Astonishingly Accurate British Intelligence in the American War of Independence

An unsigned, undated document among the General Sir Henry Clinton Papers at the University of Michigan William C. Clements Library, Ann Arbor, Michigan, demonstrates that the British possessed remarkable, accurate intelligence on the Continental Army’s order of battle and command structure. Curiously, Crown officers added derogatory nicknames denoting their understanding of the senior Rebel generals’ predominant character traits. Neither the senior general assessments nor the command structure intelligence led to sustainable battlefield advantages. Still, it aided unit identification during General Howe’s Spring 1777 New Jersey campaign and may have contributed to the British victory at Brandywine later that year.