Arnold, Benedict

Arnold, Benedict (1741–1801), Continental army general and traitor.Born in Norwich, Connecticut, Arnold at fourteen ran away from home and joined the colonial militia. The tedium of service during the Seven Years' War soon drained soldiering of its glory and Arnold deserted, establishing a pattern of abandoning allegiances when they failed to produce wealth, status, or fame. A prominent New Haven merchant, Arnold fought in the Revolutionary War as leader of a Connecticut militia company. In 1775, he participated with Ethan Allen, the Vermont militia leader, in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and led an army through Maine toward Quebec. The conquest of Canada failed, but Arnold's wilderness march enhanced his reputation. Injured in the Battle of Bemis Heights, Arnold was given command of Philadelphia in 1778. Here he married Peggy Shippen, daughter of a wealthy family with Loyalist ties. Rampant corruption in Arnold's command, coupled with disputes with local officials, led to his court‐martial in 1779. Acquitted on most charges, he was given command of the military fort at West Point on the Hudson River north of New York City. The Philadelphia debacle, coupled with resentment over earlier slights and a desperate need for money to support a lavish lifestyle, led Arnold to plot with Sir Henry Clinton, the British commander in New York, to betray West Point to the British for twenty thousand pounds and a military commission. The plot unraveled in 1780 when the Americans captured (and later hanged) John André, a British go‐between. Fleeing to the British, Arnold subsequently commanded a 1,200‐man force in Virginia and led a raid on New London, Connecticut. He died in England, his name forever equated with treason in the United States.
See also Military Service Academies.

Bibliography

Matilda A. Gocek , Benedict Arnold: A Reader's Guide and Bibliography, 1973.
James Kirby Martin , Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary Hero: An American Warrior Reconsidered, 1997.

Jon T. Coleman