The Plot to Kill George Washington

REDACTED: Declassified Mysteries with Luke Lamana

Wondery | Ballen Studios

True Crime, History

4.3 • 668 Ratings

🗓️ 25 March 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the summer of 1776 as war with the British loomed over the American colonies, a shocking betrayal was brewing within General George Washington’s inner circle. His personal bodyguards were secretly plotting to kidnap him and end the revolution before it truly began. As tensions rose in New York, Washington raced to uncover the treachery in his ranks – before it was too late.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Wonderry Plus subscribers can listen to Redacted, declassified mysteries early, and ad-free right now.
0:07.0	Join Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts.
0:15.2	On June 28, 1776, General George Washington stood in the abandoned mansion that served as his headquarters, surrounded by his lieutenants.
0:31.1	Outside, New York City was in a state of chaos. In the sweltering summer heat, tensions were reaching a boiling point.
0:39.8	Treason was in the air. Washington's lieutenants watched closely as he lingered at the front door,
0:46.4	his hand hovering over the knob. He wanted to stay in the calm of the mansion a few minutes
0:51.1	longer because his next appointment of the day was a grim one.
0:55.3	He was heading to an execution.
0:58.4	Washington adjusted the blue sash that identified him as the commander-in-chief of the
1:02.8	Continental Army and pushed the door open.
1:06.5	Outside, he and his officers saddled their horses.
1:10.3	As they rode through the streets of the city, the entire Continental Army fell in line behind
1:15.2	them.
1:17.2	Washington led his troops through the dense woods of northern Manhattan.
1:21.2	He was flanked by the members of his lifeguards, a special unit of elite soldiers meant
1:25.9	to protect him from harm.
1:31.0	Usually, Washington felt confident with his guards,
1:36.5	but today he felt uneasy, exposed, unsafe.
1:39.5	That was because three days ago,
1:45.0	Washington had discovered a British plot to kidnap and possibly kill him. It had been constructed based on information leaked by some of his lifeguards.
1:50.0	He eyed his protectors, knowing any one of them might have betrayed him.
1:56.0	Finally, the 10,000 soldiers in the Continental Army arrived at a clearing in the forest, a quarter mile outside the city.
	...

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