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Intelligence Letters and Documents

Nicholas Dietrich, Baron de Ottendorf Letter and Deposition of Miss Jenny, August 15, 1781. Henry Clinton Papers.

Many of the letters collected by Sir Henry Clinton’s espionage network were captured from the Rebel Army. During the time of the Revolutionary War, couriers on horseback transported letters and documents. Both the British and American armies would routinely intercept riders with saddlebags of mail, demanding to know the loyalties of the dispatch riders and searching the contents of the mail bags. In addition, colonials who supported the Rebel cause also stopped any suspicious mail riders and captured many British letters.

The Library of Congress holds the papers of George Washington, which contain many examples of captured British documents. In order to combat the Rebel Army’s interception of their military plans, Sir Henry Clinton and the other British Army generals used many forms of secret writing to communicate their strategies. Examples of captured letters in this exhibit are Rachel Revere’s letter to her husband, George Washington’s letter to Benjamin Tallmadge, and George Washington’s letter to his dentist.

Intelligence letters were used frequently by both the British and American forces.  These letters contained information regarding the military strategies of the opposing force, usually obtained by spy networks. Some intelligence letters and reports, such as Miss Jenny’s deposition, did not travel through enemy lines.  Because of this, Ottendorf did not use any form of cipher or invisible ink to hide the information contained in the letter.  Some of the intelligence letters also contained maps or drawings of the enemy army’s movements or headquarters. Maps, such as the hastily drawn view of the Hudson River and John Andre’s drawing of West Point, are more examples of intelligence information sent to the commanders of the British and American armies.