Uncovering Revolutionary Secrets: Greenwich Rotary Club Hosts Speaker on Espionage in NYC and Fairfield County During the American Revolution
The Greenwich Rotary Club welcomed 2025 with an engaging and visually rich presentation by Damien Cregeau, an independent historian and award-winning scholar of the American Revolution. Organized by Speaker Chair Suzanne Branch, the event, titled “Spies, Lies, and Alibis: Espionage In and Around New York City and Fairfield County During the American Revolution,” captivated the audience with its historical depth and intrigue.
Cregeau’s PowerPoint slideshow began with Captain Nathan Hale’s fateful mission in 1776, moving on to John Jay’s counterintelligence efforts in Rye and Katonah, and concluding with a deep dive into the Culper Spy Ring. Operating from 1778 to 1782, the ring used Fairfield as a key fulcrum in their intelligence work. Members were treated to insights into covert operations, invisible ink, and the daring individuals who shaped Revolutionary War espionage.
Raised in Fairfield, Cregeau is not only a local but a distinguished scholar. A past state president of the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, he has spent over a decade publishing in esteemed journals. His feature in Military History Quarterly on the use of invisible ink by General Washington and the Culper Ring earned him widespread acclaim and is available for reading online.
The presentation was streamed live on the club’s Instagram page, extending the event’s reach to followers and community members eager to learn about this intriguing chapter of American history.
