Proceedings of a board of general officers held by order of His Excellency Gen. Washington, commander in chief of the Army of the United States of America respecting Major John André, adjutant general of the British Army

In September 1780 General George Washington called together a council of his senior officers to confront a startling development: the capture of Major John André, the British army’s adjutant general, who had slipped behind American lines with secret papers. The surviving record opens with Washington’s urgent letters to Congress and to his field commanders, describing the circumstances of André’s arrest by three local militiamen and the immediate fear that the treason of General Arnold might be unfolding. The documents convey the tense atmosphere of a war‑torn nation scrambling to protect its nascent independence.

The proceedings themselves are transcribed in full, showing a roster of prominent Revolutionary figures—Generals Greene, Lafayette, von Steuben, and others—who debated André’s status, the legal definition of a spy, and the possible repercussions for the fledgling army. Interwoven are copies of correspondence exchanged between Washington, the Continental Congress, and the captors, offering a rare, unfiltered look at 18th‑century military justice in action.

For listeners, this collection provides a vivid snapshot of a pivotal moment when the fate of a single officer could have altered the course of the war. The language of the era, the procedural rigor, and the palpable stakes make it an engaging window into the realities of Revolutionary‑era decision‑making.