Henry Clinton Letter to John Burgoyne, with Mask, August 10, 1777

On September 15, 1776, General William Howe’s Redcoat Army invaded Manhattan Island.  George Washington’s Continental Army had managed to escape after their defeat at the Battle of Brooklyn earlier that month.  They left New York in Loyalist hands, and retreated north to Harlem Heights.  To control New York had been Howe’s primary motivation due to its strategic location at the mouth of the Hudson River.  It would be, for the British, the only way they could prevent American rebellion.  As it turned out they completely underestimated the Patriot passion for freedom.
The role of intelligence and counterintelligence had a significant impact on how George Washington’s Continental Army won the war. Spies and counterspies, invisible ink, codes and ciphers that contained covert missions within secret messages were used. Members of the Culper Ring, the "mole" in the Sons of Liberty, and women spies fighting secretly behind Patriot and Loyalist battle lines were important information gatherers and transmitters. Washington's spymaster role reveals a completely different side of America’s first president.

Were masks an effective way to conceal the hidden meaning of letters? Why?

Divide students into small groups of 4.  Each group will analyze and discuss the letter from General Henry Clinton.  Review text based evidence prior to the mask, and compare text with the mask.  The groups should discuss then write a summary on similarities and differences of the letter in contrast to the letter with mask.