MARKER
TICKETED:
NO
PARKING:
NO
RESTROOMS:
NO
On this spot the 23rd day of September 1780 the spy Major John André Adjutant General of the British Army was captured by John Paulding, David Williams and Isaac Van Wart, all natives of this county.
SITE FEATURES
On this site...
John André (May 2, 1750 – October 2, 1780) was a major in the British Army and head of its intelligence operations in America during the American Revolutionary War. In that role he was assigned the task of negotiating Benedict Arnold's secret offer to surrender the fort at West Point, New York, to the British in September 1780. Through a series of mishaps and unforeseen events, André was forced to return from a meeting with Arnold through American territory while wearing civilian clothes. He was captured by Colonials, including Isaac Van Wart, and soon identified. He was convicted of espionage and hanged as a spy by the Continental Army on the orders of George Washington.
ROAD
EST. 1780
CAPTURE
SEP 23, 1780
André is typically remembered favorably by historians as a man of honor, and several prominent U.S. leaders of the time, including Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette, did not agree with his fate.
HISTORIC PEOPLE
John Andre
Major