I have learned that I have a direct ancestor who was a messenger and scout for the Continental Army during the American Revolution. I just want to know more about what this position was like to get an idea of what my very great grandfather might have gone through. Was this role dangerous, or was there a sort of code of war that would have allowed him to be left unharmed (though potentially searched and robbed of any intelligence)? Would he have likely seen any combat during battles, or would he have kept to his duties during battles to transfer intelligence among commanders? How might he have ended up in this role...perhaps good horsemanship skills?
Any insight is greatly appreciated.
This was a dangerous role and at a high risk of being captured as the enemy would have loved to get their hands on what information he was carrying and it is certainly possible that he was involved in combat in some form or another and had a higher chance depending on where and when he was during the conflict. To answer your question if there was a code of war there is an interesting discernment between a scout and a spy. A scout is a military personnel that gathers information such as whereabouts, numbers, movement and support (artillery, cavalry, etc) on their enemy, and most importantly they wear a military uniform and act as a soldier. A spy does the same thing only they are not in uniform and are not considered military personnel, which is a reason why it was looked down upon and seen as cowardly and too sneaky for honorable warfare. The Revolutionary War was an amazing time for comparisons between the two because both sides used spies and scouts extensively, Washington himself developed a spy ring and was a former spy in the French and Indian War. This code was also followed and used in the execution of John André a British officer who was captured in civilian clothing and found guilty of being a spy. Skills on becoming a scout and more importantly a messenger definitely horsemanship since there were no radios, telegraphs, and the fastest way to get a message to someone was on a horse and during a battle speed of information is of great importance and can be a decision on who leaves victorious. Furthermore as a scout he would have had to have knowledge on tracking and reconnaissance, using signs the land gave him to discern direction of enemy movement and the smaller the unit the better he would have to be at tracking and being able to accurately record the information gathered and delivering it to an officer in charge.
Sulick, Michael. “Spying in America: Espionage from the Revolutionary War to the Dawn of the Cold War”, Georgetown University Press. (2012).