ABSTRACT
One way of sending a message was to hide it in plain sight. Every soldier carried a supply of musket balls. Spies carried a special silver ball the same size as the ammunition. Buttons were another opportunity for hiding messages. Tiny slips of paper could be hidden inside metal buttons or under the cloth of homemade buttons. Nobody would be suspicious if a button fell off one soldier’s jacket and it was picked up by someone else. All they had to do to read the message was to go to a private place and tear the button open. Quills were commonplace and that made them an excellent tool for spies. If a spy wanted to deliver a message, he would write it on a piece of paper using tiny printing. Handing a quill pen to another person was nothing suspicious. It was a great way to deliver messages.
