They had no reason to suspect that Gen. Benedict Arnold, the new commander of the post, would be less than a gracious host. [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. Stansbury's testimony before a British commission erroneously placed his meeting with Arnold in June. On May 9, Franklin introduced Stansbury to Major Andr, who had just been named the British spy chief. Washington was one of the few who genuinely liked and admired him, but Arnold thought that Washington had betrayed him. 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. Name: Ethan Allen; Birth . After organizing an assemblage of volunteers, he seized munitions from the New Haven arsenal and led his group northward to fight the British. When American leaders discovered the plot, Arnold fled. [74] Furthermore, revolutionary mobs were scouring Philadelphia for Loyalists, and Arnold and the Shippen family were being threatened. 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". [46] During the fighting in the second battle, Arnold disobeyed Gates' orders and took to the battlefield to lead attacks on the British defenses. 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. When Arnold learned the following morning that Andr had been caught and that . Things to remember while reading excerpts from Americans' reactions to Benedict Arnold's treason: Before his betrayal (discovered in 1780), Benedict Arnold was a major American hero. 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). [121], In July 1792, Arnold fought a bloodless duel with the Earl of Lauderdale after the Earl impugned his honor in the House of Lords. 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. 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 later revealed that he expected to obtain the command of West Point, New York, and asked the British for 20,000 for betraying this post. [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. John Andr was executed for spying. [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. It was donated by Civil War General John Watts DePeyster, and its inscription reads: "In memory of the most brilliant soldier of the Continental army, who was desperately wounded on this spot, winning for his countrymen the decisive battle of the American Revolution, and for himself the rank of Major General. [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. 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. On August 25, Peggy finally delivered to him Clinton's agreement to the terms. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. He later said in his own defense that he was loyal to his true beliefs, yet he lied at the same time by insisting that Peggy was totally innocent and ignorant of his plans. This meeting was thwarted when British gunboats in the river fired on his boat, not being informed of his impending arrival. [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. [11], Arnold was very close to his mother, who died in 1759. Things Trump will never be. [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. It was General Arnold. Arnold's early life consisted of study at some of the Continent's best private schools. [148] He was buried at St Mary's Church, Battersea, England which has a commemorative stained glass window. 5. [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. [146] There are also historical markers bearing his name at Wyman Lake Rest Area on US-201 north of Moscow, Maine, on the western bank of Lake Champlain, New York, and two in Skowhegan, Maine.[147]. Arnold's letters continued to detail Washington's troop movements and provide information about French reinforcements that were being organized. 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 was a general that preferred to lead in the front then the back, always riding his horse into battle alongside his men. attended Canterbury for a while, but when the family's money was lost in some bad business dealings, he had to leave school. Thereafter his name became an epithet for traitor in the United States. The crowd of hundreds of people was quiet. 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 . . [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. [62], Arnold had been badly wounded twice in battle and had lost his business in Connecticut, which made him profoundly bitter. [1] In the United States, the name of Benedict Arnold is synonymous with treason. Arnold and Wemyss faced similar situations but created different legaciesWemyss "served with distinction during the war" but became a footnote in history; Arnold lost the respect of people on all sides of the Revolution and his name became synonymously linked to treason. [a][133] Historical markers in Danvers, Massachusetts, and Newburyport, MA commemorate Arnold's 1775 expedition to Quebec. At the end of 1781 Arnold went to England. 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. Arnold's role in the war was controversial, with some supporting his actions and others supporting the Patriots. Among others, he shared the name with his father and. She couldand did. The arched, double-door main entrance provided a stately, picturesque quality to the home. Crippled from his wounds, Arnold was placed in command of Philadelphia (June 1778), where he socialized with families of loyalist sympathies and lived extravagantly. [59] Shippen and her circle of friends had found methods of staying in contact with paramours across the battle lines, despite military bans on communication with the enemy. "[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. Benedict Arnold was born on Jan. 14, 1741 in Norwich, Connecticut. Arnold mingled with Loyalist sympathizers in Philadelphia and married into a Loyalist family when he wedded Peggy Shippen. At a prearranged rendezvous point on the shoreline his contact arrived just after midnight. For several years before he . Some theatrical treatments of the 19th century explored his duplicity, seeking to understand rather than demonize it. . 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. [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. Arnold demanded a court martial to clear the charges, writing to Washington in May 1779: "Having become a cripple in the service of my country, I little expected to meet ungrateful returns". [141] Historian Barry Wilson points out that Arnold's descendants established deep roots in Canada, becoming leading settlers in Upper Canada and Saskatchewan. 0:00. [8] His siblings were, in order of birth: Benedict (17381739), Hannah (17421803), Mary (17451753), Absolom (17471750), and Elizabeth (17491755). 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. [55], Arnold lived extravagantly in Philadelphia and was a prominent figure on the social scene. "[88] At the same time, he tried to drain West Point's supplies so that a siege would be more likely to succeed. [citation needed]. His chaplain Rev. 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. Corrections? When and where was Benedict Arnold born? In 1775, when the war began, he was a merchant operating ships in the Atlantic Ocean. From there, he was ordered to Vermont where he met with Ethan Allen. 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. [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. The fourth niche is pointedly empty. [10] His apprenticeship with the Lathrops lasted seven years. Arnold was made a brigadier general in the British army. [84], Arnold next wrote a series of letters to Clinton, even before he might have expected a response to the July 7 letter. [105] He also wrote in the letter to Washington requesting safe passage for Peggy: "Love to my country actuates my present conduct, however it may appear inconsistent to the world, who very seldom judge right of any man's actions. After Arnold was forced to drop out of private school for lack of money, he entered into an apprenticeship with Daniel and Joshua Lathrop, two of his mother's cousins. My family have voted conservative in most elections. 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