Jeremiah Creed is an agent of the American President.
To clarify that slightly inaccurate statement, he is an operative working under the orders of the man who would become the first President. When Creed is first asked to take on such a role, the United States did not yet exist so the position of its leader also did not. And yet the description above seems reasonable.
At the time of Creed's activity as an operative, there is no government organization to list as his employer because there is not yet any government in existence. Of course there is one for the 'other side', i.e. the British Crown. But for the nascent would-be army fighting to create a new country in the American colonies, there is nothing established - just desired.
In the opening of the first recorded adventure, we are shown a letter addressed to the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, General Washington, in which the writer, Colonel Fitzgerald, urged the army leader to allow the formation of "a special Group who are loyal and dependable and will endure much for little or no recognition. They must be intelligent, remain undaunted in the face of adversity, and exhibit calm resourcefulness under pressure. And they must be brave..." He would suggest that "a small organization ... made up of men who can both spy and counter enemy spies [in order to] obtain necessary Intelligence in a timely manner".
So the question then becomes who might qualify for such a position as there were cache from which to choose; no list of ready-to-serve trained operatives. If experience in spycraft is not a reasonable gauge, as no one had any, then other criteria must be selected. Intelligent, quick-witted, able-to-think-on-his-feet are certain requirements. Athleticism would seem a prerequisite. And bravery. And patriotic to the new cause of independence.
Creed will meet all those needs and then some. New to the American Colonies having come from Cork in Ireland, Creed showed he possessed plenty of those last two qualities for he had boldly set off for a new life across the Atlantic. And the other desires were also in eminent display for when we meet him for the first time, he has already joined the Revolutionary Army and was made a Lieutenant leading a small company of men from his new home. "Not quite six feet, [he] had the build of an accomplished athlete and moved like one". Creed checked all the boxes.
Good Lines:
- Creed tells his men, "War is a terrible thing. It begins with excitement but too often ends in a whimper, with little but grief in between".