Charles Hoffmire

Soldier, Sailor, Spy: The Story of a Black American Loyalist Charles Hoffmire

BENJAMIN WHITECUFF was a free Black farmer from Long Island who enlisted in the British army in 1776, the same year his father and brother joined the American army. He operated as a spy before he was captured and hanged in 1778. He survived and was recaptured at sea on another espionage mission. Rescued by a British privateer he went to England, joined the British Navy and fought in several naval battles before retiring in 1783. His story as a soldier, a sailor and a spy sounds like fi ction, but it's true.