Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-07-10
BENEDICT ARN0LD'S TREASON.
A New and Important Contribution to
eur Revolutionary History
The British Commanders Account OF
His Negotiations with the Traitor
His Arraignment OF Washington for
Hanging Andre.

u nc BfIllSa NVHl EuAnHCI AILOUmt VI
His Negotiations with the Traitor
His Arraignment OF Washington for
Hanging Andre.
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
Commander, with whom Arnold was
negotiatiating, has recently been pub
lished, for the first time:
About eighteen months before the
present period, MIR. 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
American Congress, particularly their
alliance with France, ne was desirous
of quitting them and joining the cause
of Great Britain. could he be certain
of personal security, and indemnifica-.
ton for whatever loss of property he
might thereby sustain. An over
ture of that sort coming from an officer
of Mr.. Arnold,s ability and fame,
could not but attract my attention, and
as / thought it possible that like
another General Monk, he might have
repented Of the part he had taken, and
wished to make atonement for the in
juries he did 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 to
time transmitted to me most material
intelligence; and with a view (as sup
posed) Of rendering US still more es-
sential service, he obtained in July,
1880, the command of all the enemy's
forts in the Highlands, then garrisoned
by about 1900 men. The local i'm
portance of the post has already been
very fully described. 1t is therefore
scarcely necessary to observe how that
the Obtaining possession Of them at
the present critical period would have
been a most desirable circumstance
and that the advantages to be drawn
from Mr.. Arnold's having the com.
mand of them struck me with full
force, the instant | heard of his sp-
pointment. Bot the arrival of the
French armament, the consequent ex-
pedition to Rhode Island, and the
weakness ofmy own force, together
with the then daily increase Of Mr.
Washington's, $, obliged me to wait for
some more favorable opportunity be-
fore | attempted to put that gentle
mans sincerity to the proof.
in the meantime, wishing 10 re-
duce to an absolute certainty whether
the person had so long correspondent
with was actually Mai. Gen. Arnold,
command at West Point, L aceeded
to a proposal he made me to permit
some officer in my confidence to hayea
conference with him, where verything
might be more explicitly settled than
was possible by letter. and as he re-
aa;red that my Adjutant General, Maj.
Andre (who had chiefly conducted the
correspondence with him under the
signature of John Anderson), should
meet him for this purpose on Eeutral
ground, was induced to consent to
his doing so from my great confidence
in that officers prudence and address.
Some attempts towards a meeting had
been accordingly made before Sir
George Rodney's arrival. But though
<he plans had been well laid, they
were constantly frustrated by some
untoward accident or other, one of
which had very nearly cost Mr.. Ar
mold bis life. These disappointment
made him Of course coutious; and as
| now became anxious TO forward the
execution of my project while L could
have that naval chiefs assistance, and
under so good mask as the expedi-
ton for the Chesapeake, which enabled
me to make every requisite prepara-
ton without being suspected, | eeu-
sented to another proposal from Gen.
Arnold for Major Andre to go to him
by water from Dobb's ferry, in boat
which he would himself send for him
under flag of truce. For Icould
have no reason ito suspect that any
bad consequence could possibly result
TO Maj. Andre from such mode, as
had given it in charge Of him, not to
change his dress or name on any ac-
count, or possess himself OF writings
by which the nature of him embassy
might be traced, and | understand
that after his business was finished he
was ta be sent back in the same way.