ARNOLD. 



279 



who commanded at Vcrplanck's point. He ascer- 

 tained, on reconnoitring, that the sloop might be sunk 

 by one or two pieces or heavy cannon ; and as those 

 of the forts which he commanded were of too small 

 a calibre, he requested larger from Arnold. The 

 general refused them, to the great surprise of Living- 

 ston. But tacit obedience is the life of discipline, 

 and he acquiesced in some idle excuse. Two days 

 elapsed after the Sunday, and still Washington had, 

 apparently, made no preparations for departure. 

 Arnold was himself uneasy at this disappointment ; 

 but the apprehension of exciting suspicion by too 

 frequent communications prevented him from making 

 it known to Clinton. The British general was in- 

 formed of it through another channel. He knew the 

 unprincipled character of Arnold, and could compre- 

 hend the probability of a snare masked by a counter- 

 feit scheme of treason. He was the more disquieted 

 as Andre and Robinson, were already far on their 

 way ; and there was equal inconvenience in leaving 

 them ignorant, or advising them of their danger. If 

 Arnola were sincere in his defection, Andre's return 

 to New York would disconcert all his measures, 

 find expose him to serious risks. If he deceived the 

 British, all the risks were for Andre and Robinson. 

 They had not, as yet, been able to communicate with 

 the shore, but, persuaded that Washington must have 

 set out for Hartford, they put in execution a strata- 

 gem, arranged beforehand with Arnold, to facilitate 

 the rendezvous. Robinson wrote to the American 

 general Putnam, as if to transact with him business 

 relating to his property, and proposed an interview. 

 In this letter was enclosed another to general Arnold, 

 wherein Robinson solicited a conference with him, in 

 case Putnam should be absent. The packet, being 

 directed to Arnold, would be opened only by him ; 

 but if, perchance, it fell into other hands, the whole 

 could be read without exciting suspicion of a plot. 

 This letter was despatched to the shore by a flag of 

 truce as soon as the sloop had cast anchor. It 

 happened to be on the very day fixed by Washing- 

 ton for his departure. He had never meant to set 

 out earlier, and had neither sanctioned nor con- 

 tradicted the various rumours current on the subject. 

 He left his quarters in the morning, and, on reaching 

 the bank, found Arnold there with his barge, ready 

 to transport him to the other side. It crossing, 

 Washington remarked the sloop with the British 

 flag, and took a spy-glass to observe her motions more 

 narrowly. Some moments after, he gave to an officer 

 near him, in a low voice, according to his usual man- 

 ner, an order probably of no consequence, which Ar- 

 nold was unable to overhear. Arnold was guilty, and 

 whatever he could not immediately penetrate, alarm- 

 ed his fears. He supposed tliat the general could not 

 remain ignorant of the circumstance of the flag of 

 truce, and, doubtful even whether he might not be 

 already acquainted with it, he thought it well to show 

 him the two letters which he had received, asking him, 

 at the same time, what course he ought to pursue. 

 Washington, in the presence of several persons, dis- 

 suaded him from seeing Robinson, and directed him 

 to give for answer to this officer, that his private busi- 

 ness appertained exclusively to the jurisdiction of the 

 civil authority. They touched the shore just as this 

 conversation ceased. The commander- in-chief, whose 

 presence kept Arnold in, the greatest perplexity, 

 landed, and pursued his journey to Hartford. Thus 

 was the main obstacle removed, and the plot could 

 proceed. The opinion uttered by Washington, in 

 such positive terms, concerning the conference with 

 Robinson, the order heard by several persons pre- 

 sent, became, however, a law for Arnold, with respect 

 to his ostensible conduct. It was, in this way, the 

 first obstacle that thwarted the measures concerted 



between him and Andre. They could not meet pub- 

 licly under the auspices of a flag of truce, and, though 

 Andre had used this means to reach the lines, they 

 were obliged to arrange a secret interview. On the 

 morning after the departure of Washington, Arnold 

 sought out a man called Joshua Smith, well known 

 to be devoted to the British, although he resided 

 within the American posts. He made him the bearer 

 of two passports to be carried on board the Vulture, 

 one for Andre, under the fictitious name of Ander- 

 son; the other for Charles Beverley Robinson, who 

 had not the same reason for practising disguise. He 

 charged him with a letter, also, in which he urged 

 them to repair to him on shore. Smith waited until 

 night-fall, and then proceeded to the British sloop 

 in a boat which Arnold had provided for him. An- 

 dre and Robinson expected that Arnold would him- 

 self visit them, and were surprised when his emissary, 

 Smith, appeared before them alone. Robinson de- 

 clared that he would not go on shore, and used every 

 effort to deter his companion ; but the young man, 

 full of impatience and ardour, saw only the chances 

 of success, would listen to no remonstrance, and could 

 not brook the idea, either of returning to New York 

 without having executed his mission, or of exposing 

 the main enterprise to miscarriage, by a caution which 

 his rivals would infallibly stigmatize as cowardice. 

 He put on a grey surtout, to hide his uniform, and 

 accompanied Smith on shore. Arnold was waiting 

 to receive him at the water's edge. They discoursed 

 there for some time ; but, as they were liable to be 

 surprised, Arnold led him towards the house of Smith, 

 when he immediately laid before him plans of the 

 forts, a memoir, composed (for a better use) by the 

 chief engineer, Duportail, on the means of attacking 

 and detending them, and minute instructions with 

 respect to the measures to be taken by the British 

 for the occupation of them, when he (Arnold) should 

 have done his part in opening the way. They pre- 

 sumed that Washington had already reached Hartford, 

 and they were right ; for he was there, at the same 

 hour, in consultation with the French commanders. 

 Arnold and Andre, calculating anxiously the proba- 

 ble length of Washington's absence, supposed that 

 he would return in three or four days, that is, on the 

 25th or 26th of Sept., and one or other of these days 

 was fixed for the execution of the plot. It was set- 

 tled that Andre should go back in all haste to New 

 York ; that the British troops, which were already 

 embarked, under pretence of a distant expedition, 

 should be held ready to ascend the river, and sail at 

 the first signal ; that, to facilitate the reduction of 

 West point, Arnold should march out of the forts all 

 the troops destined for the defence, and entangle 

 them in gorges and ravines, where he would pretend 

 to await the British assailants, while these were to 

 debark on another side, and enter by passes left un- 

 guarded ; and, at all events, the garrisons and troops 

 were to be so distributed, that, if they did not sur- 

 render at the first summons, they must be immediately 

 cut in pieces. He informed Andre, that the chain 

 which was stretched across the river from West point 

 to Constitution island, forming, when perfect, an ef- 

 fectual bar to the passage of the river, was now no 

 longer an impediment. He had detached a link, 

 ostensibly to have it mended ; the smiths would not 

 return it for some days ; and the two ends of the 

 chain were held together by a fastening too weak to 

 bear even a slight concussion. The British would, 

 know at what moment they were to advance, by the 

 kindling of fires, in the night, under the directions of 

 Arnpld, on the adjacent eminences. A single cannon 

 fired from their ships, to be followed by a similar dis- 

 charge from the shore, would proclaim that they had 

 perceived the signals. Other tokens agreed upon 



