To George Washington from John Bolton, 8 May 1780
From John Bolton
Wethersfield [Conn.] May 8th 1780
Sir
I have the honour to enclose to Your Excellency a Line from C——.1 At his earnest request I have lately had an interview with him at Setauket, who informs that C——Junr, who resides at N.Y., has of late declined assisting him. Even C. Senior grows timid, & thinks the intercourse had better be dropt for the present, & if any movements of Consequence should be in Contemplation he will renew his Services at any time. He wishes however to be informed of some Person at N.Y. whom he may Confidentially trust in the business. If Mr Duchie,2 or Mr Mullegan,3 have ever done any thing in this way, he would be obliged by a hint of it. C——informs that C——Junr has wrote Your Excellency some time ago that he proposed laying aside the business, for the present.4 C. Supposes that the Boat crossing at such regular periods has given Cause for suspicion, & for this reason would be Glad (if nothing very important requires his attention in his former employment) not to have the Boat cross immediately—The next appointment is on the 25th of May inst., By which time I hope to be hond with a Line from Your Excellency on the Subject, that I may reply to C——by the aforesd Conveyance. I have the honour to be your Excellency’s most Obedt Servt
Jno. Bolton
ALS, DLC:GW; ADfS, CtLHi. John Bolton was an alias for Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge.
GW replied to Tallmadge from Morristown on 19 May 1780, agreeing to drop “the intercourse” because “from our present position the intelligence is so long getting to hand that it is of no use by the time it reaches me” (DLC:GW).
1. Tallmadge enclosed a letter written at Setauket, N.Y., on 4 May by Samuel Culper to an unidentified correspondent. Marked “No. 4,” the letter reads: “I have had an intervew with C. Jur And am Sorry to find he declines Serveing any longer. as hinted in my last—If any Person can be Pointed out by 711—at N.Y.—who can be Safely relyed on to Supply C. Jur Place. I will make myself known to him, And Settle a Plan for the Purpose—C. Jur will nevertheless afford every assistance in his Power, & give verbal information as he can collect.
“I have recd 20 Guinies Sometime ago, which you Sent me & with them have been Paying off the expences already accrued, And find a ballance Still due me. Assoon as Convenient could wish you to forward me an additional Sum—I have for some time Suspected that Daniel Duehee living with Hugh Wallace has bene employd by 711—if this be the Case could wish to be informed of it: I Shall Probably See Jon Bolton this evening and therefore forbear, And Shall refer you to him” (DLC:GW). Samuel Culper was an alias for Abraham Woodhull. The code book for the Culper spy ring identified “711” as “Genl Washington” (see Tallmadge to GW, 25 July 1779, and n.2 to that document; see also Culper Spy Ring Intelligence, 6–17 Aug. 1779, editorial note).
2. Daniel Duehee (Duchee) apparently then lived with New York Loyalist Hugh Wallace (see Samuel Culper to an unidentified correspondent, 4 May, found at n.1 above).
3. Hercules Mulligan (1740–1825) immigrated from Ireland with his family as a child and eventually opened a tailoring and clothing business in New York City. He married the niece of a British naval officer in 1773 and became friendly with Alexander Hamilton prior to the Revolutionary War. An early advocate of the Patriot cause, Mulligan gravitated to the role of a spy and served until the end of the conflict. GW reportedly breakfasted with him soon after the British departed New York City (see , 92–124; see also , 240–41, 358). Mulligan supplied clothing for GW during his years as president (see Tobias Lear to Mulligan, 6 Feb. 1792, in 9:544).
4. No letter from Samuel Culper, Jr., an alias for Robert Townsend, to GW has been found.