Blood of Tyrants: George Washington & the Forging of the Presidency (31 page)
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Authors: Logan Beirne
Tags: #American Revolution, #Founding Fathers, #George Washington, #18th Century
BOOK: Blood of Tyrants: George Washington & the Forging of the Presidency
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The fox in charge of the henhouse, Arnold began sending large groups of soldiers off on trivial assignments like chopping wood in order to diminish the fort’s defenses.
28
Hoping to offer the British much more, he lobbied to remove the Great Chain across the Hudson, pretending that it required repairs, though the real purpose was to open the river to British warships.
29
He even toured the fortresses to analyze their vulnerabilities. Exploiting the help of American engineers, he identified the exact angles by which the British might take advantage of weaknesses in the fortifications. For example, walls facing in the directions from which the British would most naturally attack were nearly impenetrable, but the Americans had neglected areas with rougher terrain from which they did not expect an assault.
28
Hoping to offer the British much more, he lobbied to remove the Great Chain across the Hudson, pretending that it required repairs, though the real purpose was to open the river to British warships.
29
He even toured the fortresses to analyze their vulnerabilities. Exploiting the help of American engineers, he identified the exact angles by which the British might take advantage of weaknesses in the fortifications. For example, walls facing in the directions from which the British would most naturally attack were nearly impenetrable, but the Americans had neglected areas with rougher terrain from which they did not expect an assault.
While Arnold was unsuccessful in removing the Great Chain, he whetted Clinton’s appetite by informing him that a well-loaded ship could break it. He also offered to provide detailed plans of the fortifications.
30
These plans were the reason why Arnold met with André.
30
These plans were the reason why Arnold met with André.
As summer set in 1780, Arnold requested to meet with the British in order to finalize the arrangements for the surrender of West Point and to coordinate the plan of assault. Even though Washington had an uncanny ability to read people, he was clueless about Arnold’s scheming. He never suspected that the man who had fought so valiantly for his army would ever consider such duplicity. Arnold enjoyed free rein, and he turned to his friend Joshua Hett Smith to facilitate a final meeting with the British.
From a prosperous family of British-sympathizers, Smith was a lawyer of relatively low abilities yet high self-regard.
31
He was described as a “timorous, prying, bustling sort of character” who wanted to “have a hand in weighty affairs” and who tried, in particular, to stay “on good terms with whomsoever was uppermost.”
32
Since the British still appeared to be winning, it was unsurprising that Smith himself was suspected of sympathizing with them.
33
He was rather homely with his sleepy eyes above a prominent nose and somewhat wild gray hair, but his small, feminine mouth would come in handy as part of a transvestite disguise.
31
He was described as a “timorous, prying, bustling sort of character” who wanted to “have a hand in weighty affairs” and who tried, in particular, to stay “on good terms with whomsoever was uppermost.”
32
Since the British still appeared to be winning, it was unsurprising that Smith himself was suspected of sympathizing with them.
33
He was rather homely with his sleepy eyes above a prominent nose and somewhat wild gray hair, but his small, feminine mouth would come in handy as part of a transvestite disguise.
Smith lived with his wife and children in a stately two-story home. Located about eighteen miles south of West Point, on the main route “where all communications passed from the eastern and southern states,” this house was ideally situated for Arnold’s purposes.
34
From its elevated position, it offered a sweeping view of the ships passing on the Hudson. So the Smith home became the central location for Arnold’s plot.
34
From its elevated position, it offered a sweeping view of the ships passing on the Hudson. So the Smith home became the central location for Arnold’s plot.
Arnold and Smith had grown close during the time since the traitor’s transfer to West Point. A social climber who was eager to cultivate a relationship with someone of Arnold’s power, Smith had frequently entertained Benedict and Peggy with elaborate meals.
35
While the Arnolds appeared to enjoy the friendship, the other Americans did not take as kindly to Smith. In fact, one of Arnold’s aides called him “a damned rascal, a scoundrel, and a spy.”
36
In late September 1780, Arnold approached this scoundrel to arrange his meeting with André.
35
While the Arnolds appeared to enjoy the friendship, the other Americans did not take as kindly to Smith. In fact, one of Arnold’s aides called him “a damned rascal, a scoundrel, and a spy.”
