General Washington gave him a light reprimand, but it merely heightened Arnold's sense of betrayal; nonetheless, he had already opened negotiations with the British before his court martial even began. Arnold eventually moved to England where he became a merchant. He then presented the attack of Fort Ticonderoga. Soon after Ticonderoga, Arnold brought his men on a dangerous trek through the . They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. Jul 4, 2020, 05:04 AM EDT | Updated Jul 4, 2020. She was the conduit for information to the British. Harper's Weekly published an article in 1861 describing Confederate leaders as "a few men directing this colossal treason, by whose side Benedict Arnold shines white as a saint". Washington was one of the few who genuinely liked and admired him, but Arnold thought that Washington had betrayed him. Lee Moran. 8. Arnold's name had become synonymous with the word traitor. [89] Eventually, a meeting was set for September 11 near Dobb's Ferry. [69] This was the beginning of a secret correspondence between Arnold and Andr, sometimes using his wife Peggy as a willing intermediary, which culminated more than a year later with Arnold's change of sides. Arnold was born in Connecticut. His scheme was to surrender the fort to the British, but it was exposed in September 1780 when revolution militia captured Andr carrying papers which revealed the plot. Wallace, Willard M. "Benedict Arnold: Traitorous Patriot." [58] She married Arnold on April 8, 1779. [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. Upon the outbreak of hostilities at Lexington, Massachusetts (April 1775), Arnold volunteered for service and participated with Ethan Allen in the successful colonial attack on British-held Fort Ticonderoga, New York, the following month. Angry and frustrated, Arnold resigned his military command of Philadelphia in late April. It was donated by Civil War General John Watts DePeyster, and its inscription reads: "In memory of the most brilliant soldier of the Continental army, who was desperately wounded on this spot, winning for his countrymen the decisive battle of the American Revolution, and for himself the rank of Major General. [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. Benedict Arnold betrayed the Continental Army to the British when he made secret overtures to British headquarters in May 1779 and, a year later, informed the British of a proposed American invasion of Canada. "[65] A few days later, Arnold wrote to Greene and lamented over the "deplorable" and "horrid" situation of the country at that particular moment, citing the depreciating currency, disaffection of the army, and internal fighting in Congress, while predicting "impending ruin" if things did not change soon. Arnold's letters continued to detail Washington's troop movements and provide information about French reinforcements that were being organized. His company marched northeast the following month to assist in the siege of Boston that followed the Battles of Lexington and Concord. [130] In Arnold's home town of Norwich, Connecticut, someone scrawled "the traitor" next to his record of birth at city hall, and all of his family's gravestones have been destroyed except his mother's.[131]. It is impossible to say when 37-year-old Benedict Arnold first met 18-year-old Peggy Shippen, but we do know that on September 25, 1778, he wrote her a love lettermuch of it an exact copy of . [8] His siblings were, in order of birth: Benedict (17381739), Hannah (17421803), Mary (17451753), Absolom (17471750), and Elizabeth (17491755). [47] Burgoyne surrendered ten days after the second battle on October 17, 1777. While en route to West Point, Arnold renewed an acquaintance with Joshua Hett Smith, who had spied for both sides and who owned a house near the western bank of the Hudson about 15 miles south of West Point. As a young man, Arnold. [30] The household was dominated by Arnold's sister Hannah, even while Margaret was alive. Shutterstock Though one might guess that the dish was named for Benedict Arnold, the most famous traitor of the American Revolution, it was not. Arnold became a shrewd and prosperous trader in New Haven while also joining the local militia in 1774 and being named its captain soon thereafter. He then took the letter back to Connecticut, suspicious of Arnold's actions, where he delivered it to the head of the Connecticut militia. Benedict Arnold, despite his bravery on the battlefield, eventually switched sides and became the most infamous traitor in American history. -Benedict Arnold, January, 1780. [71], By July 1779, Arnold was providing the British with troop locations and strengths, as well as the locations of supply depots, all the while negotiating over compensation. He later said in his own defense that he was loyal to his true beliefs, yet he lied at the same time by insisting that Peggy was totally innocent and ignorant of his plans. In that era, people ate most of the common foods without. His ventures met with mixed success. [35], During these actions, Arnold made a number of friends and a larger number of enemies within the army power structure and in Congress. [9], Arnold's father was a successful businessman, and the family moved in the upper levels of Norwich society. 