The Story of the Thirteen ColoniesGuerber, H. A. (Hélène Adeline)
History
The Story of the Thirteen Colonies
Guerber, H. A. (Hélène Adeline)
United States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
Washington, then on his way to West Point, received the news of
André's arrest too late to seize Arnold, although he tried very hard
to do so. Still, he did not forget that Arnold's wife was innocent.
Pitying her evident suffering, he soon sent her word that her
husband had escaped, and said that she would be allowed to join him
in New York.
The news of Arnold's treachery, which wrung tears from Washington,
and made him exclaim, "Whom can we trust now?" filled the whole
country with dismay. People were horror-struck; but while all hated
Arnold, many were almost as excited over the capture and probable
fate of André. An artist, writer, and soldier, this young man had
many admirers; but as he had played the part of a spy, and had been
captured in disguise within the American lines, most people thought
he deserved to be hanged.
Still, it was felt that Arnold, the traitor, was the one who merited
that death most, so when the British protested that André should
not be hanged, the Americans offered to exchange him for Arnold,
thinking that if they could only make an example of the real culprit
it would prevent similar cases in the future.
But, much as the British despised Arnold, they could not, of
course, give him up. André's trial, therefore, went on, and the
jury condemned him to death as a spy. Instead of treating him as
the British had treated Hale, however, the Americans allowed him
to write to his friends and prepare for death. When he was ready,
André paid the penalty of his wrongdoing by being hanged. Still,
people have always felt sorry for him, and the British, who would
have gained greatly by his spying, declared that he had fallen a
martyr. They therefore gave him a place in Westminster Abbey, where
many of their greatest men are buried. Besides, two monuments have
been erected for him in our country, at Tarrytown and Tap´pan, thus
marking the places where he was captured and hanged.
But, although André was hanged, his sufferings were slight and
merciful compared with those of Arnold. This was just; for, while
the former had tried to serve his country, the latter had betrayed
his trust, and it was natural that his conscience should trouble
him night and day. Although the British, as they had promised, gave
him a large sum of money and a place in their army, none of their
officers ever treated him as a friend.
We are told that Washington, still anxious to secure and punish
Arnold for the country's sake, made a plan to seize him shortly
after his escape. An officer named Campe deserted the American army,
by Washington's orders, and--narrowly escaping recapture by his
comrades, who were not in the secret--swam out to a British vessel
anchored in New York Bay. The enemy, having breathlessly watched his
escape from his pursuers, welcomed him warmly, and, without asking
any questions, allowed him to enlist in Arnold's new regiment.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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