[citation needed], He then continued on to Philadelphia where he met with members of Congress about his rank. He was extremely unpopular there and returned to London permanently in 1791, where he died ten years later. Interesting Facts About Benedict Arnold. Benedict Arnold's name is synonymous with the word traitor. He had his leg crudely set, rather than allowing it to be amputated, leaving it 2 inches (5cm) shorter than the right. [16] He was hardworking and successful, and was able to rapidly expand his business. 1.Saint Benedict was a teenager when he became a monk. [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. [55], Andr conferred with Clinton, who gave him broad authority to pursue Arnold's offer. My family have voted conservative in most elections. [87], Once Arnold established himself at West Point, he began systematically weakening its defenses and military strength. It was General Arnold. He then went to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and suggested to George Washington a second expedition to attack Quebec City via a wilderness route through Maine. Troops were liberally distributed within Arnold's command area (but only minimally at West Point itself) or furnished to Washington on request. He knew that he was distrusted and disliked by senior military officers on both sides. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Arnold said that it would have been better had it been in the chest instead of the leg. Arnold's name had become synonymous with the word traitor. Andr was captured the next day, near Tarrytown, with those plans tucked inside his boot. [85], On August 3, 1780, Arnold obtained command of West Point. Benedict Arnold is an epithet for traitor in the United States; calling a person a Benedict Arnold implies that they are a traitor. 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. [8] His siblings were, in order of birth: Benedict (17381739), Hannah (17421803), Mary (17451753), Absolom (17471750), and Elizabeth (17491755). [60] Some of this communication was effected through the services of Joseph Stansbury, a Philadelphia merchant.[61]. [34], Arnold then traveled to Montreal where he served as military commander of the city until forced to retreat by an advancing British army that had arrived at Quebec in May. Before anyone spouts off about me being a 'libtard' I am a conservative. He returned to the army at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in May 1778 to the applause of men who had served under him at Saratoga. [136], Fictional invocations of Benedict Arnold's name carry strongly negative overtones. He was also convicted of two minor charges of using his authority to make a profit. [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]. She couldand did. Wikipedia Sign up to our newsletter. His father was a successful businessman and young Arnold was educated in private schools. On May 9, Franklin introduced Stansbury to Major Andr, who had just been named the British spy chief. He claimed that Arnold was guilty of all kinds of treasonous acts and preferred the company of the British loyalists, all without offering any proof. [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. A colonial resident by birth, Arnold made his living as a merchant before joining the American military to defend against the British. His physicians diagnosed him as having dropsy, and a visit to the countryside only temporarily improved his condition. Washington refused his resignation and ordered him north to assist with the defense there. [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". [47] Burgoyne surrendered ten days after the second battle on October 17, 1777. Washington also infiltrated men into New York City in an attempt to capture Arnold. [73] By October 1779, the negotiations had ground to a halt. 4. [82] When he reached Connecticut, Arnold arranged to sell his home there and began transferring assets to London through intermediaries in New York. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. He grew resentful of several rival and younger generals who had been promoted ahead of him and given honors which he thought he deserved. [104] He justified his actions in an open letter titled "To the Inhabitants of America", published in newspapers in October 1780. After trying and failing to hand the fort at West Point over to the British, he joined the Royal Army and took . The other leg ached constantly, and he walked only with a cane. Before it could be carried out, however, minutemen captured John Andr and informed General George Washingtonof the plot. Benedict Arnold was named brigadier general by the British government and sent on raids to . Promoted to the rank of brigadier general, Arnold constructed a flotilla on Lake Champlain and inflicted severe losses on a greatly superior enemy fleet near Valcour Island, New York (October 11, 1776). [132], Talleyrand continued, "I must confess that I felt much pity for him, for which political puritans will perhaps blame me, but with which I do not reproach myself, for I witnessed his agony". [127] His funeral procession boasted "seven mourning coaches and four state carriages";[103] the funeral was without military honors. Benedict Arnold was born on January 14, 1741, in Norwich, Connecticut. Arnold was born in Connecticut. Arnold's Family Life Was Messy By The Time He Was 20. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [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. [36] However, an acrimonious dispute with Moses Hazen, commander of the 2nd Canadian Regiment, boiled into Hazen's court martial at Ticonderoga during the summer of 1776. Mo talks with author Nathaniel Philbrick about the now . The Portrayal of Benedict Arnold in American History", Shy, John. Arnold commanded the army only until May 20, when Lord Cornwallis arrived with the southern army and took over. The fort was finally captured by the British in 1759. 