John Andre
BIRTH
May 2, 1750
London, England
DEATH
October 2, 1780
Tappan, New York
FAMILY
FATHER:
Anthony André
(1717-1769)
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Andre, John
(1750-1780)
John André was a major in the British Army and head of its intelligence operations in America during the American Revolutionary War. In that role he was assigned the task of negotiating Benedict Arnold's secret offer to surrender the fort at West Point, New York, to the British in September 1780. Through a series of mishaps and unforeseen events, André was forced to return from a meeting with Arnold through American territory while wearing civilian clothes. He was captured by three colonials and soon identified. He was convicted of espionage and hanged as a spy by the Continental Army on the orders of George Washington.
GRAVE:
CHURCH
Westminster Abbey
20 Dean's Yard, City of Westminster, SW1P 3PA, United Kingdom
4
Places | Image | Address | GPS | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
DeWint House | 20 Livingston St, Tappan, NY 10983 | MUSEUM | ||
Arnold-Andre Treason Marker | Conger Avenue, Village of Haverstraw, New York, 10927, USA | MARKER | ||
Andre's Capture Monument | North Washington Street, Village of Tarrytown, New York, 10591, USA | MARKER | ||
76 House - Andre's Jail | 110 Main St, Tappan, NY 10983 | MARKER |
DIED:
Tappan, New York
Oct 2, 1780
André was born on May 2, 1750, in London to wealthy Huguenot parents Antoine André, a merchant from Geneva, Switzerland, and Marie Louise Girardot from Paris. He was educated at St Paul's School, Westminster School, and in Geneva. He was briefly engaged to Honora Sneyd. In 1771, at the age of 20, he joined the army, first being commissioned a second lieutenant in the 23rd Regiment (Royal Welch Fuziliers) but soon exchanging as lieutenant in the 7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fuzileers). He was on leave of absence in Germany for nearly two years, and in 1774 re-joined his regiment in British Canada.
In 1779, André became adjutant general of the British Army in North America with the rank of major. In April of that year, he took charge of the British Secret Service in America. By the next year (1780), he had briefly taken part in Clinton's invasion of the South, starting with the siege of Charleston, South Carolina.
Around this time, André took over secret British communications with U.S. general Benedict Arnold. Arnold was a much-admired field general who had been wounded twice in battle, and was considered an American hero for his actions at the Battle of Saratoga. Arnold had become bitter about the decline in his financial fortunes caused by the war, and the reluctance of the Continental Congress to grant him the promotions he believed he deserved.
Arnold's Loyalist wife, Peggy Shippen, was one of the go-betweens in the correspondence with André. Arnold steadily provided the British with vital intelligence on American troop movements and Washington's strategy.