v 1.5

Spook™: James Armistead Lafayette, Intelligence Timeline: Revised 06.20.08

 

Source Key:

  1. Virginia Negro Sailors and Seamen in the Revolutionary War, Luther Porter Jackson, 1944
  2. Dictionary of American Negro Biography, Rayford W. Logan,1982
  3. The Letters of Lafayette to Washington, Louis Gottschalk, 1944
  4. George Washington, Spymaster, Thomas B. Allen
  5. Virginia Cavalcade, Volume 31 #2 “A mission of the most secret and important kind,” J. Salmon, 1981
  6. In The General's Secret Service, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation    
  7. Cornwallis: The American Adventure, F. and M. Wickwire, 1970
  8. The Correspondence of Charles, First Marquis Cornwallis, ed. Charles Derek Ross, 3 vols. 1859
  9. The Cornwallis papers; abstracts of Americana, Compiled by George H. Reese.
  10. Lafayette, Harlow Giles Unger
  11. His Excellency, George Washington, Joseph J. Ellis
  12. Lafayette in America,
  13. Clinton-Cornwallis Controversy, Stevens
  14. The American Counter Revolution, Larry E. Tise

 

Year

Historical Event / Fact

Source

History Based James Activity

1748

James is Born New Kent County, VA

 

 

 

 

 

 

1776

Signing of declaration of independence

 

 

1781

 

 

 

1781

05.04 Lafayette to Washington that he has no reliable Virginia militia or spies

#3 p. 189

James & William are harassed by the needs of the Loyalists. They are supplying the continentals but can make little good progress due to Loyalist Depredations (food & arms raids.)

1781

05.26 Lafayette anticipates the Cornwallis crossing of the James river and attack on his position in Richmond

#10 p. 144

James arrives with a message from the commissary office & a little key intelligence about Cornwallis’ intentions.

1781

06.05 Wayne arrives with additional troops and informs Lafayette verbally of Washington’s Southern Strategy to capture Cornwallis

#10 p. 146

 

1781

06.07 Under Cornwallis’ orders Tarleton sacks Monticello. Jefferson narrowly escapes. Tarleton simultaneously captures 7 Virginia assembly members in Charlottesville

#10 p.147

William narrowly escapes death. The raids scour the road to Charleston and this convinces him that the resistance needs more help. He sends James to sort it out.

1781

06.18 Lafayette to Washington that the British have been intercepting his communications

#3 p. 201

 

1781

06.28 Lafayette to Washington, he thinks that his #s have been exaggerated to Cornwallis & gives W detailed troop counts.

#3 p. 202

This could be James’ work? James finding a way to misdirect intelligence figures for troop counts.

1781

07.04 Lafayette and troops celebrate the arrival of the 5th anniversary of the new country and the shellacking of Cornwallis through his Virginia retreat/pullback

#10 p. 150

 

1781

07.05 Lafayette attacks the rear guard of Cornwallis as they retreat to a causeway toward James Island. “Mad” Anthony Wayne is leading the attack. They are a betrayed by a negro “spy.” Cornwallis has laid a trap. Wayne is surrounded and faces certain death. He orders his men to charge. Lafayette smells out the trap and orders his men to break the encirclement of Brits. Lafayette loses his horse and breaks the trap on foot leading Wayne out into the woods.

#10 p. 150, #7 p. 343

Conflicting accounts Source 7 dates the action 07.06:

I interpret it: JAMES may have been the “SPY”

 

Tarleton sends a dragoon and a negro spy. The group arrives and pretends to be deserters tell Wayne (“false Intel”)

 

James is stuck with the group and has to wait to find a discreet time to leave and inform Lafayette because he can’t blow his cover with the British. This delay costs lives as Wayne falls into a well-laid trap.

 

James kills his nearest escorts and he eventually finds Lafayette and they save what they can.

 

James returns to the British in the disarray of the retreat and melee. He presents that the dragoon were killed on Wayne’s retreat.

1781

07.08 Lafayette to Washington, details the misinformation that has been carried into C, “Our regulars did not exceed 1500 the enemy had 4000 regulars 800 of whom mounted. They thought we had 8000 men I never camped in a line and there was a greater difficulty to come at our numbers”

#3 p. 204

James creates the idea of a British turncoat spy among Cornwallis’ men. The imaginary spy creates further cover for his activities and a convenient excuse for obvious intelligence leaks.

 

Lafayette’s correspondence is still being read and now Cornwallis is looking for the informant and traitors. Men are being hanged on suspicion alone.