The Captivity and Torture of a Patriot Spy - The Thomas Pool Story
Updated 9/14/21
Thomas Pool was a spy for the Continental Army who was found out and suffered torture as a result.
Thomas Pool
When the Revolutionary War broke out, Thomas Pool wanted to help the Patriot Cause.
In January 1777, he joined the 2nd Continental Dragoons, quickly receiving a promotion to Lieutenant.
Thomas spent a year and a half with the Continental Army before resigning his commission.
NYC
Pool didn’t just leave the army, he had a plan.
He made it seem that he was dissatisfied with the Americans and travelled to New York City on several occasions to speak with the British.
But Thomas wasn’t a traitor…he was a spy.
Spy
Pool recruited information with the knowledge of both George Washington and his Spy Master, Benjamin Tallmadge.
He brought the Americans useful information on several occasions before, in September of 1780, he was caught.
Although he was not hung (which was the usual spy treatment) this was the beginning of several years of torture.
Captivity
By his count, Thomas Pool spent 235 days in chains, sleeping on a stone floor, not once seeing sunlight.
During this time, he was beaten mercilessly in the hope that he would either admit his guilt or give over the names of his co-conspirators. He did neither.
After the expiration of the 235 days, he began brought up and exposed to the elements, still with little to eat or drink.
Two years into his captivity, Pool was brought to Bermuda, then to New York, then back to Bermuda.
In August of 1783, three years after he was first taken prisoner and well after the Battle of Yorktown, Thomas escaped.
Further Troubles
Pool’s torment had ended, but his troubles were far from over.
It took another year and a half to travel from Bermuda back to the United States.
During this time, his wife and young children had no idea of his whereabouts. They relied on the kindness of their neighbors for several years before taking on extremely large debts.
“Everything He Could Bear”
When Thomas returned, he petitioned the Continental Congress for finances to clear up the loans his family had borrowed.
In addition to Tallmadge and Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Hercules Mulligan (who had seen Pool beaten while also acting as a spy) testified on Pool’s behalf.
Interestingly, the case must have been on people’s minds because Hamilton and Mulligan both said exactly the same phrase, that Thomas had, “suffered everything he could bear without the loss of life.”
Finally, on September 7, 1786...six years to the day of his capture...Thomas Pool was awarded money for his dedication to the Cause.
He paid off his loans and bought a tavern in New London, Connecticut which he kept for the rest of his life.
To read about other close calls for American Founders, try one of these articles:
George Walton’s Signature Doesn’t Get Him Hung
Four Days as President - Henry Middleton Informs London of a Boycott
Want to read more about the treatment of prisoners during the Revolutionary War?
Pool doesn’t have a biography, but ‘The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn’ discusses the HMS Jersey’s work as a disease ridden prison ship.
If you’d like a precious copy for your very own you can through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).
