The Culper Code Book

The Culper Code Book was used by the Culper spy ring to send coded messages to George Washington's headquarters during the Revolutionary War.

Under the orders of General George Washington, Major Benjamin Tallmadge organized the Culper Spy Ring in 1778 to gather information on British troop movements, fortifications, and military plans in the New York area.

Informants used fake names and a numerical code book consisting of seven hundred and sixty-three numbers representing words, names, and places to communicate their information. Developed by Tallmadge, the Culper Code Book was essential in protecting the vital communications and identities of this important intelligence gathering group.

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	A	219	gun	436	offer	655	value
1	a	220	go	437	office	656	virtue
2	an	221	gain	438	onset	657	visit
3	all	222	guide	439	order	658	valiant
4	at	223	gold	440	over	659	victory
5	and	224	glory	441	obstruct	660	vigilant
6	art	225	gunner	442	obtain	661	vigorous
7	arms	226	gloomy	443	observe	662	violent
8	about	227	govern	444	occur	663	volenteer
9	above	228	grandieure	445	offense	664	valuable
10	absent	229	guilty	446	ommit	665	voluntary
11	absurd	230	guinea	447	oppose		U
12	adorn	231	gallant	448	obligate	666	up
13	adopt	232	gazette	449	obstinate	667	upper
14	adore	233	grateful	450	obviate	668	upon
15	advise	234	glacis	451	occupy	669	unto
16	adjust	235	general	452	operate	670	unarm
17	adjourn	236	garrison	453	origin	671	unfit
18	afford	237	gentleman	454	ornament	672	unheard
19	affront	238	glorious	455	overcome	673	unsafe
20	affair	239	gradual	456	overlook	674	uniform
21	again	240	granadier	457	overtake	675	uncertain
22	april		H	458	overrun	676	uncommon
23	agent	241	hay	459	overthrow	677	unfriendly
24	alter	242	he	460	obedience	678	unfortunate
25	ally	243	his	461	objection		W
26	any	244	him	462	october	679	wind
27	appear	245	haste	463	obscure	680	war
28	appoint	246	hand	464	occasion	681	was
29	august	247	hang	465	opinion	682	we
30	approve	248	hour?	466	oppression	683	will
31	arrest	249	have	467	opportunity	684	with
32	arraign	250	head	468	obligation	685	when
33	amuse	251	high		P	686	wharf
34	assign	252	hill	469	pay	687	wound
35	assume	253	hope	470	peace	688	wood
36	attempt	254	hut	471	plan	689	want
37	attone	255	horse	472	put	690	wait
38	attack	256	house	473	port	691	write
39	alarm	257	happy	474	proof	692	who
40	action	258	hardy	475	please	693	wish
41	accomplish	259	harvest	476	part	694	whose
42	apprehend	260	horrid	477	paper	695	wages
43	abatis	261	horseman	478	pardon	696	warlike
44	accommodate	262	human	479	party	697	welfare
45	alternative	263	havock	480	perfect	698	willing
46	artillery	264	healthy	481	pilot	699	winter
47	ammunition	265	heavy	482	prudent	700	water
	B	266	honest	483	publish	701	woman
48	be	267	hunger	484	purchase	702	writer
49	bay	268	honor	485	purpose	703	waggon
50	by	269	harmony	486	people	704	weary
51	best	270	hazardous	487	pleasure	705	warrant
52	but	271	hesitate	488	produce		Y
53	buy	272	history	489	prison	706	yet
54	bring	273	horrible	490	progress	707	you
55	boat	274	hospital	491	promise	708	your
56	barn	275	hurrican	492	proper	709	yesterday
57	banish	276	hypocrite	493	prosper		Z
58	baker	277	DOCUMENT DAMAGE	494	prospect	710	zeal
59	battle	278	DOCUMENT DAMAGE	495	punish		PROPER NAMES
60	better	279	DOCUMENT DAMAGE	496	pertake	711	Gen Washington
61	beacon		I	497	perform	712	Clinton
62	behalf	280	I	498	permit	713	Tryon
63	bitter	281	if	499	pervert	714	Erskind
64	bottom	282	in	500	prepare	715	Vaughan
65	bounty	283	is	501	prevail	716	Robinson
66	bondage	284	it	502	preserve	717	Brown
67	barron	285	ice	503	pretend	718	Gen Garth
68	brigade	286	ink	504	promote	719	North, Lord
69	business	287	into	505	propose	720	Germain
