The Crisis of the Revolution

              23
about 1700. For more than a century, and up to 1895, it was owned and occupied
by those by whose name it is still known—the Underhills. In 1780 its owner was
Isaac, whose widow, Sarah, survived until i8ia. Tradition—practically history,
as in the case of the Miller-Requa house—says that a band of Cowboys—
(probably those Captain Boyd had referred to)—had driven off all but one of her
cows the previous night. The present highway wall did not then exist, so our
travellers rode up to the backdoor—now hidden by the "lean-to"—where both
alighted and asked for breakfast. All Mrs. Underhill could give them, under the
circumstance of her loss, was the humble dish of " suppawn m (mush and milk).
Seated on the step of the back door,2 the talented young Adjutant ate his last
meal as a free man. At this stage of the journey, Smith and he parted—to his
speedy ruin. Nothing has ever been disclosed as to why this was done. White
Plains was still fifteen miles distant; Andre knew nothing of the region between,
while Smith knew it well. He had agreed to take his companion there, but made
no further effort to that end.8 The other could not force him to do it,4 and
possibly did not greatly desire his further company, feeling tolerably confident, as
Smith told him he was now beyond the American outposts.6 So, paying Mrs.
Underhill, dividing with Andre his Continental money, and giving him a message0
to his brother William, the Tory Chief-Justice at New York, whom Andre knew,
he and his servant returned to Crompond and thence northwest to Arnold's
quarters at the Robinson House, just below West Point on the east shore, and
told his story to the expectant traitor, with whom he says he dined.7 Unless
Arnold was concerned about Andre's being abandoned short of White Plains, he
must have felt assured of the success of his plot. Smith went on to Pishkill to
rejoin his family. His Whig connections have a fresh proof here. Colonel Ann
Hawkes Hay, of the Haverstraw militia, was married to Smith's sister, Martha,
and lived at Fishkill at this time.   It was to his house that Mrs. Smith and the
i A curious coincidence is that of Andrews contemptuous reference to this homely dish, in the Cow Chace. See
Appendix.
2 The view of this was made under difficulties, it being necessary to place the camera outside the back window.
The house is in good condition, and may last another century. If the owner, Mr. George Gregory, carries
out his expressed intention of removing the "lean-to," the back will appear in its original condition,
showing the "Andre" door." In the side view Miss Gregory is shown standing just where the "lean-to"
joins the original building.
3 The horse and equipments Andre" promised should be returned or paid for.
4 A singular fact is that Andr£, although knowing he was entering the enemy's country when leaving the
Vulture, was unarmed.
s Had Smith forgotten Foote's statement that Sheldon's force was at Robbins' Mills?
* One of his captors subsequently stated that when first seen by them he was intently studying a piece of paper
containing a rough map of the region south of Fine's Bridge. An obvious inference would be that Arnold
or Smith made it for him. No trace of it exists. It may have been lost when his boots were taken off at
Tarrytown.
7 He was no stranger to the house, but Colonel Richard Varick, Arnold's senior Aid, thoroughly disliked and
distrusted him, and not lone before had tried to pick a quarrel with him at dinner, until Mrs. Arnold
became annoyed and asked him to desist. Varick was so unsuspicious of the real relations existing between
Smith and his chief that he warned Arnold against him. Leake says Smith and Lamb were invited guests
at dinner on the eighteenth of September. This may have been the date of the quarrel between Varick
and Smith, but Leake does not mention it.