Everything About the American Revolution

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The Culper Spy Ring - [ here ]

Significant People - [ here ]

Famous Battles - [ here ]

Book Reviews - [ here ] 

What is it? 

Robert Townsend - Counterfeiting Plot Discovery - here

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Who is Robert Townsend?       In short, Robert Townsend was a significant member of the Culper Spy Ring during the American Revolution. He lived in Oyster Bay, New York which was heavily occupied by British officers at the time. He worked as a merchant and was solely dedicated to making a good living for himself. He became a spy in June, 1777 and other common aliases associated with Townsend are also “Samuel Culper Jr,” and “723.” 

Townsend’s Most Memorable Discovery      In the late 1770s, the British constructed a plot to flood the American economy with fraudulent money. They were planning to print loads of fake dollars, get them to circulate through the economy, and cause severe inflation. In addition, Townsend learned that the British had found "several reams [large quantities] of paper made for the last emission struck by Congress." Meaning, the counterfeit money would be made with the same product as the official money, thus making the distinction between the real and the fake impossible. If the British arrangement worked, the American financial system would’ve been so fractured, the war would’ve been surely over.       Early 1780, Robert Townsend picked up on the British plan. It is unknown how or where he picked up the plot. However, knowing Townsend was a merchant and lived among British soldiers, it can be assumed he heard the counterfeiting arrangement while trading commodities with an officer. He sent a dispatch to the higher ups in the Continental Army and the news reached Congress. As a result of Townsend’s discovery, Congress recollected all of its bills in circulation (which was a major deal and probably a pain to do) and saved the war effort.       This piece of information Townsend found has been deemed one of the most memorable and important discoveries of the Culper Spy Ring. 

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