Here died, October 2, 1780, Major John Andre of the British Army who, entering the American lines on a secret mission to Benedict Arnold for the surrender of West Point, was taken prisoner, tried and condemned as a spy. His death, though according to the stern Code of War, moved even his enemies to pity and both armies mourned the fate of one so young and so brave. In 1821, his remains were removed to Westminster Abbey a hundred years after his execution. This stone was placed above the spot where he lay by a citizen of the state against which he fought, not to perpetuate the record of strife but in token of those better feelings which have since united two nations one in race, in language and in religion with the earnest hope that this friendly union will never be broken.
Right Side of Monument:
Sunt Lacrymae Rerum et Mentem Mortalia Tangunt.
— Virgil Aeneid 1.462.
Back of Monument:
This property acquired November 13, 1905 by the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society preserves the identity of a place of historic interest and commemorates the fortitude of Washington and his generals in one of the crises of the American Revolution.
Left Side of Monument:
He was more unfortunate than criminal. An accomplished man and a gallant officer.
— George Washington
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