May 2, 1750 - Major John Andre is born in London. The son of a Huguenot merchant in London, Andre entered the British Army in 1771 and arrived in North America four years later. Seeing service in Canada, he was captured at Fort Saint-Jean during the early actions of the American Revolution. Held as a prisoner of war in Pennsylvania, he was exchanged in late 1776. A charismatic and artistically-minded officer, he became an aide to Maj. Gen. Charles Grey on the recommendation of Gen. Sir William Howe. In this role he saw service at Brandywine and Germantown. Tasked with overseeing the social aspects of the army during the occupation of Philadelphia in the winter of 1777-1778, he became the favorite of the city's Loyalist families. Promoted to major and made adjutant-general of the British Army in America in late 1778, Andre became Gen. Sir Henry Clinton's spymaster in April 1779. In this role, he cultivated American Maj. Gen. Benedict Arnold as an intelligence asset and worked to negotiate his defection. In September 1780, Andre sailed up the Hudson River to meet Arnold and seal a deal for the general to switch sides and deliver West Point to the British. Trapped when his ship was forced to retreat, he was captured by American forces as he attempted to return to New York by land. After a trial by Gen. George Washington's senior officers, Andre was found guilty of being a spy and hung at Tappan, NY on October 2.
Photograph Courtesy of the Library of Congress
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