Benedict Arnold, shown on the left concealing his plans in John Andr's boot, has become synonymous with treason but before he betrayed America, he saved it. When American leaders discovered the plot, Arnold fled. This long after he lived, it would probably be impossible to know whether Benedict Arnold liked or disliked any particular food. Arnold and Wemyss faced similar situations but created different legaciesWemyss "served with distinction during the war" but became a footnote in history; Arnold lost the respect of people on all sides of the Revolution and his name became synonymously linked to treason. After Arnold was wounded in 1777, George Washington named him military governor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, recently abandoned by the British. [68] Stansbury ignored instructions from Arnold to involve no one else in the plot, and he crossed the British lines and went to see Jonathan Odell in New York. Peggy came from a loyalist family in Philadelphia; she had many ties to the British. By Joyce Lee Malcolm. They issued him a colonel's commission on May 3, 1775, and he immediately rode off to Castleton in the disputed New Hampshire Grants (Vermont) in time to participate with Ethan Allen and his men in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga. For his services he was restored to his proper relative rank. Arnold had the power to act, to defy the stresses of business and the dangers of the battlefield; but Peggy had the power to endure. He traveled extensively in the course of his business throughout New England and from Quebec to the West Indies, often in command of one of his own ships. This monument was erected under the patronage of the State of Connecticut in the 55th year of the Independence of the U.S.A. in memory of the brave patriots massacred at Fort Griswold near this spot on the 6th of Sept. [135] Jefferson Davis and other southern secessionist leaders were unfavorably compared to Arnold, implicitly and explicitly likening the idea of secession to treason. "Arnold, Benedict (17411801)". At the age of sixteen, Arnold enlisted in a militia and served in the French and Indian War in upstate New York . The Hudson River Chain today He is also believed to have built the first U.S. telescope. Together, they won the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga, America's first victory in the Revolutionary War. [114] His reputation also came under criticism in the British press, especially when compared to Major Andr who was celebrated for his patriotism. Yet as every elementary school student knows, Benedict reneged on his original commitment and defected to England. He and his men were joined by Richard Montgomery's small army and participated in the December 31 assault on Quebec City in which Montgomery was killed and Arnold's leg was shattered. He was extremely unpopular there and returned to London permanently in 1791, where he died ten years later. Before anyone spouts off about me being a 'libtard' I am a conservative. [31], Arnold was in the West Indies when the Boston Massacre took place on March 5, 1770. Soon after Ticonderoga, Arnold brought his men on a dangerous trek through the . But despite all the financial and political reasons he had for his betrayal, it's possible it was actually about love. Unable to obtain a regular commission in the British army after the war, Arnold pursued various business ventures like land speculation and privateering before permanently settling in London. Early in May he made secret overtures to British headquarters, and a year later he informed the British of a proposed American invasion of Canada. Arnold commanded the army only until May 20, when Lord Cornwallis arrived with the southern army and took over. Washington refused his offer to resign, and wrote to members of Congress in an attempt to correct this, noting that "two or three other very good officers" might be lost if they persisted in making politically motivated promotions. Benedict Arnold was an American Senior Officer during the Revolutionary War. [149] The faculty club at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton has a Benedict Arnold Room in which letters written by Arnold hang on the walls. Arnold said that it would have been better had it been in the chest instead of the leg. He won a victory at Fort Stanwix (now Rome) in August 1777 and commanded advance battalions at the Battle of Saratoga that autumn, fighting brilliantly until seriously wounded. Mo talks with author Nathaniel Philbrick about the now . He began to drink heavily, and . Benedict Arnold Is America's Most Famous Traitor. He returned to the army at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in May 1778 to the applause of men who had served under him at Saratoga. Background. The arched, double-door main entrance provided a stately, picturesque quality to the home. Benedict Arnold's name has become infamous for his treacherous acts regarding the fort at West Point, which he was in command of, and his very name has even become a synonym for either treason or betrayal. The French had besieged Fort William Henry in northeastern New York, and their Indian allies had committed atrocities after their victory. Answer (1 of 54): Go up to most British people and ask who Benedict Arnold was, and you will get a resounding "who?" back. He was enrolled in a private school in nearby Canterbury, Connecticut, when he was 10, with the expectation that he would eventually attend Yale College. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. In exchange for cash and a commission in the British army, Major General Arnold promised to betray his cause and hand over the American fort at West Point. He had established a decent relationship with George Washington, as well as Philip Schuyler and Horatio Gates, both of whom had command of the army's Northern Department during 1775 and 1776. He dared not tell me his name. Benedict Arnold was unhappy with his position in the Continental Army by the time he betrayed the cause of the American Revolution to the British. