The Spies of the American Revolution turned the tide of the American Revolution in favor of the patriots. To win this war they would compose mysterious messages in invisible ink, create hidden messages to uncover British plans, and report what they learned. When Nathan Hale was captured while trying to deliver a message, he watched as people were captured and then killed for spying on the other side. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Nathan Hale was a spy for the Patriots, he was undeniably brave, but he wasn't a very skilled or intelligent officer. It took only a couple of days for his suspicious questions to attract the attention of local loyalists, and he later had his cover blown after a British promoter approached him in a tavern pretending to be another Patriot spy . Hale was arrested the next day and was found to have compromising documents buried under the soles of his shoes. Hale, the twenty-one-year-old patriot, faced the gallows with “gentle dignity” before reciting the brilliant words: “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” Invisible ink was a very early espionage technique, it helped the Patriots receive letters with secret information that no one would understand except themselves. George Washington informed his agents of the use of what was called the “sympathetic stain,” noting that the ink “will not only render… communications less exposed to detection, but will alleviate the fears of the persons who may be charged with the its transportation". George Washington spoke these words because this was the technique he knew could be read but the Patriots and even if one of them had been captured, as Nathan Hale did, the Loyalists would not have known what the letter said. The soldier who received this letter placed the paper in a candle flame or equipped it with a chemical reagent, such as sodium carbonate, which would reveal the invisible contents of the letter. Now, without this invention composed of a chemical solution based on tannic acid, everyone would know what their battle plan was. The Culper Code Book was invented by Benjamin Tallmadge in 1778, to gather intelligence from the British unit and military plans from the New York area. The informants used false names and a numeric code composed of seven hundred and sixty-three numbers representing words, names and places to communicate their information. Developed by Tallmadge, the Culper Code Book was essential in protecting the vital communications and identities of this important intelligence gathering group. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay From the Incident with Nathan Hale, to the Invention of Invisible Ink, and the Invention of the Culper Code Book by Benjamin Tallmadge. Nathan Hale, the very brave and not very skilled spy, had been captured by loyalists, then arrested and hanged. Invisible ink was a very useful technique of the Patriots. He helped their spies get their information without the loyalists finding out. Now the Culper Code Book was used to gather information from the British unit and military plans in the New York area. It's a valuable technique on the Patriots' part.