Benjamin Tallmadge (25 February 1754 – 7 March 1835) was a member of the US House of Representatives from Connecticut's at-large congressional district from 1801 to 1817, succeeding William Edmond and preceding Thomas Scott Williams. Tallmadge was an American Revolutionary War hero, founding the Culper Ring in New York and leading dragoons in raids against the British Army, including the ambush of the British in the failed Raid on Meigs Harbor in by John Graves Simcoe in 1776 and the Battle of Setauket in 1777. Tallmadge also had a secretive role as George Washington's chief of intelligence, being involved with the Culper Ring and discovering Thomas Hickey and William Bradford's conspiracy to assassinate Washington and Charles Lee's treachery.
Biography[]
Benjamin Tallmadge was born on 25 February 1754 in Setauket, Long Island, New York, the son of a clergyman. Tallmadge was from a wealthy family, and he learned Greek, Latin, and Hebrew at Yale College before he graduated in 1773, being classmates and friends with Nathan Hale; he joined the Freemasons around this time. From 1773 to 1776, he served as superintendent of Wethersfield High School in Connecticut, and he enlisted in the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons from Connecticut in 1776 during the American Revolutionary War.
Dragoon captain[]
Tallmadge in January 1777
Tallmadge commanded dragoons in the ambush of a British Army patrol in the Raid on Meigs Harbor in the autumn of 1776 when the British attempted to raid a Continental Army safe haven, earning him the reprimand of his superior, General Charles Scott. Tallmadge and Scott had further rivalries when a mutiny broke out in northern New Jersey in the winter, with Tallmadge refusing to execute one of the Donegal mutineers, a young adult named Newt; Tallmadge claimed that he was passive and deserved a trial, and Scott shot Newt himself and said that he would court-martial Tallmadge. General Scott disregarded Tallmadge's warning that the Hessians were encamped at Trenton, which he had learned from his New York contact and childhood friend Abraham Woodhull, a spy for the revolutionaries in Setauket, burning the unsigned letter.
Intelligence commander[]
Tallmadge at Morristown in 1777
Tallmadge with Thomas Hickey (center) and another one of Washington's life guards
However, the victory at the Battle of Trenton led to George Washington himself seeking out Tallmadge, and he asked him about Woodhull. Eventually, it became apparent that Woodhull could be a very useful person, and Washington decided to promote Tallmadge to Major and give him command of the intelligence of the Continental Army, sending General Scott to the front. Tallmadge, working together with Nathaniel Sackett, helped in the formation of the Culper Ring, giving Abraham the alias of "Samuel" in honor of his brother while Washington gave him the surname of "Culpeper" (later shortened to "Culper" at the behest of Abraham), and Tallmadge communicated between the Culper Ring and Sackett. Tallmadge respected his commander-in-chief, and following the Battle of Brandywine he got into a fight with William Bradford, a Continental officer who was praising Charles Lee and insulting Washington by agreeing with the degrading "The Thoughts of a Free Man" pamphlet. Tallmadge, with the assistance of his childhood friend Lieutenant Caleb Brewster, beat down Bradford and his friends. Tallmadge would lead a raid on Setauket in 1777 against Major Edmund Hewlett to free his father and other accused patriots from the gallows; was responsible for uncovering Benedict Arnold's plot to hand over West Point to Great Britain; and captured the British spy John Andre in 1780, three great feats. Tallmadge would also save Washington's life from a conspiracy against him by his rival Bradford and by the lifeguard Thomas Hickey, leading to them both being executed by hanging on 28 June 1778. On 21 November 1780, he raided Fort George in New York City, burning down the Manor St. George and 300 tons of hay, disrupting the British Army's plans for having a comfortable encampment in New York City that winter. From March 1781 to November 1783, he served at Washington's headquarters, and he retired with the disbanding of the army.
Postwar career[]
Tallmadge would go on to enter politics in his adoptive state of Connecticut, being elected to the US House of Representatives for an at-large congressional district with the Federalist Party. He died on 7 March 1831 at the age of 81.