reason. That the man who led that terrible march through the Northern wilderness; who fought, bled, and suffered so bravely before Quebec, who led the perilous relief expedition to Fort Stanwix; who joined the Saratoga fight without command, and led the mad charge into the very camp of the enemy, falling desperately wounded within his lines; that this man should have striven to barter away a stronghold of the patriot army for pounds, shillings, and pence, seems almost irreconcilable with sanity. Yet all these things Benedict Arnold did. He had, in common with many other officers of the colonial army, felt slighted at some of the promotions made by Congress, by which men, his juniors in the service, had outranked him. He had unquestionably been slighted by Gates, at Saratoga, and during the campaign preceding that battle. The wound which he there received, had, for many weeks, incapacitated him for active service, and he was consequently placed in command at Philadelphia, where, as has been related, he earned the enmity of many citizens, was subjected to an investigation, and mildly reprimanded. During his entire military service he had lived beyond his means, debts had accumulated, and he was constantly harassed by duns and threatened with the humiliation of It was after his reprimand, and while without a command, that he began an anonymous correspondence with Sir Henry Clinton, signing himself Gustavus. He represented himself as an officer of high position in the American service, who had become dissatisfied with the conduct of American affairs, particularly with the French alliance, and desired to join the British army, if he could but obtain an equivalent for the loss of property, which such a step would involve It is probable that Clinton would not have kept up this intercourse, but for the fact that Arnold's letters occasionally contained a bit of important information, which events proved to be trustworthy. As it was, the answers were written by Major John Andre, aide-decamp of Clinton, over the name John Anderson.

Andre was a young officer who, if he did not possess, in the highest degree, those purely masculine traits which make the best of soldiers, was of unquestioned bravery, and was very popular with his fellow officers, while ladies invariably admired and made much of him. He was young, handsome, gay; he painted well, danced finely, wrote neat verses, had a talent for the stage and, as an actor and manager, had done much to lighten the heavy hours of the garrison life at Philadelphia.

Arnold soon found that he must give himself a distinct and appreciable market value, before he could hope to carry his negotiations with Clinton to the desired end. Hence he decided to use every effort to obtain the command of an important post. Washington, on his part, believed Arnold's difficulties to arise only from heedlessness and lack of prudence, and, when was proposed a movement of the American army to co-operate with the French, designed rehabilitating him, by assigning him an honorable com

mand. To the surprise of the commander in chief, Arnold did not seem satisfied with this arrangement, and, upon being questioned, said that his wound unfitted him for the saddle, and asked for the command of West Point. His request was considered and granted, and, about the 3rd of August, 1780, he took command of the key of the Hudson with its dependencies. His treacherous negotiation with Andre was now carried on with more spirit than before, and the proposal for the surrender of West Point was definitely made, considered and accepted. It was arranged that while the main body of the American army was at or near King's bridge, for the purpose of co-operating with the French against New York, a flotilla under Rodney, having on board a large land force, should ascend the Hudson to West Point, when Arnold was to surrender the post almost without opposition, on the plea of the insufficiency of his force to its defense. A personal conference now became necessary. Arnold desired that it take place at the Robinson house, his headquarters, but, Andre objecting to pass the American lines, an appointment was made for a meeting on neutral ground near Dobbs' ferry. Andre, in disguise, accompanied by Colonel Beverly Robinson, attended, but Arnold was prevented from keeping his appointment. A second arrangement was made to be carried into effect during Washington's absence at Hartford, in consultation with Rochambeau. In furtherance of this plan, the British sloop of war l'ulture, bearing Robinson on board, anchored in the river near Teller's point, and Robinson sent a letter to West Point, ostensibly desiring to open negotiations for the recovery of his confiscated property, and affecting to believe that Putnam was still in command of the post. Arnold sent a reply openly, by a flag of truce, to the effect that a man, with a boat, would be alongside the Vulture, on the evening of the 20th, and that any communication necessary to be made, would be conveyed to the post, and laid before Washington on the following Saturday, when he was expected to return. Andre accordingly ascended the river, and boarded the Vulture. On the night of the 21st came a boat, rowed by one Joshua H. Smith, who was, in fact, only an instrument in the hands of Arnold, and was innocent of any wrong. He bore a letter to Robinson, which Arnold had artfully written so that it might bear a double significance. Robinson introduced Andre as Mr. John Anderson, and, entering the boat, the latter was rowed to a point on the west shore of the river, about six miles below Stony Point. He was muffled in a gray cloak which concealed his uniform, and the boatman thought him a civilian representing Mr. Robinson's interest. Arnold was in waiting, and the negotiation was commenced, but daybreak found it still uncompleted. Arnold then persuaded Andre to remain on shore until the following night, and caused the boat to be concealed in a neighboring creek. The two then rode to Smith's house, within the lines, which they had just reached, when a battery that Colonel Livingston had caused to be moved to Teller's point, opened fire upon the Vulture, and

