The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-06-18
BENEDICT ARNOLD'S TREASON.

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t1stIDg. has recently been published.
for the first time
Ahout eighteen months before the
present period, Mr.. Arnold, Ia major
general in the American service) had
found means to intimate to me, that
having found cause to be dissatisfied
with many late proceedings of the Amer
lean congress. particularly their alliance
with Franco, he was dssirOus of quitting
them AMI joining the cause of Great
Britain, could he be certain of personal
secuTity, and naturalization for what
over loss Of property he might thereby
fUstain. An overture of that sort com
ing from an officer of MIR. ArnOld's
ability and fame. could not but attract
nv attention., and as I thought it pos
slble that Ike another general, Monk.
he m'ght have repented of the part hb
had tEken, and wished to make atone
HeIt for the injuries he had done his
country by rendering her signal and
adequate benefit, was. Of course. lib
cral, IN making him such offers and
promises as I jTdged most likely 10 en-
courage him IN his present temper. A
correspondence was after this opened
under feigned names; in the course of
which, he from time TO time. transmitted
10 me most material intelligence and
with view (as I supposedly of render.
ing us still more essential service. he
obtained in July, 1880, the command Of
all the enemyS forts in the highlands.
then garrisOned by about four Thousand
men. The local Importance of the post
has alre4dy been very fully described.
1t is, therefore, scarcely necessary to
observe now that the obtaining pos
session Of them at the present critical
peTlod would have been a most desir-
able circumstance and that the aivan-
tages to be drawn from Mr.. Arnold's
having the command of them, struck
me with full force, the instant I heard
OF ms appointment. But the arrival Of
the French armament, the cOaseOnent
expedition to Rhode Island, and the
weakness Of nv own force. toCatber
with the theu 6uiiv increase of Mr.
Washington's, obliged me to wait for
some moro favorable opportunity before
4 attempted to put that rnplleTpan's
sincerity TO the proof.
'In the meantime, wishing TO reduce
to an absolute certainty whether the
person l had 50 long c0rresponded with
WIS actually Maj. Gen. Arnold, com
mandIng ut West Point, acceded to a
proposal be made me to permit some
oD'cer IN my confidence to have per
snnaI conference with him, where every
thlng might be more explicitly settled
than 1t WAS possible to do by letter. and
rs he required that my adiutant general.
MAJOR Andre twho had chiefly con-
Quoted the correspondence with him
under the signature of John Anderson)
should meet him for this purpose on
neutral ground, 7 was induced TO con
sent 70 his doing so from nv great CON
tdence in that cfficer's prudence and
address. Some attempts towards
meeting had been accordingly made be-
fore Sir George ROdney's arrival. But
though the plans had been we'll laid.
they were constantly frustrated by some
untoward accident or other, o1e of which
bad very nearly cost Mr.. Arnold his
life. These disappoiutments made him,
"t course, cautious; and as now became
anxiouS to forward the execution of nv
project while I cOuld have that naval
chlet's assistance, and under so good n
mPsE as the expedition for the Chesa-
peake, which enabled me 70 make everv
requisite preparation without being sus-
pected, L consented to another proDosal
from General Arnold for Major Andre to
go to him by water from Dobb's ferry.
tor HIM under q flag of truce. For
could have no reason to suspect that
any bad consequence could possibly re-
suit to Mai. Andre from such a mode.
as l had given it in arRe to him, not
change his dress or name on auv ac-
count, or possess himself of writings by
which the nature of his embassy might
De traced, and / understood that after
ms business was finished he was to be
sent back IN the same way. But uuhap-
ply none OF these precautions we're
observed on the contrary, General
Arnold, for reasons which he iudged
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 on him
Cor rather compelled him, as would an
pear by that unfortunate officers letter
20 me- to part with his uniform. and
under a borrowed Disguise to take
cIrcultous route to New York through
the posts of the enemy under the sane
ton OF his passport. The consequences
was tas might be expected) that he was
stopped at Tarrytown and searched, and
certain papers being found about him
concealed, he was notwithstanding his
paEsport) carried prisoner before MIR.
Washington, to whom he canuidlv ac-
knOwledged his name and quality.
Measures were of course immediately
taken upon this to seize Gen. Arnold
hut that officer, being fortunate enough
to receive timely notice of Major An
dre's fate, effected his escape to a Kings
sloOp living off Taller's point, and came
the next day to New York.
90 " 8 aXopadiDU1,- SbDoEaI I,v fl,;s
very unexpected accident which not
only ruined most important project,
winch had all the appearance of being
in happy train of success. but in
vnlved IN danger and distress a conf
dental friend for whom had (very de- |
seTvedlY) the warmest esteem. Not
immediately knowing, however. the ful !
extent of the misfortune. I did NOT then |
imagine the enemy could have anv mo-
tive for pushing matters to extremity
as the bare detention of so valuable an
officers person might have given him a |
great power and advantage over me : !
and | was accordingly in hopes that an |
official demand from me for his imme-
mediate release, as having been under
the saDctian of flag of truce when he
landed within his posts, might shorten
his captivity or at least stop his pro-
Cecdlng with rigor against him. But
the cruel AID unfortunate catastrophe
convinced me that was much mistaken
IN my opinion Of both his policy and /
humanity. For delivering himself up |
(ss it should seem) TO the rancopr ex- |
cited by the near accomplishment of a /
plan which might have effectually re- I
stored the kings authority, and tumbled /
him from his present exalted situa- .
ZION, he burnt with desire of wreakipg .
his vengeance on the principal actors in .
1t and consequently regardless of the /
acknowledged worth and abilities of the .
amIahle Young man who had thus fallen /
INTO his hands, and in opposition TO .
every principle of policy and call of |
humanity, he without remorse, put him .
10 most lgnOminious death, and this,
It nom mt when one of his generals
vas by his own appointment in actual