A New History of the United States: The greater republic, embracing the growth and achievements of our country from the earliest days of discovery and settlement to the present eventful yearMorris, Charles
History
A New History of the United States: The greater republic, embracing the growth and achievements of our country from the earliest days of discovery and settlement to the present eventful year
Morris, Charles
United States -- History
When day dawned, the riddled _Richard_ was settling fast, and Jones had
barely time to remove his crew to the _Serapis_ when his own vessel went
down. Four-fifths of his men had been killed or wounded.
[Illustration: BRITISH CAPTAIN SURRENDERING HIS SWORD TO PAUL JONES.]
Investigation of the conduct of Captain Landais in firing into the
_Richard_ led to the conclusion that he was insane, and he was deprived
of his command. Jones did no more special service for the Americans. For
his unsurpassable achievement he received the thanks of Congress, and
the king of France presented him with a gold sword. After the war he
became a rear-admiral in the Russian navy, and died in Paris in 1792.
One of the saddest and most shocking events of the Revolution was the
treason of Benedict Arnold, who had won a brilliant reputation for his
bravery and generalship. He was quick-tempered, treacherous, and
extravagant, and disliked by most of his men, despite his extraordinary
daring. His first resentment against Congress was the failure of that
body to make him one of the first five major-generals, in the face, too,
of Washington's urgent recommendation for such promotion, which was made
after Arnold's splendid services at Saratoga.
He was placed in command at Philadelphia, while recovering from the
wounds received at Saratoga. He married a Tory lady, and his misconduct
caused his trial by court-martial, which sentenced him to be reprimanded
by the commander-in-chief. Washington performed the unpleasant duty with
delicacy, but its memory rankled and was increased by his anger against
Congress for its refusal to allow his claims for expenses in the
Canadian expedition. Influenced also, no doubt, by the Tory sentiments
of his wife, he determined to take the step which has covered his name
with everlasting infamy.
On the plea that his wounds were not yet healed, he induced Washington
to place him in command at West Point, the most important post in the
country and the principal depot of supplies. He opened a correspondence
with Sir Henry Clinton at New York, and agreed for a stated sum of money
and an appointment in the British army to surrender the post to a force
which Clinton was to send against it. When a point in the negotiations
was reached where it was necessary to send a trusted agent to meet
Arnold, Clinton dispatched Major John Andre, who went up the Hudson in a
sloop, and, September 22, 1780, met Arnold at the foot of Long Clove
Mountain. Everything being agreed upon, Andre started to return to the
sloop, but found that, owing to its having been fired upon by a party of
Americans, it had dropped down stream. Obliged to make his way to New
York by land, he assumed the dress of a civilian, and, furnished with a
pass by Arnold, he set out on horseback.
[Illustration: THE CAPTURE OF MAJOR ANDRE
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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