André, John, 1751-1780

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1751-05-02
Death 1780-10-02
Britons,
English,

Biographical notes:

British army officer.

From the description of The American times, a satire, in three parts : poem, undated. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71070981

John André, a British army officer during the American Revolutionary war. In January 1777, he became captain of the 26th Regiment of Foot ; in early summer he became the aide-de-camp to Charles Gret, 1st Earl of Grey (1729-1807). and in 1778 was promoted to major. In 1779 André became adjutant general of the British Army and was put in charge of intellegince gathering. Captured by the Americans in September 1780, he was hanged as a spy on October 2, 1780.

From the description of Journal of John André, 1777, June -- 1778, November. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 616123138

Royal Army officer.

From the description of Duel between General Howe and General Gadsden : song, ca. 1851. (The South Carolina Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 37522739

John André (May 2, 1750-October 2, 1780) was born in London where he worked in his father's merchant business till 1770. In 1771 he bought a second lieutenant's commission in the 23d Regiment, Royal Welsh Fusiliers and later purchased a first lieutenancy in the same regiment. In 1775 he was sent to St. Johns on the Sorel River in Canada where the British were fortifying against an impending American attack. He was taken prisoner by the Americans in November 1775 and not released till November 1776 in a prisoner exchange. In 1777, André became an aide-de-camp to Major General Charles Grey, with whom he accompanied to battles of the Brandywine (September 11), Paoli (September 20-21), Germantown (October 4), and Whitemarsh (December 4). In 1778, he became an aid to General Clinton and was promoted to deputy adjutant general of the army in 1779. In this position, André managed correspondence between Clinton and secret agents in America and was involved with currying letters for Benedict Arnold. On Septembers 23, 1780, André was caught with an incriminating military letter from Arnold and was arrested, tried as a spy and was executed shortly after.

A few months before his death, André composed The Cow Chace, A Poem in Three Cantos, which satirized the Battle of Bull's Ferry, an unsuccessful attack by American generals Anthony Wayne, Henry Lee, and William Alexander, which won only cattle for the Americans. The poem was first published in the London Gazette.

From the guide to the John André The Cow Chace, André, John The Cow Chace, 1780-1881, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)

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Subjects:

  • Architectural elevations (Fort Mifflin, Philadelphia, Pa.)
  • Blockhouse plans
  • Brandywine, Battle of, Pa., 1777
  • Brun Guide
  • Bull's Ferry, N.J., Engagement at, 1780
  • Clinton Maps
  • Dueling
  • Germantown, Battle of, Philadelphia, Pa., 1777
  • Huntington Library Maps
  • Library of Congress Maps
  • Manuscript maps
  • Manuscript maps
  • Maps shelf
  • Monmouth, Battle of, Freehold, N.J., 1778
  • Philadelphia Campaign, 1777-1778
  • Trials (Espionage)

Occupations:

  • Army officers, British

Places:

  • New Jersey (as recorded)
  • Middlesex County (N.J.) (as recorded)
  • South Carolina (as recorded)
  • Union County (N.J.) (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • New Jersey (as recorded)
  • New Jersey (as recorded)
  • Pennsylvania (as recorded)
  • Pennsylvania (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Staten Island (New York, N.Y.) (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • New York (State) (as recorded)
  • West Point (N.Y.) (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Pennsylvania (as recorded)
  • Pennsylvania (as recorded)
  • Somerset County (N.J.) (as recorded)
  • Pennsylvania (as recorded)
  • Philadelphia Campaign, 1777-1778 (as recorded)
  • Massachusetts (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Somerset County (N.J.) (as recorded)
  • New York (State) (as recorded)
  • New York (State) (as recorded)
  • Philadelphia Campaign, 1777-1778 (as recorded)
  • Philadelphia Campaign, 1777-1778 (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Philadelphia Campaign, 1777-1778 (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Union County (N.J.) (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Middlesex County (N.J.) (as recorded)
  • Staten Island (New York, N.Y.) (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • New York (State) (as recorded)
  • Philadelphia Campaign, 1777-1778 (as recorded)
  • Pennsylvania (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Iron Hill (Pa.) (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Fort Mifflin (Philadelphia, Pa.) (as recorded)

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