When one thinks of the American Revolutionary War, the first name that often come to mind is George Washington. However, there are many important figures in the war that began in 1775, a lot forgotten. In fact, without many of the forgotten figures, George Washington would have not lived through the Revolution, including Hercules Mulligan. Mulligan, an Irish man who immigrated to America at the age of six, supported the Patriots despite living in British-occupied New York City. He was a clever spy for General Washington and used his clothing emporium as cover to gain information to aid the rebel side. Hercules Mulligan was a forgotten man in the Revolutionary War, and was of great historical value, yet his accomplishments during the war period …show more content…
While collecting measurements for the officers’ uniforms, Mulligan would coax information out of them by playing off the officer’s vanities. In addition to this, the tailor would ask for the date the officers needed the uniforms back. Mulligan would conclude the date of their next move when multiple officers would inform him of the same date. Cato, Mulligan’s slave, would then travel to Washington’s headquarters in New Jersey to alert Washington of a units redeployment. Hercules Mulligan wouldn’t have been working as a spy for the rebel cause if it weren’t for Alexander Hamilton. While Hamilton was in in New York, studying at King’s College (now Columbia University), he became a great friend of Mulligan’s (“The Legend of Hercules Mulligan” 1). Mulligan influenced the Tory to become a patriot, and soon Alexander joined the Sons of Liberty. Later, after Hamilton became Washington’s right hand man and Washington mentioned that he needed a spy on the inside in New York City, Hamilton recommended his old friend. Hercules readily agreed to serve as a spy, and that act alone may