled
Culper Ring, Abraham Woodhull, who wrote that she “hath been ever serviceable
to this correspondence” and could “outwit them all.”
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