Major John André Monument, also known as the Site of Major

John André Major John André (May 2, 1750 – October 2, 1780) was a British Army officer who served as the head of Britain's intelligence operations during the American War for Independence. In September 1780, he negotiated with Continental Army offic ...

's Hanging and Burial, is a historic

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

located at Tappan in

Rockland County, New York Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population is 338,329, making it the state' ...

; it's only a few yards away from the New Jersey border. It is a gray

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

monument erected in 1879 and approximately 40 inches square and 58 inches tall. It is located in a circular plot approximately 31 feet in diameter. It commemorates the site of the hanging of Major

on October 2, 1780. ''Note:'' This includes It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2006. The monument was constructed in 1879 by millionaire Cyrus W. Field. It was dedicated on October 2, 1879. It was quite controversial when it was first constructed, and there were three attempts to destroy the monument: * On February 22, 1882, the monument was hacked and mutilated by George Hendrix, of New York City. * On March 30, 1882 at 11:35 PM, an explosion slightly damaged the monument. * On November 3, 1885 at 10:00 PM, an explosion destroyed the iron fence surrounding the monument and toppled the monument. It was felt that a monument to a British spy was an insult to

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

; for this reason, a bronze tablet was later added to commemorate the bravery of Washington and his generals during a crisis of the war. After Cyrus Field's death, his heirs refused to pay the taxes of $6.38 on the property. George Dickey of Nyack bought the land in a tax auction in October 1895. Mr. Dickey sold the land to the

American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society The American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society was created in 1895 as New York's first organized preservation lobby. The Society operated as a national organization to protect the natural scenery and the preservation of historic landmarks ...

for $250 on November 13, 1905. After the Society disbanded in 1983, the property was conveyed to Rockland County NY.

Gallery

File:Andremonument1879.jpg, Monument with base File:JohnAndreInscription.jpg, Major John André Monument inscription, April 2008 Major John Andre Monument, Tappan, NY - main view.jpg

Inscription

HERE DIED OCTOBER 2, 1780. MAJOR JOHN ANDRE, OF THE BRITISH ARMY WHO ENTERED 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 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, NOT TO PERPETUATE THE RECORD OF STRIFE BUT IN TOKEN OF THOSE BETTER FEELINGS WHICH HAVE SINCE UNITED THE NATIONS ONE IN RACE, IN LANGUAGE AND IN RELIGION, WITH THE EARNEST HOPE THAT THIS FRIENDLY UNION WILL NEVER BE BROKEN.
Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, Dean of Westminster

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andre, Major John, Monument Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Rockland County, New York Tourist attractions in Rockland County, New York 1879 sculptures Granite sculptures in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Rockland County, New York Vandalized works of art in New York (state)