Newspapers / The Raleigh Minerva (Raleigh, … / Aug. 17, 1802, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Raleigh Minerva (Raleigh, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
THE NORTH-CAROLINA MINERVA , rALE.IG H. Publibhed 5very TUESD A Y b y HODGE BOYLAN. i! 'lv Iivemy-fi Shillings per Tear.' From tht Anti-Democrat. . The following Tetter, reflecting the fate of major Andre was written in the year 1780, by general Ham ilton, then a colonel and aid-de-camp to general Wafhington. No doubt it has long been treafured up not on ly as afpecimenof fine writing but asthebeft monument of the fads re lating to that affecting tranfaction. General Hamilton has been ever confideredan elegant writer as well as a patriot and brave foldier, and we do prefume that this production of his pen, although of ancient date will he accepable and amufing to our readers. ' .SINCE my return from Hartford, my dear friend, my mind has been too lit.le at eafe-to permit meto write to you loom r. It has been wholly oc cupied by ihe. incidents, 'and the tra pse cunlequeiicesT - of Arnold's trea ion. My feelings were never pur to io i'evere a trial. You will have h ard the principal facts before this reach -s you ; but there are particu lars, to which my fituation gave me accefs, that cannot have come to your knowledge from public report, yhich 1 am perfuaded you will find intrefling. . . ' From ie'veral circumftances, the project feems to have' originated with Arnold himfelf, and to have been long premeditated. , The firft over ture is traced back to fome time in lunelaft. It was conveyed in a let rcr to Col. Robinfon,, the fubject of vhichwas that the ingratitude he ad experienced from Jiis-country, concurring with ether caufes, had entirely changed his principles ; that he now only lought to reftore him lelf to the tavor of his prince by fome lignal proof ot his repentance : and that he wifhed to open a corr'efpon cence with Sir Henry Clinton, for; this purpofe About that period he made a journey to Connecticut, on H- return from which to Philadel phia he Solicited the command of Welt point ; alledging that the ef fects, of his wound difqualified him f 1 r iht- adtivc duties or the field. 'J he faciifice of 1 his important poll was the attonunent he intended to make. Guieral Wafhingtoh hefi tattd the lels to gratify an officer who had frequently rendered emi nent lervices, as he was convinced the poll might be fafely .trufted to one, who had given fo rnany diftin guilhed proofs of his patriotifm. The beginning of A ugufthe joined the army, and renewed his application. Ihe enemy, at this juncture, had em baiked the greatest part of tfaeir force on an expedition to Rhode Wand, and qur army was in motion, to compel them to1 felinquifh' the en terprile, or to attack New-York in' its weakened (late, the general offered Arnold the left wing of the army, which he declined, on the pretext altready mentioned y but not without vifib'Ie embarraflment. He certainly miht have executed the duties of fuch a temporary com mand, and it was expeftcd from his enterprizing temper that he would gladly have embraced fo IpUndidly inviting an oppormnity butt he did not choofe to be diverted a mo ment from his favorite objecV pro bably lrom-an-apprehenfion . that lorne different aifpofition might take pUce, which would exclude' him. ihe extreme fnlidtude he clifcover ed to get polTeffion of the poll would have led to a lulrncior. ol treachery, Jiad iLbeen .poflible-ffom his paft conduft to haye luppofed lmn capa ble of it. - . " uhecorrefporidence. thn W-n was carried on between Arnold and major Andre, adinta.t . , Bntifii army, m behalf of Sir Au.y K.muon, under reined fiKna tures, and a mercantile difonin. i I an interested letter of ArrmU e ' ' ' "T-V r':: ' ' ' " ' " ' "' "' , ' ' ' ' 'i ; ' '"'r - - C- .. l.':1 ...':J;: - -ir:' t urs d a which lately fell into our hands, he propofes an interview, " to fettle the rifks and profits of the copartner fhip and in the fame ftile of me taphor, intimates an expected aug mentation of the garrilon, and fpeaks of it as the means of extending their traffic. It appears by another letter, that Andre was to have met him on the lines, under the fanction of a flag, in the. character of Mr. . John. Anderfon. But fome p aufe or other, not known, . prevented this inter view, General Wafhington crofted the river in his way to Hartford the day thefe difpatches arrived. . Arnold, conceiving he mult have heard of the flag, thought it neceffary, for the fake of appearahces,' to fubmit the letters to him, and afk' his opinion of the propriety of complying withhis requeft. The general, without his ulual caution, though without the leaft furmife'of thedefign, diffuaded him from it, and advifed him to re ply to Robertion, that whatever re lated to his private affairs muft be of a civil nature, and coul.J only pro perly be addrefled to the civil autho rity. J h's reference fortunately deranged the whole' plan, and was the firft link in the chain of events that led to the detection. 