At his request, a court martial was held to clear his name. He organized the militia response, along with David Wooster and Connecticut militia General Gold Selleck Silliman. [60] Some of this communication was effected through the services of Joseph Stansbury, a Philadelphia merchant.[61]. [1] [37] 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. In May 1775, Arnold's forces eventually clashed with the British at Fort Ticonderoga - nestled along the shores of Lake . The fort was finally captured by the British in 1759. The British withdrew from Philadelphia in June 1778, and Washington appointed Arnold military commander of the city. After Arnold was wounded in 1777, George Washington named him military governor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, recently abandoned by the British. You may think it was odd that parents would name their newborn . Arnold eventually moved to England where he became a merchant. In the House of Commons, Edmund Burke expressed the hope that the government would not put Arnold "at the head of a part of a British army" lest "the sentiments of true honour, which every British officer [holds] dearer than life, should be afflicted". [6] In December 1780, he led a force of 1,600 troops into Virginia under orders from Clinton, where he captured Richmond by surprise and then went on a rampage through Virginia, destroying supply houses, foundries, and mills. "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 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. In April of 1775, after learning about the conflicts at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, Arnold organized his men in preparation for a march to Cambridge to aid in the fight against the British . As early as 1778, there were signs that Arnold was unhappy with his situation and pessimistic about the country's future. His fellow conspirator, Major Andre, was hanged by the Continental army for being a spy. Washington Irving used it as part of an argument against dismemberment of the union in his 1857 Life of George Washington, pointing out that the unity of New England and the southern states which led to independence was made possible in part by holding West Point. 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". [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". 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. General Parsons laid it aside, seeing a letter written as a coded business discussion. 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. Benedict's exploits and continuous wins caught the eye of George Washington, who . He knew that he was distrusted and disliked by senior military officers on both sides. His father was arrested on several occasions for public drunkenness, was refused communion by his church, and died in 1761. In the United States, the name of Benedict Arnold is synonymous with treason. Benedict Arnold was born to a prominent businessman in Norwich, Connecticut, on January 14, 1741. Their friendship became the foundation for the treason for which Peggy's. John Andr was executed for spying. 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. He also provided information on a proposed French-American invasion of Quebec that was to go up the Connecticut River (Arnold did not know that this proposed invasion was a ruse intended to divert British resources). Benedict Arnold was born a British subject, the second of six children of his father Benedict Arnold III (16831761) and Hannah Waterman King in Norwich, Connecticut, on January 14, 1741. [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. Far fewer know . [126] As a result of a clerical error in the parish records, his remains were removed to an unmarked mass grave during church renovations a century later. Among others, he shared the name with his father and. Arnold wrote out passes for Andr so that he would be able to pass through the lines, and he also gave him plans for West Point. 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. 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. Some could even argue that, patriotism aside, it might have seemed insane for him not to turn traitor. The first man was a British major named John Andre. These letters were delivered by Samuel Wallis, another Philadelphia businessman who spied for the British, rather than by Stansbury. Andr was captured the next day, near Tarrytown, with those plans tucked inside his boot. Born in 1867 in Hanley, Staffordshire (part of the famous 'Potteries' and now a district of Stoke-on-Trent), Enoch Arnold Bennett was named after his father, a solicitor. [113] Other attempts all failed to gain positions within the government or the British East India Company over the next few years, and he was forced to subsist on the reduced pay of non-wartime service. 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. Arnold was planning to surrender the fort there to British forces, but the plot was discovered in September 1780, whereupon he fled to the British lines. He dared not tell me his name. When Arnold learned the following morning that Andr had been caught and that . They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. 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. 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. In his martial success, he became the target of jealous mediocrities. Arnold reopened the secret channels with the British, informing them of Schuyler's proposals and including Schuyler's assessment of conditions at West Point. For several years before he . Arnold was made a brigadier general in the British army. [13] A commonly accepted story that he deserted from militia service in 1758[14] is based on uncertain documentary evidence.[15]. 