ANDRE, John, British soldier: b. London, of Swiss-French parentage, 1751; executed at Tappan, N. Y., 2 Oct. 1780. His fate is peculiar; failure has given him a monument in Westmins ter Abbey from his own side, and undying ro mantic pity from the other; where success would have loaded him with infamy from the one, and made the other glad to forget him. He entered the English army at 20, and was sent to Canada in 1774; November 1775 he was taken prisoner at Saint John's by Montgomery's expedition and sent to Lancaster, Pa. Ex changed in December 1776, he was made cap tain in 1777, aide to Gen. Charles Grey, major in 1778, and in 1779 aide to Clinton and ad jutant-general of the forces in America. He owed this rapid advancement, as he has owed his enshrinement by posterity, to his extraordi nary and somewhat feminine charm of person and manner, which won the hearts not only of his chiefs and associates, but of the very offi cers who put him to death. He was full of wit and vivacity, a most entertaining companion, a good amateur musician and artist and a flu ent, pleasing writer, and his literary qualities led to his selection as Clinton's adjutant and secretary. He was also a fair society poet, known in London literary circles; and his casual skits in verse, 'The Cow Chase,' 'Yankee Doodle's Expedition to Rhode Island,' The Affair Between Generals Howe and Gadsden,' etc., were great favorites in the English army. During that army's winter in Philadelphia. 1777-78, Andre was the promoter of and a chief actor in all the festal occasions and social events, including the a pageant in honor of Howe on his departure.
In 1780 it fell to his official duty to conduct Clinton's negotiations with Benedict Arnold (q.v.) for the betrayal of West Point, the key of the Hudson, the command of which Arnold had solicited in order to betray it. Both sides were wary and suspicious of each other, and Clinton was uncertain of his correspondent's identity or whether the affair might not be a trap. After various abortive attempts at a secret interview, Andre, on 19 September, went as ((John Anderson') up the Hudson in the sloop-of-war Vulture, nearly to the American lines above Fort Montgomery. The plan was to meet under a flag of truce, on pretense of arranging as to the confiscated property of the loyalist Col. Beverley Robinson, whose house was Arnold's headquarters; but this too failed, and finally on the night of 21 September Arnold induced a loyalist farmer, Joshua Smith, to carry a packet from Robinson to ((Anderson" on the Vulture. Andre returned with Smith, was met on the shore by Arnold, and after a private conference the two went to Smith's house, where they spent the night and part of the next day arranging the betrayal, which was fixed for the day of Washington's expected return. Arnold gave him six papers containing drawings of the West Point defenses and full information concerning them, and passes to re turn to New York either by land or water. He
also sent Smith as escort, charged not to leave Andre till he had reached the English lines in safety. But in the morning the American bat teries had fired on the Vulture and driven her so far down stream that the boatmen would not carry him to her. Andre, therefore, dis guising himself as a civilian, set out on horse back, carrying the papers in his boots. Smith, despite Arnold's injunction, left Andre on the way, probably in fear for himself. About 9 A.M. on the 23d, near Tarrytown, and almost in sight of the British lines, he was stopped by three patriot militiamen, John Paulding, David Williams and Isaac Van Wart. Supposing them to be Tory he told them he was an English officer, and offered them money. Find ing that they were not loyalists, he offered more money and his horse in addition, showing also Arnold's pass. Their suspicions thoroughly aroused, they searched him, found the papers and carried him to one Lieutenant-Colonel Jamison, who, not suspecting treachery on Ar nold's part, notified him of the capture and proposed to hand the prisoner over to him. Thisgleam of hope was delusive, and Andre was finally sent to Washington, while Arnold fled to the Vulture and saved his own life. By military law Andre was, of course, subject to immediate hanging; but in consideration of his rank, Washington on 29 September convened a military court of six major-generals and eight brigadier-generals, with Gen. Nathanael Greene as president, who unanimously convicted him of being a spy and sentenced him to death on 2 October. Clinton did his best to save Andre, protesting that he was not a spy because he was under a flag of truce (which was false), and that his movements were in obedience to the directions of Arnold, an American commander, —a grimly humorous defense under the circum stances; but Washington replied with firm courtesy that the circumstances justified no ex ception to the rules of war. Andre died like a man and need not be grudged our pity; but he was treated with a generous humanity curiously in contrast with the treatment accorded to Nathan Hale.
A monument to Andre was placed in West minster Abbey, and in 1821 his remains were taken up and reburied near it. Consult Sparks, 'Life of Andre' (in 'American Biographies') ; Sargent, 'Life of Andre' (1862) ; Lossing, 'Two Spies' (1886). Lord Mahon in his 'His tory of England' assumes Clinton's case for Andre as good both in law and in equity. In 1858 Charles J. Biddle, a Philadelphia editor and ex-soldier, reviewed Mahon's opinions be fore the Pennsylvania Historical Society. Con sult its 'Memoirs,' Vol. VI. For documents consult H. W. Smith's 'Andriana> (1865); Dawson's 'Collection' (1866). Andre's Journal was printed by the Bibliophile Society in Boston in 1904.