John André

Major John Andre (b. 1750 - d. 1780) was a British officer in the American War for Independence. He helped Benedict Arnold change sides to the British army and tried to take the fort West Point for the British. He was killed for the crime of being a spy.
Early life
Andre was born in 1750 in London.
His parents were Huguenots. The Huguenots were Protestants who had lived in France. When the French government said it was illegal to be Protestants, many Huguenots went to other countries. Andre's mother went to England when she was young. His mother had been born in France and his father had been born in Geneva. Andre's father was a merchant--he earned money by buying and selling things. Andre's parents had one other son and three daughters.
Andre went to school in Geneva and then came back to England in 1767. He had a good education. He could draw, paint, play the flute, write poems, and speak English, French, German, and Italian.
Andre wanted to join the army, but at that time, people did not become officers unless they could buy the position. When Andre's father died in 1769, Andre had to make money to take care of his family. He became a merchant in his father's business.
Andre fell in love with an English woman named Honora Sneyd. But Sneyd's guardians would not let them marry unless Andre became rich. Andre worked hard to be a good merchant. But then Honora Sneyd changed her mind. Then Andre joined the army. Sneyd's foster sister, Anna Seward, said Andre joined the army because he had a broken heart.
Army career
Andre joined the army on March 4, 1771. He did special training in Germany for two years. In 1774, he went to Canada with the Royal Welsh Fusileers. He was a lieutenant at the time. Andre helped defend St. John's from the American army. The siege lasted two months, and the British lost.
Andre was captured at St. John's. Because he was an officer and not an enlisted man, he was held prisoner in inns instead of barracks and ate dinner with rich people. Andre was kept prisoner in the house of the Cope family in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Many people in Lancaster County spoke German, and so could Andre, so he made friends. Andre also taught art to the Copes' son.
In 1776, Andre was sent back to the British army. He was traded for American prisoners. He wrote a book about everything he had learned about the British Colonies and drew maps of places he had been. He gave the book to British General William Howe in New York City. Howe thought the book was very good and that Andre was very intelligent. He promoted Andre to captain and made him aide to Major-General Charles Grey.
Andre was part of the invasion of Philadelphia in 1777. At the time, Philadelphia was the largest city in the thirteen colonies. The British captured it. Andre fought in the Battle of Brandywine, the Paoli Massacre, the Battle of Germantown, the Battle of Monmouth, and Grey's raids into Massachusetts and New Jersey in 1778. Andre kept a personal book during this time. That book is now a valuable historical source about the war.
During the winter of 1777-1778, there was less fighting because it was too cold and snowy. John Andre lived in Philadelphia in Benjamin Franklin's house. He wrote poetry for women, for example Peggy Shippen. He also threw a large party called the Mischianza to honor General Howe and his brother, Admiral Richard Howe. When the British left Philadelphia, Andre packed up and stole many of Benjamin Franklin's inventions, books, and other things. Historians think General Grey may have ordered him to do this.
In 1778, Andre was promoted to major and deputy Adjutant General.
In May of 1779, Benedict Arnold, a high-ranking American officer, told Andre he wanted to change sides if the British would give him PS10,000 and high rank in the British military. He was the commander of the fort West Point. If the British had West Point, they could control the Hudson Valley and they would be much stronger in New England. Andre and Arnold sent letters to each other for months.
In 1779, Andre went with General Clinton to attack Charleston, South Carolina, and they won. Andre returned north with Clinton and began talking to Arnold again. Arnold said he had to meet Andre in person to plan the surrender of West Point.
Capture and trial
In September 1779, Andre got on a ship and sailed up the Hudson. He met Arnold, who gave him papers and the plans to West Point. But Andre could not get back to his ship because American forces had attacked it, and it had sailed away. Andre decided to go back to British territory in disguise. He took off his British army uniform and put on ordinary clothes. On the way, he was captured by American freelance soldiers. They found the papers Arnold had given Andre. They arrested Andre as a spy.
Because Andre had been in disguise and not wearing his uniform, he was legally a spy and not only an enemy soldier. The punishment for being a spy was much worse. Andre was put on trial in Tappan, New York. Many of his friends wrote letters to George Washington to ask that he be allowed to live. Others asked that he be allowed to die by firing squad, which was the usual way soldiers were killed. On September 29, 1780, Andre was found guilty of being "under a feigned name and in a disguised habit." He was sentenced to die by hanging. Andre was hanged at noon on October 2, 1780.
Burial
At first, Andre was buried next to the Hudson River. A peach tree grew on top of his grave. In 1782, King George III had a monument built for Andre in Westminster Abbey.
In 1821, people dug up John Andre's bones and took them to England. He is buried in Westminster Abbey. They took the peach tree too and replanted it in the king's garden. There is another monument in Tappan, New York.
In popular culture
A fictional John Andre is in the television series Turn.
References
1750 births
1780 deaths
British military people
Spies