Background. 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. But the brash war herohe helped take Fort Ticonderoga and led troops. [107], The pursuing American army included the Marquis de Lafayette, who was under orders from Washington to hang Arnold summarily if he was captured. After trying and failing to hand the fort at West Point over to the British, he joined the Royal Army and took . 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 started as an apprentice Some could even argue that, patriotism aside, it might have seemed insane for him not to turn traitor. General Parsons laid it aside, seeing a letter written as a coded business discussion. He arrived before Quebec City in November, after a difficult passage in which 300 men turned back and another 200 died en route. They bought three trading ships, using the profits from the sale of his homestead, and established a lucrative West Indies trade. Unable to find a new military or. Benedict Arnold Is America's Most Famous Traitor. Understand why Benedict Arnold spied for the British during the American Revolutionary War. "[88] At the same time, he tried to drain West Point's supplies so that a siege would be more likely to succeed. One plaque bears only a rank and a date but no name: "major general born 1740". "[32], Arnold began the war as a captain in the Connecticut militia, a position to which he was elected in March 1775. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Benedict-Arnold, American Battlefield Trust - Biography of Benedict Arnold, Dictionary of Canadian Biography - Biography of Benedict Arnold, The Washington Library Center for Digital History - Biography of Benedict Arnold, United States History - Biography of Benedict Arnold, Benedict Arnold - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Benedict Arnold - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Benedict Arnold: meeting with Maj. John Andr. Answer (1 of 54): Go up to most British people and ask who Benedict Arnold was, and you will get a resounding "who?" back. [46] During the fighting in the second battle, Arnold disobeyed Gates' orders and took to the battlefield to lead attacks on the British defenses. 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. Jameson reluctantly recalled the lieutenant who had been delivering Andr into Arnold's custody, but he then sent the same lieutenant as a messenger to notify Arnold of Andr's arrest. The Arnold residence attained the reputation as one of early Amsterdam's finer homes. 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. Arnold mingled with Loyalist sympathizers in Philadelphia and married into a Loyalist family when he wedded Peggy Shippen. Phillips led further raids across Virginia, including a defeat of Baron von Steuben at Petersburg, but he died of fever on May 12, 1781. [70] This initial letter opened a discussion on the types of assistance and intelligence that Arnold might provide, and included instructions for how to communicate in the future. He had requested to resign multiple times after being refused promotions and, from December 1779 to January 1780, was court-martialed because of multiple charges of misconduct. [60] Some of this communication was effected through the services of Joseph Stansbury, a Philadelphia merchant.[61]. 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 . [66] Biographer Nathaniel Philbrick argues: Peggy Shippen did have a significant role in the plot. Arnold's friend, George Washington, was heartbroken over the news, but was forced to deal with the treacherous act. 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. As a young man, Arnold. Before it could be carried out, however, minutemen captured John Andr and informed General George Washingtonof the plot. Major-General Nathanael Greene (August 7 [O.S. [79], Shortly after Washington's rebuke, a Congressional inquiry into Arnold's expenditures concluded that he had failed to account fully for his expenditures incurred during the Quebec invasion, and that he owed the Congress some 1,000,[b] largely because he was unable to document them. Scholastica, the founder of the Benedictine sisters, was Benedict's sister. After formal inquiries, he was usually acquitted, but Congress investigated his finances and determined that he was indebted to Congress, and that he had borrowed money heavily to maintain a lavish lifestyle. The second was Benedict Arnold. He was well received by King George III and the Tories but frowned upon by the Whigs and most Army officers. His mother came from a wealthy family, but his alcoholic father squandered their estate. See the fact file below for more information on . After the usual exchange of greetings I ventured to request from him some letters of introduction to his friends in America. [83], Andr returned victorious from the Siege of Charleston on June 18, and both he and Clinton were immediately caught up in this news. [114] His reputation also came under criticism in the British press, especially when compared to Major Andr who was celebrated for his patriotism. Letters were to be passed through the women's circle that Peggy Arnold was a part of, but only Peggy would be aware that some letters contained instructions that were to be passed on to Andr, written in both code and invisible ink, using Stansbury as the courier. Benedict Arnold (14 January 1741 [O.S. in George Athan Billias, ed., This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 10:05. Benedict Arnold was named brigadier general by the British government and sent on raids to . His performance in the Battle of Ridgefield in Connecticut prompted his promotion to major general. Angry and frustrated, Arnold resigned his military command of Philadelphia in late April. [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. [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. Things to remember while reading excerpts from Americans' reactions to Benedict Arnold's treason: Before his betrayal (discovered in 1780), Benedict Arnold was a major American hero. [21] However, it is unknown whether this encounter actually happened or not. At a prearranged rendezvous point on the shoreline his contact arrived just after midnight. Nor was it named after Pope Benedict XIII, the leader of the Catholic Church from 1724 to 1730 (or any of the 15 other popes who took the name Benedict). Needed repairs were never ordered on the chain across the Hudson. When his British contact, Maj. John Andr, was captured by the Americans, Arnold escaped on a British ship, leaving Andr to be hanged as a spy. [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. He was on his way home from Ticonderoga when he learned that his wife had died earlier in June. However, Arnold was a prominent figure in the American Revolution and, for a time, was a distinguished war hero who simply became . Once the former Revolutionary War hero . [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. [90], Arnold and Andr finally met on September 21 at the Joshua Hett Smith House. 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". Benedict Arnold was a patriot officer who served the cause of the American Revolution until 1779, when he shifted his allegiance to the British. . He was imprisoned by French authorities on Guadeloupe amid accusations of spying for the British, and narrowly eluded hanging by escaping to the blockading British fleet after bribing his guards. For his services he was restored to his proper relative rank. 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. While this is the case, no power in this country could suddenly place you in the situation you aim at under the East India Company. Benedict Arnold High School Gallery Official Name Benedict Arnold High School Location Details Universe Earth-Twelve Country United States of America First Appearance Adventures of Bob Hope #95 ( November, 1965) Contents 1 History 2 Residents 2.1 Students and Alumni 2.2 Faculty 3 Notes 4 See Also History This article is a stub. [35], During these actions, Arnold made a number of friends and a larger number of enemies within the army power structure and in Congress. [13] A commonly accepted story that he deserted from militia service in 1758[14] is based on uncertain documentary evidence.[15]. In real life: Arnold left for England in late 1781, before the official surrender, in an unsuccessful bid to persuade the Crown to keep the war going in America. [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. [11], Arnold was very close to his mother, who died in 1759. Crippled from his wounds, Arnold was placed in command of Philadelphia (June 1778), where he socialized with families of loyalist sympathies and lived extravagantly. [101] From the ship, he wrote a letter to Washington[102] requesting that Peggy be given safe passage to her family in Philadelphiawhich Washington granted. He received a colonel's commission in the Continental Army for this expedition and left Cambridge in September 1775 with 1,100 men. [62], Arnold had been badly wounded twice in battle and had lost his business in Connecticut, which made him profoundly bitter. [27] Their son Benedict was born the following year[28] and was followed by brothers Richard in 1769 and Henry in 1772. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. [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. He was a general that preferred to lead in the front then the back, always riding his horse into battle alongside his men. 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