Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold (January 14, 1741 – June 14, 1801) was a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is best known for betraying the United States forces and plotting to surrender the American fort at West Point, New York, to the British during the American Revolution.

Arnold had distinguished himself as a hero of the revolution early in the war through acts of cunning and bravery at Fort Ticonderoga in 1775, the invasion of Canada and the attack on Montreal and the besieging of Quebec in 1775, the Battle of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain in 1776, the Battles of Danbury and Ridgefield in Connecticut (after which he was promoted to Major General) and at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. However, Arnold strongly opposed the decision by the Continental Congress to form an alliance with France. Disaffected because of grievances with the Continental Congress (despite his seniority and accomplishments, Congress had passed Arnold over for promotion), suffering from mounting personal debt (he had personally paid for nearly all of the expenditures of his Continental forces while in Canada), and facing corruption charges filed by the Pennsylvania civil authorities (at the instigation of a man Arnold had stripped of command at Ticonderoga), Arnold also faced pressure at home from his young second wife Peggy Shippen, herself a British Loyalist.

In September 1780, he formulated his scheme, which, if successful, would have given British forces control of the Hudson River valley and split the colonies in half. The plot was thwarted, but Arnold managed to flee to British forces in New York with the help of John Borns, where he was rewarded with a commission as a Brigadier General in the British Army, along with a reduced reward of £6,000.

Early life

Arnold was born the sixth of six children to Benedict Arnold III and Hannah Waterman King in Norwich, Connecticut in 1741. He was named after his great-grandfather Benedict Arnold, an early colonial governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Benedict IV, who died in infancy before Benedict Arnold V was born. Only Benedict and his sister Hannah survived to adulthood; the other three siblings succumbed to yellow fever while children. Through his maternal grandmother, Arnold was a descendant of John Lathrop, an ancestor of at least four Presidents of the United States.

The Arnold family was financially well off until Arnold's father made several bad business deals that plunged the family into debt. When this happened, the father turned to alcohol for solace. At 14, Benedict was forced to withdraw from school because the family no longer could afford the cost.

His father's alcohol abuse and ill health prevented him from training his son in the family mercantile business, but his mother's family connections secured an apprenticeship for him with two of her cousins, the brothers Daniel and Joshua Lathrop. The two ran a successful apothecary and general merchandise trade in Norwich.

French and Indian War

At 15, Arnold enlisted in the Connecticut militia, marching to Albany and Lake George to oppose the French invasion from Canada at the Battle of Fort William Henry. In any case, the British suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the French under the command of Louis Joseph Marquis de Montcalm. Subsequent to the British surrender, the native friends of the French were outraged by the easy terms offered to the British and Colonial forces. They had been promised scalps, arms and booty, and none was forthcoming. They fell upon the prisoners as they were being escorted away and massacred as many as 180 of them. The French regulars were powerless to stop them. . This event may have created an abiding hatred for the French in a young and impressionable Arnold that influenced his actions later in life.

Parents' deaths

Benedict's mother, to whom he was very close, died in 1759. The youth took on the responsibility of supporting his ailing father and younger sister. His father's alcoholism worsened after the death of his wife; he was arrested on several occasions for public drunkenness and also was refused communion by his church. With his father's death in 1761, the 20-year-old Arnold resolved to restore his family name to the elevated status it had once enjoyed, until his treason later in life.

Pre-revolutionary activities

In 1762, with the help of the Lathrops, Arnold established himself in business as a pharmacist and bookseller in New Haven, Connecticut.

Arnold was ambitious and aggressive, quickly expanding his business. In 1763, he repurchased the family homestead that his father had sold when deeply in debt. One year later, he re-sold it for a substantial profit. In 1764, he formed a partnership with Adam Babcock, another young New Haven merchant. Using the profits from the sale of his homestead, they bought three trading ships and established a lucrative West Indies trade. During this time, he brought his sister Hannah to New Haven and established her in his apothecary to manage the business in his absence. 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.

The Stamp Act of 1765 severely curtailed mercantile trade in the colonies. Arnold initially took no part in any public demonstrations but, like many merchants, conducted trade as if the Stamp Act did not exist—in effect becoming a smuggler in defiance of the act.

On the night of January 31, 1767, Arnold took part in a demonstration denouncing the acts of the British Parliament and their oppressive colonial policy. The effigies of local crown officials were burned. He and members of his crew roughed up a man suspected of being a smuggling informant. Arnold was arrested and fined 50 shillings for disturbing the peace.

