John André

John André (1751-1780), British soldier, born in London, of Swiss-French parentage. He joined the British army in 1771 and was sent to Canada in 1774. His advancement was rapid, and in 1778 he was appointed adjutant general of the British forces in America and aide to the British general Sir Henry Clinton. His great personal charm and wit and his artistic and literary abilities were partly responsible for his rapid advancement in the army. In 1780, when the American general Benedict Arnold began negotiations with Clinton for the betrayal of West Point, André acted for Clinton. Following his secret meeting with Arnold, André, disguised as a civilian, set out for the British lines on horseback with the plans of West Point in his boots. Near Tarrytown he was captured and taken to the headquarters of General George Washington at Tappan, New York, where a military court sentenced him to death. He was hanged at Tappan, October 2, 1780. André kept a journal of British military movements in America from 1777 to 1778; discovered in England in 1902, it was published as André's Journal.