36
In late September 1780, Arnold approached this scoundrel to arrange his meeting with André.
Adhering to strict orders from Arnold, Smith and his servants rowed under the cover of darkness, in a “silent manner,” to rendezvous with Arnold’s British contact.
37
Their oars were muffled so as not to alert the American boats guarding the shores of the river. With the sky dimly lit by the bright stars, the crew cruised along the tranquil river, the waters of which were “unruffled except by the gentle current.”
38
Although “[t]he night was serene and the tide favourable,” Smith was apprehensive about the clandestine mission.
39
37
Their oars were muffled so as not to alert the American boats guarding the shores of the river. With the sky dimly lit by the bright stars, the crew cruised along the tranquil river, the waters of which were “unruffled except by the gentle current.”
38
Although “[t]he night was serene and the tide favourable,” Smith was apprehensive about the clandestine mission.
39
They approached a small British sloop-of-war called the
Vulture
.
40
Smith presented a letter from Arnold to André, uncreatively code-named “John Anderson,” and together they returned to shore at approximately one o’clock that night. Arnold was waiting on the western shore of the river, hiding among the fir trees near the foot of Long Clove Mountain.
41
There, in the pitch-black woods, Peggy’s dear old friend and her current husband finally met. Arnold did not extend him a warm welcome. Instead, they went right to work.
Vulture
.
40
Smith presented a letter from Arnold to André, uncreatively code-named “John Anderson,” and together they returned to shore at approximately one o’clock that night. Arnold was waiting on the western shore of the river, hiding among the fir trees near the foot of Long Clove Mountain.
41
There, in the pitch-black woods, Peggy’s dear old friend and her current husband finally met. Arnold did not extend him a warm welcome. Instead, they went right to work.
With only their discreet lanterns to shed light as they schemed, Arnold and André plotted the final preparations for the surrender of West Point. They orchestrated the moves of the attacking British forces and determined what orders Arnold would give to his American troops so he would appear loyal to the United States but nevertheless quickly surrender with minimal British bloodshed.
42
42
The rendezvous lasted through the night, ending only when Smith interrupted to warn of the approaching dawn. Arnold handed André the fortification plans along with other intelligence, which the young man hid in his boots. They hurried back to the river, but it was too late to return André to the
Vulture
“without being discovered from either shore by the inhabitants, whose eyes were constantly watching the movements on the river, not only from the forts, but the surrounding shores.”
43
As the sun’s first rays lit the sky, nearby American troops fired on the
Vulture
. Set partially ablaze in the rude awakening, the wounded boat limped downriver as flashes of fire pierced through the billowing smoke. The plan was botched. With his ship gone, André was trapped deep within hostile American territory. Arnold reluctantly decided to fall back to Smith’s house three miles away.
Vulture
“without being discovered from either shore by the inhabitants, whose eyes were constantly watching the movements on the river, not only from the forts, but the surrounding shores.”
43
As the sun’s first rays lit the sky, nearby American troops fired on the
Vulture
. Set partially ablaze in the rude awakening, the wounded boat limped downriver as flashes of fire pierced through the billowing smoke. The plan was botched. With his ship gone, André was trapped deep within hostile American territory. Arnold reluctantly decided to fall back to Smith’s house three miles away.
Back at Smith’s house that morning, Arnold, ever the astute tactician, quickly adapted his plan. He ordered André to remove his British officer uniform and put on a civilian coat provided by Smith, who was approximately the same size. Nervous about being caught as a disguised spy, “André, who had been undesignedly brought within [American] posts in the first instance, remonstrated warmly against this new and dangerous expedient.”
44
Arnold insisted, and André had little choice but to go along.
44
Arnold insisted, and André had little choice but to go along.
Furnishing André with a passport, Arnold sent him to take a land route through American territory back to British-occupied New York City. Smith provided André with a horse and agreed to accompany him through the first and most dangerous part of the passage. This stretch in Westchester, New York, was a treacherous civil war zone fraught with “plunder, outrage, inhuman barbarity, and even murder” as patriots and Loyalists clashed.
45
Many on both sides seized the lawlessness of war as an opportunity to exact revenge for old insults or merely to indulge in looting. This was not a safe neighborhood, to put it mildly.
