The Life of John Andre: The Redcoat Who Turned Benedict Arnold

A new biography of John Andre, head of British secret services in the Revolutionary War, who was captured in 1780 and hanged as a spy. John Andre was head of the British Army’s Secret Service in North America as the Revolutionary War entered its most bitter and, ultimately, decisive phase. In 1780, he masterminded the defection of a high-ranking American officer - General Benedict Arnold. Arnold - his name for ever synonymous with treason in American folklore - had recently been appointed commander of West Point and agreed, through Andre, to turn over to the British this strategically vital fort on the upper reaches of the Hudson River. Control of the fort would interrupt lines of communication between New England and the southern colonies, seriously impeding military operations against the British. The plan was also to simultaneously kidnap General George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. By these two masterstrokes, the British believed they could end rebel resistance. While biographers agree on the facts of this tragic episode, they disagree on Andre’s motives and why he chose to sacrifice himself. This new biography of Andre puts forward a new answer to this mystery - not only why he acted as he did, but how he wished others to see his actions.
AUTHOR: Dr D. A. B. Ronald has published several books, Young Nelsons: Boy Soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars (2009), and Youth, Heroism and War Propaganda: Britain and the Young Maritime Hero 1754 1820 (2015). Prior to becoming an academic and full-time writer, he ran his own company as an investment banker in the City of London. His acknowledged academic expertise in the realm of the ‘young hero’ makes him uniquely qualified to write this long overdue new biography. 15 colour and 15 b/w illustrations