America Our Heritage
‘Poison Peas’ Plot to Kill George Washington
Traitors hatched bizarre scheme as British warships prepared to attack New York,
says historian Craig Shirley. W
hen we think of george washington’s command of the Continental Army during the American Revolution, we tend to give it short shrift, as in the battles of Boston
and Yorktown. There were of course many other clashes during those
seven long years, and there was also a lot of high drama, too. Washington, our fi rst con- stitutional president, is now revered and beloved, has a city named after him, a state, and, for a time, a national holiday. Hundreds of books have
been written about him and even one about his mother, Mary Ball Washington, by yours truly. Yet the highest drama of
the war, besides the Declara- tion of Independence and the traitorous actions of Benedict Arnold, was the attempt by his own men to kill him in 1776 as a large fl eet of British warships prepared to invade New York. It was led by Thomas Hickey, a member of Washing-
the resulting independence. The New York plot was in part about economics. Busi-
nessmen who depended on shipping wanted to keep exist- ing relations with England for fi nancial reasons. Among the dozen or so conspirators were William
Tryon, the governor of New York; David Matthews, the last colonial mayor of New York City; and Gen. Horatio “Granny” Gates, called Granny because of his premature gray hair, who commanded the Northern Army in the battles of Saratoga. The only reason the plot failed was because Hickey was imprisoned for dealing in counterfeit money and blabbed the details to a cellmate who, in turn, trying to curry favor, told the authorities.
It is not clear how they were
going to kill Washington, but the plan reportedly included feeding him poisoned peas. Hickey was court-mar-
tialed and charged with “excit- ing and joining in a mutiny and sedition” and “treacher- ously corresponding with, enlisting among, and receiv- ing pay from the enemies of the United Colonies.” He was hanged in front of
TRAITORS A conspiracy to assassinate Washington reportedly involved feeding him poisoned peas.
20,000 spectators on June 28, 1776 — the fi rst Continental soldier to be executed for treason.
Meanwhile, Thomas Jef-
ton’s Life Guard, the elite squad tasked with protecting him. Hickey, who was born in Ireland, had once served in the British army, but joined the Connecticut militia the year before. When Washington arrived in New York in anticipation
of the invasion, the air was already thick with conspira- cies. In fact, there were several other groups also seeking to eliminate or replace him. Washington was the essential man; the Revolution
might well have faltered without him. While others around bickered and complained and moaned, he kept his eye on the prize: the defeat of the British army and
34 NEWSMAX | APRIL 2023
ferson was in Philadelphia, together with Benjamin Franklin, toiling away on drafts of the Declaration of Independence. A future governor of Massachusetts, William Eustis,
was at Hickey’s hanging and later said of the plot that it was “the greatest and vilest attempt ever made against our country . . . the plot, the infernal plot which has been con- trived by our enemies.” But in character, Washington never mentioned the
scheme in any of his letters, except he simply wrote of squelching the conspiracy. “I am hopeful this example will produce many salutary consequences and deter others from entering into the like traitorous practices,” he wrote. And fortunately for all, the American Revolution was won.
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