45
Many on both sides seized the lawlessness of war as an opportunity to exact revenge for old insults or merely to indulge in looting. This was not a safe neighborhood, to put it mildly.
With trepidation, Smith and André rode side by side along the dirt pathways. Soon into their journey, they were stopped and questioned by American patrols searching for enemy spies. Smith took the lead, and, presenting the passports that Arnold had provided, he explained to their inquisitors “that they were on the public services, on business of the highest import” to the American cause.
46
Smith then had the nerve to threaten these interrogators that they “would be answerable for [André’s] detention one moment.”
47
His brashness paid off. In fact, Smith was so successful in assuaging the Americans’ suspicions that one American colonel invited them to dine at his house. Unsurprisingly, André “seemed desirous to decline,” and they did.
48
46
Smith then had the nerve to threaten these interrogators that they “would be answerable for [André’s] detention one moment.”
47
His brashness paid off. In fact, Smith was so successful in assuaging the Americans’ suspicions that one American colonel invited them to dine at his house. Unsurprisingly, André “seemed desirous to decline,” and they did.
48
After days of riding and partaking in friendly conversation about books, music, and their desire to see an end to the war, Smith and André arrived at Pines Bridge. Smith expected that André would encounter fewer American forces past this point. As they ate breakfast porridge at a wayside cottage, Smith provided André with directions for the remainder of his journey back to Clinton’s post in New York City. Smith jovially paid the bill and they parted amicably, unaware that they would soon see each other again in far less cheerful circumstances—as prisoners at West Point.
24
Commissions & Courts-Martial
A
t nine o’clock on the morning of Saturday, September 23, John André was riding down a wooded path towards safety behind British lines. At a narrowing in the road in Tarrytown, New York, just six miles from where he parted ways with Smith, three American militiamen suddenly leapt from the woods and seized his horse’s bridle.
1
The three men had been playing cards by the road, hoping for such an opportunity to ride by. “The law of the state gave to the captors of any British subject, all his property,” according to Joshua Hett Smith’s account, “and of course, his horse, saddle, and bridle, were in the first instance a temptation to stop him on the least ground of suspicion, while he being alone, they were the more bold against an unarmed man.”
2
t nine o’clock on the morning of Saturday, September 23, John André was riding down a wooded path towards safety behind British lines. At a narrowing in the road in Tarrytown, New York, just six miles from where he parted ways with Smith, three American militiamen suddenly leapt from the woods and seized his horse’s bridle.
1
The three men had been playing cards by the road, hoping for such an opportunity to ride by. “The law of the state gave to the captors of any British subject, all his property,” according to Joshua Hett Smith’s account, “and of course, his horse, saddle, and bridle, were in the first instance a temptation to stop him on the least ground of suspicion, while he being alone, they were the more bold against an unarmed man.”
2
André panicked. Since his captors were not in proper uniforms—they were a ragged bunch, with one wearing a faded Hessian jacket likely “borrowed” from a dead man—he did not know whether they were Loyalists or patriots. “At this critical moment, his presence of mind forsook him” and instead of producing his papers from Arnold and pretending to be an American on official military business, he asked the men whose side they were on. The wily men lied, stating that they were Loyalists.
3
Fooled, André then divulged his true identity as a British officer and demanded that he be freed. This is precisely what the militiamen wanted to hear. They dragged him into the bushes.
3
Fooled, André then divulged his true identity as a British officer and demanded that he be freed. This is precisely what the militiamen wanted to hear. They dragged him into the bushes.
André tried bribing the men with his gold watch and promises of cash, but this only made them more suspicious.
4
The Americans stripped and searched him. In his stockings they found “a plan of the fortifications of West Point; a memorial from the engineer on the attack and defense of the place, returns of the garrison, cannon and stores; [and a] copy of the minutes of a council of war held by General Washington a few weeks before.”
5
Only one of the men was literate, but they quickly surmised that they had stumbled upon something big. What they did not realize was just how far-reaching the conspiracy was. Even though the documents were in Arnold’s handwriting and pointed directly to his complicity, Arnold’s involvement in such treachery was so unfathomable that the commander of the New York militia stupidly reported André’s capture right back to the treasonous mastermind.
