Because of the constant agony of two battlefield wounds in an already gout-ridden leg? A colonial resident by birth, Arnold made his living as a merchant before joining the American military to defend against the British. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. In December 1780, Arnold was given command of British forces sent to raid Virginia. Arnold eventually moved to England where he became a merchant. Benedict Arnold's reasons for betraying America were extraordinarily complex. One plaque bears only a rank and a date but no name: "major general born 1740". Arnold had three sons with Margaret Mansfield:[150][151]. [123], In January 1801, Arnold's health began to decline. [21] However, it is unknown whether this encounter actually happened or not. Omissions? "Whom Can We Trust Now? How did Benedict Arnold betray the Continental Army to the British? Arnold purchased large tracts of land in the Maugerville area, and acquired city lots in Saint John and Fredericton. On June 16, Arnold inspected West Point while on his way home to Connecticut to take care of personal business, and he sent a highly detailed report through the secret channel. [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. Wikipedia Sign up to our newsletter. Some theatrical treatments of the 19th century explored his duplicity, seeking to understand rather than demonize it. [29] She is buried in the crypt of the Center Church on New Haven Green. Benedict Arnold's name might be the first that comes to mind when we think of treason not just because he was a traitor, but because he was such an unlikely one. 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. [27] Their son Benedict was born the following year[28] and was followed by brothers Richard in 1769 and Henry in 1772. [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. His mother came from a wealthy family, but his alcoholic father squandered their estate. [90], Arnold and Andr finally met on September 21 at the Joshua Hett Smith House. Once the former Revolutionary War hero . [81], Early in April, Philip Schuyler had approached Arnold with the possibility of giving him the command at West Point. 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). This meeting was thwarted when British gunboats in the river fired on his boat, not being informed of his impending arrival. Answer (1 of 2): In the United States, Benedict Arnold has the dubious distinction of being one of the primary figures responsible for the Revolutionary War's losing cause. Jul 4, 2020, 05:04 AM EDT | Updated Jul 4, 2020. The fort was finally captured by the British in 1759. [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. Soon after Ticonderoga, Arnold brought his men on a dangerous trek through the . [33], The Second Continental Congress authorized an invasion of Quebec, in part on the urging of Arnoldbut he was passed over for command of the expedition. 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. At critical moments Arnold inspired the Patriots with his grit and determination and earned the admiration of George Washington. Yet as every elementary school student knows, Benedict reneged on his original commitment and defected to England. Far fewer know . [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. Some historians suggested an Arnold liaison in New Brunswick, but Canadian historian Barry Wilson noted the weakness of this traditional account. A figure climbed down from the larger sloop, into the boat and quietly made his way up the Hudson River. Following the deaths of three of his. His father was a successful businessman and young Arnold was educated in private schools. [135] Jefferson Davis and other southern secessionist leaders were unfavorably compared to Arnold, implicitly and explicitly likening the idea of secession to treason. British reinforcements arrived in late March led by William Phillips who served under Burgoyne at Saratoga. [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. He also began to insist on a face-to-face meeting, and suggested to Arnold that he pursue another high-level command. Benedict Arnold, shown on the left concealing his plans in John Andr's boot, has become synonymous with treason but before he betrayed America, he saved it. One colonel wrote to Clinton concerning Arnold: "There are many officers who must wish some other general in command. Washington refused his resignation and ordered him north to assist with the defense there. What does it mean to call someone a Benedict Arnold? 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. In the United States, the name of Benedict Arnold is synonymous with treason. [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. By early July, he was back in Philadelphia, where he wrote another secret message to Clinton on July 7 which implied that his appointment to West Point was assured and that he might even provide a "drawing of the works by which you might take [West Point] without loss". Benedict Arnold was born on Jan. 14, 1741 in Norwich, Connecticut. 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. He arrived before Quebec City in November, after a difficult passage in which 300 men turned back and another 200 died en route. 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. One month after taking command, Arnold slipped the plans to British Major John Andr in exchange for 20,000 pounds of sterling, the equivalent of more than $4 million today. [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". She was the conduit for information to the British. Arnold returned to England in 1791, but he left to spend several years privateering in the West Indies before permanently settling in London. Two months later he repelled a British attack on Danbury, Connecticut, and was made a major general, but his seniority was not restored and Arnold felt his honour impugned. [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]. Or was it a kind of extreme midlife crisis, swerving from radical political beliefs to reactionary ones, a change accelerated by his marriage to the very young, very pretty, very Tory Peggy Shippen? 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. He grew resentful of several rival and younger generals who had been promoted ahead of him and given honors which he thought he deserved. Before his betrayal Benedict Arnold was a legitimate hero and a competent officer. [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. That autumn he was appointed by Gen. George Washington to command an expedition to capture Quebec. 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. As the park's Facebook page explains, the hero's name was left off the monument for a reason. Benedict Arnold is an epithet for traitor in the United States; calling a person a Benedict Arnold implies that they are a traitor. He could not cope with failure and disgrace. He knew that he was distrusted and disliked by senior military officers on both sides. 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. The Hudson River Chain today 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 . These letters were delivered by Samuel Wallis, another Philadelphia businessman who spied for the British, rather than by Stansbury. Interesting Facts About Benedict Arnold. "[32], Arnold began the war as a captain in the Connecticut militia, a position to which he was elected in March 1775. [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. Mo talks with author Nathaniel Philbrick about the now . Arnold's name had become synonymous with the word traitor. He was on his way home from Ticonderoga when he learned that his wife had died earlier in June. [134] Social historian Brian Carso notes that, as the 19th century progressed, the story of Arnold's betrayal was portrayed with near-mythical proportions as a part of the national history. Arnold's friend, George Washington, was heartbroken over the news, but was forced to deal with the treacherous act. Benedict Arnold's name has become infamous for his treacherous acts regarding the fort at West Point, which he was in command of, and his very name has even become a synonym for either treason or betrayal. As a young man, Arnold. Arnold mingled with Loyalist sympathizers in Philadelphia and married into a Loyalist family when he wedded Peggy Shippen. 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. To raise money, he violated several state and military regulations, arousing the suspicions and, finally, the denunciations of Pennsylvanias supreme executive council. [111] He renewed that request when he learned of the surrender, which Clinton then granted. 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