• Login
  • Register
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • Documents
  • Activities
  • Activity Tools
    • All Tools
    • Analyzing Documents
    • Discussion Topic
    • Compare and Contrast
    • Zoom/Crop
    • White Out / Black Out
    • Spotlight
    • Finding a Sequence
    • Making Connections
    • Mapping History
    • Seeing the Big Picture
    • Weighing the Evidence
    • Interpreting Data
  • Popular Topics
    • See All
    • National History Day
    • The Constitution
    • Labor History
    • Sports: All-American
    • Rights in America
    • American Indians
    • Women's Rights
    • American Revolution
    • The Civil War
    • World War I
    • World War II
    • The Vietnam War
    • 1970s America
    • Congress
    • Amending America
    • Elections
    • What Americans Eat
    • Signatures
    • Nixon and Ford Years
  • Resources
    • Getting Started
    • Document Analysis
    • Activity-Creation Guide
    • Manage Assignments
    • iPad App
    • Presentation Materials
    • Webinars
      • Recorded Webinars
      • Live Webinars
MENU
DocsTeachThe online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives National Archives Foundation National Archives

Ciphers Belonging to the Various American Peace Commissioners

ca. 1781

Print
Add to Favorites:
Add
Saving document...
Your document has been saved.
Add all page(s) of this document to activity:
1
2
Add only page 1 to activity:
Add only page 2 to activity:
Messages in secret code traveled across the Atlantic between the peace commissioners and Congress throughout the Revolutionary War. Ciphers like this were used to decode the messages. American peace commissioner Henry Laurens was imprisoned when he was caught en route to Paris with instructions, and the Americans learned the hard way that “treasonous” correspondence could land them in the Tower of London.

Show/Hide Transcript

Transcript

144

Adams        H!l Laurens       Franklin          Palfrey

1 c r  - .       1 y o  - - - -        1- c o r - - -     1- u. n. l

2 d s  . - -    2 z p - - - -         2- c r o            2- n. t. n

3 e. t. - - - - 3 t q                   3- o c r            3- n u t

4 f u - - - .   4 a r                   4- o r c            4- n t u

5 g v . . . .   5 b s                  5 - r c o           5- t u n

6 h w  - - -   6 c t                   6 - r o c           6 - t n u

7 i x  . . .     7 d u 

8 j y . . . .    8 e v

9 k z . . .     9 f w                  1 c o r              1 b y   Jay

10 l v . . . . 10 g x                 2 d p s             2 c z

11 m a . . . 11 h y                 3 e q t              3 d t

12 n b . . .  12 i z                 4 f r u               4 e a

13 o x . . .  13 j t                  5 g s v              5 f b

14 p d ....   14 k a                6 h t w              6 g c

15 q e ...    15 l b                 7 i u x               7 h d

16 r f . .      16 m c               8 j v y               8 i c

17 s g . . .   17 n d               9 k w z             9 j f

18 t h . .      18 o e              10 l x v             10 k g

19 u i . . .    19 p f                11 m y a          11 l h.

20 v j . . .    20 q g               12 n z b           12 m i.

21 w k . .    21 v h               13 o v c            13 n j

22 x l .       22 s i                 14 p a d            14 o k

23 y m  -   23 t j                   15 q b l            15 p l

24 z n  -    24 u k                 16 v c f             16 q m

25 v a  -    25 v l                  17 s d g            17 r n

26 a p  -   26 w m                18 t e h            18 s o

27 b q   -  27 x n                  19 u f i             19 t r

28            28                        20 v g j            20 u q

29            29                        21 w h k          21 v r

30            30                        22 x i l             22 w s

                                            23 y j m           23 x t

                                            24 ? k n          24 y u

                                            25 V l o          25 z v

                                            26 a m p        26 t w

                                            27 b n q         27 a x

                                            28                   28

                                            29                   29

                                                                  30

Cyphers 

Adams

H Laurens

Franklin

Palfrey

Jay.




146
This primary source comes from the Records of the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention.
National Archives Identifier: 2450021
Full Citation: Ciphers Belonging to the Various American Peace Commissioners ; ca. 1781; Miscellaneous Papers; Papers of the Continental Congress, 1774 - 1789; Records of the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention, Record Group 360. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/ciphers-belonging-to-the-various-american-peace-commissioners, July 8, 2025]
Return to ResultsReturn

Activities that use this document

  • Benjamin Franklin: Politician and Diplomat
    Created by the National Archives Education Team

Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.

  • Explore Primary Source Documents
  •  
  • Discover Activities You Can Teach With
  •  
  • Create Fun & Engaging Activities
Follow us on X:X
Follow us on Facebook:facebook
Please enter a valid email address

View our webinars:youtube

Get our iPad app:apple
New Documentsshare
New Activitiesshare

The National Archives

DocsTeach is a product of the National Archives education division. Our mission is to engage, educate, and inspire all learners to discover and explore the records of the American people preserved by the National Archives.

The National Archives and Records Administration is the nation's record keeper. We save documents and other materials created in the course of business conducted by the U.S. Federal government that are judged to have continuing value. We hold in trust for the public the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights — but also the records of ordinary citizens — at our locations around the country.
  • All Education Programs
  • Student Visits
  • Distance Learning
  • Professional Development
  • National Archives Museum
  • Presidential Libraries
  • Archives.gov
  • National Archives Foundation




Creative Commons License

Except where otherwise noted, DocsTeach is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Primary source documents included on this site generally come from the holdings of the National Archives and are in the public domain, except as noted. Teaching activities on this site have received the CC0 Public Domain Dedication; authors have waived all copyright and related rights to the extent possible under the law. See our legal and privacy page for full terms and conditions.
Safest and most reliable Czech online casinos! isitfair.eu – a trusted platform with expertly ratings & reviews, and top choise exclusive bonuses for Czech players.