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. "[108] Cornwallis ignored Arnold's advice to locate a permanent base away from the coast, advice that might have averted his surrender at Yorktown. Mo talks with author Nathaniel Philbrick about the now . Benedict Arnold was born on January 14, 1741, in Norwich, Colony of Connecticut, British America. On August 13, Schuyler dispatched him with a force of 900 to relieve the siege of Fort Stanwix, where he succeeded in a ruse to lift the siege. [128], Arnold left a small estate, reduced in size by his debts, which Peggy undertook to clear. She was a close friend of British major John Andr and kept in contact with him when he became head of the British espionage system in New York. Arnold established himself in business in 1762 as a pharmacist and bookseller in New Haven, Connecticut, with the help of the Lathrops. 3. Despite his popularity and battlefield prowess, Benedict Arnold eventually broke bad. [77] Arnold worked over the next few months to publicize this fact; however, Washington published a formal rebuke of his behavior in early April, just one week after he had congratulated Arnold on the birth of his son Edward Shippen Arnold on March 19:[78], The Commander-in-Chief would have been much happier in an occasion of bestowing commendations on an officer who had rendered such distinguished services to his country as Major General Arnold; but in the present case, a sense of duty and a regard to candor oblige him to declare that he considers his conduct [in the convicted actions] as imprudent and improper. May God forgive me for ever having put on another,"[125] but this story may be apocryphal. Arnold received a commission as a brigadier general in the British Army, an annual pension of 360,[b] and a lump sum of over 6,000. On July 12, he wrote again, making explicit the offer to surrender West Point, although his price rose to 20,000[b] (in addition to indemnification for his losses), with a 1,000[b] down payment to be delivered with the response. Thereafter his name became an epithet for traitor in the United States. Troops were liberally distributed within Arnold's command area (but only minimally at West Point itself) or furnished to Washington on request. [1] Only he and his sister Hannah survived to adulthood; his other siblings died from yellow fever in childhood. Although he was unsuccessful, his attempt to betray George Washington and his American forces . During the Revolutionary War, West Point was known as Fort Arnold, but after Benedict Arnold's betrayal, it became known as Fort Clinton. Arnold said that it would have been better had it been in the chest instead of the leg. [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]. [9], Arnold's father was a successful businessman, and the family moved in the upper levels of Norwich society. "Since the fall of Lucifer," General Nathanial Greene judged, "nothing has equaled the fall of Arnold." Yet Arnold's accomplishments for the patriot cause were extraordinary. [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. [citation needed]. Wikipedia Sign up to our newsletter. Clinton refused this suggestion; after a military tribunal, Andr was hanged at Tappan, New York, on October 2. On May 9, Franklin introduced Stansbury to Major Andr, who had just been named the British spy chief. Andr had spies and informers keeping track of Arnold to verify his movements. His action at Ridgefield, coupled with the death of Wooster due to wounds sustained in the action, resulted in his promotion to major general, although his seniority was not restored over those who had been promoted before him. [52] Historian John Shy states: Arnold began planning to capitalize financially on the change in power in Philadelphia, even before the Americans reoccupied their city. [104] He justified his actions in an open letter titled "To the Inhabitants of America", published in newspapers in October 1780. [111] He renewed that request when he learned of the surrender, which Clinton then granted. William Fitch Arnold (17941846) (Captain, Benedict Arnold, played by Curtis Caravaggio, is a one-time character in the episode "The Capture of Benedict Arnold" in the 2016-18 TV series, Courtwright, Julie. Washington refused his resignation and ordered him north to assist with the defense there. [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]. But the brash war herohe helped take Fort Ticonderoga and led troops. One critic said that he was a "mean mercenary, who, having adopted a cause for the sake of plunder, quits it when convicted of that charge". It described a boy who stole eggs from birds' nests, pulled wings off insects, and engaged in other sorts of wanton cruelty, who then grew up to become a traitor to his country. It is what happened after 1775 that began to wear him down and bring on his disillusionment. At the end of 1781 Arnold went to England. It was General Arnold. [44], Arnold returned to the Hudson where General Gates had taken over command of the American army, which had retreated to a camp south of Stillwater. 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. Crippled from his wounds, Arnold was placed in command of Philadelphia (June 1778), where he socialized with families of loyalist sympathies and lived extravagantly. [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. During the summer of 1778, he met Peggy Shippen, the 18-year-old daughter of Judge Edward Shippen (III), a Loyalist sympathizer who had done business with the British while they occupied the city;[57] Peggy had been courted by British Major John Andr during the British occupation of Philadelphia. He could not cope with failure and disgrace. While Benedict Arnold escaped to British-occupied New York, where he was protected from punishment. [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. [46] During the fighting in the second battle, Arnold disobeyed Gates' orders and took to the battlefield to lead attacks on the British defenses. 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. They had no reason to suspect that Gen. Benedict Arnold, the new commander of the post, would be less than a gracious host. He led the British army in battle against the soldiers whom he had once commanded, after which his name became, and has remained, synonymous with treason and betrayal in the United States.[2]. 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