Free talk at NY Military Museum focuses on Revolutionary War spy ring on Wednesday, March 16 at 7 p.m.

Talk by Long Island author talks about the truth behind the TV Show "Turn"

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The author of the book " George Washington's Long Island Spy Ring" , Bill Bleyer, will speak at the New York State Military Museum on March 16 at 7 p.m.

SARATOGA, NY (03/11/2022) (readMedia)-- The true story behind the Revolutionary War spy ring that inspired the AMC Network show "Turn" about Revolutionary War espionage, will be the subject of a free talk at the New York State Military Museum in Saratoga Springs on Wednesday, March 16 at 7 p.m.

Retired Newsday reporter Bill Bleyer will discuss his book "George Washington's Long Island Spy Ring: A History and Tour Guide". The book looks at the truth behind the myths surrounding the famous Culper Spy Ring and also notes which sites which figured in this slice of the Revolutionary War are still present today.

From 1778 until the end of the war, Patriots like Abraham Woodhull and Robert Townsend risked their lives to report on British military operations in the region. Vital reports clandestinely traveled from New York City across the East River to Setauket, Long Island and were rowed on whaleboats across the Long Island Sound to the Connecticut shore.

Using ciphers, codes and invisible ink, the spy ring exposed British plans to attack French forces at Newport and a plot to counterfeit American currency.

Bleyer's PowerPoint will separate truth from the stories which have grown up about this successful intelligence operation.

Bleyer was a staff writer for Newsday for 33 years before retiring in 2014. He is the author and co-author of five books focusing on Long Island's role in American history and has taught economics and journalism at Hofstra University and the Web Institute, the naval architecture college in Glen Cove, New York.

The New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center is located at 61 Lake Avenue in Saratoga Springs. The museum is maintained by the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs with the mission of telling the story of New Yorkers in our nation's conflicts.

Additional free presentations will be held throughout, March and April. Those presentations will be at 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

The talks are sponsored by the Friends of the New York State Military Museum with support from Stewart's Shops.