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By Frank R. Stockton
Originally published in 1896
WHEN a nation goes to war with another, it is
often necessary for the armies on each side
to leave behind some of the high and noble principles
which may have governed them at home. Of
course, war is bloody and cruel, and it almost always
happens that the officers and soldiers are obliged to
descend also to meanness and duplicity in order to
succeed in their campaigns.
One strong reason for this is the necessity for the
employment of spies. It is always desirable for the
commander of an army to know as far as possible
the condition of the enemy's force, and what he is
doing or intends to do. Consequently it is a common
thing to send spies into the enemy's ranks; and
the better those spies can deceive the soldiers of the
other side, the more valuable will be their report, if they
are fortunate enough to get back into their own camp.
Sometimes a spy will sneak into the enemy's lines,
and make his observations in concealment and safety;
but the most valuable spies are those which enter an
enemy's camp pretending sympathy and friendship. A
man who can do this well can find out a great deal.
In every army a spy from the other side is regarded as the worst of enemies, and if captured, his
punishment is death. An impartial outsider might
object to this severity, when it is considered that the
army which punishes the spy may, at the same time,
have spies of its own among the enemy. During
the Revolution, Major Andre was executed because
he came into the American lines as a spy, and at
the same time General Washington was very glad to
get a good spy to send into a British camp.
There was a man named John Honeyman, who
acted with great success in this capacity on the
patriotic side during the Revolution. Honeyman was
a Scotch-Irishman, and was said to be a remarkably
fine looking man. He was tall, strong, extremely
active, and had a fine military bearing. He had no
desire to become a soldier; but he was forced into
the British army, and came to this country in 1758,
when Abercrombie came over to attack the French
in Canada. Young Colonel Wolfe, who was afterwards
the famous General Wolfe who fell at Quebec,
had command of this army, and on the ship in which
he sailed was John Honeyman.
Military men are not as sure-footed as sailors on
board a ship, which may be rolling and tossing on
rough waters; and one day, as Colonel Wolfe was
coming into the cabin, he tripped and fell when he
was halfway down the companion way, and would
probably have broken his neck, if it had not been
that Honeyman happened to be at the bottom of the
steps, and caught the colonel in his arms, thus saving
him from injury.
It is very satisfactory for a full-grown man, especially
one whose profession exposes him to accidents
of various kinds, to be able to take into his service
another man who is tall enough and strong enough
to pick him up and carry him if it is necessary, and
who is also quick-witted enough to know when he
should interpose himself in case of danger.
Honeyman's conduct on this occasion made an impression on Colonel Wolfe; and when afterwards he
was made general, he took the tall soldier into his
bodyguard, and made him understand that, in times
when danger might be apprehended, he was to be
as near him as his duties would permit.
When the great attack was made upon Quebec,
Honeyman was one of the men who helped row the
boat which carried Wolfe over the river; and during
this passage a cannon ball from the enemy struck
an officer sitting very near Honeyman, and took off
his head. Had this happened to Honeyman, it would
have been a bad thing for New Jersey.
When they reached the opposite side, Honeyman
climbed the Heights of Abraham side by side with
his brave commander; and when, in the battle which
followed, Wolfe was killed, it was Honeyman who
bore him off the field. Thus the first and the last
service which this strong man rendered to his military
chief were very much the same.
About a year after this the war ended, and Honeyman
received an honorable discharge. He carried
with him the good will and commendation of his officers,
but he also took something which he valuedmore than these. While he was with General Wolfe,
that officer had given him letters expressing his good
opinion of him, and these afterwards proved of great
service.
Honeyman went southward, and lived for some
years in the American Colonies. He finally settled
in Philadelphia, where he married. When the Revolution
broke out, his sympathies were entirely with
the American side, but he did not immediately enlist
in the American army. When Washington came to
Philadelphia, Honeyman was very anxious to see
him and consult with him. It was difficult for a
man in the ordinary walks of life to obtain an interview
with the commander in chief; but Honeyman
sent in the letters which General Wolfe had given
him, and, after having read these, Washington was
very ready to see the man of whom that general
had such a high opinion. Washington soon discovered
that Honeyman was a man of peculiar
ability, and he had several interviews with him,
although it is not known what was said at these
times.
Before very long, Honeyman took his family to
Griggstown, in Somerset County, New Jersey, and
there he hired a house and settled. From this place
he went to Fort Lee, when Washington came into
New Jersey with his army, and had an interview with
the general; and here, it is said, he made a regular
contract with the commander in chief to become a spy
on the American side.
This Web version, edited by GET NJ, COPYRIGHT 2003
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