The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington, “First DCI” (Director of Central Intelligence)
General Orders, 27 June 1776
General Orders
The man who tried to kill George Washington, the Sentence: Head Quarters, New York, June 27th 1776. Parole Halifax.Countersign Ireland.
After Orders. Thomas Hickey belonging to the Generals Guard having been convicted by a General Court Martial whereof Col. Parsons was President of the crimes of “Sedition and mutiny, and also of holding a treach’rous correspondence with the enemy, for the most horrid and detestable purposes,” is sentenced to suffer death. The General approves the sentence, and orders that he be hanged to morrow at Eleven oClock.1
All the officers and men off duty, belonging to Genl Heath’s, Spencer’s, Lord Stirling’s and Genl Scott’s Brigades, to be under arms, on their respective parades, at Ten o’Clock tomorrow morning, to march from thence to the Ground, between Genl Spencer’s and Lord Stirling’s encampments, to attend the execution of the above sentence.
The Provost Marshal immediately to make the necessary preparations, and to attend on that duty tomorrow.
After Orders. Each of the Brigade Majors to furnish the Provost Marshal, with twenty men, from each Brigade, with good arms and bayonets, as a guard on the prisoner to and at the place of execution.
Before delving into the plot to kill George Washington, take A Look Back … George Washington: America’s First Military Intelligence Director CIA
George Washington – who some call the “First DCI” (Director of Central Intelligence) – was a key practitioner of military intelligence during the Revolutionary War more than 230 years ago. In fact, General Washington was more deeply involved in intelligence operations than any American general-in-chief until Dwight Eisenhower during World War II. His skills in the “black arts” helped secure key victories, hastened the end of hostilities, and significantly contributed to the United States’ winning its independence from Great Britain.
Manager of Military Intelligence
George Washington was a skilled military intelligence manager. He recruited and debriefed Tory and Patriot sources, developed espionage networks, interrogated prisoners and travelers, cleverly used deception and propaganda, and practiced sound tradecraft. He recognized the need for multiple sources so reports could be crosschecked, and so the compromise of one asset would not cut off intelligence from an important area. During the war, he spent more than 10 percent of his military funds on intelligence operations. Military setbacks around New York early in the war convinced Washington that he needed an elite detachment dedicated to tactical reconnaissance that reported directly to him.
He picked Thomas Knowlton to command the Army’s first intelligence unit. One-hundred-and-thirty soldiers and 20 officers comprised the “Knowlton’s Rangers.” This unit was sent on secret missions too dangerous for regular troops. The date 1776 on the seal of the Army’s intelligence service today refers to the formation of Knowlton’s unit.
Nathan Hale: Washington’s first venture at using an infiltration agent ended in failure when the ill-suited and poorly trained Nathan Hale was captured and executed.
Since the 19th century, Nathan Hale has been widely viewed as an American hero. He was the first American executed for spying for his country. Statues of him stand in New York City, at Yale University, and at the Central Intelligence Agency’s headquarters. Schoolchildren once memorized his alleged final words, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
What happened to Nathan Hale has always been a little obscure. Until recently, the only real evidence about Hale’s fate came from British sources. An orderly book reported that he was apprehended on Sept. 21 and hanged without trial at 11 a.m. on Sept. 22, 1776. The diary of British officer Lt. Frederick Mackenzie confirmed this report and added that Hale had been arrested on Long Island.
In his diary, British Captain William Bamford, stated that Hale had been “taken by Major Rogers.” Rogers was the famous Robert Rogers who led Rogers’ Rangers, guerrillas who had wreaked havoc on the American Colonies’ enemies during the French and Indian War of 1754-63.
According to one tale, Hale met with Rogers, who suspected him as a possible patriot sympathizer. Rogers pretended to be a patriot himself and got Hale to reveal his mission. Rogers then arranged for Hale to meet with other “patriots” the next evening, when he was promptly arrested. Several loyalists from Connecticut recognized Hale as he was marched to New York City to be hanged.
Hale’s bravery has made him an icon, but his skills as an intelligence officer have long been seen as lacking (indeed, he was given virtually no training for his perilous mission).
Washington was more successful in other ventures, however. For example, he received vital intelligence from stay-behind agents, such as Hercules Mulligan. Mulligan ran a clothing shop in New York frequented by British officers who often let secrets slip while in his store. Mulligan was the first to alert Washington to British plans to capture the American commander-in-chief and to a planned incursion into Pennsylvania.
Lt. Lewis J. Costigin was another source in New York. He stayed in the city after his release in a prisoner exchange in September 1778. For several months he pretended to be on parole and roamed about, gathering intelligence on British commanders, troop deployments, shipping, and logistics; he smuggled the information out through underground Patriot communication networks.
Washington vs. General Sir Henry Clinton
The most elaborate and productive network that Washington oversaw was the Culper Ring in New York City and Long Island. In the summer of 1778, General Sir Henry Clinton occupied the city, while Washington’s forces were scattered around New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Washington needed intelligence on Clinton’s forces and intentions and ordered Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge to establish an espionage net.
