NY, USA
Major John Andre
1750–1780 · British Intelligence Officer · Spy · Artist
1750–1780
British Intelligence Officer · Spy · Artist
John Andre was born in London in 1750 to a family of Swiss-Genevese merchants who had settled in England, and he was educated on the continent before entering the British army as an ensign in 1771. He served in Canada and then in the campaigns around Philadelphia in 1777-78, where he was quartered in Benjamin Franklin's house and participated in the social life of British-occupied Philadelphia with evident relish — he was known as a charming, witty, and artistically talented officer whose company the city's loyalist society eagerly sought. During this period he became acquainted with the Shippen family, including young Peggy Shippen, and the connection that would eventually draw him into the Arnold conspiracy had its roots in these Philadelphia social seasons. He was appointed adjutant general of the British forces in 1779, a position that made him one of Clinton's most important staff officers and the natural conduit for intelligence operations.
The negotiations with Arnold were conducted through coded letters over many months, with Andre serving as the primary correspondent on the British side. In September 1780 he crossed the Hudson on the British sloop Vulture to meet Arnold in person, receiving detailed plans of West Point's fortifications and the American order of battle hidden on his person. The meeting ran longer than planned, and when American artillery drove the Vulture away before Andre could re-embark, he was left to make his way back to British lines by land. He changed from his uniform into civilian clothes — a decision that transformed his legal status from a legitimate combatant to a spy — and traveled south through the countryside toward New York. On September 23, near Tarrytown, three militiamen stopped him and discovered the incriminating papers in his stocking.
Andre was tried by a board of senior American officers that included Greene and Lafayette and found guilty of spying under the laws of war — a verdict that was legally sound even by the standards of the day. He accepted the verdict with composure and asked only to be shot as a soldier rather than hanged as a spy; the request was denied. He was executed at Tappan, New York, on October 2, 1780, and died with a self-possession that impressed even those who had condemned him. Washington declined to intervene despite considerable pressure, including a personal letter from Arnold threatening reprisals against American prisoners. Andre's dignified death created an enduring legend in British culture, where he was memorialized as a martyr, and even in America sympathy for his personal conduct was widespread, distinguishing the man sharply from the cause he had served.
In West Point
- Sep 1780Capture of Major John Andre(British Intelligence Officer)
Three militiamen — John Paulding, Isaac Van Wart, and David Williams — stopped a traveler near Tarrytown, New York, on September 23, 1780. The man identified himself as John Anderson, but the militiamen searched him and found detailed plans of West Point's fortifications hidden in his stockings. The traveler was Major John Andre, British intelligence officer and Arnold's contact. Andre had met Arnold secretly and was returning to British lines by land after the Vulture, which had brought him upriver, was forced to withdraw. His capture exposed the entire conspiracy and saved West Point. The three captors were later awarded Congressional medals.
- Sep 1780Arnold's Treason Discovered(British Intelligence Officer)
On September 25, 1780, George Washington arrived at West Point for a planned inspection and found the fortress in deliberate disarray. Hours earlier, Washington's aides had received word that Major John Andre had been captured carrying plans of West Point's defenses — plans that could only have come from the fort's commander, Benedict Arnold. Arnold, learning of Andre's capture while Washington was en route, fled to the British sloop Vulture on the Hudson. Washington arrived to find Arnold gone and the fortress vulnerable. Hamilton and other officers scrambled to secure the defenses and prevent a British attack. The treason plot had come within hours of succeeding.
- Oct 1780Execution of Major John Andre(British Intelligence Officer)
Major John Andre was hanged as a spy at Tappan, New York, on October 2, 1780. His trial before a military board had been swift, and the verdict unanimous. Andre's personal charm and dignified conduct won sympathy from American officers, including Hamilton, who petitioned Washington to grant Andre's request to be shot rather than hanged. Washington refused — the laws of war required hanging for spies, and making an exception would have undermined the precedent. Andre met his death with composure that impressed all who witnessed it. His execution was widely mourned, even by Americans who acknowledged its necessity. In Britain, Andre became a celebrated martyr.
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