Tater Hales' Dispatch from the American Revolution A Spy Tale, Jan. 2, 1777

Earlier today, when the smoke cleared on the battlefield here in Princeton, there stood General Washington in all of his glory. I couldn't help but think of the brave men and women who risked their patriotic necks to gather intelligence to help the general see his way through the smoke, and there was a lot of it as he led the troops across the Delaware River.
But when it was over, the smoke was all in Cornwallis' eyes after the Battle of Princeton. Instead of the British taking Philadelphia as they planned, almost all of New Jersey is now ours. Not too long ago, Washington told his generals what he expected from our spies: "Leave no stone unturned, nor do not speak to expense," he said.
So ole Tater can't help but get a little misty-eyed (and if you snicker, I'll put you flat on your musket) when he thinks about all of those patriots who used their eyes and ears to help the cause. A couple of privates stopped by my tent tonight, and we first started talking about the one who had to be among our bravest.
Everyone's talking about Nathan Hale's last words, so I'm sure some fool newspapers will get them wrong. But what swelled my normally cold as cod heart was what Nathan said to his best friend who tried to talk him out of the foolhardy mission: "I will reflect, and do nothing but what duty demands."
By now, you've probably heard what happened. Nathan posed as a Dutch school teacher, but the British captured him Sept. 21, 1776 with concealed papers that had sketches of fortifications and other information. They hung him at 11 a.m. the next day, but not before he said his already famous line that was paraphrased from the play, "Cato:" "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
The same day Hale was executed, another man was arrested in New York and charged as a spy. Haym Salomon eventually became an interpreter for General von Heister, commander of Hessian mercenaries, but he encouraged quite a few troops to desert.
One of our most successful intelligence came from the Culper Ring, which used codes, ciphers and secret communication links to pick up valuable information from all kinds of gatherings of British and Tories.
One member of the ring was a woman, we only know by her codename, "355." Rumor has it 355, which means lady in the Cipher code, came from a Tory family that gave her an inside link with British commanders.
Lydia Darragh took advantage of the British using her house in Philadelphia for conferences by slipping into a closet and taking notes on their military plans. Her husband then transferred the notes in shorthand on tiny slips of paper that Lydia put in a button mold and covered with fabric. She put the buttons on a coat they sent with their 14-year-old son when he visited his brother, Lt. Charles Darragh, with the American troops outside the city.
There have been many others, going as far back as the beginning of this little tussle we're in, with Paul Revere and the "mechanics," who sabotaged and stole British military equipment in Boston, not to mention watching every move of the redcoats.
I give each one of our people who brought us important information a heartfelt salute. Each tidbit is helping George Washington see a strategy for victory through the smoke of war and a fledgling nation.