[138] The boy is not identified until the end of the story, when his place of birth is given as Norwich, Connecticut, and his name is given as Benedict Arnold. The most famous of these occurred on May 10, 1775, when Ethan Allen and his band of Green Mountain Boys, accompanied by Benedict Arnold, who held a commission from . He had established a decent relationship with George Washington, as well as Philip Schuyler and Horatio Gates, both of whom had command of the army's Northern Department during 1775 and 1776. [40] In February 1777, he learned that he had been passed over by Congress for promotion to major general. 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. He proposed an action to the Massachusetts Committee of Safety to seize Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York, which he knew was poorly defended. From there, he was ordered to Vermont where he met with Ethan Allen. [106] This activity brought out Virginia's militia led by Colonel Sampson Mathews, and Arnold eventually retreated to Portsmouth to be reinforced or to evacuate. [49][citation not found], Arnold spent several months recovering from his injuries. His subordinates, some long-time associates, grumbled about Arnold's unnecessary distribution of supplies and eventually concluded that he was selling them on the black market for personal gain. Excited by the prospects, Clinton informed his superiors of his intelligence coup, but failed to respond to Arnold's July 7 letter. 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). [117] After her first voyage, Arnold returned to London in 1786 to bring his family to Saint John. [19][20] The captain was wounded in the first exchange of gunfire, and he apologized when Arnold threatened to aim to kill on the second. Troops were liberally distributed within Arnold's command area (but only minimally at West Point itself) or furnished to Washington on request. [136], Fictional invocations of Benedict Arnold's name carry strongly negative overtones. The Arnold residence attained the reputation as one of early Amsterdam's finer homes. See the fact file below for more information on . 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. Benedict Arnold served in the Connecticut militia and participated in the Siege of Boston. Benedict's exploits and continuous wins caught the eye of George Washington, who . [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. He was a war hero who persistently fought for America's independence. Benedict Arnold was unhappy with his position in the Continental Army by the time he betrayed the cause of the American Revolution to the British. 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". Arnold resented this affront, and only Washingtons personal persuasion kept him from resigning. 1:38. 8. The band played a funeral march. You may think it was odd that parents would name their newborn . 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. He arrived before Quebec City in November, after a difficult passage in which 300 men turned back and another 200 died en route. Together, they won the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga, America's first victory in the Revolutionary War. 3. "[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. 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. 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. [85], On August 3, 1780, Arnold obtained command of West Point. 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. Andr then drafted instructions to Stansbury and Arnold. [9], Arnold's father was a successful businessman, and the family moved in the upper levels of Norwich society. [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]. While Benedict Arnold escaped to British-occupied New York, where he was protected from punishment. He also peppered Washington with complaints about the lack of supplies, writing, "Everything is wanting. 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. After organizing an assemblage of volunteers, he seized munitions from the New Haven arsenal and led his group northward to fight the British. They bought three trading ships, using the profits from the sale of his homestead, and established a lucrative West Indies trade. 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. The America. [24] Arnold initially took no part in any public demonstrations but, like many merchants, continued to do business openly in defiance of the Parliamentary Acts, which legally amounted to smuggling. Although he was unsuccessful, his attempt to betray George Washington and his American forces . Peggy's Childhood Peggy was the daughter of Edward Shippen and born into a prominent Philadelphia family. Arnold mingled with Loyalist sympathizers in Philadelphia and married into a Loyalist family when he wedded Peggy Shippen. Benedict Arnold was born to a prominent businessman in Norwich, Connecticut, on January 14, 1741. Historians have identified many possible factors contributing to Arnold's treason, while some debate their relative importance. He had his leg crudely set, rather than allowing it to be amputated, leaving it 2 inches (5cm) shorter than the right. [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. Benedict Arnold, despite his bravery on the battlefield, eventually switched sides and became the most infamous traitor in American history. With the permission of his master, Armistead enlisted in the Revolutionary War under General Lafayette. He did, however, investigate its extent, and suggested that he was willing to exchange Andr for Arnold during negotiations with Clinton concerning Andr's fate. 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". On August 25, Peggy finally delivered to him Clinton's agreement to the terms. [27] Their son Benedict was born the following year[28] and was followed by brothers Richard in 1769 and Henry in 1772. The second was Benedict Arnold. 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. 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. [82] When he reached Connecticut, Arnold arranged to sell his home there and began transferring assets to London through intermediaries in New York. 