'Ihe inter view could no loncer take place in the form of a flag, but was obliged to be managed in a fccret manner. Arnold employed one bmith to go cn board the Vulture, and bring Andre afhore, with a pais tor IV r John Anderfon Andre came afhore accordingly, and was conducted within a picket of purs, to the houfe of Mr. Smith, where Arnold and he remained together in clofe confer ence all that night and the day tol- lowing. At day-light in the morn- 1 I T ing,-y tne cornmanding-oiacer ai King's ferry, without .'the privity of Arnold, moved a couple or cannon to a point oppofite where the Vul ture lay, and ob'iged her' to take a more remote ftation. 1 his event, or fome lurking diftruft, made the boatman rcfufe to convey the two padengers back, and difconcerted Arnold fo much, that by one of thofe ftrokes of infatuation, which often confound the fcheines of men confcioMsof guilt, he infifted on An dre VchandnR his uniform for a. dilKdife, and retUrmng"'in a - mode different "from that in, which he came. Andre, whoJiad been ;urt defignedly brought within our pofls m the firft inuance, remonlfrated warmly againft thi-new and dnnge rous expedient. But Arnold perfdt ing in declaring It impoftible for him to return as. he came, he at length reluctantly yielded to' hfc per fiiaficn," and confented to change his dref, and rake the rcute he recommended, mi.h furniflied the difguife, and in the evening'anived at King's fen y together, they proceeded to Crown Point, where they flopped tle re mainder of the night, at the in!tanc.e of a militia officer, to avoid being fufpeitsd by him. . The next morn-, ing they returned their journey, Smith accompanying Andre a little beyond Pine's bridge, w jiere he Iett, himrHe had reached. I arryjown where he was taken by three jfilitia--men. who ruffied out of the vvocds and furrounded him. At this critical period, his ptRience of mind forfuk him - inftead of pro ducing hi3 pais, which would have extricated huvi from our parties, and could have done him no harm with his own, he afked the militia, : men if they were of the upper or lower party diltinctive appellations known aipong .. the enemy's refugee corps. 'Die" militia replied, they were of the lower party ; upon which A iand ef marauders , who receive no fay, out Jubjijt by plunder , . j- .. . v . . . ; Jsxr- 'SBb.;: -, Atf 6 u s t 17, i8oar he affured them he was a Britifh of- nw?armpreiieatherrvnot to detain him, as he was upon urgent bufinels. This cSpfeffion removed all doubt, and it Was in vain, he afterwards produced his pafs. He was inftant Jy forced off to a pi ace of greater fe curityj where he was caref ully fearch ed, and in his flocking feet were foundfeveral papers of importance,, deliVfejcd to him by Arnold.. Among thefe re a plan of the fortifications of Wflt-Point, a memorial from the engineer en iht atim-K uiU icftnvc of tbe phce, returns of the garrifon, cacnofi ind ftores, copy of a council of war; held by general Wafhington, few weeks before. ' 'i he'pnlpnerwas at firft inadver tantly crda 2d to Arnold, but upon recollection, while till on the way, he wa& countermanded, anj ient to Old Salem. l'he papers . were en clofedin a letter to eeneral Wafh infeton, which having taken a route diifeFcnj from that by which he re turned, made a circuit, that afforded leifure for. another Tetter, T through an ill-judged delicacy written to Ar nold, with an information of An derfon'i capture, to . get to him an hour before general Wafhington ar rived at his quarters ; time rnough to e'ud? the fate, that awaited him. He werA down to the river in his bare p the Vulture, with fuch precipitate confufion, that he did, not fifc,e with ' him a fi ngle paper ufefulto the enemy. On the firft notice of the affair, he was per fuadedibut much too late to overtake him. , A moment before his fetting out he went, into Mrs.Arnold's apart ments, md informed her, that cer tain trmfactions had iuft come to t light, waieh muft fcreVer banim him trom.5J? country. She fell into a fwoon jt this declaration, and he left her in it to coniult his ow n fafe ty, till tbe fervaars, alarmed by her cries, came to her relief. She re mained frantic all day, accufing eve 1 ry one who approached her, with an I intention of murdering her child, (an infant in her arms) and exhibit ing every other mark' of i!;e molt genuine and agonifing affection. Exhau.ted by the fatigue and tumult of her fpirits, her phrenzy fuhfided towards even ng, and fhe funkinto all the fidnefs qi difiio's. . It was impoflible not to have been touched with her iituation : every thing af fecting in female tears, or in the misfortunes of beauty, every thing pathetic in the wounded tendernejs "of a wife, or" in the apprehenfive fondnefs of a mother ; and every ap pearance