The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-02-27
THE ARTIST SOLDIER.

i read 1t, tells little of Andre himself.
1t tells nothing of the manner of man
he was, how he looked, how he dressed,
and what he said and did.
We read of him as the spy. He was
one at the time of his death, but that he
believed to be his military duty; he tried
to serve his king as we'll as he could.
and perhaps we cannot blame him SO
very much, even if we did punish him
so sadly. He was something else than
mere spy, and it is more agreeable to
think of him as an artist than soldier
He did not love war as some soldiers do,
and while in this country he many times
tried to soften the hardships and troubles
of the times. Once he found poor lit
tie boy who had been captured by the
British soldiers in Westchester county,
and brought to New York to be put into
the dreadful prisons the British then
kept in cur city. Such little fellow
could do no harm, and Andre took him
away from the soldiers and sent him
back to his mother in safety.
Besides painting and drawing, Andre
could sing, and make charming verses,
and cut out portraits in Silhouette
Many of his pictures and letters are still
preserved, and could you read the let
tiers, you would see that he was genial,
lively, and entertaining man. While
he was in this country he kept journal
and it Is said, it was full of pictures of
plants and insects and animals, people
and places, bits of scenery, and plans of
cities and towns. He used often to give
his pictures away as presents to his
friends; and once, when he was a pris-
oner in our hands, and was sent to
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for safety, he
taught the children in the village to
draw. One of the Lancaster boys
pleased him so much, and displayed SO
much talent, that Andre offered to make
an artist out of him, and take him to
England when the war was at an end.
The boys father would not consent to
this, though he was pleased to think
the English officer should take so much
interest in his son. The prisoners were
afterward removed to Carlisle, and
Andre had to leave his pupil. He did
not forget him, for he afterward wrote
letter to the boys father, in which he
said that the boy "must take particular
care in forming the features in faces and
in copying the hands exactly. He
should now and then copy things from
the life, and then compare their pro-
portions with what prints he may have,
or what rules he may remember
All this was during the war, and
Andre himself was an enemy; but we
can hardly think of him in that way.
He regretted all the troubles of the
times, and, unlike his brother officers,
he never called us "the rebels" but
" the colonists." Even to this day, his
letters and little pictures, his silhoutte
portraits, and sketches and verses are
preserved in some families in remem-
brance Of the kind, merry, and culitva-
ted English gentleman whom we now
call Major Andre, the spy.
When he was exchanged, he went
back to the British army stationed at
Philadelphia, and there he again dis
played his many talents. He painted
drop-scene for the theatre that was
thought to be very fine, and they said of
1t that the foliage was uncommonly
spirited and graceful" He also wrote
verses to be recited in the theatre, and
even took part in the plays. Once there
was a grand pageant in Philadelphia
water procession on the Delaware, with
gayly trimmed boats, and bands of
music, and ladies in fancy costumes-all
ending in grand ball. Andre took an
active part in all these pleasurings, de
signed the costumes for the ladies, wrote
verses, and helped to put up the deco
rations.
All this happened when our poor and
discouraged troops were having o sad
time of it, waiting and watching for
chance to strike blow for the country.
At last, the British were obliged to leave
Philadelphia. Andre went away with
them to New York, and it was there
that he received the commission to treat
with Arnold for the surrender of West
Point, and that only endedin his capture
and sad death.
On the last day of his life he drew his
own portrait from memory with pen,
that is, without the aid of mirror,--
and the picture is still in existence.
Whilef m New York, just before he went
up to see General Arnold, he made