shortly compelled her to drop down the river out of range. During the morning, the bargain for the betrayal of West Point was completed; Arnold was promised his price; Andre received plans of the defenses, which he concealed in one of his stockings, and all was ready for a return. Arnold desired Andre to go by land, as the Vulture had dropped down the river, but the latter insisted upon returning to the vessel, and Arnold left him at 10 o'clock in the morning, having first provided him with a pass, worded as follows:

"Permit Mr. John Anderson to pass the guards at the White Plains or below, if he chooses, he being upon public business by my direction. "B. ARNOLD,

M. General."

Andre passed a weary, anxious day. Once on board the Vulture, he would be safe; West Point would fall, and his coveted promotion would be assured. He called Smith, and urged him to have no delay, when darkness was come. To his despair he found that the latter had really misunderstood the arrangement, or affected to have done so; that he had dismissed his boatmen, and the last hope of reaching the Vulture was gone. As a sort of reparation Smith offered to cross the river at King's ferry, and accompany the supposed Anderson some distance on horseback. It can scarcely be that Smith had failed to suspect, by this time, that Andre was other than he professed to be, especially as he urged and persuaded the latter to replace the military coat, under the cloak which partially disguised him, with one of his own.

The two set out about sunset, crossed the river, and had proceeded about eight miles beyond, when they were halted by a patrol, the commander of which, being satisfied by Arnold's pass, warned them against proceeding farther by night, as they were on the borders of the famous Debatable ground, harried alike by colonial "Skinners" and tory "Cow Boys," between whom there was little to choose. Smith seems to have been in an ague of fear. Upon his solicitation, Andre consented to halt for the night, and the two found quarters at a neighboring house. In the morning they arose and set out very early, pushing on to a farm house on the Croton river, where they breakfasted and parted,-Smith returning home, and Andre pushing on toward New York. The latter had gone but a short distance, when a man stepped into the narrow road before him, leveled a musket, and called upon him to halt. At the same moment two others appeared in support of the demand. might have kept his life.

Andre lost his head had he not done so, he Observing that the leader of the party wore the dress common to the tory partisans, he exclaimed, "Gentlemen, I hope

you belong to our party?"

"What party," was the answer.

"The lower party," said Andre.

"We do ;" was the reply.

Andre at once avowed himself a British officer; said that he had been up the river on most important business, and must not be detained for a moment. To his intense alarm, the men now declared themselves to be Americans, and pronounced him their prisoner. Andre did all in his power to retrieve his error. He laughed, and said that, in a delicate matter like that in which he was engaged, expedients of all kinds were necessary; that he was an American officer proceeding to Dobbs' ferry in search of information. At the same time he produced Arnold's pass. His captors were not, however, common "Skinners," but intelligent and honest yeomen of the vicinity, members of a body organized to revenge and prevent the recurrence of outrages committed by the "Cow Boys." The coat which their leader wore, had come to him from a tory partisan who had stolen his own. They refused to be satisfied with Andre's explanation, without a search, and that revealed fatal evidence that he was a spy, in the presence of the plans concealed in his stocking. Thus discovered, he attempted to bribe his captors. He would give his horse, saddle, bridle, and one hundred guineas, and send them to any place which might be designated. One of the men asked him if he would not give more, when he promised any reward that might be named, in return for liberty to pursue his journey. At this John Paulding, leader of the little guard, said: "If you would give ten thousand guineas, you should not stir one step."