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. After Benedict Arnold betrayed the Continental Army, his British contact, Major John Andr, was captured by the Americans and hanged as a spy while Arnold escaped on a British ship. Arnold mingled with Loyalist sympathizers in Philadelphia and married into a Loyalist family when he wedded Peggy Shippen. On August 25, Peggy finally delivered to him Clinton's agreement to the terms. By the time that he was 14, there was no money for private education. Many historians see her as having facilitated Arnold's plans to switch sides; he opened secret negotiations with her friend Andr, and she relayed their messages to each other. [132], Early biographers attempted to describe Arnold's entire life in terms of treacherous or morally questionable behavior. After organizing an assemblage of volunteers, he seized munitions from the New Haven arsenal and led his group northward to fight the British. For additional information about Arnold's amazing career as a Continental officer, consult James Kirby Martin, Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary Hero: An American Warrior Reconsidered (New York, 1997). [72] Clinton was pursuing a campaign to gain control of the Hudson River Valley, and was interested in plans and information on the defenses of West Point and other defenses on the Hudson River. Benedict Arnold These letters were delivered by Samuel Wallis, another Philadelphia businessman who spied for the British, rather than by Stansbury. In 1787, he moved to Canada to run a merchant business with his sons Richard and Henry. [55], Andr conferred with Clinton, who gave him broad authority to pursue Arnold's offer. [40] In February 1777, he learned that he had been passed over by Congress for promotion to major general. Various translations of Sun Tzu's The Art of War have been published over the past century. [99][100] Upon receiving Jameson's message, however, he learned that Jameson had sent Washington the papers which Andr was carrying. An epidemic of yellow fever ravaged Arnold's family in the 1750s, however, claiming three of his . Benedict Arnold (14 January 1741 [O.S. [55], Arnold lived extravagantly in Philadelphia and was a prominent figure on the social scene. "Arnold, Benedict (17411801)". [62], Arnold had been badly wounded twice in battle and had lost his business in Connecticut, which made him profoundly bitter. [18] On one of his voyages, he fought a duel in Honduras with a British sea captain who had called him a "damned Yankee, destitute of good manners or those of a gentleman". Benedict Arnold was named brigadier general by the British government and sent on raids to . [b][6] He led British forces in the Raid of Richmond and nearby areas, and they burned much of New London, Connecticut, to the ground and slaughtered surrendering forces after the Battle of Groton Heightsjust a few miles downriver from the town where he had grown up. The Portrayal of Benedict Arnold in American History", Shy, John. [50] There he participated in the first recorded Oath of Allegiance, along with many other soldiers, as a sign of loyalty to the United States.[51]. Only a few weeks after learning of Arnold's treason, General George Washington enlisted a Continental Army sergeant major named John Champe in a daring mission to capture him from behind. The first man was a British major named John Andre. Benedict Arnold was born on January 14, 1741, in Norwich, Colony of Connecticut, British America. He had his leg crudely set, rather than allowing it to be amputated, leaving it 2 inches (5cm) shorter than the right. [49][citation not found], Arnold spent several months recovering from his injuries. 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. Again he tried to resign, but in July he accepted a government order to help stem the British advance into upper New York. This meeting was thwarted when British gunboats in the river fired on his boat, not being informed of his impending arrival. Clinton was uninterested in most of his aggressive ideas, but finally authorized him to raid the port of New London, Connecticut. He performed operations that provided the Americans with relief during the Siege of Fort Stanwix, and key actions during the pivotal 1777 Battles of Saratoga, in which he sustained leg injuries that put him out of combat career for several years. He was a war hero who persistently fought for America's independence. Benedict Arnold began the Revolutionary War as a militia captain. This plan very nearly succeeded, but Arnold changed living quarters prior to sailing for Virginia in December and thus avoided capture. [138] 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. The absent name is Benedict Arnold, a name now synonymous with "traitor." Many Americans understand why his name has been erased from the chapel of the garrison he once commanded. [38], General Washington assigned Arnold to the defense of Rhode Island following the British seizure of Newport in December 1776, where the militia were too poorly equipped to even consider an attack on the British. 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 . His physicians diagnosed him as having dropsy, and a visit to the countryside only temporarily improved his condition. Working as a spy, Armistead gained the trust of General Cornwallis and Benedict Arnold,. Together, they won the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga, America's first victory in the Revolutionary War. Washington also infiltrated men into New York City in an attempt to capture Arnold. Especially galling was a long feud with the civil authorities in Philadelphia which led to his court-martial. [148] He was buried at St Mary's Church, Battersea, England which has a commemorative stained glass window. Discussions had not borne fruit between Schuyler and Washington by early June. Unlike his accomplishments in the battlefield, Arnold was not a good Governor. Andr then drafted instructions to Stansbury and Arnold. 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. Historians have identified many possible factors contributing to Arnold's treason, while some debate their relative importance. [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. In 1775, when the war began, he was a merchant operating ships in the Atlantic Ocean. Promoted to the rank of brigadier general, Arnold constructed a flotilla on Lake Champlain and inflicted severe losses on a greatly superior enemy fleet near Valcour Island, New York (October 11, 1776). At the age of sixteen, Arnold enlisted in a militia and served in the French and Indian War in upstate New York . [146] There are also historical markers bearing his name at Wyman Lake Rest Area on US-201 north of Moscow, Maine, on the western bank of Lake Champlain, New York, and two in Skowhegan, Maine.