John André

John André
source
Name	John André
Caption	Portrait by Thomas Gainsborough
Birth date	2 May 1750
Birth place	London, Kingdom of Great Britain
Death date	2 October 1780 (aged 30)
Death place	Tappan, New York, United States
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Branch	British Army
Serviceyears	1771–1780
Rank	Major
Unit	7th Royal Fusiliers, 54th Regiment of Foot
Battles	American Revolutionary War

John André was a British Army officer during the American Revolutionary War who is best known for his role in the Benedict Arnold treason conspiracy. As the adjutant general and head of British intelligence for the Commander-in-Chief, North America, he facilitated Arnold's plot to surrender the critical Hudson River fortress of West Point to British forces. His capture by American militiamen while traveling under a false name in civilian clothes led to his conviction as a spy and execution by hanging, an event that made him a celebrated martyr in Britain and a complex figure in American history.

Early life and education

Born in London to a prosperous Huguenot family, he was the son of Antoine André, a merchant from Geneva, and Marie Louise Girardot. He received a broad education, showing early talent in art, music, and literature, and was fluent in multiple languages including French, German, and Italian. He briefly attended the University of Geneva before his family's financial situation led him to forgo further studies. In 1771, he purchased a commission as a second lieutenant in the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers, beginning his military career. His charm, intellect, and social graces made him popular within the officer corps and London society.

Military career

André first saw service in British America with his regiment, arriving in Philadelphia in 1774. Following the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, he was taken prisoner during the Siege of Fort St. Jean in 1775 and held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Carlisle, Pennsylvania, until a prisoner exchange in late 1776. His talents were recognized by General Sir Henry Clinton, who appointed him to his staff. Rising to the position of adjutant general with the rank of major, he also assumed control of British secret intelligence. In this capacity, he managed the correspondence with the disaffected American general Benedict Arnold, who sought to defect. The clandestine negotiations culminated in a secret meeting with Arnold near West Point in September 1780 to finalize plans for the fort's surrender.

Capture and trial

On 21 September 1780, after his meeting with Arnold, he attempted to return to British lines in New York City. Traveling by the sloop HMS ''Vulture'' and later on horseback, he was stopped near Tarrytown, New York, by three American militiamen: John Paulding, Isaac Van Wart, and David Williams. Searching him, they discovered incriminating papers from Arnold hidden in his boot, including plans of West Point. He was taken to the American headquarters at Tappan, New York, where a board of officers presided over by General Nathanael Greene tried him. The court, which included the Marquis de Lafayette and Baron von Steuben, found him guilty of being a spy behind enemy lines under a false name and in civilian clothes, in violation of the accepted rules of war.

Execution and legacy

Despite pleas for mercy from Clinton and even from General George Washington's own officers, who admired his courage, Washington upheld the sentence. On 2 October 1780, he was hanged in Tappan. His dignified conduct on the scaffold earned him widespread sympathy. In 1821, at the request of the Duke of York, his remains were reinterred in Westminster Abbey in the Nave under a elaborate monument. His death was mourned in Britain and by Loyalists, while in the United States, he was long viewed as the spy in the Arnold affair. Historians often contrast his fate with that of Arnold, who escaped and was commissioned as a brigadier general in the British Army.

In popular culture

His life and execution have been depicted in numerous works of historical fiction and drama. He appears as a character in the 1942 film Hudson's Bay and is a central figure in the 1857 play Major André by Clyde Fitch. His story is also featured in episodes of the television series Turn: Washington's Spies, which dramatizes Revolutionary War espionage. Furthermore, his capture is a pivotal event in many biographies of Benedict Arnold and histories of the war, such as those by Willard Sterne Randall and Nathaniel Philbrick.

Category:British Army officers Category:British spies during the American Revolutionary War Category:Executed British military personnel Category:People executed by hanging