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The Two Spies: Nathan Hale and John André — Reading Notes
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Project Gutenberg
2020
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Hale, Nathan, 1755-1776; André, John, 1751-1780
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en
Edition facts
Words
46,166
Reading time
201 min
Text sections
19
For The Two Spies: Nathan Hale and John André — Reading Notes, the stored edition analysis reports 46,166 words, 3 hr 21 min estimated reading time, and 19 detected text sections.
The text analysis averages about 20.1 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.
Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Hale, Nathan, 1755-1776,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.
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Project Gutenberg record #63119
Benson J. Lossing's 1886 dual biography contrasts the motives and fates of Nathan Hale and John André, using primary sources like Hale's last words and André's capture narrative to examine honor, patriotism, and espionage in the American Revolution.
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- Title & short description10 pts
- Source metadata20 pts
- Text length15 pts
- Chapters / structure15 pts
- EPUB file integrity20 pts
Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.
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Hale's Birthplace and Parentage.--The Hale Family 3
Hale's Youthhood and Education 4
Dr. Munson's Recollections of him 5
Hale at Yale College and as a School-teacher 7
His Military Career at Boston and New York 9-12
The American Army at New York 12, 13
A Man for Secret Service sought 18
Hale's Idea of the Service; he volunteers 14
His Career as a Spy 15-20
Taken to General Howe's Headquarters 19
Sentenced to be hanged without Trial.--Great Fire in New York 20
Hale at the Place of Execution 21
Cruelly treated by Cunningham, the Provost-Marshal 22
Sympathy, expressed; his Execution 24
Monumental Memorials of Hale 25-27
Literary Contributions to his Memory 27-31
Tribute to Hale by Henry J. Raymond 31
Proposed Monument in Memory of Hale at New York 33
André's Birth, Parentage, Education, and Family 37
His Acquaintance with Anna Seward and her Literary Friends 38
His Betrothal to Honora Sneyd 40
His Correspondence with Miss Seward 41
Presaging Omens 42, 43
André goes to America 43
At Philadelphia--his Accomplishments and Captivating Manners 45
Lord Howe entertained 45
The Mischianza described by André 46-59
The Mischianza and the Character of General Howe criticised 59, 60
The British fly from Philadelphia toward New York, General Clinton in Command.--Battle of Monmouth 60
Expedition to Rhode Island 61
André's Genius and Social Position 62
His Letter to Benedict Arnold's Wife 63
Arnold's Career in Philadelphia 63, 64
His Treasonable Correspondence with Sir Henry Clinton and André 64, 65
André a Spy in Charleston 66
Arnold's Premeditated Treason.--Occasion of "The Cow-Chase" 67
Gloomy State of Public Affairs.--Proposed Personal Meeting between Arnold and André 79
Arrangements for such a Meeting 79, 80
André at a Dinner-Party 80, 81
Goes to meet General Arnold 81
They go to Smith's House 83
The Terms of Treasonable Service agreed upon.--André compelled to attempt a Return to New York by Land 84
Receives Papers from Arnold.--His Journey.--The Neutral Ground 85
Patriotism of his Captors 88
André discovered to be a Spy 90
His Letter to Washington 91-93
Washington returns from Hartford at a Critical Moment.--Arnold receives Notice of André's Arrest 93
Painful Interview with his Wife.--He escapes to the _Vulture_ 94
Washington at Arnold's Quarters.--Discovers Arnold's Treason.--His Calmness and Tenderness 96
André brought to Arnold's Quarters and sent to General Greene at Tappaan 97
His Free Conversation with Major Tallmadge 98
Effects of the News of his Capture 99
Tried by a Board of Officers and condemned as a Spy 100
Efforts to save him 101
His Choice of the Mode of Death 102
His Execution 103-105
Almost Universal Sympathy felt for André 105, 106
Honored by his King 106
A Monument to his Memory in Westminster Abbey, described 106-108
André's Remains removed to the Abbey 108
Memorials to mark the Place of his Execution 109-115
Memorial-Stone erected by Mr. Field at Tappaan 110-115
Mr. Field's Generous Proposition 110, 114, 118
Attempts to destroy the Field Memorial at Tappaan 117, 118
An Indignation Meeting at Tappaan 119
A Monument to mark the Place where André was captured at Tarrytown 119-121
Biographical Sketch of Anna Seward 125
Monody on Major André 135
André's Letters to Miss Seward 152
Nathan Hale's Birthplace _Frontispiece_
Fac-simile of Hale's Handwriting 6
Union Grammar School-house at New London 8
The Beekman Mansion 18
Beekman's Greenhouse 19
Cunningham destroying Hale's Letters 22
The Hale Monument at Coventry 26
Portrait of John André _face_ 37
Portrait of Honora Sneyd 39
The Mischianza Ticket 47
The Joust at the Tournament 52
Fac-simile of Arnold's disguised Handwriting 65
Fac-simile of André's disguised Handwriting 65
Fac-simile of the Last Stanza of the Cow-Chase 78
Fac-simile of Arnold's Passport 87
Portrait of John Paulding 89
The Robinson House 95
"The '76 Stone House" 97
Washington's Headquarters at Tappaan 100
Passage from the Vulture 104
André's Monument in Westminster Abbey 107
Dean Stanley's Autograph 112
Memorial at Tappaan 116
Memorial at Tarrytown 120
Portrait of Anna Seward _face_ 125
In a picturesque region of Tolland County, Connecticut, twenty miles eastward of Hartford, situated upon an eminence which commands a beautiful and extensive prospect westward toward the State capital, there once stood, and perhaps now stands, a pleasant farm-house, built of wood, and two stories in height.[1] In that house, on the 6th of June, 1755, a child was born whose name appears conspicuous in our national history. It was a boy, and one of twelve children, whose father, Richard Hale, had emigrated in early life from Newberry, in Massachusetts, to Coventry, and there married Elizabeth Strong, a charming maiden eighteen years of age. He was a descendant of Robert Hale, or Hales, who settled in Charlestown, in 1632, and who seems to have been a scion of the Hales of Kent, for he bore their coat-of-arms--three broad arrows feathered white, on a red field.
