Anna Strong

Thrilling, dramatic, and true, Anna Strong: A Spy During the American Revolution brings young readers into the tension of real wartime espionage while spotlighting a lesser-known woman who helped change the course of history.

The book also includes an author's note, bibliography, index, and a spy code so kids can jump into the world of secret messages themselves.

In the shadows of the American Revolution, a quiet signal could be the difference between victory and defeat. Anna Smith Strong (1740–1812) risked everything to help George Washington—not with muskets, but with spycraft.

Recruited by Washington's spymaster Major Benjamin Tallmadge, Anna became part of the Culper Ring, an intelligence network operating under constant danger. From her home in Setauket, Long Island, she helped move vital information through enemy-occupied territory—where discovery could mean prison or execution.

Her most ingenious tool looked perfectly ordinary: laundry on a clothesline. By arranging a black petticoat and carefully placed handkerchiefs, Anna could signal when a message was ready and guide fellow spies to the correct pickup point—turning "everyday life" into a coded lifeline for the Patriot cause.