Significant other(s) 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. Washington also infiltrated men into New York City in an attempt to capture Arnold.

The other leg ached constantly, and he walked only with a cane. He then directed the construction of a fleet to defend Lake Champlain, which was overmatched and defeated in the October 1776 Battle of Valcour Island.

But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Because of the constant agony of two battlefield wounds in an already gout-ridden leg?

196–197, Military career of Benedict Arnold, 1775–1776, Military career of Benedict Arnold, 1777–79, President's House (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 1831 plaque to the victims of the "Traitor, Benedict Arnold", 10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0200008, "Independence National Historical Park: History of the President's House", "The Culper Spy Ring - American Revolution - HISTORY.com", "Native Norwich Is Ignoring Benedict Arnold", "Benedict Arnold: The Aftermath Of Treason", National Park Service – Saratoga Monument, "In Commemoration of Arnold's Expedition to Quebec", "Letter: Some recognize Gen. Arnold as true hero of the Revolutionary War", "Letter, Benedict Arnold to George Washington pleading for mercy for his wife", "Benedict Arnold: The Aftermath of Treason", "Saratoga National Historical Park – Activities", "Saratoga National Historical Park – Tour Stop 7", links to primary sources about Benedict Arnold before and after his treason, Arnold, Benedict (1741–1801), army officer | Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, African Americans in the Revolutionary War, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benedict_Arnold&oldid=984933606, 18th-century American non-fiction writers, American expatriates in the United Kingdom, British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War, British people of the French Revolutionary Wars, British spies during the American Revolution, Businesspeople from New Haven, Connecticut, Connecticut militiamen in the American Revolution, Continental Army officers from Connecticut, Continental Army personnel who were court-martialed, Military personnel from Norwich, Connecticut, People of Connecticut in the French and Indian War, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2019, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2020, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Courtwright, Julie.
Rank Benedict Arnold Owain Yeoman Famed for his bravery and grit, Arnold was regarded by Washington as his finest battlefield commander.

He dared not tell me his name. [137] Social historian Brian Carso notes that, as the 19th century progressed, the story of Arnold's betrayal was portrayed with near-mythical proportions as a part of the national history. His mother came from a wealthy family, but his father squandered their estate. [141] The boy is not identified until the end of the story, when his place of birth is given as Norwich, Connecticut, and his name is given as Benedict Arnold.

Arnold was also deeply in debt and newly married to an ambitious woman. Affiliation Lehman spent time looking over Arnold’s letters and other first-hand accounts. As early as 1778, there were signs that Arnold was unhappy with his situation and pessimistic about the country's future. [143], Canadian historians have treated Arnold as a relatively minor figure. 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". [4] Others in his military and political circles brought charges against him of corruption or other malfeasance, but most often he was acquitted in formal inquiries. [25] Arnold initially took no part in any public demonstrations but, like many merchants, continued to do business openly in defiance of the Parliamentary Acts, which legally amounted to smuggling. He was on his way home from Ticonderoga when he learned that his wife had died earlier in June. [85] When he reached Connecticut, Arnold arranged to sell his home there and began transferring assets to London through intermediaries in New York. [87], Benedict Arnold next wrote a series of letters to Clinton, even before he might have expected a response to the 7 July letter. Washington was one of the few who genuinely liked and admired him, but Arnold thought that Washington had betrayed him. Nationality [83] A significant number of these documents had been lost during the retreat from Quebec.
[48] Burgoyne surrendered ten days after the second battle on 17 October 1777. His chaplain Rev. [38] He also had disagreements with John Brown and James Easton, two lower-level officers with political connections that resulted in ongoing suggestions of improprieties on his part.



On 25 August, Peggy finally delivered to him Clinton's agreement to the terms. [31] The household was dominated by Arnold's sister Hannah, even while Margaret was alive.

[97], André was captured near Tarrytown, New York on Saturday, 23 September by three Westchester militiamen.

[101], Arnold learned of André's capture the morning of 24 September while waiting for Washington, with whom he was going to have breakfast at his headquarters in British Col. Beverley Robinson's former summer house on the east bank of the Hudson.

[131], Arnold left a small estate, reduced in size by his debts, which Peggy undertook to clear. [138] Jefferson Davis and other southern secessionist leaders were unfavorably compared to Arnold, implicitly and explicitly likening the idea of secession to treason.

[13] In 1757 when he was 16, he did enlist in the Connecticut militia, which marched off toward Albany, New York and Lake George.

[142] However, not all depictions of Arnold were so negative. Did he become a traitor because of all the injustice he suffered, real and imagined, at the hands of the Continental Congress and his jealous fellow generals? [68] Biographer Nathaniel Philbrick argues: Peggy Shippen… did have a significant role in the plot.

[115], In London, Arnold aligned himself with the Tories, advising Germain and King George III to renew the fight against the Americans. British ArmyFormerly:Continental Army

[76] By October 1779, the negotiations had ground to a halt. Many historians point to her as facilitating Arnold's plans to switch sides; he opened secret negotiations with André, and Peggy relayed the messages. [74], By July 1779, Benedict Arnold was providing the British with troop locations and strengths, as well as the locations of supply depots, all the while negotiating over compensation. [23], The Sugar Act of 1764 and the Stamp Act of 1765 severely curtailed mercantile trade in the colonies. Benedict Arnold (14 January 1741 [O.S. © 2020 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Benedict Arnold was born a British subject, the second of six children of Benedict Arnold (1683–1761) and Hannah Waterman King in Norwich, Connecticut Colony on 14 January 1741. [37] However, an acrimonious dispute with Moses Hazen, commander of the 2nd Canadian Regiment, boiled into Hazen's court martial at Ticonderoga during the summer of 1776. "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." Jameson reluctantly recalled the lieutenant who had been delivering André into Arnold's custody, but he then sent the same lieutenant as a messenger to notify Arnold of André's arrest. Benedict Arnold, seated at the table, as he hands papers to British officer John Andre during the American Revolutionary War.



[63], Wetherell says that the shortest explanation for his treason is that he "married the wrong person. [152] 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. "[116] George Johnstone turned him down for a position in the East India Company and explained: "Although I am satisfied with the purity of your conduct, the generality do not think so. [136] George Canning Hill authored a series of moralistic biographies in the mid-19th century and began his 1865 biography of Arnold: "Benedict, the Traitor, was born…". In 1755, Arnold was attracted by the sound of a drummer and attempted to enlist in the provincial militia for service in the French and Indian War, but his mother refused permission. The fourth niche is pointedly empty. [111], 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 enrolled in a private school in nearby Canterbury, Connecticut, when he was 10, with the expectation that he would eventually attend Yale University.