Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-10-20
TARWE- TOWN.
THE MEMORIES OF 100 YEARS
AGONE,
MAJOR ANDRE S ARREST DISAPPOINTED
LOVE DRIVES HIM INToTHE ARMY
THE PET OF PHILADELPHIA
BELLEs-HIs CApTORs.

Major John Andrew, Adjutant Gen
eral to Henry Clinton, the centenary
Of whose capture by John Paulding,
Isaac Van Vert and David Williams,
was celebrated at Tarrytown, Septom-
Der 23d, 1880, was person of unusual
grace and accomplishments, who was
more fitted to shine in Courts than in
camps. The halo of romance which
surrounds his untimely end is enhanced
by the incidents Of his previous career
in England and America.
He was born in London in the year
1851, and was, consequently, but TWEEN
ty-nine years Of age at his death, His
parents were natives Of Geneva, and
he was educated at that old Calvanistic
capital, becoming equally versed in
languages and literature of France and
England. Returning to London about
l768 he entered a counting house,
where he remained four years. Dis
appointment in love turned young
Andre from mercantile pursuits to the
military profession, Coming to Que.
bee as Lieutenant early in the year
l175, at the time of the first alarm felt
for the safety of Canada against
American assault, he was stationed at
the fortress Of st. Johns, on the Sorel
River, near the lower extremity of
Champlain, under Major Preston, and
was taken prisoner at the capture Of
that post November 3lst, by General
Montgomery and Colonel Seth Warner.
Andre was taken to Lancaster, Pa,
and remained there several months
before he was exchanged lie was
next attached to the staff of Sir Henry
Clinton, to whom he endeared himself
by his fine military and social qualities,
and was rapidly raised to the rank Of
Captain and Aide de.camp, and subse-
quently to that of Adjutant General,
with the rank of Major. When Sir
William Howe occupied Philadelphia,
in l777, Captain Andre was assigned
to duty in that city, and during the
Winter Of l777.78 he was the life and
soul Of the numerous festivities with
which the brilliant British staff officers
endeavored TO propitiate the loyalty of
Philadelphia society
ANDRE IN COLONIAL NEW YORK.
During the years 1870 and 1880
Andre was on duty in New York and
took leading part in the social life of
this city. He accompanied Sir Henry
Clinton at the capture OF Stony Point
June |, 1879, and wrote as Aidc.de.
camp upon tho glacis of Fort Lafayette
the terms Of capituation conceded to
the garrison. He kept careful diary
and frequently wrote squibs in prose
and verse for the loyaist papers, and
and in August, 1880, composed at
Elizabethtown burlosque poem en-.
titled the "Cow Chase" in three cantos,
amounting to several quatrains. The
subject was the attack made by General
Wayne upon q block house near Bulls
Ferry, two or three miles below Fort
Lee, in order to drive in some cattle
from Bergen Neck. By a singular
coincidence the last canto of this poem
vas printed - J9'..'- r'-..i- c-..-,,-,
September 23d, 1880, the day of the
poets capture at Tarrytown. The
last stanza is as follows
And now I've closed my epic strain,
tremblo as show II,
Lest this same warrior drovef, Wayne
Should ever catch the poet
1t happened, singularly enough, that
General Wayne was the commander
of the post at Tappan at the time of
Andres execution, II should be men.
toned that the motives of the captors
Of Major Andre have frequently been
impeached, chiefly for the reason that
they were not on the lookout for cat.
tic or horses which might be driven
toward Now York In fact they have
been treated as If they were nero
foragers or "skinners,' as the Cont.
mental marauders OF Northern Win.
chester were called. This idea proba-
bly, rests chiefly upon the statement Of
Andre himself, who informed his custo.
dian, Colonel Benjamin Talmadge, that
his captors first ripped up the housings
of his saddle and the cape of his coat
in search of money, and finding none
examined all his clothing and lastly
his boots for the same purpose. Col.
Talmadge, in his interesting auto.
biography published by his sons in
this city in 1858, says nothing of this,
but il is on record that when in the
year 1917 Mr., Paulding applied to
Congress for an increase Of his annuity
the petition was opposed by Colonel
Talmadge, then member of Congress,
on the ground that the captors had
been moro than compensated for the
"rcal patriotism which they exhibited
on that occasion. The subject has also
been ventilated in Walsh's american
Register for 1917, where translation
OF Barbe. Morbois "Complot d dArnold7
is given, and in the same year "Vin
dication Of the captors of Major An.
dre' was published To guagc accur.
ately the motives Of each OF the cap.
fora ,.Ot,1l ....la.tl.. L.. ..s..z...li.