The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1880-09-30
ANDRES CAPTURE.


York, the centennial celebration of what, it is
no flight of fancy to say, was the decisive event
OF the war for national Independence. 1t was
not a battle in which victory was won by patri-
OF yalOr, nor was il q feat of diplomacy which
reinvigorated the sinews of war. 1t was simply
the capture of spy-an occurrence common
enough in war, but which, In this instance rose
to supreme Importance on the account of the
great catastrophe which it aysrted. Arnolds
treason aud the fate of Andre have not yet been
Invested of the glamour of sentiment which the
high characters of the traitor and his victim
evoked from their contemporaries. The ignomn-
ious death of the Adjutant General of the Brit
ish army excited the pity, and the treason of the
hero of Saratoga aroused the indignation of the
patriots of that day, and the historians have
sought chiefly to invest the dangerous conspira-
cy with dramatic interest. But neither Ar
mold nor Andre were men to undertake the exc
eution OF such an enterprise, unless the object to
be gained was commensurate with the risk of
the one, or the disgrace of the other. Andre did
not consent to be n spy merely for the purpose
of effecting the surrender of q military post nor
did Arnold act the traftoy meIeN " otdeE 10 ex-
change his commission in the Continental for
one IN the British army.
The contamination of Arnold's traitorous de-
sign of delivering West Point to the British com
mander, would have been blow at the patriot
cause from which il could hardly have recover
ed. 1t is true that French force had arrived
on the coast, and revived somewhat the hopes of
the patriots, but the fortunes Of the revolution
were well nigh desperate. In that same year.
1850, British force had invested Charleston
and after short siege, forced its large garrison
TO surrender. few months later another
American army was annihilated at the battle of
Camden, and no forces remained to uphold the
patriot cause in the Southern Colonies except
the weak partisan bands of Marion and Sumpter
One month after the battle Of Camden, which
was about the date of Arnold's treason, the
Southern Colonies were completely subjugated
The battles Of the COwpens and Kings Noun
tain had not yet been fought and at the time
when Arnold was conducting his REASONABLE
correspondence with Clinton, the British Gov
eminent anticipated no further trouble from the
Revolvtionists in that quarter, and the hopes of
the patriots of again making head there were
considerably shattered. 10 many patriots, the
battle of Camden seemed the death blow of
their cause IN the South, and il is scarcely too
much TO say that had the British obtained pos
session of West Point at that time their worst
fears would have been realized.
Precisely three years before, Arnold was fight
ing desperately at Saratoga to check the adj
vance, and if possible, effect the ruin of Bur
goynes expedition. The fatal consequences of
Burgoynes success, involving as it would the
complete severance of New England from the
other Colonies, were well understood by the
Americans, and Washington stripped the coun-
try of every soldier who could be spared to re-
enforce the Northern army. Burgoyne's army
was captured, and disaster from which there
would have been small chance of recovery was
a,'s,.''. Dui ~ suI.e ng west foint 10 the
enemy, Arnoid womb nave substantially repair
ed the damage which he had inflicted on the
prItisn, D! MS ganantry AT saratoga. The oc-
eupatlon Oh "sst POINT wonid have practically
accoliphsned ,ne very purpose for which Bur
ish then held TicOnderoga, and with West Point
IN their Possesslon, they would have had COM
piete eonihana OF tne water ronte to Canada
i1 al hinoiu treason NOT been discovered, and
hau .ne couhlI! oeeh astounded by the surren-
MT wi hae .lal
II Mouiu nave produeed an enect similar ia that
which " 1 nave ioHowed the compfte sae-
S Sess VI Drsoyne at Saratoga. Al Mat had
oeen saineu " pureoynes dsSAs NJ 10 great
ravar.e f"ro,r;n ma,Ne oee 49, Saeh terrible
re loiiowlhg lnG,sqiateiy alter the battle
VI SSHaeh anu the spplugati0n OF the South,