He was convicted of disorderly conduct and fined the relatively small amount of 50 shillings; publicity of the case and widespread sympathy for his views probably contributed to the light sentence. [58] She married Arnold on April 8, 1779. British reinforcements arrived in late March led by William Phillips who served under Burgoyne at Saratoga. Through the early morning hours of Sept. 22, 1780 the two plotted. Together, they won the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga, America's first victory in the Revolutionary War. Arnold didn't die a heroic death, or even a cowardly death. 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. Various translations of Sun Tzu's The Art of War have been published over the past century. As a teenager, Arnold's family faced financial hardship. 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. The British promised 20,000[b] for the capture of West Point, a major American stronghold; Washington greatly admired Arnold and gave him command of that fort in July 1780. See the fact file below for more information on . When and where was Benedict Arnold born? He was a general that preferred to lead in the front then the back, always riding his horse into battle alongside his men. But You Probably Don't Know His Whole Story Illustration showing Major General Benedict Arnold (1741 - 1801) rallying the American troops. "[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. Troops were liberally distributed within Arnold's command area (but only minimally at West Point itself) or furnished to Washington on request. [10] His apprenticeship with the Lathrops lasted seven years. Major-General Nathanael Greene (August 7 [O.S. (Benedict Cumberbatch doesn't count; he's British.) Arnold was made a brigadier general in the British army. Benedict Arnold was born on January 14, 1741 in Norwich, Connecticut and named after his His mother was Hannah Waterman King, a rich widow. He was the second of the couple's six children. Later Arnold revealed to the British that he expected to receive the command of American forces at West Point, New York, and agreed to surrender that garrison to them for 20,000. 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. After the war, he petitioned to have Vermont become a state. [94], Andr was captured near Tarrytown, New York, on Saturday, September 23, by three Westchester militiamen. [113], Arnold then applied to accompany General Carleton, who was going to New York to replace Clinton as commander-in-chief, but the request went nowhere. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. "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." Peggy came from a loyalist family in Philadelphia; she had many ties to the British. Benedict Arnold was born on Jan. 14, 1741 in Norwich, Connecticut. Arnold's childhood was marred by tragedy; by age 20, he was an orphan struggling to make his way in the world as an apothecary. He was extremely unpopular there and returned to London permanently in 1791, where he died ten years later. Angry and frustrated, Arnold resigned his military command of Philadelphia in late April. 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. Working as a spy, Armistead gained the trust of General Cornwallis and Benedict Arnold,. [99][100] Upon receiving Jameson's message, however, he learned that Jameson had sent Washington the papers which Andr was carrying. Especially galling was a long feud with the civil authorities in Philadelphia which led to his court-martial. [73] By October 1779, the negotiations had ground to a halt. 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. When in February 1777 Congress created five new major generalships, Arnold was passed over in favour of his juniors. Benedict Arnold's name is synonymous with the word traitor. Arnold's name had become synonymous with the word traitor. [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. During the Revolutionary War, West Point was known as Fort Arnold, but after Benedict Arnold's betrayal, it became known as Fort Clinton. Benedict Arnold (14 January 1741 [O.S. It was invoked again as sectional conflicts increased in the years before the American Civil War. [123], In January 1801, Arnold's health began to decline. [103] Legend has it that, when he was on his deathbed, he said, "Let me die in this old uniform in which I fought my battles. 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. [95] They found the papers exposing the plot to capture West Point and passed them on to their superiors,[96] but Andr convinced the unsuspecting Colonel John Jameson, to whom he was delivered, to send him back to Arnold at West Pointbut he never reached West Point. He engaged in a variety of business deals designed to profit from war-related supply movements and benefiting from the protection of his authority. Saint Benedict once lived in a hermit cave. 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. [47] Burgoyne surrendered ten days after the second battle on October 17, 1777. Benedict Arnold, (born January 14, 1741, Norwich, Connecticut [U.S.]died June 14, 1801, London, England), patriot officer who served the cause of the American Revolution until 1779, when he shifted his allegiance to the British. Donald Trump has taken over from Benedict Arnold as "America's number one traitor," according to a group of veterans seeking to vote the president out of office this November. [141] Historian Barry Wilson points out that Arnold's descendants established deep roots in Canada, becoming leading settlers in Upper Canada and Saskatchewan. "Arnold, Benedict (17411801)". [9], Arnold's father was a successful businessman, and the family moved in the upper levels of Norwich society. After the usual exchange of greetings I ventured to request from him some letters of introduction to his friends in America. 0:00. Benedict Arnold was born to a prominent businessman in Norwich, Connecticut, on January 14, 1741. [86], Arnold's command at West Point also gave him authority over the entire American-controlled Hudson River, from Albany down to the British lines outside New York City. [133] 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". Wikipedia Sign up to our newsletter. The French had besieged Fort William Henry in northeastern New York, and their Indian allies had committed atrocities after their victory. He also faced financial ruin, falling 16,000[b] in debt with creditors spreading rumors of his insolvency, to the point where he took legal action against them. At critical moments Arnold inspired the Patriots with his grit and determination and earned the admiration of George Washington. Because of the constant agony of two battlefield wounds in an already gout-ridden leg? 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. [12] In 1757 when he was 16, he did enlist in the Connecticut militia, which marched off toward Albany, New York, and Lake George. He organized the militia response, along with David Wooster and Connecticut militia General Gold Selleck Silliman. In the winter of 1782, he and Peggy moved to London, England. Andr was captured the next day, near Tarrytown, with those plans tucked inside his boot. One plaque bears only a rank and a date but no name: "major general born 1740". He hoped that this work would earn him wider respect and a new command; instead, it earned him and his sons a land-grant of 15,000 acres (6,100ha) in Upper Canada,[122] near present-day Renfrew, Ontario. "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. 