under arms before the much desired knowledge was bestowed in being officially announced unto us-that of the traitorism of Arnold and the capture of Andre. At this intelligence the whole army was (as it were) convulsed. We stood almost day and night upon our arms, for I suppose three days and three nights at least. We were to be compared to swarms of bees without king or queen until a beloved father, a beloved Washington visited and passed personally among the encampments at West Point. Love of country, love for Washington, love and praise for Paulding, Williams and Van Wert, the captors of Andre, and anger and execrations for and towards Arnold; Andre, the tories and the British minions were the alternate emotions within the breasts of all ranks and conditions of the American soldiery at West Point. Arnold as soon as he was apprized of the capture of Andre departed hastily. It was stated then, that he was beheld at a distance in his flight and fired upon from one of the forts, but he was so far off that the pursuing shots could take no effect.

Major John Andre, adjutant General of the British army at one time wrote a sarcastic doggeral song to the tune of Yankee Doodle, having been partly induced no doubt to do so, from the circumstance of General Wayne having been detached into New Jersey from Valley Forge in the winter of 1777 and '8, with a body of troops to destroy forage, which was likely to fall into the hands of the British and for the purpose of purchasing and pressing cattle for the use of the American army-and partly in consequence of the contemptuous opinion entertained by the British for our gallant officers and soldiers of that day.

In some parts of his doggeral his object was to show off the Americans, officers and men, as kind of half soldiers and half something else. Not admitting with the most incontrovertible evidence before him, that they were magnanimous, and as brave in battle as they were mag

nanimous

That this was his true object the last verse of the song offers proof.

"But now I end my lyric strain

I tremble while I show it!

Lest this same warrio drover, WAYNE,
Should ever catch the poet."

"The unfortunate poet's fate has changed his mockheroic to a tragic strain; for when taken, he was delivered to Wayne, at Tappan," by Lieutenant Col. Jame

son.

CHAPTER XIII.

The capture of Major Andre by Paulding, Williams and Van Wert, of the New-York Militia, his trial, execution as a spy, and the TRAITORISM of ARNOLD which led thereto, all conspired to fill the minds of many with gloomy apprehensions and was the all engrossing subject within and without the American camps. Arnold had distinguished himself on many occasions on his country's battle fields as among the bravest of brave men, had fought and encouraged his men to fight, and sought the hottest of the action at repeated times, and that too without any regard to self. He had signalized himself as a bra ve man, as well in the eyes of the Commanderin-Chief and the officers and soldiers in the army as in the eyes of Congress and the people of the colonies generally, and strange perhaps to relate he had poured out his blood upon his country's battle fields. Had it not been for these, he could not have passed undetected the supervisional glances of the keen eagle eye of Washington. Had it not been for his extraordinary bravery and merit as an officer, he would have occupied a situation far different-that of not being above suspicion in the estimation of Washington.

It appears that the Governor of Pennsylvania prefered charges to Congress against Arnold when he held the command at Philadelphia after the British evacuated it in the year 1778. Arnold was arrested at the in

stance of Congress, and put upon his trial by court martial. He was sentenced to be reprimanded by Washington. Congress approved of the sentence, and he was forthwith reprimanded by the Commander-in-Chief.

From this moment ("or sooner" says a writer,) Arnold's hate swelled within his bosom, and he sought to avenge himself by making his bleeding country to pour forth her blood more copiously and afresh. He sought by various means to sink her deep in the damning cup of a sweeping desolation, and to annihilation itself.Under the pretext that the wounds he had previously received unfitted him for the ardous duties of the field, he preferred receiving the command of West Point, the Gibralter of the young Republic. Could he but sell this, all others would naturally follow or be thrown (as he thought thereby) into the bargain. This was his hellish scheme, his diabolical purpose of blackness of darkness and nothing less.

