James Armistead James Armistead Lafayette ( December 10 , 1760 – August 9 , 1830 ) was the first African American double agent . An African American slave , Armistead was owned by William Armistead in Virginia during the American Revolution . Most sources indicate that Armistead was born in 1748 in New Kent County , Virginia as a slave to William Armistead . Other sources put his birth around 1760 in Elizabeth City , Virginia . Military espionage . After getting consent of his master , he volunteered in 1781 to join the army under General Lafayette . He was stationed as a spy . First he spied on Brigadier General Benedict Arnold ( by this time , Arnold had defected from the American Continental Army to lead British forces ) . After Arnold departed north in the spring of 1781 , James went to the camp of Lord Cornwallis . He relayed much information about the British plans for troop deployment and about their arms . The intelligence reports from his espionage were instrumental in helping to defeat the British during the Battle of Yorktown . While pretending to be a British spy , Armistead gained the confidence of General Benedict Arnold and General Cornwallis . Arnold was so convinced of Armistead ' s pose as a runaway slave that he used him to guide British troops through local roads . Armistead often traveled between camps , spying on British officers , who spoke openly about their strategies in front of him . Armistead documented this information in written reports , delivered them to other American spies , and then returned to General Cornwallis ' s camp . Emancipation . Although Virginia passed a manumission act in 1782 allowing for the freedom of any slave by his or her owner , James remained the property of William Armistead . ( A 1783 law targeted specifically at freeing slaves whose owners had used them as substitutes for army service in exchange for their liberty did not apply to James ) . However , in 1786 , with the support of William Armistead ( then a member of the House of Delegates ) and carrying a 1784 testimonial of his service from the Marquis de Lafayette , James petitioned the Virginia Assembly for his freedom . ( The facsimile of the letter of commendation can be viewed on the Lafayette College website . ) . On January 9 , 1787 , the Virginia Assembly granted James ' petition . At that time he chose to add " Armistead " and " Lafayette " to his name , to honor the general . He continued to live in New Kent County with his new wife , one son and several other children . He became a farmer and at one point owned three slaves . By 1818 he applied to the state legislature for financial aid . He was granted $ 60 for present relief and $ 40 annual pension for his services in the Revolutionary War . Legacy . Some black Americans with the last name " Armistead " are suspected of being descendants of James Armistead Lafayette as he is said to have had a number of children after the Revolution . Also , it is possible that James was an illegitimate son of William Armistead , the Purser of the Virginia Troops . Regardless of his birth , he is remembered as an American patriot . His intelligence contributions to Lafayette and Washington aided in the capture Gen . Cornwallis at Yorktown , Va . with few shots fired . Death . James Armistead died on August 9 , 1830 , from cancer .