Ann Bates childhood biography

Answer 1

Ann Bates was a schoolteacher in Philadelphia, and a loyalist spy for the British. She joined Henry Clinton's espionage sometime in 1778. As she was a spy, she posed as a peddler, selling thread, needles, knives, and utensils to American camp members. She travels through American camps selling these goods and looking and recording American weapons, men, anything that would be of good information for her leader. When her goods were all sold she went back to a British camp and reported all of her findings. While returning from spying on American troops Bates had been arrested, searched, and imprisoned for one day and night. Then released. She reported to Major Drummond and was sent out to spy again on July 29, 1778. While spying she was asked to look for a disloyal American troop. She had found one named Chambers. He shared important information to Bates. Though she found out that he had died 3 weeks later. Bates gathered information that American troops were headed to Rhode Island. She inaccurately reported it to Clinton on August 6, 1778. She told him that the troops had not yet gone to Rhode Island. Bates went to Washington's headquarters in the White Plains, NY, she overheard one of his aides say that boats were being prepared for landing on Long Island. Bates went back to Clinton to report the information. That info influenced Clinton's decision to send more troops to defend Rhode Island, forcing American and French armies to withdraw from Newport on August 31. Then on May 12, 1780 Bates left Clinton's espionage ring and worked with her husband as a gun repairman with the British Army, in Charleston, South Carolina.