of fuffering innocence, eonipii ed to make her an object Of fympathy. to all who were prefers She experienced the moft delicate attentions, and every f riendly oHke, till her departure for Philadelphia. - - Arid rieiifithwrf lols of time, was conducted to the head-quajten of theanny where he was immediate ly brought before a board of general officers, to pretent hli pofiibility or mifreprefentation, or cavil on the part of" the enemy. .The board re ported, that he ought to be cpnfider ed as afpy, and, according to the laws 'and ufages of nations, to fuller death ; which was executed two days after. -. Never, perhaps, did a man fuffer death .w ith more jultice, or deferve it lefs. The firft ftcp he took after his capture was to. write a letter to general Wafhington, conceived in terms of dignity without infolencc, and apology without meaning. -.The fcope of it was to vindicate himfelf from the imputation of having af fumed a mean character for treach erous or interefted purpofes, avert ing that he had been -involuntarily an importer: that, contrary to his' intention, which was to meet a pa- y, Vol. VIL Numb. 332 Ibnfbf-intelliHence.-ort neutral ground, he had been betrayed within our potts, raad, forced into thevile" condition pt,an enemy in difcuife : folicitiHg only, that to whatever ri- ar policy might devote him, a de cency of treatment might be pbferv ed, due to a perlon, who, though un fortunate, had been guilty of nothing difhonorable. His lequeil was grant-., cdin its full extent, for, in the whole progrefsof the affair,. he was treated with the molt lcrupulous delicacy. oflicerf . ct m th every m ar k of indulgence, and was required to an- fwerno interrogatory which could even embarrafc his feelings. On his Ritftj while, he.. . carefully . concealed -every thing that involved others, he frankly confelled all the facts rdat ing to himfelf ; and. upon his con-' ftfilon, Without the . trouble of exa mining ;a ivitnefs; 'the board made their report. . T he members of it ere not niore inipreiled with the candor and modeft firmnefs, mixed with a becoming fenfibility which he difplayed, thanjle was penetrated with their. liberality and , politenefs. He acknowledged the geherofity of the behavior towards, him in every, refpect, but pariicularly in this, in the llrongeft . terms of , manly grati tude. In a converfation with a gen tleman, who , vifited him after his trial, faid he. flattered, himfelf he had never been illiberal, but if there were any marks of prejudice in his mind, his prefent experience mull obliterate them. . v . . . In one of the vifits I made to him, "and I faw him feyeral rimes during Bis confinement ) he begged me to be the bearer of a requeft to the gene ral, for permiffion to fend . an open letter to" Sir Henry . . Clinton." " I f orefee myTate, (laid he) and though I pKef end not to play the hero or to be. indifferent about life; yet 1 am reconciled to v hatcver may happen. cbnfcious that mistoi tune, not guilt, willhavebroughtitupon me. 'J here is only one thing that difturbs my tranquility. Sir Henry Clinton has been too goo J to me ; he-has.- been lavifii of hi' kindnels. .1 am bound fo him by too many obligations, and love him too we 11, to bear the thought that he fhoufd reproach himfelf, or that others fhoiild reproach him, on a iuppofnic n that I had conceived myielf obliged by his inttructions to run the liik I did, I would not for the world leave ' a ping in his mind that fhoiil J embitter his f utUTerda""vs.'' He could fcarcfe finifh the fentence. bur fling into fears in.fpite of his ef forts to f'tipprefs them, and with dif ficulty collecte d himfelf enough af tfcrwaf ds to aild, " I with to be per mitted to afiure him I did not act under this itnpreflipn, but fubmit ted to a neceffity impefed upon me, as contrary to my own inclination as to his orders." His requeft was readily complied with, and he wrote the letcr a'r.nexcd, with which, I dare fUy, you "tvii be as much pleaf e J, as 1 am, both f or the didtion and fentiment. When his fentence was announc ed to him,heremarked,.thatfinceit was his lot to die, as there was a choice in the mode, which would make a material difference to his feel ;ngs, he would be happy, if it were poffible, to be indulged with a pro fefTional death. He made a fecond application by letter, in concile but perluafive terms. It was thoiicht this indulgence, being incompatible wi th the,uftom of war, could not be granted ; and it was therefore deter mined iii both, cafe&fb evade an an fwer, to fpare. him"(the fenfations which a certain knowledge of the intended mode would inflict. .When he was led out to the jlace of execution, as he went, alone he "bowed familiarly -to -all thofe with . !-r:L il , i ; T-l ' .! ' TV " 7-": ''-'Mi
The Raleigh Minerva (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 17, 1802, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75