John André

John André (born May 2, 1750, London, England—died October 2, 1780, Tappan, New York, U.S.) was a British army officer who negotiated with the American general Benedict Arnold and was executed as a spy during the American Revolution (1775–83).[3]

Early Life and Education

André was born on May 2, 1750 in London, England, to Antoine André and Marie Louise Girardot, a rich Huguenot couple.[14][13] His father was a merchant, born in Geneva, Switzerland; his mother was born in France and moved to England when she was young.[4] His Swiss father and French mother were Protestant Huguenots who left Europe in search of religious freedom.[7] His baptism took place on 16th May 1750 at St Martin Orgar church in London (near Cannon Street) which was used by French Huguenots.[11]

He was the eldest of five siblings; he had three sisters, Mary Hannah (b. 1752), Anne Marguerite (b. 1753), and Louisa Catherine (b. 1754), and a brother, William Louis (b. 1760).[6] His father was a merchant, residing in later life at Clapton, London; he died there on 14th April 1769 aged 52 and was buried in the family vault in St Augustine's churchyard, Hackney.[11]

John was initially educated at Westminster School but was eventually sent to study mathematics and military drawing at the Academy of Geneva.[6] He attended the 'St Paul's School', the 'Westminster School' and thereafter studied in Geneva.[13] He attended school in Geneva, returning to London in 1767, two years before his father died.[4] He excelled at academics and showed proficiency in languages; by his late teens, he was fluent in English, French, German, and Italian.[6]

Personal Interests and Character

Yet his true passion rested in the arts. André would spend most of his free time sketching or painting, writing poetry and short plays, and playing the flute.[6] The young Andre was a charismatic and charming man whose manners and advanced education set him apart from his contemporaries in England. He was fluent in English, French, German, and Italian. He drew and painted, wrote lyric and comic verse, and played the flute.[4]

André returned to London in 1767 and longed to join the British army, which he saw as a chance to see the world and break free from the middle-class life to which he felt condemned. His father, however, had other plans, and put him to work in his countinghouse, hoping that John would one day inherit the family business.[6]

Key Influences and Entry into Military Service

He received his education at Geneva, and upon his return to England, became intimately connected with Miss Seward and her literary coterie at Lichfield, where he conceived an attachment for Honora Sneyd, subsequently the second wife of Richard Lovell Edgeworth.[5] Within a few months, Sneyd's father grew impatient and became convinced that André would never make enough money. He abruptly broke off their engagement. Distance had perhaps cooled Sneyd's feelings for André, as she did not protest too strongly and was soon being courted by other men. Heartbroken, André decided there was nothing left for him in London.[6]

After working a little longer to provide money for his family, he purchased a commission in the British Army on 4 March 1771.[6] His relinquishment of mercantile for military pursuits has been attributed to the disappointment of his passion for this lady, whose marriage, however, did not take place until two years after the date of his commission, 4 March 1771.[5]

Military Career and Capture

In 1771, he bought a commission as a second lieutenant in the British army and embarked on a military career.[7] After completing his education in Geneva, he began his career in the British army with the Royal Welch Fusiliers, one of Britain's most prestigious regiments. In 1774, André was ordered to serve in Canada.[15]

As a British lieutenant in Canada, Andre was involved in the defense of St. Johns which was taken by American forces on November 2, 1775, after a two-month siege.[4] André was captured by the Continental Army at Fort Saint-Jean early in the war. He was freed just over a year later in December of 1776 and promoted to captain.[1]

Prisoner of War Experience

He became a prisoner of war and was transferred to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was not uncommon for officers who were prisoners of war to be entertained en route to their places of detention, and Andre had dinner in Haverstraw, New York, at the home of a Mr. Hays. Also present was Mr. Hays's brother-in-law, Joshua Hett Smith. Five years afterwards, Andre and Smith would meet again, apparently without recognition on either side; in 1780 it was Joshua Hett Smith who set Andre on the road to capture and death.[4]

Andre was among those officers allowed to reside with a local family. He moved in with the Caleb Cope family. The Copes developed a real affection for Andre, who gave art lessons to their eldest son. Further, in this German-speaking Lancaster community, Andre's fluency added to his popularity.[4] He also endeared himself to the family of Caleb Cope, whose home he was living in; André spent many hours giving art lessons to Cope's 13-year-old son and played with the other Cope children, who later recalled him "sporting with us children as if he were one of us".[6]

Rise Through the Ranks

At the close of 1776, as part of a prisoner exchange, Andre was returned to Howe, now wintering in New York. Andre presented Howe a memoir he had compiled from his observations in "the colonies." Impressed by the young man's abilities, Howe first gave him a captaincy in the 26th Regiment and recommended him as an aide to Major-General Charles Grey.[4]

After a prisoner exchange towards the close of 1776, André enjoyed a rapid rise due to patronage by elite officers. In succession he became aide-de-camp to General Charles Grey and then to Sir Henry Clinton, the commander-in-chief of the British forces.[2] He fought in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown leading up to the British capture of Philadelphia, and kept a journal documenting those experiences. He served as the master of ceremonies for the "Meschianza" for British officers departing Philadelphia in the Spring of 1778.[1]

Intelligence Operations and the Arnold Conspiracy

In November 1778, André was promoted to major and named adjutant general by General Henry Clinton, the British commander-in-chief.[1] In 1778 Clinton promoted him to the rank of major and appointed him adjutant-general of the forces; in 1779 he was put in charge of British Secret Intelligence.[2]

From May 1779 he carried on a secret correspondence with Arnold, who had become disillusioned with the American cause.[3] In August 1780 Arnold was appointed commandant of the fort at West Point, New York, which, at a meeting with André on September 21, he agreed to surrender for £20,000.[3]

Capture and Trial

While returning to New York City, André was captured by three American militiamen; he failed to use the pass that Arnold had given him, and papers concerning West Point were found in one of his boots.[3] Captured on September 23, 1780, André was convicted as a spy, and ordered to be hanged.[10]

As for André, Washington organized a court of fourteen military generals led by Nathanael Greene to examine the case. After questioning the prisoner, the board decided that he should be executed as a spy.[1] A board of officers designated by General George Washington found him guilty of spying and condemned him to death.[3]

Execution and Legacy

Some officers on the board such as the Marquis de Lafayette disagreed with the decision to execute him. Washington accepted this determination, though he offered the British the opportunity to save André's life by exchanging him for Arnold. The British refused, believing it would dissuade others from deserting to the British cause.[1]

In spite of the protests and entreaties of Sir Henry Clinton and the threats of Arnold he was hanged at Tappan on 2 October 1780 (age 30), while Arnold, warned by the unfortunate André, escaped by flight the punishment he so richly merited.[2] He requested that he be shot by a firing squad as a courtesy of war, but George Washington would have none of that. André's ignoble fate took place on October 2, 1780, in Tappan, New York.[9]

He was mourned on both sides because of his personal charm and literary talent.[3] As George Washington later said of André, "He was more unfortunate than criminal: an accomplished man and a gallant officer." A memorial to André was erected in Westminster Abbey in London, to which his remains were removed in 1821.[7]

André's countrymen made haste to do him honor. The British army went into mourning for him. A monument was erected to his memory in Westminster Abbey, and in 1821, his remains were transferred to the spot.[5] After the war, some Americans romanticized André for his loyalty, comparing him to Arnold, who was despised for his treason.[5]