The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-06-19
BENEDICT ARNoLD's TREASON

BENEDICT ARNOLDps TREASON.
a New and Important contribution to
Our Revolutionary History.
The following account OF the plot of
Arnold to surrender his command and
several important forts to the British,
and of the hanging of Andre, written
by Sir Henry Clinton, the British COM
mander, with whom Arnold was nego-
tiating. hiss recently been Published,
for the first time:
"About eighteen months before the
present period, Mr.. Arnold, "a major
general in the American sefvice) had
found means to intimate TO me. that
having found cause to be dissatisfied
with many late proceedings OF tho Amer
lean congress. particularly their alliance
With France. he was DESTROYS of quitting
them and joining the cause of Great
Britain, could he be certain of personal
security, and naturalization for what
ever loss of property he might thereby
sustain. An overture of that sort COM
ing from an officer of Mr.. Arnold's
ability and tame, could not but attract
my ateechoD, and as I thought it pos
ribie that like another general, Monk,
he might have repented of the part he
Fad taken. and wished to make atone
ment for the injuries he had done his
country by rendering her signal and
adequate benefit, was, of course, lib
eral, in making him such offers and
promises rs judged most likely to en-
courage him in bis present temper. A
correspondence was after this opened
under feigned names in the course of
which, he from time to time, transmitted
TO me most material intelligence and
ia n ~
ing us still more essential service. he
obtained in July. 1760, the command of
all the enemys forts in the highlands.
then garrisored by abont four Thousand
men. The local importance of the post
has already been very fully described.
1t Is, therefore. scarcely necessary to
observe how that the obtaining DOS
session of them at the present critical
period would have been a most desir-
able circumstance and that the advan-
tages to be drawn from Mr.. Arnolds
having tho command of them, struck
me with full force, the instant heard
OF his appointment. But the arrival of
the French armament, the consequent
expedition to Rhode Island, and the
weakness of INV own fo.ce, together
with the then daily increase of Mr..
Washington's, obliged me to wait for
I attempted to put that gentleman's
sincerity to the proof.
In the meantime, Wishing to reduce
to an absolute certainly whether the
person had 30 long correspondent with
was actually Maj. Gen. Arnold, COM
handing at West Point, acceded to a
proposal he made me to permit some
officer in my confidence to have a per-
scnal conference With him, where every
thing might be more explicitly settled
than 1t was possible to do by letter, and
rs he required that my adiutant general,
Major Andre (who had chiefly cOr-
Quoted the correspondence with him
under the signature of John Anderson),
should meet him for this purpose on
neutral ground, was induced to con-
sent TO his doing 30 from my great con-
6dence in that officers prudence and
address. Some attempts towards a
meeting had been accordingly made be-
1ofe Sir George Rodney's arrival. But
though the plans had been we'll laid,
they were constantly frustrated by some
untoward accident or other, one of which
had very nearly cost Mr. Arnold his
life. These disappoiutments made him,
of course, cautious: and as now became
anxious to forward the execution of my
project while I could have that naval
chiefs assistance, and under so good q
mask rs the expedition for the Chesa-
peake, which enabled me to make every
requisite preparation without being sus-
pected, I consented to another proposal
from General Arnold for Major Andre to
go to him by water from Dobb's ferry J
IN q boat which he would himself send
for him under Q flag of truce. For 1
could have no reason to suepect that
any bad consequence could possibly re-
suit 10 Maj. Andre from such q mode,
as had given it in arge to him, not
change his dress or name on any ac-
count, or possess himself of writings by
which the nature of his embassy might
be traced, and I understood that after
his business was finished he was to be
sent back In the same way. But unhap-
ply none Of these precautions were
observed on the contrary, General
Arnold, for reasons which he judged
important or perhaps (which is the most
probable) losing at the moment his
presence of mind, thought proper to
drop the design of sending Major Andre
back by water, and prevailed u con him
Tor rather compelled him, as wou1d ap-
pear by that unfortunate officers letter
to me- to part with his uniform, and
under q borrowed Disguise to take q
clrcuitous route to New York through
the posts of the enemy upder the sane
ton of his passport The consequence
was las might be expected) that he was
stopped at Tarrytown and searched, and
certain papers being found about him
concealed, he was notwithstanding his
passport) carried prisoner before Mr..
Washington, to whom he canoidly &C
knowiedged his name and quality.
Measures were of course immediately
10
hut that Officer. being fortunate enough
to receive timely notice of Major An
dre's fate. effected his escape to q Kings
sloop lying OF Taller's point, and came
the next day TO New York.
L VS. exceedingly shocked by this
very unexpected accident which not
only ruined a most important project.
which had all the appearance Of being
in q happy train OF success. but in
volved in danger and distress n conf
Dental friend for whom had (very de-
servedly) the warmest esteem. Not
Immediately Knowing, however, the full
extent of the misfortune, I did not then
imagine the enemy could have any mo-
tive for pushing matters to extremity.
as the bare detention of so valuable an
officers person might have given him
great power AMI advantage over me !;
and I was accordingly in hopes that an
official demand from me for his imme-
mediate release, as having been under
the sanctisn of a flag of truce when he
landed within bis posts. might shorten
his captivity or at least stop his pro-
ceeding with rigor against him. But
the cruel and unfortunate catastrophe
convinced me that was much mistaken
IN my opinion of both hie policy and