Every effort failing, Andre was compelled to submit, and was taken across the country with one man at his bridle rein, and one on either side, to the nearest American post-that at North Castle, commanded by Lieutenant-colonel Jameson. This officer very carefully examined the papers captured, and, discovering their dangerous character, forwarded them by an express to General Washington at Hartford. Andre desiring that the commandant at West Point be notified of the arrest and detention of Mr. John Anderson, in spite of his pass, Jameson wrote Arnold an account of the whole affair, told him that the papers found upon Andre had been sent to Washington, and forwarded letter and prisoner toward West Point under the same guard. Soon after the escort set out, Major Tallmadge, second in command, arrived at the post, and having somewhat more common sense than had Jameson, succeeded in inducing the latter to recall Andre, but, with stubborn insistence, the letter was still sent forward. A little consideration would have secured the capture of Arnold, which this warning prevented. Had Tallmadge not come, Arnold and Andre would have laughed over the matter at a British mess table. Upon Andre's return to North Castle, Major Tallmadge was more than ever certain that his prisoner was a military man, and one of consequence, hence he advised his removal to the more secure post at Lower Salem, under command of Colonel Sheldon, and Jameson adopted his advice. Learning that his papers had been sent to

Washington, Andre requested and received the privilege of writing to him, and hastily penned the following lines:

"I beg your Excellency will be persuaded, that no alteration in the temper of my mind, or apprehension for my safety, induces me to take the step of addressing you; but that it is to secure myself from the imputation of having assumed a mean character, for treacherous purposes or self interest. It is to vindicate my fame that I speak, and not to solicit security. The person in your possession is Major John Andre, djutant-general of the British army. The influence of one commander in the army of his adversary, is an advantage taken in war. A correspondence for this purpose I held; as confidential (in the present instance) with his Excellency, Sir Henry Clinton. To favor it I agreed to meet, upon ground not within the posts of either army, a person who was to give me intelligence. I came up in the Vulture, man-of-war, for this effect, and was fetched from the shore to the beach. Being there, I was told that the appoach of day would prevent my return, and that I must be concealed until the next night. I was in my regimentals and had fairly risked my person. Against my stipulation, my intention, and without my knowledge beforehand, I was conducted within one of your posts. Thus was I betrayed into the vile condition of an enemy, within your posts. Having avowed myself a British officer, I have nothing to reveal but what relates to myself, which is true, on the honor of an officer and a gentleman. The request I have made to your Excellency, and I am conscious that I address myself well, is, that in any rigor policy may dictate, a decency of conduct toward me may mark that, though unfortunate, I am branded with nothing dishonorable; as no motive could be mine, but the service of my king, and as I was involuntarily an imposter."

Having made this explanation, Andre seemed completely to regain his equanimity. He chatted and joked with his guards, establishing himself completely in their good graces, and drew a most amusing caricature of himself, as he appeared upon his enforced march to his place of confinement. The gaunt shadow of the gibbet was even then across his path, but he saw it not. Andre was, by order of Washington, removed successively to the Robinson house, to West Point, and to headquarters at Tappan. There, on the 29th, convened the board of general officers, appointed to inquire into the circumstances of his detection and arrest. This consisted of Majorgenerals Greene, Stirling, St. Clair, Lafayette, R. Howe and Steuben, and Brigadier-generals Parsons, James Clinton, Knox, Glover, Paterson, Hood, Huntingdon and Stark. General Greene was made president of the board, and Colonel John Lawrence, judge advocate general. Andre was brought before this board, and treated with the greatest consideration. No questions which could embarrass him, were pressed; no witnesses, save himself, were examined. He made his own statement without any reservation, save that