The Culper Ring eventually had about 20 members who either reported on British activities on Manhattan Island or conveyed the intelligence out of the city to Tallmadge’s couriers in Connecticut, who then rode to Washington’s encampment. Tallmadge’s operatives practiced sophisticated tradecraft that included code names, cover stories, secret writing, encryption, and dead drops. For security reasons, Washington did not have Tallmadge tell him who was in the Culper Ring.
To offset British superiority in firepower and number of troops, Washington made frequent use of deception operations. He allowed fabricated documents to fall into the hands of enemy agents or be discussed in their presence; told couriers carrying bogus information to be captured by the British; and inserted forged documents in intercepted British pouches that were then sent on to their destinations. He had army procurement officers make false purchases of large quantities of supplies to convince the British that a sizeable Continental force was massing.
After learning from the Culper Ring that the British planned to attack a French expedition that had just landed in Newport, Rhode Island, Washington planted information with known British agents indicating that he intended to move against New York, and he staged a march toward the city. Those ploys persuaded Clinton to call back his troops headed for Rhode Island. A few years later, Washington used similar techniques to hide his movement toward the Chesapeake Bay – and eventual victory at Yorktown – by convincing the British initially that he was again moving on New York.
First in War, First in Peace
Contemporaries regarded George Washington as “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” He also was first in the early history of American intelligence. The image of Washington as spymaster contrasts vividly with textbook portrayals of him as “the Father of Our Country,” but the two roles are historically connected.
Without General Washington’s intelligence-aided victories on the battlefield, there would have been no independence, no United States, no Constitution, and no President Washington. And while it is hard to gauge the precise contribution that intelligence operations made to his victories, the Revolutionary War would have lasted longer, cost more lives, and caused more social and economic upheaval without all of the clandestine activities that were conducted under his direction.
THE PLOT TO KILL GENERAL: GEORGE WASHINGTON
General Orders, 27 June 1776
Head Quarters, New York, June 27th 1776.
Parole Halifax.Countersign Ireland.
Several persons having been detained by Sentries, notwithstanding their having given the Countersign at night, and others in the day time on the wharves on a pretence of their not having passes—The General forbids such practices, and any Soldier convicted of them in future will be punished—Officers of guards to be careful, in posting their Sentries, to make them acquainted with this order.
After Orders. Thomas Hickey belonging to the Generals Guard having been convicted by a General Court Martial whereof Col. Parsons was President of the crimes of “Sedition and mutiny, and also of holding a treach’rous correspondence with the enemy, for the most horrid and detestable purposes,” is sentenced to suffer death. The General approves the sentence, and orders that he be hanged to morrow at Eleven oClock.1
All the officers and men off duty, belonging to Genl Heath’s, Spencer’s, Lord Stirling’s and Genl Scott’s Brigades, to be under arms, on their respective parades, at Ten o’Clock to morrow morning, to march from thence to the Ground, between Genl Spencer’s and Lord Stirling’s encampments, to attend the execution of the above sentence.
The Provost Marshal immediately to make the necessary preparations, and to attend on that duty to morrow.2
After Orders. Each of the Brigade Majors to furnish the Provost Marshal, with twenty men, from each Brigade, with good arms and bayonets, as a guard on the prisoner to and at the place of execution.
Turncoats, Traitors, and Heroes, a review by Hayden Peake! CIA
In his 1959 book Turncoats, Traitors, and Heroes, Harvard historian John Bakeless, a former Army intelligence officer, included a chapter entitled “Kidnapping George Washington.” Well documented from courts- martial records, contemporary letters, and news accounts, the basic plot has never been questioned, though other historians have referred to it as a plan “to assassinate the commander-in-chief.”
The First Conspiracy is the most detailed examination of the case to date and it seeks to determine whether the plotters were “trying to kill George Washington, kidnap him, or something else?”
Chronologically, the plot takes place during the first six months of 1776, before independence was proclaimed. The first theme is George Washington’s role as commander and his con- tacts with congressional committees.
The second deals with the plotters and how they operated under the direction of the governor of New York colony, William Tryon.
The third theme covers revelation of the plot by a jailed counterfeiter’s accomplice, Isaac Ketcham, who reported to the colonial authorities to save himself that at least one of the plotters, Thomas Hickey, was one of Washington’s handpicked bodyguards. The final theme addresses how Washington dealt with Hickey in a public court-martial and prompt hanging.
The authors point out anomalies so far unexplained in history. For example, why was only Hickey court-martialed when at least five bodyguards were named as suspects? Then there is the charge that Mary Smith, Washington’s housekeeper, was part of the plot. Perhaps the most curious of all was the unexplained reference in Washington’s general order concerning the Hickey hanging that mentions “lewd women” as a causative factor. (311)
In the end, the authors find no smoking gun to allow them to conclude whether the plotters planned to kill or just kidnap Washington, but they do offer assessments of the likelihood of each alternative.
The First Conspiracy concludes with observations on the consequences of the discovery and defeat of the plot. Very important, the authors suggest, was the creation of the Committee for Detecting and Defeating Conspira- cies, which was headed by Washington’s colleague John Jay. They add that the act established counterintelligence as a vital function, though “security” might be a more accurate characterization. Of equal value for Washington would be the staff members he selected to serve him for the rest of the war, and they are discussed briefly.
Although the narrative is occasionally over dramatic, Meltzer and Mensch have provided as complete an account of the plot as is likely to emerge.