resting_place death_date death_place birth_place nationality birth_date image article_title name occupation
allens hill cemetery august 21 , 1824 -lrb- age 70 -rrb- richmond , new york windsor , connecticut colony american december 30 , 1754 meritbadge.jpg daniel bissell -lrb- spy -rrb-
 daniel bissell soldier , spy
daniel bissell -lrb- spy -rrb-

daniel bissell -lrb- december 30 , 1754 -- august 21 , 1824 -rrb- was a soldier and spy for the continental army during the american revolutionary war .
he was the son of daniel and elizabeth bissell and was born in windsor , hartford county , connecticut colony -lrb- now east windsor in 1754 .
on april 1 , 1776 , signed on for the duration as a corporal in the 5th connecticut regiment .
he became a sergeant on september 1 , 1777 , and ended the war with the 2nd connecticut regiment .
under the direct orders of general george washington , bissell posed as a deserter in the city of new york from august 14 , 1781 , to september 29 , 1782 .
he realized that to get the information washington needed , he would have to join the british army : for 13 months , he served in the british infantry corps led by benedict arnold .
bissell memorized everything he was able to find out and then made his way back to friendly lines where he was placed under arrest until washington verified his story .
sergeant bissell was able to furnish valuable information including detailed maps he drew of the enemy 's positions .
he was to become the last recipient of the badge of military merit in june 1783 , one of only three awarded by washington himself .
the award was lost in a house fire in 1813 .
during the quasi war with france , bissell served in the us army .
he was commissioned a first lieutenant in the 16th infantry regiment on march 3 , 1799 and was discharged on june 15 , 1800 .
bissell died in 1824 in richmond , new york , where he is buried in allens hill cemetery .
his tombstone is inscribed , `` in memory of daniel bissell , who died august 21st , 1824 , aged 70 years , he had the confidence of washington and served under him . ''