The oppressive taxes levied by parliament forced many New England merchants out of business. Arnold himself came near to personal ruin, falling £15,000 in debt.

Arnold fought a duel in Honduras with a British sea captain, who called Arnold a "Dammed Yankee, destitute of good manners or those of a gentleman". Arnold was shocked by the rudeness and challenged him to a duel. The captain was wounded and forced to apologize.

Arnold was in the West Indies when the Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770, but later he wrote "very much shocked" and wondered "good God; are the Americans all asleep and tamely giving up their liberties, or are they all turned philosophers, that they don't take immediate vengeance on such miscreants".

On February 22, 1767, he married Margaret, daughter of Samuel Mansfield. They had three sons: Benedict, Richard and Henry. She died on June 19, 1775.

Revolutionary War

File:Benedict arnold 1776.jpg

Colonel Benedict Arnold in 1776

In March 1775, a group of 65 New Haven residents formed the Governor’s Second Company of Connecticut Guards. Arnold was chosen as their captain, and he organized training and exercises in preparation for war. On April 21, 1775, when news reached New Haven of the opening battles of the revolution at Lexington and Concord, a few Yale College student volunteers were admitted into the guard to boost their numbers, and they began a march to Massachusetts to join the revolution.

En route, Arnold met with Colonel Samuel Holden Parsons, a Connecticut legislator. They discussed the shortage of cannons by the revolutionary forces and, knowing of the large number of cannons at Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain, agreed that an expedition should be sent to capture the fort. Parsons continued on to Hartford, where he raised funds to establish a force under the command of Captain Edward Mott. Mott was instructed to link up with Ethan Allen and Allen's Green Mountain Boys at Bennington, Vermont. Meanwhile, Arnold and his Connecticut militia continued on to Cambridge, where Arnold convinced the Massachusetts Committee of Safety[1] to fund an expedition to take the fort. They appointed him a colonel in the Massachusetts militia and dispatched him, along with several captains under his command, to raise an army in Massachusetts. As his captains mustered troops, Arnold rode north to rendezvous with Allen and take command of the operation.

Battle of Ticonderoga

By early May, the army was assembled. On may 10, 1775, Fort Ticonderoga was assaulted in a dawn attack and taken without a battle, the colonial forces having surprised the outnumbered British garrison. Expeditions to Crown Point and Fort George were likewise successful, as was another foray to Fort St. Johns (now named Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec). But this fort had to be abandoned when British troops arrived from Montreal. Throughout the campaign, Arnold and Allen disputed who was in overall command. Allen eventually withdrew his troops, leaving Arnold in sole command of the garrisons of the three forts. However, a Connecticut force of 1,000 men under Colonel Benjamin Himan arrived with orders placing him in command with Arnold as his subordinate. This act by the Continental Congress incensed Arnold, who felt his efforts on behalf of the revolution were not being recognized. Arnold resigned his commission and returned to Massachusetts. [2]

Quebec expedition

Shortly after the formation of the Continental Army in June 1775, Major General Philip Schuyler, commander of the Northern Department, developed a plan to invade Canada overland from Fort St. Johns at the northern end of Lake Champlain, down the Richelieu River to Montreal. The objective was to deprive the Loyalists of an important base from which they could attack upper New York. General Richard Montgomery was given command of this force.

Arnold proposed that a second force, in concert with Schuyler’s, attack by traveling up the Kennebec River in Maine and descending the Chaudière River to Quebec City. With the capture of both Montreal and Quebec City, he believed the French-speaking colonists of Canada would join the revolution against the British. General George Washington and the Continental Congress approved this amendment and commissioned Arnold a colonel in the Continental Army to lead the Quebec City attack.

Just before leaving for Maine, Arnold learned of the death of his wife Margaret. He stopped in New Haven to see to the welfare of his children. His sister Hannah took over the role of surrogate mother at his request.

The force of 1,100 recruits embarked from Newburyport, Massachusetts, on September 19, 1775, arriving at Gardinerston, Maine, on September 22, where Arnold had made prior arrangements with Major Reuben Colburn to construct 200 bateaux. These were to be used to transport the troops up the Kennebec and Dead rivers, then down the Chaudiere to Quebec City. A lengthy portage was required over the Appalachian range between the upper Dead and Chaudiere rivers.

