Caleb Brewster, Abraham Woodhull, Anna Strong and Benjamin Tallmadge. Four members of the Culper Ring.
The Culper Ring is a spy ring unofficially organized by Captain Benjamin Tallmadge in the autumn of 1776 during British occupation of New York City during the American Revolutionary War. The ring was later made official in 1777 under the orders of General George Washington.
History[]
The Culper Ring is a spy ring unofficially organized by Captain Benjamin Tallmadge in 1776 during British occupation of New York City at the height of the American Revolutionary War that first included Abraham Woodhull, Ben, Lieutenant Caleb Brewster and Anna Strong. In 1777, Anna's former slave Abigail later agreed to assist them. After successfully aiding in the victories at Trenton and Princeton, under the orders of General George Washington, the ring was made official and Ben was promoted to Major.
General Washington provided Abe with the alias of Culpeper and Major Tallmadge was tasked with giving Mr. Culpeper a given name. He chose Samuel in honor of his brother. With the assistance of Nathaniel Sackett, the agents involved in the ring were all given code numbers for Abe to refer to them in correspondence to prevent detection of his messages. General Washington referred to as 711, Major Tallmadge as 721, Abe as 722 and Lieutenant Brewster as 725.
Members of the Culper Ring during the Battle of Setauket.
During the Battle of Setauket, Abe, Ben, Caleb and Anna reunited after the Continental Army attacked the British Army due to Ben and Caleb learning of possible hangings of Patriots, including Nathaniel Tallmadge, Ben's father and Lucas Brewster, Caleb's uncle. The fighting eventually ceased after the death of Lucas Brewster at the hands of Captain John Graves Simcoe, who was arrested after the murder.
After the battle, Abe informed Ben that he would only accept being called Culper, not Culpeper.
Members[]
| Picture | Nationality | Name | Alias/Number | Current member/Status | First appearance | Latest appearance | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
Abigail | 355 | Yes/Alive | |||
 |
|
Brewster, Caleb | 725 | Yes/Alive | |||
 |
|
Sackett, Nathaniel | No/Deceased | ||||
 |
|
Strong, Anna | Yes/Alive | ||||
 |
|
Tallmadge, Benjamin | 721 John Bolton |
YesAlive | |||
 |
|
Townsend, Robert | Samuel Culper, Jr. | Yes/Alive | |||
 |
|
Washington, George | 711 | Yes/Alive | |||
 |
|
Woodhull, Abraham | 722 Samuel Culpeper Samuel Culper, Sr. |
Yes/Alive |
Codebook[]
A page from the Culper Ring codebook.
- 355 = Abigail
- 385 = Mercy
- 386 = Moment
- 387 = Murder
- 388 = Measure
- Proper Names
- 711 = Gen. Washington
- 712 = Gen. Clinton
- 713 = Tryon
- 714 = Erskine
- 719 = North, Lord
- 720 = Germain, Lord
- 721 = Bolton, John
- 722 = Culpeper, Samuel
- 725 = C. Brewster
- 727 = New York
- 728 = Long Island
- 729 = Setauket
Behind the Scenes[]
- Main article: Culper Ring/Real life
Appearances[]
Episode
Turn: Origins (first appearance)- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Pilot"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Who by Fire"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Of Cabbages and Kings"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Eternity How Long"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Epiphany"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Mr. Culpeper"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Mercy Moment Murder Measure"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Challenge"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Against Thy Neighbor"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "The Battle of Setauket"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Thoughts of a Free Man"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Hard Boiled"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "False Flag"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Men of Blood"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Sealed Fate"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Houses Divided"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Valley Forge"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Providence"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "The Prodigal"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Valediction"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Cold Murdering Bastards"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Benediction"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Hearts and Minds"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Hypocrisy, Fraud, and Tyranny"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Many Mickles Make a Muckle"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Judgment"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Mended"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Blade on the Feather"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Trial and Execution"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Spyhunter General"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "The Black Hole of Calcutta"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Blood for Blood"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Nightmare"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Private Woodhull"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Our Man in New York"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Quarry"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Belly of the Beast"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Reckoning"
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Washington's Spies"
