Abductions in the American Revolution

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.

Independent historian Christian McBurney has written books on the efforts to capture Generals Charles Lee and Richard Prescott and on the Rhode Island Campaign in the Revolutionary War. He lives in Kensington, Maryland.

Christian McBurney
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 232
Bibliographic Info: 22 photos & illustrations, 3 maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6364-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2429-7
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii
Preface 1
I. The Fighting Begins (April 1775 to June 1776) 7
From Lexington and Concord to Mount Vernon 7
Was There a Plot to Kidnap King George III? 11
The Tory Plot to Kidnap Washington in New York City 14
II. The Fall of New York City and New Jersey (July 1776 to March 1778) 20
Signers of the Declaration of Independence 20
John Fell in the Provost 27
The Capture of Major General Charles Lee 33
Richard Witham Stockton, the Land Pilot 43
The Retaliatory Capture of Major General Richard Prescott 48
George Washington Supports Kidnapping Attempt Against British Headquarters in New York City 57
III. The Fall of Philadelphia (September 1777 to April 1778) 61
Delaware’s Chief Executive Is Abducted from His House 61
Congress Responds to Tory Kidnappings 63
John Paul Jones Strikes Fear in Great Britain 69
IV. The War in the North (January 1778 to February 1781) 72
Multiple Attempts to Kidnap Governor William Livingston of New Jersey 72
Retaliatory Kidnappings: The Cases of Connecticut’s General Silliman and Long Island’s Judge Jones 80
Raid Across the Frozen Hudson River: The Attempt to Kidnap Washington at Morristown 82
Washington Attempts to Kidnap the Traitor Benedict Arnold in New York City 96
Washington’s Second Attempt Against the British Commander-in-Chief in New York City 103
The Abduction and Dramatic Escape of General Peleg Wadsworth in Maine 108
V. The War in the South (January 1781 to August 1781) 112
“This greatest of all traitors”: Attempts to Kidnap Arnold in Virginia 112
Banastre Tarleton Almost Bags Thomas Jefferson 117
When the Kidnapper Becomes the Hunted: The Case of Benjamin Cleveland 124
The Execution of Isaac Hayne 127
VI. British Secret Service Operations in Upstate New York and Vermont (July 1781 to June 1782) 134
The British Attempt to Capture Major General Philip Schuyler at Albany 134
The Great Kidnap Caper of 1781 Falls Apart 142
Thomas Johnson: British Agent or Double Agent? 145
VII. Yorktown and Beyond (September 1781 to September 1783) 149
David Fanning Captures North Carolina’s Governor 149
Murder in North Carolina and Georgia 153
Washington Plans to Abduct a Future King of Great Britain from New York City 157
Living with the Risk of Kidnappings 166
Appendix A: Letter from Colonel James Abeel Summarizing
Information Regarding the Raid Intended to Capture Washington in February 1780 169
Appendix B: Colonel Matthias Ogden’s Plans for Capturing Prince William Henry in New York City in March 1782 171
Chapter Notes 173
Bibliography 203
Index 213

“the most innovative look at the American Revolution I have read in a long time. The breadth of research Christian McBurney invested into this book is astounding. It is McBurney’s diligent research that allows him to write intricate stories about kidnappings in a way that makes the history digestible and fun.