Born May 2, 1750 in London, England to a French mother and Swiss father, John André was educated in Geneva and spoke four languages: English, French, German and Italian. Though seemingly limited by his family’s modest finances, André joined the British army in 1771, was commissioned lieutenant and sent for training in Germany. In 1774, André was deployed to Canada with the Royal English Fusiliers and was captured by American forces at the defense of St. Johns in 1775. In the winter of 1776, André was involved in a prisoner exchange that saw him sent to New York, where General William Howe promoted him to captain and assigned him to the command of Major General Charles Grey, whom he served as a personal aide.
Under Grey, André took part in the Philadelphia campaign of 1777-1778, which included the occupation of Philadelphia. During the nine months that André was in Philadelphia, he took up residence at Benjamin Franklin’s home, and earned himself a reputation as a man of intelligence and superior social grace. Upon the British evacuation of Philadelphia, however, André shocked many of his local acquaintances by plundering Franklin’s house, taking books, a painting of Franklin and several other items, apparently under the orders of General Grey. In November 1778, André was promoted to major and travelled with the retreating British army to New York, where he was placed in charge of British intelligence activities. In May 1779 he was introduced to the American general Benedict Arnold.
After cultivating his relationship with Arnold for over a year, the men put a plan into motion to turn over the American fortress at West Point over to the British, effectively severing the New England colonies from the southern colonies. The plot was uncovered by three American militiamen on the morning of September 23, 1780, and André was arrested and brought to Tappan, New York, for trial. After being convicted by a military court of being behind American lines "under a feigned name and in a disguised habit," André was hung on October 2, 1780, at the age of 29. André earned the respect of both sides of the conflict during the trial for refusing to pass blame for the events onto Arnold. Mourned by friend and foe alike, André was initially buried at Tappan, but his body was exhumed and reinterred in the Nave at Westminster Abbey. A fitting epitaph is provided by none other than George Washington, who wrote that André was, “more unfortunate than criminal,” and “an accomplished man and gallant officer.”
Works Cited: “Major John Andre". Independence Hall Association. 1997-2010. http://www.ushistory.org/march/bio/andre.htm (Retrieved 1/29/2010).
George Washington to John Laurens, October 13, 1780, http://memory.loc.gov/mss/mgw/mgw3h/002/110109.jpg (Retrieved 1/29/2010).