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Full Description
The tactic of kidnapping enemy leaders, used in the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, dates to the American Revolution. George Washington called such efforts "honorable" and supported attempts to kidnap the British commander-in-chief (twice), Benedict Arnold (after he turned traitor) and Prince William Henry (a future king of Great Britain). Washington in turn was targeted at his Morristown winter headquarters by British dragoons who crossed the frozen Hudson River. New Jersey Governor William Livingston performed a patriotic service by going to considerable lengths to avoid being abducted by the Loyalist raider James Moody.
Sometimes these operations succeeded, as with the spectacular captures of Major General Charles Lee, Major General Richard Prescott, Brigadier General Gold Selleck Silliman, and North Carolina's governor Thomas Burke. Sometimes they barely failed, as with the violent attempt by British secret service operatives against Major General Philip Schuyler and the mission by British dragoons against Thomas Jefferson. Some of the abducted, such as signer of the Declaration of Independence Richard Stockton and Delaware's governor John McKinly, suffered damage to their reputations. The kidnapper risked all--if caught, he could be hanged. This book covers more than thirty major attempted and successful abductions of military and civilian leaders from 1775 to 1783, from Maine to Georgia, and including two in Great Britain.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
I. The Fighting Begins (April 1775 to June 1776)
From Lexington and Concord to Mount Vernon
Was There a Plot to Kidnap King George III?
The Tory Plot to Kidnap Washington in New York City
II. The Fall of New York City and New Jersey (July 1776 to March 1778)
Signers of the Declaration of Independence
John Fell in the Provost
The Capture of Major General Charles Lee
Richard Witham Stockton, the Land Pilot
The Retaliatory Capture of Major General Richard Prescott
George Washington Supports Kidnapping Attempt Against British Headquarters in New York City
III. The Fall of Philadelphia (September 1777 to April 1778)
Delaware's Chief Executive Is Abducted from His House
Congress Responds to Tory Kidnappings
John Paul Jones Strikes Fear in Great Britain
IV. The War in the North (January 1778 to February 1781)
Multiple Attempts to Kidnap Governor William Livingston of New Jersey
Retaliatory Kidnappings: The Cases of Connecticut's General Silliman and Long Island's Judge Jones
Raid Across the Frozen Hudson River: The Attempt to Kidnap Washington at Morristown
Washington Attempts to Kidnap the Traitor Benedict Arnold in New York City
Washington's Second Attempt Against the British Commander-in-Chief in New York City
The Abduction and Dramatic Escape of General Peleg Wadsworth in Maine
V. The War in the South (January 1781 to August 1781)
"This greatest of all traitors": Attempts to Kidnap Arnold in Virginia
Banastre Tarleton Almost Bags Thomas Jefferson
When the Kidnapper Becomes the Hunted: The Case of Benjamin Cleveland
The Execution of Isaac Hayne
VI. British Secret Service Operations in Upstate New York and Vermont (July 1781 to June 1782)
The British Attempt to Capture Major General Philip Schuyler at Albany
The Great Kidnap Caper of 1781 Falls Apart
Thomas Johnson: British Agent or Double Agent?
VII. Yorktown and Beyond (September 1781 to September 1783)
David Fanning Captures North Carolina's Governor
Murder in North Carolina and Georgia
Washington Plans to Abduct a Future King of Great Britain from New York City
Living with the Risk of Kidnappings
Appendix A: Letter from Colonel James Abeel Summarizing
Information Regarding the Raid Intended to Capture Washington in February 1780
Appendix B: Colonel Matthias Ogden's Plans for Capturing Prince William Henry in New York City in March 1782
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