70	battery	288	instance	506	protect	721	Bolton John
71	battallion	289	island	507	provost	722	Culper Sam
72	british	290	impress	508	pursue	723	Culper Junr.
	C	291	improve	509	passenger	724	Austin Roe
73	camp	292	incamp	510	passion	725	C. Brewster
74	came	293	incur	511	pension	726	Rivington
75	cost	294	infest	512	period		PLACES
76	corps	295	inforce	513	persecute	727	New York
77	change	296	instance	514	poverty	728	Long Island
78	carry	297	insnare	515	power or powerful	729	Setauket
79	clergy	298	instruct	516	prosperous	730	Kingsbridge
80	common	299	intrigue	517	punishment	731	Bergen
81	consult	300	intrust	518	preferment	732	Staten Island
82	contest	301	instant	519	production	733	Boston
83	contract	302	invest	520	pursuant	734	Rhode Island
84	content	303	invite	521	pensioner	735	Connecticut
85	Congress	304	ignorant	522	Parliament	736	New Jersey
86	captain	305	impudent	523	persecution	737	Pensylvania
87	careful	306	industry	524	practicable	738	Maryland
88	city	307	infamous	525	profitable	739	Virginia
89	clamour	308	influence	526	particular	740	North Carolina
90	column	309	infantry	527	petition	741	South Carolina
91	copy	310	infantry (symbol)	528	profession	742	Georgia
92	cover	311	injury	529	proclaim	743	Quebeck
93	county	312	innocent	530	provision	744	Hallifax
94	courage	313	instrument	531	protection	745	England
95	credit	314	intimate		Q	746	London
96	custom	315	illegal	532	quick	747	Portsmouth
97	compute	316	imagin	533	question	748	Plymouth
98	conduct	317	important	534	quantity	749	Ireland
99	comply	318	imprison	535	quallity	750	Corke
100	confine	319	improper		R	751	Scotland
101	caution	320	incumber	536	rank	752	West Indies
102	conquer	321	inhuman	537	rain	753	East Indies
103	coward	322	inquiry	538	run	754	Gibralter
104	confess	323	interview	539	rule	755	France
105	convict	324	incorrect	540	read	756	Spain
106	cannon	325	interceed	541	rise	757	Scotland
107	charactor	326	interfere	542	random	758	Portugal
108	circumstance	327	intermix	543	ransom	759	Denmark
109	clothier	328	introduce	544	rather	760	Russia
110	company	329	immediate	545	real	761	Germany
111	confident	330	impatient	546	riot	762	Hanover
112	committee	331	incouragemt	547	robber	763	Head Quarters
113	continue	332	infection	548	ready		ALPHABET
114	contradict	333	irregular	549	ruin	A	e
115	correspond	334	invalid	550	ruler	B	f
116	controvery	335	indians	551	rapid	C	g
117	commission		J	552	reader	D	h
118	commissioner	336	June	553	rebel	E	i
119	constitution	337	July	554	rigor	F	j
	D	338	jury	555	river	G	a
120	date	339	jealous	556	receit	H	b
121	day	340	justify	557	refit	I	c
122	dead	341	january	558	regain	J	d
123	do		K	559	rejoice	K	o
124	die	342	key	560	relate	L	m
125	damage	343	king	561	request	M	n
126	doctor	344	kill	562	relax	N	p
127	dirty	345	know	563	redoubt	O	q
128	drummer		L	564	rely	P	r
129	daily	346	law	565	remit	Q	k
130	dispatch	347	land	566	reprieve	R	l
131	distant	348	love	567	repulse	S	u
132	danger	349	low	568	reward	T	v
133	dislodge	350	lot	569	retract	U	w
134	dismiss	351	lord	570	resign	V	x
135	dragoon	352	light	571	ratify	W	y
136	detain	353	last	572	recompence	X	z
137	divert	354	learn	573	regular	Y	s
138	discourse	355	lady	574	regulate	Z	t
139	disband	356	letter	575	rigorous		NUMBERS
140	dismount	357	levy	576	recital	1	e
141	disarm	358	levies-new	577	recover	2	f
142	detect	359	liar	578	remember	3	g
143	defense	360	lucky	579	remittance	4	i
144	deceive	361	language	580	represent	5	k
145	delay	362	limit	581	rebellion	6	m
146	difficult	363	liquid	582	reduction	7	n
147	disapprove	364	longitude	583	remarkable	8	o
148	disregard	365	latitude	584	reinforcemt	9	q
149	disappoint	366	laudable	585	refugee	0	u
150	disagree	367	legible		S
151	disorder	368	liberty	586	sail
152	dishonest	369	lottery	587	see
