Before there was James Bond, there was James Armistead — who incidentally acted as a double agent against the British during the American Revolution. He was born into slavery on a plantation in Virginia but would rise to be one of the most important people in the American Revolution. He played a pivotal role in the American victory with such notable feats as reporting Benedict Arnold’s activities after his betrayal to the Continental Army and providing intel on Lord Cornwallis before the Battle of Yorktown. Unfortunately, his valor has not received the accolades or attention he rightly deserves.

Armistead received permission from his master to enlist in the Continental Army in the American Revolution. Armistead was assigned to General Marquis de Lafayette’s French units. Lafayette deployed Armistead as a spy. He pretended to be a runaway slave who wanted to join the British military and gain his freedom, a promise the British had extended to enlisting slaves. The British found his knowledge of the terrain quite valuable — or so they thought. Using his vast knowledge of the local landscape, Armistead helped British Gen. Benedict Arnold guide his troops through Virginia’s local roads, which subsequently gained the trust of the British. He would then dispatch these movements to the Continental Army.