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. After the war, he petitioned to have Vermont become a state. However, the deaths of his siblings two years later may have contributed to a decline in the family fortunes, since his father took up drinking. [42] Amid negotiations over that issue, Arnold wrote out a letter of resignation on July 11, the same day that word arrived in Philadelphia that Fort Ticonderoga had fallen to the British. [66] Biographer Nathaniel Philbrick argues: Peggy Shippen did have a significant role in the plot. [6] With the outbreak of the French Revolution, Arnold outfitted a privateer, while continuing to do business in the West Indies, even though the hostilities increased the risk. [103] The anti-war Whigs had gained the upper hand in Parliament, and Germain was forced to resign, with the government of Lord North falling not long after. [6][103] Among his bequests were considerable gifts to one John Sage, perhaps an illegitimate son or grandson. [a][133] Historical markers in Danvers, Massachusetts, and Newburyport, MA commemorate Arnold's 1775 expedition to Quebec. Major-General Nathanael Greene (August 7 [O.S. In 1764, he formed a partnership with Adam Babcock, another young New Haven merchant. She exerted powerful influence on her husband, who is said to have been his own man but who actually was swayed by his staff and certainly by his wife. The sacrifice of Andr made Arnold odious to loyalists, and his reputation was further tarnished among his former neighbours when he led a raid on New London, Connecticut, in September 1781. Benedict Arnold, (born January 14, 1741, Norwich, Connecticut [U.S.]died June 14, 1801, London, England), patriot officer who served the cause of the American Revolution until 1779, when he shifted his allegiance to the British. Arnold was let off with just a slap on the wrist, but again his pride had been wounded. Benedict Arnold's reasons for betraying America were extraordinarily complex. "No," he replied, and after a few moments of silence, noticing my surprise, he added, "I am perhaps the only American who cannot give you letters for his own country all the relations I had there are now broken I must never return to the States." The most famous of these occurred on May 10, 1775, when Ethan Allen and his band of Green Mountain Boys, accompanied by Benedict Arnold, who held a commission from . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Benjamin Franklin wrote that "Judas sold only one man, Arnold three millions", and Alexander Scammell described his actions as "black as hell". He was also convicted of two minor charges of using his authority to make a profit. [110], Even before Cornwallis's surrender in October, Arnold had requested permission from Clinton to go to England to give Lord George Germain his thoughts on the war in person. [3] Some among those in his military and political circles charged him with corruption and other bad acts. [108], On his return to New York in June, Arnold made a variety of proposals for attacks on economic targets to force the Americans to end the war. He was a general that preferred to lead in the front then the back, always riding his horse into battle alongside his men. He did, however, investigate its extent, and suggested that he was willing to exchange Andr for Arnold during negotiations with Clinton concerning Andr's fate. Four days later, Arnold sent a ciphered letter with similar content into New York through the services of the wife of a prisoner of war. [105] He also wrote in the letter to Washington requesting safe passage for Peggy: "Love to my country actuates my present conduct, however it may appear inconsistent to the world, who very seldom judge right of any man's actions. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. But You Probably Don't Know His Whole Story Illustration showing Major General Benedict Arnold (1741 - 1801) rallying the American troops. The other leg ached constantly, and he walked only with a cane. In a July 11 letter, he complained that the British did not appear to trust him, and threatened to break off negotiations unless progress was made. Brown was particularly vicious, publishing a handbill which claimed of Arnold, "Money is this man's God, and to get enough of it he would sacrifice his country". Neither side knew for some days that the other was in agreement with that offer, due to difficulties in getting the messages across the lines. Later he became infamous for being a traitor, fighting for the British. His father was a successful businessman and young Benedict had a comfortable childhood. [84], Arnold next wrote a series of letters to Clinton, even before he might have expected a response to the July 7 letter. Before his betrayal Benedict Arnold was a legitimate hero and a competent officer. During this time, Arnold brought his sister Hannah to New Haven and established her in his apothecary to manage the business in his absence. 8. Before his name became synonymous with treason, Benedict Arnold was a bonafide hero of the American Revolutionary War. The British withdrew from Philadelphia in June 1778, and Washington appointed Arnold military commander of the city. [45] He then distinguished himself in both Battles of Saratoga, even though General Gates removed him from field command after the first battle, following a series of escalating disagreements and disputes that culminated in a shouting match. [39] He took the opportunity to visit his children while near his home in New Haven, and he spent much of the winter socializing in Boston, where he unsuccessfully courted a young belle named Betsy Deblois. [12] In 1757 when he was 16, he did enlist in the Connecticut militia, which marched off toward Albany, New York, and Lake George. He claimed that Arnold was guilty of all kinds of treasonous acts and preferred the company of the British loyalists, all without offering any proof. [1] [7] Arnold was the fourth surviving member of his family named after his great-grandfather Benedict Arnold I, an early governor of the Colony of Rhode Island; his grandfather (Benedict Arnold II) and father, as well as an older brother who died in infancy, were also named for the colonial governor. [19][20] The captain was wounded in the first exchange of gunfire, and he apologized when Arnold threatened to aim to kill on the second. After the usual exchange of greetings I ventured to request from him some letters of introduction to his friends in America. [123], In January 1801, Arnold's health began to decline. These charges were then referred to Congress, and Arnold asked for an immediate court-martial to clear himself. Historians have several theories about why Arnold became a traitor: greed; mounting debt; resentment of other officers; a hatred of the Continental Congress; and a desire for the colonies to remain under British rule. 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