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Re: Lafayette a Sinclair?



Greatly enjoyed the Arnold-Andre history because I had ancestors there at
the time.  The pension application of my John Coleman says " In the
following year, 1779, in the fore part of March I again enlisted for nine
months in a company of Rangers under Capt. Hausser.  We marched to Fort
Independence and assisted in repairing the Fort.  We remained here about two
months I should think and then went to Orange County to Smiths Cove in the
highlands and took Claudius Smith, his sons and some other noted Tories and
robbers and brought the Smiths to Goshen jail and the others to Polliper
Island....."
     I wonder whether Joshua Hett Smith was related to Claudius?  I have
never been able to find out where Polliper Island was?   Probably the
spelling is incorrect and only written by an Ohio clerk in 1840 the way it
sounded.   How was Andre descended from the Sinclairs?
   Here is another account of the events from "The Golden Book History of
US"
"Arnold had been angered when five junior officers were promoted ahead of
him but Washington thought highly of himn.  (this was an ongoing problem to
the very proud and sensitive Arnold.   It seemed to happen to many of the
field officers who were at the mercy of the staff, Congress, and colony and
that supported them.   Arnold really had been badly treated over and over
and he seethed inside.   He had been a great hero and sacrificed his
property and put his life recklessly on the line to lead his men.)
    "Arnold's new post was a big responsibility, for between New York and
the Point there was nothing but a lawless neutral ground terrorized by two
bands of armed outlaws.  These were the "Cowboys," a gang of loyalist
sympathizers, and the "Skinners," who called themselves "patriots."   (this
confuses me because my John Coleman called his group the "Cowboys" but he
was a patriot)
    "In this region on a September day in 1780, a lone rider was suddenly
stopped on the Tarrytown road by three men.
  The rider gave his hame as John Anderson and expressed the hope that the
threee men were Cowboy loyalists.
"We are," one said.
   Anderson grinned.  "So am I,' he waid, 'I am a British officer on
business of importance and must not be detained.'   (it hardly seems
possible that André would give himself away so easily)
 "No sooner had he spoken than he realized that he had been trapped.  The 3
men were Skinners.   Anderson then said that he was really a patriot and, as
proof, he produced a pass signed by General Benedict Arnold.  The Skinners
were not interested in the pass.  They wanted money.
  "Gentlemen, I have none about me," Anderson said.
  "You said you were a British officer," the others said,  All British
officers had money.
"Let's search him."
  In Anderson's boot they found papers, but no money.  Before the day ended
those papers had been relayed to American officers...John Anderson was,
indeed, a British officer.  His name, however, was Major John André.  When
the three Skiners caugtht him he was on his way to General Clinton with news
that Arnold had agreed to betray West Point to the British.  More than that,
Arnold woild tell Clinton where Washington would be staying on his way to
Hartford, CT an open invitation to the enemy to capture Washington.  For
these services Arnold was to receive a British officer's commission and
£20,000 cash.  André's connection to Arnold goes back to when the British
held Philadelphia.  Here he had been a friend of Peggy Shippen who became
the 2nd wife of Arnold.  When Arnold began to write letters to Gen. Clinton
offering to help the British, Major André became the go-between.
    André was tried by a jury of 6 generals.   Among them was Gen. Arthur
St. Clair and Gen. John Stark  (he was a neighbor of my patriot Ebenezer
Martin).
 More in next message
Laurel
===========================


> Benedict Arnold was at breakfast when he learned that British Major John
> Andre was captured. Sinclair blood flowed in Andre. Andre found himself
> deserted by Arnold's henchman, Tory Joshua Hett Smith, in what is now
> Westchester county in New York. Disguised as a civilian, Andre had the
> singular misfortune to be singled out by three American highwaymen who
>

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