Brad Meltzer - The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington

April 1776

The trap is set.

Its quiet on this night. Moonlight shines over a clearing in a dense wood.

The silence is broken by the drumbeat of hooves in the distance, growing steadily louder. Soon several uniformed men on horseback emerge from the blackness. The party halts not far from a large wooden manor house that sits at the clearings edge. A few of the riders dismount and prime their muskets, standing guard. They scan the clearing, apparently thinking all is safe.

Theyre wrong.

A moment later, another rider steps down from his horse. Hes taller than the rest and wears a long officers coat.

His name is George Washington, the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental army.

There is a traitorous plan against him. He has no idea its coming.

For the last ten months, since the day he was appointed to his command, Washington has had a nearly impossible task: to organize a scattered mess of backwoods militias and untrained volunteers into a functioning national army. And not just any army. This small, inexperienced, poorly equipped group of soldiers needs to stand up to what is probably the biggest and most powerful military force in the world. By any normal measure, they dont stand a chanceand Washington knows this, just as he knows that with every decision he makes, thousands of young soldiers lives could be lost.

Tonight, even more is at risk.

Washington has just arrived in the western woods of Manhattan, about two miles north of New York Citys bustling commercial district, which covers the islands southern tip. Hes just finished a weeklong journey from Boston, and hes here now to fortify the city against the first major British offensive of the war. What hes facing is terrifying: Sometime in the next few weeks or months, a massive fleet of the vaunted British navy will swarm into New York Harborhundreds of ships and tens of thousands of soldiers prepared to invade the city.

Theyre coming. Its just a question of when.

The colonies have placed all their hope and trust in him. It is up to this one man, George Washington, to lead the small Continental army and withstand the massive attack.

Tonight, among the soldiers accompanying Washington, a few are dressed differently from the rest, in short blue-and-white coats with brass buttons. Theyre known as the Life Guards, an elite group of specially trained soldiers handpicked to serve as Washingtons bodyguards. He takes particular pride in these men, whom he trusts above all others.

In the faint moonlight, Washington walks slowly toward the nearby manor house that will serve as his lodging for the next few critical weeks before the British attack.

Yet what George Washington doesnt know is that here in Manhattan, the coming battle isnt the only thing he should fear.

There are other enemies waiting for himenemies more dangerous than even the British army.

At this exact moment, three miles away due southeast in New York Harbor, a ship is anchored in the darkness. On board is one of the most powerful men of the coloniesthe exiled Governor of New Yorkand he is masterminding a clandestine plan to sabotage the colonies rebellion. In the dead of night, small boats carrying spies shuttle back and forth to him, delivering intelligence from shore.

At the same time, two miles away from where Washington now stands, the Mayor of New York City, working in concert with the Governor, carries a secret cache of money. His plan is to tempt Washingtons soldiers to betray their army and their countrymen in a breathtaking act of treason.