Episode 71: Washington's Spy Letters

The Long Island History Project

We've been tracking the history of the Culper Spy Ring for a while on the Project but today we go to the source - two primary sources to be exact.

Kristen Nyitray, Director of Special Collections and University Archives at Stony Brook, and Chris Filstrup, former Dean of SBU Libraries, discuss their pursuit and acquisition of two letters by George Washington to Benjamin Tallmadge about the operations of the spy ring. You'll hear about Washington's hands-on approach to spycraft and the dangers the Ring faced operating out of enemy territory.

Kristen also describes the Culper Alliance that formed betwen Stony Brook, NYS Assemblyman Steve Englebright, and local cultural heritage organizations from the Three Village Historical Society to Raynham Hall in Oyster Bay. From the shores of Setauket to the auction room at Christie's, this story reveals the continuing evolution of the Culper Spy Ring's historical significance.

Further Research

• George Washington and the Culper Spy Ring (SBU Libraries)
• Spies in the Archives: Acquiring Revolutionary War Spy Letters Through Community Engagement by Kristen Nyitray and Sally Stieglitz
• Raynham Hal Museum
• Three Village Historical Society
• Music: Fife and Drums by Kevin MacLeod licensed under:
  • Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
• Washington's Spies by Alexander Rose (find in a library)
• Past Culper Spy Ring/TURN episodes on the Long Island History Project