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Invisible Ink: Spycraft of the American Revolution
The Critical Role of Espionage During the War of Independence and the Techniques Spies Used
During the American Revolution, espionage was critical to the successes and failures of both Continental and British efforts, and those employed in cloakand- dagger operations always risked death. While the most notorious episode of spying during the war—the Benedict Arnold affair—was a failure, most intelligence operations succeeded. Spycraft was no more wholly embraced than by the American commander-in-chief, George Washington. Washington relied on a vast spy network and personally designed sophisticated battle plan deceptions and counterintelligence efforts, some surprisingly modern in form. In Invisible Spycraft of the American Revolution , award-winning author John A. Nagy briefly traces the history of spy techniques from ancient China through Elizabethan England before embarking on the various techniques used by spies on both sides of the war to exchange secret information. These methods included dictionary codes, diplomatic ciphers, dead drops, hidden compartments (such as a hollowed-out bullet or a woman’s garter), and even musical notation, as well as efforts of counterintelligence, including “Black Chambers,” where postal correspondence was read by cryptologists. Throughout, the author provides examples of the various codes and ciphers employed, many of which have not been previously described. In addition, the author analyzes some of the key spy rings operating during the war, most notably the Culper ring that provided information to Washington from inside British-controlled New York City. Based on nearly two decades of primary research, including the author’s discovery of previously unrecognized spies and methods, Invisible Ink is a major contribution to the history of conflict and technology.
During the American Revolution, espionage was critical to the successes and failures of both Continental and British efforts, and those employed in cloakand- dagger operations always risked death. While the most notorious episode of spying during the war—the Benedict Arnold affair—was a failure, most intelligence operations succeeded. Spycraft was no more wholly embraced than by the American commander-in-chief, George Washington. Washington relied on a vast spy network and personally designed sophisticated battle plan deceptions and counterintelligence efforts, some surprisingly modern in form. In Invisible Spycraft of the American Revolution , award-winning author John A. Nagy briefly traces the history of spy techniques from ancient China through Elizabethan England before embarking on the various techniques used by spies on both sides of the war to exchange secret information. These methods included dictionary codes, diplomatic ciphers, dead drops, hidden compartments (such as a hollowed-out bullet or a woman’s garter), and even musical notation, as well as efforts of counterintelligence, including “Black Chambers,” where postal correspondence was read by cryptologists. Throughout, the author provides examples of the various codes and ciphers employed, many of which have not been previously described. In addition, the author analyzes some of the key spy rings operating during the war, most notably the Culper ring that provided information to Washington from inside British-controlled New York City. Based on nearly two decades of primary research, including the author’s discovery of previously unrecognized spies and methods, Invisible Ink is a major contribution to the history of conflict and technology.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published November 11, 2009
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231 people want to read
About the author
John A. Nagy
7 books40 followersJohn A. Nagy was born in Perth Amboy, NJ. He is an expert in antique documents, a consultant for the William L. Clements Library of the University of Michigan on espionage, and a Scholar in Residence at Saint Francis University, Loretto, Pennsylvania. He is President of the American Revolution Round Table of Philadelphia and has appeared on the History Channel, C-Span, local educational TV, and the Pennsylvania Cable Network. He graduated from Saint Francis University, Loretto, PA (BA) and Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ (MMS).
His book "Rebellion in the Ranks Mutinities of the American Revolution won the American Revolution Round Table of Philadelphia's Thomas Fleming Book Award for the best book on the American Revolution Era published in 2007."
His book "Rebellion in the Ranks Mutinities of the American Revolution won the American Revolution Round Table of Philadelphia's Thomas Fleming Book Award for the best book on the American Revolution Era published in 2007."
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 21, 2011
Having read many books about the generals of the American Revolution, the politics of the time, the battles, the public opinion - it was interesting to read about the spycraft that went on at the time. Ciphers, codes and the shining and not-so-shining people who employed them - effectively or not - provides a whole new take on how the war progressed and was fought.
