Middletown transcript., 1877-03-17
The Artist soldier.

: The story of Andre. as we cOmmonly
t read it. tells little of Andre himself 1
: tells nothing Of the manner of man be
] was. and how be looked, how be dressed
e aud what he said and did.
G We read o. him as the spy He wa:
a one at the time of his death, but that
he believed to be his military duty ; be
e tried to serve his king as we'll as be
I could, and perhaps we cannot blame
him so very much, even if we did pun
: ish him so sadly. He was something
} else than a 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 a poor little boy who
bad been captured by the British SOL
diers in Westchester County. and
brought to New York to be put into
the dreadful prisons the British then
kept in our 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
letters, you would see that be was gen.
ial, lively. and entertaining man.
While be was 10 this country be kept a
journal, and. it is said, it was full of
pictures of plants and insects and ami
mails, people and places, bits of scenery.
and plans of cities and towns. He used
often to give his pictures away as pre-
seBts to his friends; and once, when
be was prisoner 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 display
ed so much talent, that Andre offered |
to make an artist Of him, and to take
him to England when the war was at an |
end The boys father would not con-
sent to this, though be was pleased to
think the English officer should take so
much interest in his son The prison
ers were afterWard removed to GaTfiisiie II II I
and Andre had to leave his pupil He
did not forget him, for be 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 sx-
actly. He should now aud then copy
things from the life, aud then compare
their proportions with what prints he
may have. or whatrules be may remem-
ber"
All this was during the war, and An
DIRE himself was an enemy; but we can
hardly think of him in that way He
regretted all the troubles of the times,
and, unlike bis brother officers, be never
called US "the rebels" but 1.-THE colon
lists Even to this day bis letters and
little pictures, his silhouette portraits,
and sketches and verses are preserved
in some families IN remembrance of the
kind, merry, and cultivated English
gentleman whom we now call Major
Andre, the spy.
When be was exchanged, be went
back to the British army stationed at
Philadelphia, and there be again dis
played bis many talents. He painted
drop-scene for the theatre that was
thought to be very fine, and they said
Of it that 'the foliage was uncommouly
spirited and graceful" He also wrote /
verses to be reeited in the theater, and ;
even took part in the plays Once
here was grand pageant in Philsdel- |
DhIa-a water procession on the Della S
ware, with gayly trimmed boats. and ,
bands of music. and ladies 10 fancy cos S
.umes all ending in a grand ball An q
Ire took an active part in all these /
oleasurings, designed the costumes for /
he ladies, wrote verses, and helped to a
out up the decorations.
All this happened when our poor and I
discouraged troops were having a sad \
ime of it, waiting and watching for t
,hance to strike blow for the country. f
At last, the British were obliged to t
cave Philadelphia. Andre went away '
With them to New York, and it was
here that be received the commission n
o treat with Arnold for the surrender Il
# West Point, and that only ended in fl
lis capture and sad death
On the last day Of his life he drew
lis own portrait from memory with
ien,-that is, without the aid Of mir ts
the picture is still in exist it
nee. While in New York, just before al
e went up to see General Arnold. bo e,
made sevearl silhouette portraits of la G
les who then lived there, and all we're te
aid to be remarkably correct likeuesses. oil
nd were, of course, greatly priced after st
fard as the work of the young, genial, tt
nd light-hearted British officer. b.
Those revolutionary days are now D,
cry old, and the handsome English in
entleman has been dead long, long th
ears We can forgive his efforts d,
gaiust us now, and perhaps it will be ia
ore agreeable to think of him as the b,
-tist-soldier rather than the spy at ce
Test Point Charles Barnard, St to
Fcholas for February or