Joseph Bettys (c. 1754–April 1, 1782) was a soldier in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

best known for being hanged as a British Spy in 1782. Bettys was born and grew up in Wilton in Fairfield County, Connecticut. In 1772 he moved with his family to the Town of

Ballston, New York Ballston is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 11,831 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from an early settler, Eliphalet Ball, a Presbyterian minister who located there from Westchester County, New York ...

. Bettysjoined the Patriot forces and was made a

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

. He was said to be courageous, but intolerant of military discipline, for which he was demoted. In the summer of 1776 he was again promoted, and transferred to the fleet on

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

commanded by

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...

. On October 11, 1776 he distinguished himself in the

Battle of Valcour Island The Battle of Valcour Island, also known as the Battle of Valcour Bay, was a naval engagement that took place on October 11, 1776, on Lake Champlain. The main action took place in Valcour Bay, a narrow strait between the New York mainland and ...

, but was captured by the British and taken as a prisoner to Canada. In 1777, during his captivity, he changed sides, joining the British forces as an ensign. He served as a spy and messenger for the British; at one point he was captured, but was freed due to influence of family and friends. He rejoined British service and began recruiting soldiers among the population of

Saratoga County Saratoga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, and is the fastest-growing county in Upstate New York. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509, representing a 7.2% increase from the 2010 popul ...

, raiding, burning farms and taking captives or killing Patriots. It is reported that at one time he entered the city of Albany and attempted, without success, to capture General Philip Schuyler (or alternatively

Robert Van Rensselaer Robert Van Rensselaer (December 16, 1740 – September 11, 1802) was Brigadier General during the American Revolutionary War, a member of the New York Provincial Congress from 1775 to 1777 and later a member of the New York State Assembly in the ...

). In 1782, on one of his covert visits to Saratoga County, Bettys was observed and tracked through the snow to the home of a well-known

loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

. He was surprised while eating, and overcome by four men—Jacob Fulmer, John Cory, James Cory, and Francis Perkins—and taken prisoner. He was given permission to smoke, but while getting his tobacco was observed to throw an object into the fire. This was retrieved and turned out to be a small lead box containing a paper with a message in cipher. Bettys offered 100 guineas to be allowed to burn the message, and also offered money for his release, but his offers were refused. He was set to Albany, where he was tried and executed that year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bettys, Joseph People from Saratoga County, New York British spies during the American Revolution Loyalists in the American Revolution from New York (state) 1750s births 1782 deaths