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. 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. The Hudson River Chain today 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". An epidemic of yellow fever ravaged Arnold's family in the 1750s, however, claiming three of his . From psychological wounds received in his Connecticut childhood when his alcoholic father squandered the family's fortunes? He was a war hero who persistently fought for America's independence. [13] A commonly accepted story that he deserted from militia service in 1758[14] is based on uncertain documentary evidence.[15]. [135] Jefferson Davis and other southern secessionist leaders were unfavorably compared to Arnold, implicitly and explicitly likening the idea of secession to treason. Mo talks with author Nathaniel Philbrick about the now . Arnold reopened the secret channels with the British, informing them of Schuyler's proposals and including Schuyler's assessment of conditions at West Point. The fort was finally captured by the British in 1759. On August 15, he received a coded letter from Andr with Clinton's final offer: 20,000[b] and no indemnification for his losses. [a][133] Historical markers in Danvers, Massachusetts, and Newburyport, MA commemorate Arnold's 1775 expedition to Quebec. Unlike his accomplishments in the battlefield, Arnold was not a good Governor. For a time, he was a successful businessman, but after yellow fever took the lives of three of the Arnold children, the patriarch was devastated. Historians have several theories about why Arnold became a traitor: greed; mounting debt; resentment of other officers; a hatred of the Continental Congress; and a desire for the colonies to remain under British rule. Arnold's friend, George Washington, was heartbroken over the news, but was forced to deal with the treacherous act. To raise money, he violated several state and military regulations, arousing the suspicions and, finally, the denunciations of Pennsylvanias supreme executive council. 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. [63][64], Arnold had an extremely ambitious and jealous personality. 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]. Name: Ethan Allen; Birth . [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. [107], The pursuing American army included the Marquis de Lafayette, who was under orders from Washington to hang Arnold summarily if he was captured. [120] The family left Saint John to return to London in December 1791. 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). 3. [40] In February 1777, he learned that he had been passed over by Congress for promotion to major general. General George Washington had given him his fullest trust and had placed him in command of West Point in New York. "[115], In 1785, Arnold and his son Richard moved to Saint John, New Brunswick, where they speculated in land and established a business doing trade with the West Indies. [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. He arrived before Quebec City in November, after a difficult passage in which 300 men turned back and another 200 died en route. Why did Benedict Arnold betray the Continental Army to the British? [11], Arnold was very close to his mother, who died in 1759. He knew that he was distrusted and disliked by senior military officers on both sides. As early as 1778, there were signs that Arnold was unhappy with his situation and pessimistic about the country's future. Before his name became synonymous with treason, Benedict Arnold was a bonafide hero of the American Revolutionary War. From there, he was ordered to Vermont where he met with Ethan Allen. Arnold repeatedly claimed that he was being passed over for promotion by the Continental Congress, and that other officers were being given credit for some of his accomplishments. 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. [62], Arnold had been badly wounded twice in battle and had lost his business in Connecticut, which made him profoundly bitter. The Arnold residence attained the reputation as one of early Amsterdam's finer homes. On the morning of September 22, from their position at Teller's Point, two American rebels, John "Jack" Peterson and Moses Sherwood, under the command of Col. James Livingston fired on HMS Vulture, the ship that was intended to carry Andr back to New York. His difficult time in New Brunswick led historians to summarize it as full of "controversy, resentment, and legal entanglements" and to conclude that he was disliked by both Americans and Loyalists living there. In 1775, when the war began, he was a merchant operating ships in the Atlantic Ocean. Washington was one of the few who genuinely liked and admired him, but Arnold thought that Washington had betrayed him. In 1764, he formed a partnership with Adam Babcock, another young New Haven merchant. 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 . When Arnold learned the following morning that Andr had been caught and that . A colonial resident by birth, Arnold made his living as a merchant before joining the American military to defend against the British. For several years before he . [103], Washington remained calm when he was presented with evidence of Arnold's treason. A figure climbed down from the larger sloop, into the boat and quietly made his way up the Hudson River. On December 8, 1781, Arnold and his family left New York for England. 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. Arnold established himself in business in 1762 as a pharmacist and bookseller in New Haven, Connecticut, with the help of the Lathrops. He had his leg crudely set, rather than allowing it to be amputated, leaving it 2 inches (5cm) shorter than the right. 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. January 14, 1741, in Norwich Connecticut. Corrections? 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. Arnold was rebuffed by Congress and by local authorities in requests for security details for himself and his in-laws. [114] His reputation also came under criticism in the British press, especially when compared to Major Andr who was celebrated for his patriotism. [132], Early biographers attempted to describe Arnold's entire life in terms of treacherous or morally questionable behavior. Benedict Arnold was an enthusiastic patriot who believed passionately in the cause of American liberty. We largely don't even know who he is. general, has a name that's become synonymous with deceit and. The sacrifice of Andr made Arnold odious to loyalists, and his reputation was further tarnished among his former neighbours when he led a raid on New London, Connecticut, in September 1781. Benjamin Franklin wrote that "Judas sold only one man, Arnold three millions", and Alexander Scammell described his actions as "black as hell". The second was Benedict Arnold. Although he was unsuccessful, his attempt to betray George Washington and his American forces . 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. Excited by the prospects, Clinton informed his superiors of his intelligence coup, but failed to respond to Arnold's July 7 letter. 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