While the Continental Congress in Philadelphia was aggressively debating the final wording of the Declaration of Independence, a far more sinister and deadly drama was unfolding on the streets of New York City. American Patriot authorities successfully dismantled a massive, British conspiracy designed to completely decapitate the American rebellion before it could even officially declare its independence. At the center of this treasonous web was none other than the Mayor of NYC, David Mathews.The plot was orchestrated by the ousted Royal Governor of NY, William Tryon, who was operating safely from a British warship anchored out in NY Harbor. Tryon used deep colonial networks and a vast reserve of British gold to recruit local Loyalists and, corrupt members of Gen. Washington’s inner circle. The primary objective of the conspiracy was: assassinate Gen. Washington, blow up the Continental Army’s ammunition magazines, sabotage the city’s artillery defenses, and pave the way for a swift, overwhelming British naval invasion.
The conspirators managed to successfully infiltrate Washington’s personal security detail, the Commander-in-Chief's Guard, or Life Guards, an elite unit that served as Washington's personal bodyguards. Among the turncoats was Sergeant Thomas Hickey, a member of Washington's personal guard who possessed direct, daily access to Washington.
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| Illustration of the banner of the Commander-in-Chief's Guard. Image from Benson J. Lossing, The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution, Vol. 2. (New York: Harper, 1852), 120. |
Sgt. Hickey and another conspirator were arrested and tossed into a New York jail on unrelated charges of counterfeiting continental currency. Hickey arrogantly began bragging to a fellow inmate about a the massive, lucrative plot. The cellmate, Patriot supporter Isaac Ketcham, realized the gravity of the situation and immediately informed authorities.
Recognizing the existential threat to the revolution, a secret committee was formed to handle counterintelligence, led by a brilliant young lawyer named John Jay. Acting on Ketcham's jailhouse tip, Jay’s committee moved with lethal speed. On the morning of June 22, 1776, Patriot forces surrounded the home of Mayor David Mathews and placed him under arrest for funding and organizing the conspiracy. Within 48 hours, dozens of other high-profile Loyalist conspirators across Long Island and Manhattan were rounded up.
Sergeant Thomas Hickey was swiftly pulled from his jail cell and subjected to a formal military court-martial. On June 26, he was found guilty of mutiny and sedition. Two days later, on June 28, 1776, Hickey was marched to a field near Bowery Lane and publicly hanged before an estimated crowd of 20,000 spectators, including almost the entirety of Washington's local army. It remains the first recorded military execution for treason in U.S. history.
Had this plot succeeded 250 years ago today, Washington would have been dead, New York would have fallen instantly, and the United States of America may have been entirely defeated.
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