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. His fellow conspirator, Major Andre, was hanged by the Continental army for being a spy. Stansbury's testimony before a British commission erroneously placed his meeting with Arnold in June. [43], Arnold arrived in Schuyler's camp at Fort Edward, New York, on July 24. With Benedict Arnold, he led the Green Mountain Boys to capture Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775. Updates? What happened to Benedict Arnold after he betrayed the Continental Army to the British? They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Meanwhile, in April 1779, Arnold married Margaret (Peggy) Shippen, a young woman of loyalist sympathies. betrayal. Arnold and his men went towards Boston. Benedict Arnold Is America's Most Famous Traitor. [1] Only he and his sister Hannah survived to adulthood; his other siblings died from yellow fever in childhood. These charges were then referred to Congress, and Arnold asked for an immediate court-martial to clear himself. [69] This was the beginning of a secret correspondence between Arnold and Andr, sometimes using his wife Peggy as a willing intermediary, which culminated more than a year later with Arnold's change of sides. The America. [48] However, he interpreted the manner in which they did so as an act of sympathy for his wounds, and not an apology or recognition that they were righting a wrong. Clinton was concerned that Washington's army and the French fleet would join in Rhode Island, and he again fixed on West Point as a strategic point to capture. In 1775, when the war began, he was a merchant operating ships in the Atlantic Ocean. [71], By July 1779, Arnold was providing the British with troop locations and strengths, as well as the locations of supply depots, all the while negotiating over compensation. His father was also called Benedict Arnold and his mother's name was Hannah Waterman King. He dared not tell me his name. And those of us with long memories can take some comfort that things didn't go much better for Arnold once he left the colonies to live in . [128], Arnold left a small estate, reduced in size by his debts, which Peggy undertook to clear. The prisoner was dressed in miltary uniform. [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. One colonel wrote to Clinton concerning Arnold: "There are many officers who must wish some other general in command. By Joyce Lee Malcolm. He started as an apprentice However, his betrayal overshadowed his accomplishments in the wars he fought and won. Unable to find a new military or. [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. General George Washington had given him his fullest trust and had placed him in command of West Point in New York. Arnold mingled with Loyalist sympathizers in Philadelphia and married into a Loyalist family when he wedded Peggy Shippen. 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. [74] Furthermore, revolutionary mobs were scouring Philadelphia for Loyalists, and Arnold and the Shippen family were being threatened. [49][citation not found], Arnold spent several months recovering from his injuries. "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. He was a war hero who persistently fought for America's independence. Peggy came from a loyalist family in Philadelphia; she had many ties to the British. Andr had spies and informers keeping track of Arnold to verify his movements. He was enrolled in a private school in nearby Canterbury, Connecticut, when he was 10, with the expectation that he would eventually attend Yale College. [10] His apprenticeship with the Lathrops lasted seven years. 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. You may think it was odd that parents would name their newborn . 3. Some could even argue that, patriotism aside, it might have seemed insane for him not to turn traitor. [91][92] This action did little damage besides giving the captain, Andrew Sutherland, a splinter in his nosebut the splinter prompted the Vulture to retreat,[93] forcing Andr to return to New York overland. 5. [141] Historian Barry Wilson points out that Arnold's descendants established deep roots in Canada, becoming leading settlers in Upper Canada and Saskatchewan. The arched, double-door main entrance provided a stately, picturesque quality to the home. [110], Even before Cornwallis's surrender in October, Arnold had requested permission from Clinton to go to England to give Lord George Germain his thoughts on the war in person. Benedict Arnold was an American Senior Officer during the Revolutionary War. [148] He was buried at St Mary's Church, Battersea, England which has a commemorative stained glass window. At a prearranged rendezvous point on the shoreline his contact arrived just after midnight. When the British took control of Philadelphia in 1777, Peggy met John Andr, a charming, well-educated British officer. The prisoner seemed suprised to see the gallows, but walked calmy toward it. [83], Andr returned victorious from the Siege of Charleston on June 18, and both he and Clinton were immediately caught up in this news. He then presented the attack of Fort Ticonderoga. 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. General Parsons laid it aside, seeing a letter written as a coded business discussion. 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. 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. Among others, he shared the name with his father and. The crowd of hundreds of people was quiet. Peggy Shippen, or Margaret Shippen (July 11, 1760 - August 24, 1804), was the second wife of General Benedict Arnold (following Margaret Mansfield, who died in 1775). [23] The Stamp Act prompted Arnold to join the chorus of voices in opposition, and also led to his joining the Sons of Liberty, a secret organization which advocated resistance to those and other restrictive Parliamentary measures. 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". Benedict Arnold was an enthusiastic patriot who believed passionately in the cause of American liberty. Despite Arnold's defection to the British, he was a fierce patriot for . 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