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]. The prisoner seemed suprised to see the gallows, but walked calmy toward it. Though Trump has checked off the betray the USA box quite well. He dared not tell me his name. When the British took control of Philadelphia in 1777, Peggy met John Andr, a charming, well-educated British officer. The fort was finally captured by the British in 1759. Wallace, Willard M. "Benedict Arnold: Traitorous Patriot." I used the widely accepted 1910 translation by the sinologist Lionel Giles, available in various . Clinton refused this suggestion; after a military tribunal, Andr was hanged at Tappan, New York, on October 2. After Arnold was wounded in 1777, George Washington named him military governor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, recently abandoned by the British. [35], During these actions, Arnold made a number of friends and a larger number of enemies within the army power structure and in Congress. He followed up that action with a bold raid on Fort Saint-Jean on the Richelieu River north of Lake Champlain. [29] She is buried in the crypt of the Center Church on New Haven Green. Arnold was promoted to brigadier general for his role in reaching Quebec, and he maintained an ineffectual siege of the city until he was replaced by Major General David Wooster in April 1776. Washington was one of the few who genuinely liked and admired him, but Arnold thought that Washington had betrayed him. Benedict Arnold was born on January 14, 1741, in Norwich, Connecticut. [b][6] He led British forces in the Raid of Richmond and nearby areas, and they burned much of New London, Connecticut, to the ground and slaughtered surrendering forces after the Battle of Groton Heightsjust a few miles downriver from the town where he had grown up. [118] The family moved to Saint John in 1787, where Arnold created an uproar with a series of bad business deals and petty lawsuits. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Some historians suggested an Arnold liaison in New Brunswick, but Canadian historian Barry Wilson noted the weakness of this traditional account. Needed repairs were never ordered on the chain across the Hudson. [38], General Washington assigned Arnold to the defense of Rhode Island following the British seizure of Newport in December 1776, where the militia were too poorly equipped to even consider an attack on the British. However, Arnold was a prominent figure in the American Revolution and, for a time, was a distinguished war hero who simply became . Background. One thing that we can set aside is any notion that the dish was named after Benedict Arnold, the Revolutionary War general who became the most famous American traitor in history after he defected to the British army and became a general for the other side, leading troops against those he once commanded. His performance in the Battle of Ridgefield in Connecticut prompted his promotion to major general. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Benedict Arnold was born in 1741 to a prominent Connecticut family. Benedict Arnold Angry and frustrated, Arnold resigned his military command of Philadelphia in late April. From psychological wounds received in his Connecticut childhood when his alcoholic father squandered the family's fortunes? S T I L L W A T E R, N.Y., June 14, 2001 -- Benedict Arnold, America's most infamous. After his leg healed, Benedict Arnold was named Military Governor of Philadelphia. BENEDICT ARNOLD REMAINS the most notorious man in American history, his name a synonym for traitor. By. [6] With the outbreak of the French Revolution, Arnold outfitted a privateer, while continuing to do business in the West Indies, even though the hostilities increased the risk. [55], Andr conferred with Clinton, who gave him broad authority to pursue Arnold's offer. Through his maternal grandmother, Arnold was a descendant of John Lothropp, an ancestor of six presidents. Benedict Arnold's reasons for betraying America were extraordinarily complex. [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. Because of the constant agony of two battlefield wounds in an already gout-ridden leg? Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Harper's Weekly published an article in 1861 describing Confederate leaders as "a few men directing this colossal treason, by whose side Benedict Arnold shines white as a saint". [74] Furthermore, revolutionary mobs were scouring Philadelphia for Loyalists, and Arnold and the Shippen family were being threatened. [62], Wetherell says that the shortest explanation for his treason is that he "married the wrong person". After the usual exchange of greetings I ventured to request from him some letters of introduction to his friends in America. He was a general that preferred to lead in the front then the back, always riding his horse into battle alongside his men. [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. [103] He had suffered from gout since 1775,[124] and the condition attacked his unwounded leg to the point where he was unable to go to sea. [3] Some among those in his military and political circles charged him with corruption and other bad acts. Arnold reopened the secret channels with the British, informing them of Schuyler's proposals and including Schuyler's assessment of conditions at West Point. We largely don't even know who he is. Benedict Arnold was born on Jan. 14, 1741 in Norwich, Connecticut. Unable to obtain a regular commission in the British army after the war, Arnold pursued various business ventures like land speculation and privateering before permanently settling in London. My family have voted conservative in most elections. His grandfather, after whom he was named, was one of the founders of the Rhode Island colony, but Arnold's father was the opposite of the upstanding Benedict Arnold I. 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 was let off with just a slap on the wrist, but again his pride had been wounded. [25] On the night of January 28, 1767, he and members of his crew roughed up a man suspected of attempting to inform authorities of Arnold's smuggling. [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. 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. Scholastica, the founder of the Benedictine sisters, was Benedict's sister. The Hudson River Chain today Benedict Arnold was an American Senior Officer during the Revolutionary War. His fellow conspirator, Major Andre, was hanged by the Continental army for being a spy. 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. [127] His funeral procession boasted "seven mourning coaches and four state carriages";[103] the funeral was without military honors. Nor was it named after Pope Benedict XIII, the leader of the Catholic Church from 1724 to 1730 (or any of the 15 other popes who took the name Benedict). [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. [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. 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