Name/Title
MEMORIAL MONUMENTS MARKING THE CAPTURE OF MAJOR ANDRÉEntry/Object ID
L.2012.116 a-bDescription
In the century after the Revolutionary War, the story of the capture of Major John Andre, a traitor to the American cause, attained a near-legendary status. The events turned on the actions of specific individuals, complete with a quintessential heroes-versus-traitors confrontation, perfect for dramatic retelling. On September 9, 1780, three local militiamen detained and searched Andre, who was, unbeknownst to them, a conspirator of Benedict Arnold. The three discovered Andre carried sensitive information about the defenses located at West Point and turned him over to local authorities. After facing trial, Andre was convicted as a traitor and hanged, while his captors were hailed as heroes, especially in the locality where the events took place.
Two towns along the Hudson erected monuments related to the Andre story. In the town of Tappan, on the west side of the river, a granite monument dedicated in 1879 marks the site of Andre's hanging and burial. On the east side of the river, in Tarrytown, the Captors' Monument stands in what is now known as Patriots Park. The original small parcel of land for the monument was donated to the city by William and Mary Taylor, two former slaves who relocated to Tarrytown after they were granted their freedom. This illustration from 1882 shows two views of the Captors' Monument, as it looked before and after its centennial redesign in 1880. The "after" view shows the bronze militiaman standing atop the monument, in honor of Andre's captors.
Two pages from book
a. Engraving with three images of monuments relating to Major Andre; at top, figures in front and around low stone monument encircled by wrought iron fence; at bottom right, printed: "ANDRES BURIAL PLACE AT TAPPAN"; at left, tall monument behind wrought iron fence, two women with parasol, man holding hands of girl and boy, trees in background; at bottom left, printed: "ANDRE MONUMENT AS IT WAS."; at right, tall monument with statue of soldier at top, man pointing to monument alongside woman and boy, wrought iron fence; at bottom right, printed: "ANDRÉ MONUMENT AS IT IS."; at bottom center, printed: "MEMORIAL MONUMENTS MARKING THE CAPTURE OF MAJOR ANDRE.--SEE PAGE 55."; at right edge, printed, from top: "50", "FRANK LESLIE'S ILLUSTRATED FAMILY ALMANAC FOR 1882."; image on verso, captioned: "CRANBERRY-PICKING IN OCEAN COUNTY, N.J.--THE BELLE OF THE PICKERS."
b. Text relating to images described above; at top left, printed: "Centennial of Major Andre's Capture."; at top center, printed: "FRANK LESLIE'S ILLUSTRATED FAMILY ALMANAC FOR 1882."; at top right, printed: "55".Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
UnknownAttribution
ArtistManufacturer
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Family AlmanacDate made
1882Dimensions
Dimension Description
OverallHeight
8-1/8 inWidth
11-1/4 inDimension Notes
Display Dimensions: 8 1/8 x 11 1/4 in. (20.6 x 28.6 cm)Condition
Notes
Remarks: Two pages from almanac; a): paper loss at top corners; stains at top left corner; crease along bottom edge where page was attached to others; 4 pinholes (from binding) at mid-left and mid-right bottom edge; paper is yellowed; b): horizontal crease/fold through center of page; fold at top right corner; diagonal crease at top left and bottom right corners; crease along left edge where page was attached to others; 4 holes (from binding) at left edge; paper is yellowed.Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
William DieboldNotes
Former ownerGeneral Notes
Note Type
Curatorial RemarksNote
This object was accessioned in 2012, but it was acquired earlier [Jessa J. Krick, 4/12/2012].Note Type
General NoteNote
Andre monument (illustrated) is located in Patriots Park, Tarrytown, N.Y.Note Type
StorageNoteNote
Home Location: Historic Hudson Valley, Administrative Office, Archive Room, Shelf O3, B4Note Type
DepartmentNote
Library