[147]. Andr was captured the next day, near Tarrytown, with those plans tucked inside his boot. At critical moments Arnold inspired the Patriots with his grit and determination and earned the admiration of George Washington. He is also believed to have built the first U.S. telescope. These charges were then referred to Congress, and Arnold asked for an immediate court-martial to clear himself. [23] The Stamp Act prompted Arnold to join the chorus of voices in opposition, and also led to his joining the Sons of Liberty, a secret organization which advocated resistance to those and other restrictive Parliamentary measures. At first, he asked for indemnification of his losses and 10,000,[b] an amount that the Continental Congress had given Charles Lee for his services in the Continental Army. betrayal. Arnold arrived in New Brunswick in December 1785, so Sage's mother could not have been from there. 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. It was invoked again as sectional conflicts increased in the years before the American Civil War. [83], Andr returned victorious from the Siege of Charleston on June 18, and both he and Clinton were immediately caught up in this news. The September 21 meeting with British Major John Andre was a disaster for both men. Apparently, Arnold also had self-confidence issues and his new wife Peggy wasn't helping the situation. On May 9, Franklin introduced Stansbury to Major Andr, who had just been named the British spy chief. Before his betrayal Benedict Arnold was a legitimate hero and a competent officer. Peggy came from a loyalist family in Philadelphia; she had many ties to the British. His first name was actually Enoch. [27] Their son Benedict was born the following year[28] and was followed by brothers Richard in 1769 and Henry in 1772. Arnold commanded the army only until May 20, when Lord Cornwallis arrived with the southern army and took over. He led a force of more than 1,700 men which burned most of New London to the ground on September 4, causing damage estimated at $500,000. He returned a hero, but his rash courage and impatient energy had aroused the enmity of several officers. A Connecticut militia force arrived at Ticonderoga in June; Arnold had a dispute with its commander over control of the fort, and resigned his Massachusetts commission. AD 1781, when the British, under the command of the Traitor Benedict Arnold, burnt the towns of New London and Groton and spread desolation and woe throughout the region. Benedict Arnold is an American Revolutionary War General who is known for being the best American Strategist during the war. With Benedict Arnold, he led the Green Mountain Boys to capture Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775. He would be an apprentice in the mercantile trade for seven years. 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. In 1763, he repaid money that he had borrowed from the Lathrops,[17] repurchased the family homestead that his father had sold when deeply in debt, and re-sold it a year later for a substantial profit. [54] Such schemes were not uncommon among American officers, but Arnold's schemes were sometimes frustrated by powerful local politicians such as Joseph Reed, who eventually amassed enough evidence to publicly air charges against him. He was the second of the couple's six children. Benedict Arnold's name is synonymous with the word traitor. [67], Early in May 1779, Arnold met with Philadelphia merchant Joseph Stansbury[c] who then "went secretly to New York with a tender of [Arnold's] services to Sir Henry Clinton". [11], Arnold was very close to his mother, who died in 1759. [118] The family moved to Saint John in 1787, where Arnold created an uproar with a series of bad business deals and petty lawsuits. [76] Several members on the panel of judges were ill-disposed toward Arnold over actions and disputes earlier in the war, yet Arnold was cleared of all but two minor charges on January 26, 1780. [116] Delivery of his first ship the Lord Sheffield was accompanied by accusations from the builder that Arnold had cheated him; Arnold claimed that he had merely deducted the contractually agreed amount when the ship was delivered late. General George Washington had given him his fullest trust and had placed him in command of West Point in New York. Benedict Arnold's reasons for betraying America were extraordinarily complex. At the end of 1781 Arnold went to England. During the American War for Independence, several engagements were fought at the five-pointed star-shaped Fort Ticonderoga. 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. 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. Unable to find a new military or. 10 interesting facts about st benedict. [48] However, he interpreted the manner in which they did so as an act of sympathy for his wounds, and not an apology or recognition that they were righting a wrong. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Arnold established himself in business in 1762 as a pharmacist and bookseller in New Haven, Connecticut, with the help of the Lathrops. He returned to the army at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in May 1778 to the applause of men who had served under him at Saratoga. Some historians suggested an Arnold liaison in New Brunswick, but Canadian historian Barry Wilson noted the weakness of this traditional account. By. Despite Arnold's defection to the British, he was a fierce patriot for . [66] Biographer Nathaniel Philbrick argues: Peggy Shippen did have a significant role in the plot. They had no reason to suspect that Gen. Benedict Arnold, the new commander of the post, would be less than a gracious host. His chaplain Rev. On December 8, 1781, Arnold and his family left New York for England. 