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By DANIEL VAN WINKLE
Edited by GET NJ, COPYRIGHT 2003
Meanwhile, Washington had arrived at Arnold's headquarters
and was informed that Mrs. Arnold was not well and that General
Arnold had gone to West Point to receive him. Taking a hasty
meal and leaving word that he and his escort would return for
dinner, he crossed to the Point. He noticed on crossing, the absence
of the customary military salute from the fort and the lack of any
preparations for his reception. Colonel Lamb, the officer in charge.
expressed surprise at seeing him and apologized at the want of
military ceremony, stating he had not been informed of his intended
visit, and that Arnold had been absent for two clays. Although
greatly puzzled. Washington seems to have had no suspicion of
anything untoward, for he remained through the morning inspecting the fortifications. In the meantime the messenger, who had
been despatched to Hartford with the papers found upon Andre.
arrived at the Robinson House. The letters were received and
read by Colonel Hamilton, Washington's aide-de-campe and confidential officer. Realizing their great significance, he kept silent
as to their contents, awaiting the return of Washington, to whom
he revealed their contents privately. Whatever may have been his
agitation, Washington communicated quietly what he had learned
to Generals Knox and Lafayette, with the simple remark, "Whom
can we trust now?" He at once despatched Colonel Hamilyon with
Arnold should he attempt passing that point. but unfortunately
Arnold was even then safe on board The Vulture.
Washington now recalled the disquieting rumors that bad occasioned him so great anxiety. The knowledge or Arnold's perfidy
instructions to the commander at Verplanks Point, to intercept
came as a severe shock to him. That one in whose patriotism and
loyalty he had placed implicit confidence, notwithstanding his well-known indiscretions and dissipations, and whose appointment to
the command of the very post he had now designed to surrender to
the enemy, he himself had advocated, was not only humiliating, but
somewhat unsettled his confidence in the correctness of his own
judgment. Again those suspicions of the disloyalty and dissatisfaction of his officers, aroused by the circulation of the varied
rumors which had occasioned him so great discomfort and which
he had dismissed as unworthy of belief, were recalled. The action
of Arnold having become generally known, the air was again rife
with disconcerting rumors concerning the disloyalty of his officers,
even specially charging one, in whom he had the utmost trust, of
disaffection, Washington determined, if possible, to ascertain the
truth or falsity of such rumors by special investigation, the result
and consequences of which is related in the following extract taken
from "Lee's Memoirs of the War of '76."
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