Washington and some of his brother Generals (among them General La Fayette,) were engaged in the examination of some parts of the outworks of the fort. The aid of General Washington had called at the residence of Arnold, and happened to be there when Andre's note was handed to Arnold. The report that the aids made was, that Arnold became pale, retreated precipitately from the room, and made known to his wife the perilous situation he had plunged himself into, at the news of which she swooned. The condition of his wife could not restrain him from becoming a fugitive from justice, he mounted his aid-de-camp's charger and dashed away requesting ere he started that General Washington might be informed, that he was gone to West Point to make arrangements for his, (the Commander-in-Chief's) reception at that post.

Arnold directed his course towards the river, to which his spirited horse in his fleetness soon conveyed him. By the means of a canoe, he was enabled to reach the British vessel the Vulture, that laid beyond the distance of long shot on the opposite side of the Hudson. When

the aids-de-camp of Generals Washington and La Fayette, Colonels Hamilton and McHenry informed Washington of Arnolds having gone to West Point for the purpose of making arrangements for his reception, it was natural for Washington to think nought else than it was really so. But reader picture the astonishment of Wash ington, the fluctuations of his patriotic bosom between hope and fear when he was informed that General Arnold had not arrived. On receiving Colonel Jameson's despatch his conduct lost its strange face and stood forth basso relievo in all its fearfulness and damning consequences.

The Commander-in-Chief lost not a moment of time, but set him about to strengthen his works and put all in a more effective state of defence at West Point.

General Washington in the manliness of his patriotic soul, requested one of his aids to inform Mrs. Arnold that her husband, (although no exertions or pains had been spared in efforts to capture him) was safe. He suffered her to go on to Philadelphia. He sent Arnold his clothes and baggage in accordance with the request he had made of him by letter. He then conveyed Mrs. Arnold to her husband in New-York under the protection of a flag.

I have stated that these circumstances filled the minds of many with gloomy apprehensions for the future, but if they did, it was a source of great joy to very many that the plot was so timely discovered.

"When the probable consequences of this plot, had it been successful, were considered, and the combination of apparent accidents by which it was discovered and defeated, was recollected, all were filled with awful astonishment, and the devout perceived in the transaction the hand of Providence; guiding America to Independence.

The

Major Andre's case was referred to a board of general officers, among them was General's La Fayette and Steuben, General Greene presided over this Court. court after a labored investigation of his case, arrrived at the conclusion that he was justly considered to fall within the pale of the laws of nations, which characterized

him as a spy. They were of opinion also, that "he ought to suffer death."

On the day after this sentence was rendered, it was executed.

However much that same board and other officers of the army, soldiers and people might have sympathized with Andre, still, they could say amen to his sentence and execution, believing that his execution as a spy was highly demanded. There was a great degree of sympathy manifested in his case; his appearance was very prepossessing, being what was generally termed a very handsome man. It is true Major Andre had exhibited a great degree of frankness and manliness in his conduct of honor and feelings of humanity as well before his capture as after. But honorable and humane as he was esteemed to be, he it must be recollected was a spy from the camp of an open and avowed enemy-but brave and fearless as he was considered and exhibited himself to be, he it must be remembered was a British officer, who had engaged in a dishonorable transaction—a transaction although far too low for so lofty a nature as he was acknowledged to have possessed, yet had by all usages of war forfeited his life. Whilst our own admirable Captain Nathaniel Hale of the revolutionary war, who perished as a spy in a British camp on Long Island, is forgotten by American citizens, Andre to this day has (unfortunately for the memory of many of the martyred spirits of my Columbia's exalted glory,) a much stronger hold than Hale upon the sympathies and affections of many, very and by far too many of the American people. A course which is as shameful as it is ungrateful and unjust. Laud a perished life-forfeiting enemy to the skies, and never name as he ought to be named, this our own perished patriotic American son of thunder. Captain Hale gave proofs of bravery strong as ever Andre did, proofs as undoubted as those evinced by Leonidas of the Spartan band at the pass of Thermopyla, and his conduct was far more in accordance with his, baving first sat down and counted the cost of his expedition,