Military of the United States Portal

The British were aware of Arnold’s approach and destroyed most of the serviceable watercraft (boats, ships, gunboats, etc. etc.) on the southern shore. Two warships, the frigate Lizard (26 guns) and the sloop-of-war Hunter (16 guns), kept up a constant patrol to prevent a river crossing. Even so, Arnold was able to procure sufficient watercraft and crossed to the Quebec City side on November 11. He then realized his force was not strong enough to capture the city and sent dispatches to Montgomery requesting reinforcements.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General Richard Montgomery marched north from Fort Ticonderoga with about 1,700 militiamen on September 16, 1775. He captured Montreal on November 13. Montgomery joined Arnold in early December, and with their combined force of about 1,325 soldiers, they attacked Quebec on December 31, 1775. The colonial forces suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of General Guy Carleton, governor of Canada and commander of the British forces. Montgomery was killed leading an assault and Arnold was wounded. Many others were killed or wounded, and hundreds were taken prisoner.

The remnants, reduced to some 350 volunteers and now under the command of Colonel Arnold, continued an ineffectual siege of the city until the spring of 1776, when reinforcements under Brigadier General David Wooster arrived. Upon being relieved of command, Arnold retreated to Montreal with what remained of his forces. [3] [4]

Promotion

Arnold received a promotion to Brigadier General after the Quebec invasion and was given the job of preventing a British invasion from the North.

Around this time, Arnold met and courted Betsy Deblois, the daughter of a well known loyalist of Boston. She was described at the time as the belle of Boston. Arnold tried to woo Deblois to marry him. However, she rebuffed him at all points even after the presentation of an engagement ring .

Eastern Department

Late in 1776, Arnold received orders to report to Major General Joseph Spencer, newly appointed commander of the Eastern Department of the Continental Army. On December 8, 1776, a sizeable British force under Lt. Gen. Henry Clinton captured Newport, Rhode Island. Arnold spent a week with his family (whom he had not seen for over a year) in New Haven, Connecticut, and arrived at Providence, Rhode Island, on January 12, 1777, to take up his duties in the defense of Rhode Island as Deputy Commander of the Eastern Department. The ranks of the Rhode Island force had been depleted to about 2,000 troops in order to support Washington’s assault on Trenton, New Jersey. Since Arnold was facing 15,000 redcoats, he was forced to go on the defensive.

On April 26, 1777, Arnold was on his way to Philadelphia to meet with the Continental Congress and stopped in New Haven to visit his family once again. A courier notified him a British force 2,000 strong under Major General William Tryon, the British Military Governor of New York, had landed at Norwalk, Connecticut. Tryon marched his force to Fairfield on Long Island Sound and inland to Danbury, a major supply depot for the Continental Army, destroying both towns by fire. He also torched the seaport of Norwalk as his forces retreated by sea.

Arnold hurriedly recruited about 100 volunteers locally and was joined by Major General Gold S. Silliman [5] and Major General David Wooster of the Connecticut militia, who together had mustered a force of 500 volunteers from eastern Connecticut.

Arnold and his fellow officers moved their small force near Danbury so they could intercept and harass the British retreat. By 11 a.m. on April 27, Wooster’s column had caught up with and engaged Tryon’s rear guard. Arnold moved his force to a farm outside Ridgefield, Connecticut, in an attempt to block the British retreat. During the skirmishes that followed, Wooster was killed. Arnold injured his leg when his horse was shot and fell on him.

Philadelphia

After the Danbury raid, Arnold continued his journey to Philadelphia to meet with congressional members, arriving on May 16. General Schuyler also was in Philadelphia at that time but soon left for his headquarters at Albany, New York. This left Arnold as the ranking officer in the Philadelphia region, so he assumed command of the forces there. But Congress preferred Pennsylvania's newly promoted Major General Thomas Mifflin. Arnold earlier had been passed over for promotion. This caused further resentment. Consequently, Arnold resigned his commission on July 11, 1777. Shortly afterwards, General Washington urgently requested Benedict be posted to the Northern Department because Fort Ticonderoga had fallen to the British. This demonstrated Washington's faith in Arnold as a military commander, and Congress complied with his request.

Saratoga

The summer of 1777 marked a turning point in the war. The Saratoga campaign was a series of battles fought in upper New York near Albany that culminated in the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga and the capture of a large contingent of the British army led by Lieutenant General John Burgoyne on October 17, 1777. Arnold played a decisive role in several of these battles.

The Battle of Bemis Heights was the final battle of the Saratoga Campaign. Outnumbered, out of supplies, and cut off from retreat (largely by Arnold's doing), Burgoyne was forced to surrender on October 17, 1777.

Arnold suffered a wound to the same leg (and below the buttock) as he had at Quebec during the fray. The History Channel makes an interesting observation that if that bullet had hit him in a more critical spot and had he died from it, he would be remembered now as a hero and not the epitome of traitors.

