Born: 1748 (circa), United States
Died: 1801 (circa)
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Mrs. Barnes
This biography is reprinted in full with permission from the National Women’s History Museum (United States of America). NWHM biographies are generously supported by Susan D. Whiting. All rights reserved.
Ann Bates was a teacher in Philadelphia. She was married to a British soldier and was introduced to Major Duncan Drummond early in the war. Drummond decided to use her as a spy. During the summer of 1778, she disguised herself as a peddler named Mrs. Barnes. She then infiltrated Washington’s camp at White Plains, New York on three separate occasions where she sold wares to the men and women camped there. She was instructed to meet a disloyal American soldier named Chambers but was unable to locate him (he had died a few weeks earlier). Instead, she obtained numbers of soldiers, guns, cannon, and other supplies along with locations of munitions stockpiles and officers’ quarters. She successfully brought back all the information to Drummond in Philadelphia who later stated that “her information…was by far superior to every other intelligence.” Because of Bates’ information, General Henry Clinton decided to send more troops into Rhode Island, forcing the Patriot forces to flee.