True Story of an Ingenious Hoax:

During the American Rebellion, Benjamin Franklin
published an account of how much the British
were paying their Hessian conscripts. The truth,
however, was that the Hessians weren't being paid
at all. When the Hessians read Franklin's article,
they assumed that they were being hoodwinked
by their superior officer. A minor revolt ensued,
throwing the British army into momentary confusion
to the soundtrack of Benjamin Franklin's laughter.