John André was fluent in four languages and a gifted writer and poet. At the age of nineteen, he inherited his father’s fortune, and two years later bought a military commission as a lieutenant in the British Army.
Sent to America in 1774, André became friend, confidant, and ultimately Adjutant General and intelligence chief to General Sir Henry Clinton, the commanding British general in North America.
Suborning Benedict Arnold
In 1779, the 29-year-old André began a secret correspondence with American General Benedict Arnold, facilitated by Arnold’s wife, Margaret “Peggy” Shippen, a socialite and friend.
The following year, Arnold was placed in command of West Point, a defensive post located on the Hudson River, just sixty miles north of New York City. The British were aiming to seize control of the region, effectively cutting off New England from the other colonies. By that time, Arnold, a hero of previous battles, was feuding with the Continental Congress and souring on the American cause. He was also on the cusp of financial ruin due to his wife’s extravagant lifestyle.
In a midnight meeting with André at a house on the banks of the Hudson River, Arnold agreed to surrender West Point to the British for 20,000 pounds, an amount equal to nearly $4 million in today’s currency.
Arnold provided sensitive notes about the West Point fortifications, which André hid in his boot. On his return to British headquarters, André was captured by three local American militia, who discovered the incriminating documents. The militia commander notified the Continental Army, and fortuitously, it was Major Benjamin Tallmadge, Washington’s spy chief, who received the report. Immediately recognizing Arnold’s treachery, Tallmadge advised the militia commander to forward the captured documents to Washington.