British spymaster John Andre proven to be at key American site during revolution
OYSTER BAY, N.Y. -- A New York historian has uncovered historical documents proving ill-fated British spymaster John Andre was at a Long Island home that was at the center of military and intelligence activity during the American Revolution.
Newsday reports Claire Bellerjeau tracked down documents written by Andre that prove he was in Oyster Bay in 1779, a year before he was hanged in Rockland County for his part in Benedict Arnold’s plot to surrender the fortifications at West Point to the British.
Bellerjeau is the resident historian at Oyster Bay’s Raynham Hall Museum, housed in an 18th-century home that served as a British headquarters during the war. The homeowner’s son was one of Gen. George Washington’s top spies.
Historians had long believed Andre was at the home but didn’t have the documentation to prove it.
