John André

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Image by John André in the Tower of London
Appletons' André John signature.jpg

John André (born May 2, 1750 in London , † October 2, 1780 in Tappan , New York ) was an officer in the British Army . He was hanged as a spy in the American Revolutionary War by the Continental Army because he wanted to hand over the plans for the fort at West Point to the British with the help of the American General Benedict Arnold .

Early years

André was born in London on May 2, 1750. His parents were the Huguenots Antoine André, a trader from Switzerland, and Marie Louis Girardot from Paris , France. He was trained at St. Paul's School in London , Westminster School and the University of Geneva , then went to the British Army and joined the Royal Fusilieres in Canada as a lieutenant (1774). After he was captured by the Continental Army , he was freed in a prisoner exchange and made major in 1778 . He lived in colonial society in Philadelphia and New York .

He was fluent in English , German and Italian and was a gifted draftsman.

Secret service work, arrest and execution

Andrés execution

In 1779 André joined the British secret service .

Later, he became acquainted with by Peggy Shippen Benedict Arnold , who gave him as commander of West Point made the offer for 20,000 pounds (the equivalent of today about 3.5 million US dollars ) the plans of the fort (West Point) to surrender. These plans were designed to help separate New England from United States territory . John André went to West Point to meet and agreed to Arnold's terms. This intrigue failed when André was disguised by fur traders on the return trip and captured with false papers that had been provided by Benedict Arnold. He was later by a military court as a spy to death by the strand convicted and on October 2, 1780 Tappan (New York) executed . His body was shipped to London and buried in Westminster Abbey .

Afterlife

He was played in the 2014 series Turn: Washington's Spies by JJ Feild .

Web links

Commons : John André  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Major John Andre. Retrieved April 19, 2017 .
  2. ^ Currency Converter, Pounds Sterling to Dollars, 1264 to Present (Java). Retrieved April 19, 2017 .
  3. ↑ a b John André. Retrieved April 19, 2017 (English).
personal data
SURNAME André, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British Army officer
DATE OF BIRTH May 2, 1750
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH October 2, 1780
Place of death Tappan , New York