153	discover	370	literature	588	sea
154	december		M	589	scheme
155	demolish	371	man	590	set
156	deliver	372	map	591	send
157	desolate	373	may	592	ship
158	during	374	march	593	safe
	E	375	mast	594	same
159	ear	376	make	595	sky
160	eye	377	met	596	secret
161	end	378	me	597	seldom
162	enquire	379	my	598	sentence
163	effect	380	much	599	servant
164	endure	381	move	600	signal
165	enforce	382	most	601	silent
166	engage	383	mine	602	suffer
167	enclose	384	many	603	sudden
168	equip	385	mercy	604	surprise
169	excuse	386	moment	605	summer
170	exert	387	murder	606	speaker
171	expand	388	measure	607	steady
172	expose	389	method	608	submit
173	extort	390	mischief	609	surpass
174	express	391	mistake	610	sanction
175	embark	392	molest	611	sensible
176	employ	393	majesty	612	singular
177	explore	394	meditate	613	soldier
178	enemy	395	memory	614	sovereign
179	example	396	messenger	615	security
180	embassador	397	misery	616	severity
181	engagement	398	moveable	617	?
182	experience	399	multitude	618	september
183	evacuate	400	miscarry	619	surrender
	F	401	misfortune	620	serviceable
184	Farm	402	miserable	621	security
185	face	403	mercenary	622	severity
186	fate	404	majority	623	society
187	false	405	minority	624	superior
188	friend	406	memorial		T
189	fen	407	missterious	625	the
190	find	408	manufacture	626	that
191	form	409	moderator	627	this
192	fort	410	ministerial	628	these
193	fleet		N	629	they
194	famine	411	name	630	there
195	father	412	new	631	thing
196	foggy	413	no	632	though
197	folly	414	not	633	time
198	frugal	415	night	634	to
199	faithfull	416	never	635	troops
200	favour	417	needful	636	thankfull
201	faulty	418	number	637	therefore
202	foreign	419	neither	638	timber
203	forget	420	nothing	639	tory
204	fulfil	421	neglect	640	transport
205	factor	422	nation	641	trail
206	faoulty	423	navy	642	traitor
207	favorite	424	natural	643	transgress
208	fortune	425	negative	644	translate
209	forget	426	negligence	645	terrible
210	foreigner	427	november	646	tyranny
211	fortitude	428	necessary		V
212	fortify	429	nobility	647	vain
213	formidable		O	648	vaunt
214	foundation	430	oath	649	vouch
215	february	431	of	650	vacant
	G	432	off	651	vary
216	get	433	on	652	venture
217	great	434	or	653	vital
218	good	435	out	654	vulgar

Additional Information

Directions for the Alphabet

N.B. the use of the alphabet is when you wish to express some words not mentioned in the numerical Dictionary. For instance the word heart would be expressed thus bielv. look the letters of the real word in the first column of the Alphabet and then apposite to them, let those letters in the second column represent them; in this case always observe to draw a line under the word, as fwv stands for but. Numbers are represented by their opposite Letters which must have a double line under them as fikm is 2 4 5 6. & nqu is 790.

Additional Information

Directions for the numerical Dictionary

In the numerical Dictionary it is sufficient to express a part of a sentence only in figures, to make the rest perfectly unintelligable, as all words cannot be mentioned those of a synonimous meaning must be sought for. & if not to be found, & the word not proper to be wrote, then the alphabet must be used - When numbers are used always observe to put a period after the number thus 284. Stands for it & 295. inforce. It will often happen that the same word may need to be changed thro the different moods, tenses, nums. &c - thus if you would express the word Introduce the number would be 328. if you express the word introduced make a small flourish over the same ~328- Horse is repres[ented] by 255. Horses by ~255., kill by 344. killed by ~344. impress by 290. impressed by ~290, in such cases the Foregoing & subsequent parts must determine the word.