Chapter 6

The chain of events related to the defection of Major General Benedict Arnold and his reported plot to turn the defenses at West Point on the Hudson over to British General Clinton moved swiftly after the discovery and capture of Major Andre red-handed with the incriminating documents.

There was no need of time-consuming interrogation because the documents were in Arnold's handwriting and they were not coded in any way because they were passed directly from Arnold to Andre at a secret location. They met and discussed the turnover of West point throughout the night at Smith's Farm near Tappan, New York. This location was later called "Traitor's House". Smith and his relatives were found not guilty of treason because they had been duped by Major General Benedict Arnold into believing they were working for the cause of the Patriots. None of those involved in the movements leading up to the capture of Major Andre had any suspicion that the Hero of Saratoga was in the process of betraying his country.

Major Andre had been warned by his counterparts in London to refrain from engaging in clandestine operations out of uniform because of the clear-cut rules of war that prohibited activities in civilian clothing. He was long used to the secret operations acting as both a courier and coordinator of spying activities and considered the risk well worth the results when all things were considered. He was well-liked by his superiors and was known to take extreme risks in service to the King. In earlier action in the American Revolution, Andre was captured by the American General Montgomery. Of course, General Montgomery was a confidante of General Arnold who he considered somewhat of a protégée and fellow senior General officer slowing down the British advance. Montgomery's death was a blow to Arnold and he felt that the Continental Congress was remiss in not giving appropriate commemoration to his death in combat. The young officer Andre was a favorite of the American General Montgomery and well-known to General Arnold even as they were enemies on the battlefield.

While a prisoner, Andre was given freedom of movement and he was much in demand in both Patriot and Loyalist homes for his wit and artistic talent. Eventually, he was repatriated and he chose to return to the battlefield as he was a dedicated British Army officer. It was a matter of record that Major Andre was well-acquainted with Peggy Shippen who was to be Major General Benedict Arnold's future wife who bore him four additional sons. It has been speculated that this future spouse was a covert agent of Major Andre when he assumed responsibility of command of British intelligence services in the American colonies. He also had the title of Adjutant General of the British Armed forces in America at the time of his execution after the debacle at West Point.

It is important to understand the impact of the hanging of Major Andre on both sides after the failure to capitalize on the betrayal of West Point. The shocking fact that the treachery was perpetrated by a known "Hero of the Revolution" at a time when things were decidedly still "up in the air" was not wasted on the Patriot populace or the Loyalist residents of the colonies as well. The Rebels were quick to dismiss the charges as "bogus" or contrived by some plot of his competitor fellow General officers. A large number of female Patriots considered his marriage to Peggy Shippen as the catalyst that caused his downfall. She was a known Loyalist sympathizer despite her family's adherence to the cause of the new emerging nation. Her ties to Major Andre were well-known and a source of gossip and rumor-mongering at a time when most news was carried by "word of mouth" rather than media releases.

Major General Benedict Arnold was well aware of his new bride's proclivities when he joined her in holy matrimony but he was desperate to find a willing wife to tend to his young children and the handsome young lady of Philadelphia society was ideal from his point of view. Her political beliefs were most likely the last thing that he considered when he took her to the marriage bed. Her good looks were reputed to make grown men weep at the thought of a private moment with her in conversational discourse.

After his release from captivity under the benign terms of Major General Montgomery who was a hero to the British army long before he joined the Rebel cause, Major Andre was sent by General Clinton to Philadelphia to head up the newly formed clandestine services of British Services. In effect, he was the very first "James Bond" working behind the scenes to change the outcomes of important battles. His skill with a sword and a pistol were a matter of record and he was not shy about participating in a duel for any imagined slight. It was this "dashing" image that made the Colonial females swoon in his presence with all dismissal of things politic.

During his sojourn in the City of Philadelphia under British rule, Major Andre made a point of defending the rights of the Patriot families without bias. Some said it was because he had been grateful for the hospitality of Patriot households during the time of his recent captivity. A man of many contradictions, he was able to forge an effective spy network that ranged from Canada to the shores of the Carolinas and from the coast of Nova Scotia to the wilderness of Georgia. He was able to enlist the aid of several Indian tribes to the cause of the King and inserted his "collectors" into Patriot pubs in every colony. In fact, his involvement in the entire West Point affair was a step down for the spymaster, who was no doubt doing it as a favor to his former paramour Peggy Shippen and in deference to General Montgomery's protégé, Major General Arnold.