Despite what is shown, Abraham Woodhull (Jamie Bell) had no involvement in gathering information for George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette before the Battle of Yorktown. In reality, the true spy was a slave named James Armistead, who acted as a double agent, passing off as a spy for the British while gathering information for Lafayette from General Charles Cornwallis. After the war, Armistead changed his name to Lafayette in honor of the General he served.