This Day in History: An American Spy was Executed
Charles Darwin returned to England and Benedict Arnold’s collaborator was caught.
Spy John André was executed
John André was a British army officer who was executed by the Americans as a spy after conducting secret meetings with American General Benedict Arnold during the American Revolution. André was born in London on May 2, 1750, to Swiss parents. He joined the British Army in 1771 and rose to the rank of major by 1778.
In September 1780, John André met with Arnold in New York City to discuss plans for Arnold to surrender the important American fort at West Point to the British. The plan was discovered, and André was arrested on September 23, 1780. He was tried by an American court-martial and sentenced to death. On October 2, 1780, he was hanged as a spy at Tappan Landing in New York state. His death helped unite Americans against Britain during the Revolutionary War.