Historians agree Arnold played the most instrumental role in the outcome of the Saratoga campaign, showing courage, initiative and military brilliance. He is said to have single-handedly cut off Burgoyne's attempt to escape in the decisive Battle of Bemis Heights. But because of bad feelings between him and General Horatio Gates, Arnold received no credit. Even though Arnold was vital in winning the final battle of Saratoga, Gates had him vilified for exceeding his authority and disobeying orders. Arnold made no secret of his contempt for Gates' military tactics, which he considered too cautious and conventional.

Military command of Philadelphia

By mid-October 1777, Arnold lay in an Albany hospital, convalescing from the wound he had received at Saratoga. His left leg was ruined, but Arnold would not allow it to be amputated. Several agonizing months of recovery left it 2 inches (5 cm) shorter than the right. He spent the winter of 1777-78 with the army at Valley Forge, recovering from the injury.

After the evacuation of the British from Philadelphia in June 1778, Washington appointed Arnold military commander of the city. In June, he learned of the Franco-American alliance; Arnold was strongly opposed to the alliance because of his earlier experiences in the French and Indian War. Ironically, it was the victory at Saratoga, in which Arnold had played a decisive part, that convinced France's King Louis XVI to agree to the alliance and aid the Americans in their war.

By then, Arnold was embittered and resentful toward Congress for not approving his wartime expenses and bypassing him for promotion. He threw himself into the social life of the city, hosting grand parties and falling deeply into debt. Arnold's extravagance drew him into shady financial schemes and into further disrepute with Congress, which investigated his accounts. On June 1, 1779, he was court-martialed for malfeasance. "Having - become a cripple in the service of my country, I little expected to meet [such] ungrateful returns," he complained to Washington.

On March 26 ,1779 he met Peggy Shippen, the boisterous 18-year-old daughter of Judge Edward Shippen. [6] She and Arnold wed quickly on April 8, 1779. Peggy had previously been courted by British Major John André during the British occupation of Philadelphia.

West Point

In July 1780, Arnold sought and obtained command of the fort at West Point. He already had begun correspondence with General Sir Henry Clinton in New York City through Major André and was closely involved with Beverley Robinson, a prominent loyalist in command of a loyalist regiment. Arnold offered to hand the fort over to the British for £20,000 and a brigadier's commission. His plans were thwarted when André was captured with a pass signed by Benedict Arnold, and he was in possession of documents that disclosed the plot and incriminated Arnold. André later was denied his request of a soldier's death by a firing squad and instead was convicted of being a spy and hanged.

Arnold learned of André's capture and fled to the British. They made him a brigadier general, but only paid him some £ 6,000 because his plot had failed.

Fighting for Britain

The British never really trusted Arnold, although he saw some action in the American theater. In December, under orders from Clinton, Arnold led a force of 1,600 troops into Virginia and captured Richmond, cutting off the major artery of material to the southern colonial effort. It is said that Arnold asked an officer he had taken captive about what the Americans would do if they captured Arnold, and the captain is said to have replied "Cut off your right leg, bury it with full military honors, and then hang the rest of you on a gibbet." In the Southern Theater, Lord Cornwallis marched north to Yorktown, which he reached in May 1781. Arnold, meanwhile, had been sent north to capture the town of New London, Connecticut, in hopes it would divert Washington away from Cornwallis. While in Connecticut, Arnold's force captured Fort Griswold on September 8. In December, Arnold was recalled to England with various other officers as the Crown de-emphasized the American Theater over others in which victories were more likely.

Benedict Arnold pursued interests in the shipping trade in Canada from 1787 to 1791, before moving to London. He died in 1801 and was buried at St. Mary's Church, Battersea in London, England. He is said to have died poor, in bad health, and essentially unknown.

References

• Wilson, Barry K. Benedict Arnold: A Traitor in Our Midst, McGill Queens Press, 2001 ISBN 077352150X
• Nelson, James L. 2006, Benedict Arnold's Navy: The Ragtag Fleet that Lost the Battle of Lake Champlain but Won the American Revolution, McGraw-Hill, 2006. ISBN 0-07-146806-4
• Randall, Willard Sterne. Benedict Arnold: Patriot and Traitor, Dorset Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0760712726
• Wallace, Audrey. Benedict Arnold: Misunderstood Hero?, Burd Street Press, 2003. ISBN 978-1572493490

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• Some details from ushistory.org
• Biographical profile of Arnold written in the 1880s
• Benedict Arnold's Portraits

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