Both Richard and Elizabeth Hale were of the strictest sect of the Puritans of their day. They revered the Bible as the voice of God; reverenced magistrates and gospel ministers as his chosen servants; regarded the strict observance of the Christian Sabbath as a binding obligation, and family worship and grace before meals as imperative duties and precious privileges.
Lossing opens his 1886 volume with a moral question: can a spy be a man of honor? He juxtaposes Vattel's condemnation of spies with Hale's assertion that necessary service becomes honorable. The foretalk sets up a direct comparison between the two young officers, quoting their own words—Hale's wish to be useful and André's pursuit of military glory—to frame their divergent motives. This editorial note examines how the opening, middle, and later excerpts guide a first reading, focusing on Lossing's use of quoted testimony and dramatic narrative.
The Foretalk as a Moral Compass
The foretalk is not a neutral introduction. Lossing immediately engages the reader in a debate about the ethics of espionage, citing the Swiss jurist Vattel before countering with Hale's own justification. He presents the two spies' final statements as evidence of their inner character: André's request to be seen dying bravely versus Hale's regret that he has but one life for his country. This framing primes the reader to evaluate every subsequent event through the lens of motive. The foretalk also names its sources—I.W. Stuart's 1856 life of Hale and an unspecified work on André—signaling that Lossing is synthesizing earlier biographies rather than presenting original research. For a first-time reader, this opening functions as a thesis statement: the book will argue that intention determines the honor of a spy.
The Capture of André: A Set Piece of Suspense
The excerpt describing André's capture on September 23, 1780, is the most detailed narrative in the provided text. Lossing builds tension through dialogue and physical detail: the seven young farmers playing cards in a thicket, Paulding's Hessian coat disguise, the traveler's relieved exclamation, and the slow discovery of papers in his boots. The scene is told almost entirely from the captors' perspective, with André's reactions limited to shock and offers of bribes. Lossing emphasizes the captors' refusal of ten thousand guineas, framing their decision as a pivotal moment that sealed André's fate. The passage relies on reported speech and concrete actions—pulling off boots, reading the passport—rather than psychological analysis. A first reader will notice how Lossing lets the drama unfold through circumstantial detail, a technique that recurs in the Hale sections.
Contrasting Deaths: Hale's Last Words and André's Final Request
Lossing returns to the spies' final moments in the foretalk, but the excerpts do not include the full death scenes. What is available suggests a deliberate structural parallel: both men speak on the scaffold, but their words reveal opposite priorities. Hale's reported line—'I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country'—is presented as selfless, while André's request for witnesses to his bravery is read as self-regarding. Lossing does not invent dialogue; he quotes from earlier biographies and André's own letters. The reader should note that the book likely alternates between the two narratives, using these final statements as bookends. The contrast is not subtle: Lossing explicitly states that Hale's supreme thought was of his country, André's of himself. This binary may oversimplify, but it gives the reader a clear interpretive key.
The Role of the Illustrations and Paratexts
The title page lists H. Rosa as illustrator and Anna Seward as contributor of a 'Monody on Major André.' The excerpts do not include any illustrations or Seward's poem, but their presence shapes the reading experience. Rosa's pen-and-ink sketches likely depict key scenes such as Hale's birthplace and André's capture, reinforcing the visual imagination of the period. Seward's monody, a poetic lament for André published in 1781, introduces a pro-British voice that complicates Lossing's American perspective. The reader should be aware that the volume is a composite: Lossing's prose, Rosa's images, and Seward's verse create a multi-genre portrait. The foretalk's reference to Vattel and the inclusion of a British poet suggest that Lossing aims for a balanced treatment, even as his moral framework favors Hale.
A first reading of The Two Spies benefits from attending to Lossing's framing devices: the foretalk's ethical question, the dramatic capture scene, and the parallel death statements. The excerpts reveal a work that is part biography, part moral essay, and part anthology of primary sources. Readers should note that the complete book likely includes fuller accounts of Hale's mission and André's trial, as well as Seward's monody. Lossing's own judgments are explicit, but the quoted materials invite independent assessment.
Reading Lossing's quiet contrast of Hale and André, I kept thinking about how each man carried an entirely private version of honor into a public reckoning. It reminded me, oddly, of the strange testimonies collected in Discovery of Witches The Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster — Text and Context—not the witchcraft itself, but how sincerely people believed their own accounts, even unto the gallows. Both books whisper that certainty is a lonely thing.
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