Subtitle: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington

When my library’s website recommended this book for me, I thought it was another of Brad Meltzer’s fictional thrillers. It turned out to be non-fiction history. It was no surprise that the British sought to kill George Washington, but I’d never known the details of the plot until now.

The book covers the roughly 12-month time period from July 1775 to July 1776.  Washington was named commander of the colonial army at the beginning of the period. From the way it is described, he got the job primarily because he wore his army uniform when he attended the Continental Congress. The plot against Washington originated with Governor William Tryon of the New York colony and Mayor David Mathews of New York City.

The British plot began as an effort to convert colonial civilians and members of the army to the British side as both armies prepared to battle for possession of New York City. When a few members of Washington’s elite personal guard unit switched sides, his life was truly in peril. In late June of 1776, several random occurrences led to the exposure of the plot. With only weeks to go before the British attacked New York, the army convicted one member of Washington’s guard for treason and sentenced him to a public hanging. An estimated 20,000 people witnessed the execution. The hanging gave other potential traitors food for thought, and along with a capable counterintelligence effort led by future Chief Justice John Jay, none of the British plot came to fruition.

I gave The First Conspiracy five stars on Goodreads. I found it both interesting, and a little frightening to see how little coincidences and luck influenced the outcome of the American Revolution.

 

photo credit: Calling Card? via photopin (license)