Huntington advertiser. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1874-1921, 1875-07-01
Sir Henry Clinton's Account OF Ar
nold's Plot.

Sir Henry Clinton's Account OF Ar
nOld's Plot.
FROM MEMORANDA IN ONE OF HIS
BOOKS Now IN THE JOHN CARTER
BROWN LIBRARY.
To the editor ofthe Tribune:
Sir,-It has been the good fortune
Of the writer to have free access to
one of the most valuable private
libraries in this country-the "John
Carter Brown Library" in Provi-
dence, r. /. The collection is espe-
cially rich in books pertaining to
American history, the owner of ii
having spared neither pains nor ex.
pense in securing every work, small
or great, bearing on the subject, wor-
thy of a place in his costly library
In looking over these works ! eharced
not long ago to find handsomely
bound copy Of Steadmans History
of the Origin, Progress and Termina-
ton of the American War" The
author, having served under Sir w
Howe. Sir II. Clinton. and the Mar
quis CORVALLIS, had rare opportuni
ties for gathering up the facts which
he has given US, aud letting US see the
Revolution from the point of view OF
an officer in the English army. But
what renders the copy Of this history
especially interesting is the circum-
stance that it once belonged to Sir
Henry Clinton himself, and the mar
gin of the two volumes abounds in
notes written by his own hand. In
the margin of page 249, volume H.,
on which page we have the account
Of the base attempt of Benedict Ar
mold to deliver West Point into the
hands OF the enemy, Sir Henry makes
this brief comment upon the story as
related by Stcadman Ignorance of
the whole transaction-too tender a
subject to explain upon now" Sub.
sequently he wrote an account which
may crafty curiosity, as showing how
an English officer Of high rank re-
gardcd an affair which We have been
wont to place among the most afro
cious that occurred during the whole
war. The account reserred to Is found
on two or three blank leaves at the
end of the second volume of Stead
mans history, and was evidently
written by its author. 1t seems tu
have been drawn up in the spring OF
1882. give it rer6atim, preserving
the exact spelling and the free Use OF
capital letters:
"A5cut Eighteen Months before
the present pei Mr.. Arm Id, Ga
Major General in the American ser
vice., bad found means to be dissat
isfed with many late Proceedings Of
the American Congress particularly
their alliance with Franco, he was
d 'sirous of quitting them and joining
tn cause Of Great Britain could he
be certain of personal security and
decentralization for whatever loss OF
property he might thereby sustain.-
An overture OF that sort coming from
an officer Of Mr.. Arnold's ability and
fame could not but attract my atten-
ton, aud as | thought possible that,
like another General Monk, he
might have repented OF the pat he
had taken, and wished to make at
tenement for the injuries he had done
his country by rendering her signal
and adequate benefit, | was, OF course,
liberal in making him such offers and
promises as judged most likely To
encourage him in his present temper.
A correspondence was after this
opened under feigned names, In the
course of which he. from time, trans
mitted to me most material intelll'
gence; and with view, rs | suppO-
sd, of rendering US still more essen
tiaI service, he obtained, in July,
1850, the command Of all tie enemy
forts in the Highlands, then gari'on>
ed by about four thousand men.
The local importance of the posts has
already been very fully subscribed.
1t is, therefore, scarcely necessary to
observe how that the obtaining posses
sion Of them at the present critical
period would have been most desl-
rable circumstances, and that the ad
vantages 10 be drawn from Mr.. Ar
nold's having the 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 Is
land, and the weakness OF my own
force, together with the then daily
increase Of Mr.. Washington's, obliged
me to wait for some more favorable
opportunity before attempted to put
that gentleman's sincerity to the
proof.
''Ir the mean time, wishing to re-
duce to an absolute certainty wheth-
er the person had 50 long CORES
ponded with was actually Major-Gen-
eral Arnold, commanding at West
Point, | acceded to a proposal he
made 10 me TO permit some officer in
my confidence to have personal con-
ference with him, where everything
might be more explicitly settled than
itlwas possible to do by Letter; and
as he required that my Adjutant
General Major Andre (who had
chiefly conducted the correspondence