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. [41], Arnold was on his way to Philadelphia to discuss his future when he was alerted that a British force was marching toward a supply depot in Danbury, Connecticut. Arnold immediately hastened to the shore and ordered bargemen to row him downriver to where HMS Vulture was anchored, fleeing on it to New York City. One colonel wrote to Clinton concerning Arnold: "There are many officers who must wish some other general in command. [11], 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. As early as 1778, there were signs that Arnold was unhappy with his situation and pessimistic about the country's future. He joined the growing American army outside of Boston, and distinguished himself by acts that demonstrated intelligence and bravery: In 1775, he captured Fort Ticonderoga. [73] By October 1779, the negotiations had ground to a halt. After his leg healed, Benedict Arnold was named Military Governor of Philadelphia. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defecting to the British side of the conflict in 1780. How did Benedict Arnold betray the Continental Army to the British? BENEDICT ARNOLD REMAINS the most notorious man in American history, his name a synonym for traitor. Interview with Philbrick in Michael Dolan, "Hero And Villain,", Julie Courtwright, "Whom Can We Trust Now? Unable to obtain a regular commission in the British army, he later pursued various business ventures, including land speculation in Canada. He was extremely unpopular there and returned to London permanently in 1791, where he died ten years later. [26], On February 22, 1767, Arnold married Margaret Mansfield, daughter of Samuel Mansfield, the sheriff of New Haven and a fellow member in the local Masonic Lodge. 5. Arnold was aware of his reputation in his home country, and French statesman Talleyrand described meeting him in Falmouth, Cornwall in 1794: The innkeeper at whose place I had my meals informed me that one of his lodgers was an American general. He started as an apprentice For his services he was restored to his proper relative rank. In the United States, the name of Benedict Arnold is synonymous with treason. As a teenager, Arnold's family faced financial hardship. In the winter of 1782, he and Peggy moved to London, England. Thereafter his name became an epithet for traitor in the United States. [113] 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. American, then British officer after defecting during the US Revolutionary War (17401801), For other people named Benedict Arnold, see, Raids in Virginia and Connecticut colonies, Arnold's birth records indicate that he was born January 3, 1740 (, One British pound in 1776 would be worth about 160 in 2019. Arnold benefited from his relationship with Mansfield, who became a partner in his business and used his position as sheriff to shield him from creditors. [75], Arnold's court martial on charges of profiteering began meeting on June 1, 1779, but it was delayed until December 1779 by Clinton's capture of Stony Point, New York, throwing the army into a flurry of activity to react. [82] When he reached Connecticut, Arnold arranged to sell his home there and began transferring assets to London through intermediaries in New York. See the fact file below for more information on . A figure climbed down from the larger sloop, into the boat and quietly made his way up the Hudson River. July 27] 1742 - June 19, 1786) was an American military officer and planter who served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.He emerged from the war with a reputation as one of George Washington's most talented and dependable officers, and is known for his successful command in the Southern theater of the conflict. Updates? He died, age 60, and was buried in London. Bettmann / Corbis "You have five. His father's alcoholism and ill health kept him from training Arnold in the family mercantile business, but his mother's family connections secured an apprenticeship for him with her cousins Daniel and Joshua Lathrop, who operated a successful apothecary and general merchandise trade in Norwich. Arnold was born in Norwich, Connecticut, on January 14, 1741. His subordinates, some long-time associates, grumbled about Arnold's unnecessary distribution of supplies and eventually concluded that he was selling them on the black market for personal gain. The band played a funeral march. Benedict Arnold passed away on 3 March 1849. After Arnold was forced to drop out of private school for lack of money, he entered into an apprenticeship with Daniel and Joshua Lathrop, two of his mother's cousins. in George Athan Billias, ed., This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 10:05. "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." He marched with 700 men by way of the Maine wilderness, a remarkable feat of woodsmanship and endurance, and, reinforced by Gen. Richard Montgomery, attacked the well-fortified city. After trying and failing to hand the fort at West Point over to the British, he joined the Royal Army and took . Arnold's role in the war was controversial, with some supporting his actions and others supporting the Patriots. Stansbury's testimony before a British commission erroneously placed his meeting with Arnold in June. At his request, a court martial was held to clear his name. Benedict Arnold was a patriot officer who served the cause of the American Revolution until 1779, when he shifted his allegiance to the British. 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