Mersereau Ring
The Mersereau Ring, a spy ring operating throughout the New Brunswick and New York regions during the American Revolution, began gathering intelligence on British military activity for General George Washington as early as December 1776. While retreating through New Brunswick, Washington set up the Mersereau Ring through businessman and patriot Joshua Mersereau. According to their initial arrangements, Joshua's eldest son John LaGrange Mersereau was to remain in New Brunswick after American forces retreated. By 1777, the Mersereau Ring expanded into a greater intelligence network operating under Colonel Elias Dayton of the 1st New Jersey Militia. Joshua Mersereau Joshua Mersereau (1728-1804) attended Kings College, practiced law in New York City, and operated a stage coach line with his brother John prior to the Revolutionary War. As the revolution approached, the brothers offered their horses for American military service and in 1775 Joshua helped rally troops for a military expedition into Quebec. During the Revolutionary War, Joshua served as a Representative for Richmond County with the Provincial Assembly of New York State. In addition to his political responsibilities, Joshua served as Deputy Commissary of prisoners under General Elias Boudinot for Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. In this role, Joshua corresponded frequently with George Washington about prisoners of war and intelligence matters. Joshua and the Mersereau family, owning a tavern on Staten Island and a stagecoach line between New York and Philadelphia, had the covert means for transporting intelligence reports through their legitimate businesses. In 1780, Joshua Mersereau received a promotion to the rank of Major. Joshua continued to serve in his role as Deputy Commissary until the conclusion of the war, upon which he moved his family to Tioga County and became a surrogate judge. John LaGrange Mersereau Once American forces retreated across the Delaware River in 1776, John LaGrange (1760-1841) moved from New Brunswick to Staten Island and later Manhattan where he gathered intelligence from behind British lines. Due to weakness in his right arm, John LaGrange was unable to carry a musket so he assumed this intelligence role to aid the American forces. Joshua's apprentice, John Parker, served as the first courier between John LaGrange and the American forces and completed at least three trips across enemy lines. Parker was eventually caught by the British and died shortly thereafter in prison, prompting John LaGrange to assume responsibilities as both agent and courier. When serving as courier himself, John LaGrange used a large stone at Shooter's Island as a dead drop between New Jersey and Staten Island to pick up instructions and drop off intelligence reports. As precaution, John LaGrange would tow the reports in a bottle tied to his raft, thus allowing him to dispose of the incriminating evidence in the event British forces intercepted his raft. Light signals along the river served as indicators for when reports were ready for pick-up on Shooter’s Island. After 18 months of espionage behind British lines, the British finally began to suspect John LaGrange, prompting the agent to rejoin American forces in