Thomas Hickey (soldier)

Thomas Hickey (hung on June 28, 1776) was a Continental Army soldier in the American Revolutionary War, and the first person executed for treason against what would become the United States. Born in Ireland, he came to America as a soldier in the British Army and fought as personal assistant to Major General William Johnson in the Seven Years' War, but deserted to the other side when the Revolution broke out. He became part of the Life Guard, which protected Gen. George Washington, his staff and the Continental Army's payroll. Hickey was jailed for passing counterfeit money in New York, tried and executed for mutiny and sedition, and he may have been involved in an assassination plot against George Washington in 1776.

In April 1776, after the conclusion of the Boston campaign, Gen. Washington and the Continental Army marched to New York City and prepared for an anticipated attempt by the British Army to occupy the city. The Royal Governor of New York, William Tryon, had been driven out of the city by revolutionary forces and was compelled to seek refuge on a ship in New York Harbor. Nevertheless, the city had many Loyalist residents who favored the British side.

Thomas Hickey was a private in the Commander-in-Chief's Guard, a unit formed on 12 March 1776 to protect Gen. George Washington, his official papers and the Continental Army's cash. That spring Hickey and another soldier were arrested for passing counterfeit money. While incarcerated into Bridewell prison, Hickey revealed to another prisoner, Isaac Ketchum, that he was part of a wider conspiracy of soldiers who were prepared to defect to the British once the expected invasion came. Arrested by civilian authorities, Hickey was turned over to the Continental Army for trial. He was court-martialed and found guilty of mutiny and sedition. He was hanged on June 28, 1776 at the corner of Chrystie and Grand Streets before a crowd of 20,000 spectators in New York. Hickey was the only person put on trial for the conspiracy. During the trial David Mathews, the loyalist Mayor of New York City, was accused of funding the operation to bribe soldiers to join the British. Although the charge was never proven, Mathews and 12 others were briefly imprisoned. The conspiracy became greatly exaggerated in rumor, and was alleged to include plans to kidnap Washington, assassinate his officers and blow up the Continental Army's ammunition magazines. The rumors greatly damaged the reputation of Loyalists throughout the nascent United States.

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