4
The Americans stripped and searched him. In his stockings they found “a plan of the fortifications of West Point; a memorial from the engineer on the attack and defense of the place, returns of the garrison, cannon and stores; [and a] copy of the minutes of a council of war held by General Washington a few weeks before.”
5
Only one of the men was literate, but they quickly surmised that they had stumbled upon something big. What they did not realize was just how far-reaching the conspiracy was. Even though the documents were in Arnold’s handwriting and pointed directly to his complicity, Arnold’s involvement in such treachery was so unfathomable that the commander of the New York militia stupidly reported André’s capture right back to the treasonous mastermind.
When Arnold received the news at West Point, he bounded into action. Desperate to escape before word of his involvement reached the garrison, he immediately ordered his horse to be saddled and a boat readied. Telling his wide-eyed wife Peggy that he “must fly to save his life without having time to explain,” Arnold bolted from the house and leapt onto his horse. Four of his light horsemen, unaware of what was transpiring, met him outside. They announced to their hurried superior that Washington, who had received intelligence of André’s capture, was approaching. Washington’s forces closing in, Arnold ordered the soldiers to stable their horses in order to slow their pursuit of him once they received word of his treachery. He then took a risky shortcut down to his boat, where, like a wild man, he threw his pistols onto the deck, jumped aboard, and commanded the boatmen to set off.
6
6
He had not yet escaped Washington’s tightening noose. His boat was quickly stopped by an armed boat that Washington had dispatched. In the confusion, the ship’s crew had yet to receive their orders to detain Arnold, however. He told them to “go up to the house to get refreshment,” and when Washington arrived, to say that he would return before dinner. They fell for the ploy. Arnold got away from the wharf, but soon the armed vessel was in pursuit.
7
With the Americans closing in on his small, unarmed boat, Arnold turned to his crew and promised them two gallons of rum if they hurried. The bewildered men raced to the
Vulture
. Once safely on the British gunboat, Arnold took his own boatmen prisoner. His daring flight had succeeded. America’s greatest traitor had escaped.
7
With the Americans closing in on his small, unarmed boat, Arnold turned to his crew and promised them two gallons of rum if they hurried. The bewildered men raced to the
Vulture
. Once safely on the British gunboat, Arnold took his own boatmen prisoner. His daring flight had succeeded. America’s greatest traitor had escaped.
General Washington “was thrown into the greatest distress from the failure of so well concerted a plan, so near ending the rebellion, as it would have given [the British] all of the forts, half the army, and cut off all communication with the Southern and Eastern Provinces as also the French.”
8
He was so shaken that he began to question who else from among his trusted officers might be involved. As he was pondering his next move, Washington was duped by Arnold’s cunning wife.
8
He was so shaken that he began to question who else from among his trusted officers might be involved. As he was pondering his next move, Washington was duped by Arnold’s cunning wife.
Peggy was in grave danger on account of her knowledge about the conspiracy, so she relied on her feminine wiles. When Washington’s men found her in the house, she put on a “most affecting scene,” masterfully acting as though Arnold’s treachery were such a shock that it had thrown her into a state of delirium.
9
Not above showing some skin, Peggy opened her dress in feigned hysterics. She wailed and convulsed as she held her baby to her bosom. “One moment she raved, another she melted into tears,” lamenting Arnold’s supposed deception. “All the sweetness of beauty, all the loveliness of innocence, all the tenderness of a wife and all the fondness of a mother” worked to hoodwink Washington and his officers.
10
The chivalrous general could not believe that such a beautiful, well-bred woman could be complicit in so nefarious a plot. Besides, her seemingly fragile mind made her appear to be an unlikely accomplice in so complicated a conspiracy.
9
Not above showing some skin, Peggy opened her dress in feigned hysterics. She wailed and convulsed as she held her baby to her bosom. “One moment she raved, another she melted into tears,” lamenting Arnold’s supposed deception. “All the sweetness of beauty, all the loveliness of innocence, all the tenderness of a wife and all the fondness of a mother” worked to hoodwink Washington and his officers.
10
The chivalrous general could not believe that such a beautiful, well-bred woman could be complicit in so nefarious a plot. Besides, her seemingly fragile mind made her appear to be an unlikely accomplice in so complicated a conspiracy.
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