“The Discovery of David Maltbie: A Successful Spy in the Revolution”

Join historian and author Claire Bellerjeau as she shares her exciting new research about David Maltbie, a Patriot spy from Connecticut who gathered intelligence in New York during the Revolutionary War. His journey began very much like the famous spy Nathan Hale, with one important difference; Maltbie survived. Discover how the young spy was captured early in the war by the British on Long Island, then took part in daring whaleboat raids against Loyalist mid-war, only to be arrested again in Manhattan at the end of the war, evading death a second time. Once forgotten, except in the recollections of a young girl, David Maltbie’s daring tale of espionage reminds us that more founding figures are waiting to be uncovered and remembered.

About Claire Bellerjeau:

Claire Bellerjeau is a historian and the co-author of “Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution: The True Story of Robert Townsend and Elizabeth”, published in May 2021. In 2022, she co-founded a nonprofit organization called Remember Liss, with the mission of educating the community about an enslaved Black woman named Liss and her extraordinary life and times. Through the nonprofit, she co-wrote and published a student version of Liss’ story, titled Remember Liss, in March 2023. In 2026 she co-authored an article titled “This Connecticut Teenager Spied on the British During the American Revolution, Succeeding Where Nathan Hale Failed” in Smithsonian Magazine, based on her original research.

Contact the host of David Maltbie's Daring Tale