During the Revolutionary War, in a time when men valued their honor as a prized possession, spying was considered a shameful and degrading occupation. In the words of Captain William Hull, as he tried to dissuade his friend Nathan Hale from undertaking a dangerous spy mission:

The death purposefully assigned to spies, hanging, as opposed to the firing squad, represented the general disdain for espionage. The object of  public executions was to warn those watching of the humiliating and terrifying fate reserved for those caught. We tend to think of hanging as a "momentary pang" in which the neck is quickly snapped, but this was not always the case. These executions often proved to be grisly, horrifying spectacles which could take as long as half an hour or more.

Supposedly, only the lowest and basest of men would consider spying. It was certainly not something a gentleman or a lady would do. It is not surprising, therefore, that Nathan Hale was not regarded as a national hero until some fifty years after his death, and  his immortal words, "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country," properly acclaimed. 

Washington's spies were the unsung heroes of the American Revolution, and without their unique "peculiar" service, it is doubtful whether we could have won our independence. 

In writing their story, I have taken the liberty of adding a few fictional characters to it, mindful of the fact that Washington employed many spies through many different "spy rings" to gather his information, many whose names never were, and never will be, brought to light. 

This book is dedicated to those spies, both men and women, who risked their lives, as well as their sacred honor, to bring freedom to the country we call today the United States.

For Love & Liberty, is a gripping tale based on the the New York spies during the American Revolutionary War.