It's also great fun to learn about the deception that that Americans employed to fool the British spies they knew were everywhere. Most of this deception involved making the small, under-equipped colonials looks more powerful than they really were. (Intentionally allowing inflated troop strength statistics to fall into a spy's hands; putting candles in every window at Nassau Hall so that an approaching loyalist would believe there were more men ensconced at the site than there truly were.)
It's delightful to learn that the father of our country was a crafty fellow: to convince spies that the Americans had more gunpowder than they really did, he once had gunpowder barrels filled with nothing but sand delivered to a loading dock where they would be conspiciously on display to the public. Attaboy, General Washington!
The many kinds of codes and ciphers are fully explained; the book contains an appendix for each. A good read for those who like the challenges of a complex puzzle!
It's also great fun to learn about the deception that that Americans employed to fool the British spies they knew were everywhere. Most of this deception involved making the small, under-equipped colonials looks more powerful than they really were. (Intentionally allowing inflated troop strength statistics to fall into a spy's hands; putting candles in every window at Nassau Hall so that an approaching loyalist would believe there were more men ensconced at the site than there truly were.)
It's delightful to learn that the father of our country was a crafty fellow: to convince spies that the Americans had more gunpowder than they really did, he once had gunpowder barrels filled with nothing but sand delivered to a loading dock where they would be conspiciously on display to the public. Attaboy, General Washington!
The many kinds of codes and ciphers are fully explained; the book contains an appendix for each. A good read for those who like the challenges of a complex puzzle!
August 9, 2015
Ugh, I'm torn between two and three stars on this one. I hate giving nonfiction books low marks, because even if I didn't "like" the book, chances are it still fulfilled its primary job of teaching me something new. That's certainly true about this one - I knew zero about spycraft during the American Revolution, and now I know more. So in that respect, the book was a success.
However, I just couldn't get into the book as a whole. It was very choppy. The author chose to split the book up by type of spycraft, so there's a chapter on code and ciphers, a chapter on dead drops, a chapter on hidden compartments, etc. Each chapter is made up of examples of that type of spycraft being used by both sides of the conflict. But because each chapter was written as a standalone, the whole book felt like a laundry list of historical snippets rather than feeling like one cohesive whole. In my opinion, the best part of the book was a chapter on Benedict Arnold. The author also did a good job of describing codes and ciphers, with plenty of examples, so if you're the type of person who enjoys playing with numbers and letters, you'll like that part of it.
However, I just couldn't get into the book as a whole. It was very choppy. The author chose to split the book up by type of spycraft, so there's a chapter on code and ciphers, a chapter on dead drops, a chapter on hidden compartments, etc. Each chapter is made up of examples of that type of spycraft being used by both sides of the conflict. But because each chapter was written as a standalone, the whole book felt like a laundry list of historical snippets rather than feeling like one cohesive whole. In my opinion, the best part of the book was a chapter on Benedict Arnold. The author also did a good job of describing codes and ciphers, with plenty of examples, so if you're the type of person who enjoys playing with numbers and letters, you'll like that part of it.
December 28, 2011
As solid an overview of the practice of espionage in the Revolutionary War as there is. A much-needed contribution to the literature in the field.
December 1, 2025
Very well researched, and fascinating but Nagy tries to convey ALL of the information. I found it difficult to tell when information about one spy was complete and Nagy was moving on to the next. (An extra line break between cases within each chapter would have made it much easier to read.)
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January 18, 2023Everything I wanted from this book was in the introduction and the chapter on codes and ciphers. Perhaps I should have picked up a more general history on cryptography.
March 17, 2013
I couldn't get into this one, and I'm pretty bummed about it. I usually devour real life espionage/spycraft books, but this one was much too choppy. I should've listened to some reviewers who warned of that issue. It's almost like the author threw all of his research into categories with little (useful) contextualization. Oh, well.
July 27, 2010
Be prepared...this book is incredibly cool, but INCREDIBLY DRY in the author's writing style. I do think the author could have made it pop because it was interesting to look at the ingenuity which both sides employed during the Revolutionary War.
June 8, 2012
Very interesting but a little dry.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews