[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. [108], On his return to New York in June, Arnold made a variety of proposals for attacks on economic targets to force the Americans to end the war. Arnold reopened the secret channels with the British, informing them of Schuyler's proposals and including Schuyler's assessment of conditions at West Point. The first man was a British major named John Andre. He returned to the army at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in May 1778 to the applause of men who had served under him at Saratoga. Sage's gravestone indicates that he was born on April 14, 14, 1786, a date roughly confirmed by Arnold's will, which stated that Sage was 14 when Arnold wrote it in 1800. Some theatrical treatments of the 19th century explored his duplicity, seeking to understand rather than demonize it. 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. 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. [85], On August 3, 1780, Arnold obtained command of West Point. [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. 1:38. With the permission of his master, Armistead enlisted in the Revolutionary War under General Lafayette. Thereafter his name became an epithet for traitor in the United States. S T I L L W A T E R, N.Y., June 14, 2001 -- Benedict Arnold, America's most infamous. While Benedict Arnold escaped to British-occupied New York, where he was protected from punishment. He was imprisoned by French authorities on Guadeloupe amid accusations of spying for the British, and narrowly eluded hanging by escaping to the blockading British fleet after bribing his guards. The prisoner was dressed in miltary uniform. The combined assault (December 31, 1775) failed, Montgomery was killed, and Arnold was severely wounded. 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. [67], Early in May 1779, Arnold met with Philadelphia merchant Joseph Stansbury[c] who then "went secretly to New York with a tender of [Arnold's] services to Sir Henry Clinton". 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". In that era, people ate most of the common foods without. [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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. He was extremely unpopular there and returned to London permanently in 1791, where he died ten years later. We largely don't even know who he is. [8] His siblings were, in order of birth: Benedict (17381739), Hannah (17421803), Mary (17451753), Absolom (17471750), and Elizabeth (17491755). 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. This plan very nearly succeeded, but Arnold changed living quarters prior to sailing for Virginia in December and thus avoided capture. During the American Revolution, British Major John Andr joined with American General Benedict Arnoldin a scheme to secure British control over the American fortification at West Point, New York. His performance in the Battle of Ridgefield in Connecticut prompted his promotion to major general. Washington refused his offer to resign, and wrote to members of Congress in an attempt to correct this, noting that "two or three other very good officers" might be lost if they persisted in making politically motivated promotions. After Benedict Arnold betrayed the Continental Army, his British contact, Major John Andr, was captured by the Americans and hanged as a spy while Arnold escaped on a British ship. 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. He was on his way home from Ticonderoga when he learned that his wife had died earlier in June. Yet as every elementary school student knows, Benedict reneged on his original commitment and defected to England. "Whom Can We Trust Now? Because of the constant agony of two battlefield wounds in an already gout-ridden leg? [43], Arnold arrived in Schuyler's camp at Fort Edward, New York, on July 24. [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 the House of Commons, Edmund Burke expressed the hope that the government would not put Arnold "at the head of a part of a British army" lest "the sentiments of true honour, which every British officer [holds] dearer than life, should be afflicted". Background. He was a war hero who persistently fought for America's independence. [13] A commonly accepted story that he deserted from militia service in 1758[14] is based on uncertain documentary evidence.[15]. They issued him a colonel's commission on May 3, 1775, and he immediately rode off to Castleton in the disputed New Hampshire Grants (Vermont) in time to participate with Ethan Allen and his men in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga. His difficult time in New Brunswick led historians to summarize it as full of "controversy, resentment, and legal entanglements" and to conclude that he was disliked by both Americans and Loyalists living there. She was the conduit for information to the British. [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. 10 interesting facts about st benedict. He started as an apprentice Arnold had three sons with Margaret Mansfield:[150][151]. Excited by the prospects, Clinton informed his superiors of his intelligence coup, but failed to respond to Arnold's July 7 letter. 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. [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. Arnold immediately hastened to the shore and ordered bargemen to row him downriver to where HMS Vulture was anchored, fleeing on it to New York City. His action at Ridgefield, coupled with the death of Wooster due to wounds sustained in the action, resulted in his promotion to major general, although his seniority was not restored over those who had been promoted before him. At the age of sixteen, Arnold enlisted in a militia and served in the French and Indian War in upstate New York . Meanwhile, in April 1779, Arnold married Margaret (Peggy) Shippen, a young woman of loyalist sympathies. [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". Answer (1 of 54): Go up to most British people and ask who Benedict Arnold was, and you will get a resounding "who?" back. 3. [68] Stansbury ignored instructions from Arnold to involve no one else in the plot, and he crossed the British lines and went to see Jonathan Odell in New York. British reinforcements arrived in late March led by William Phillips who served under Burgoyne at Saratoga. Arnold's childhood was marred by tragedy; by age 20, he was an orphan struggling to make his way in the world as an apothecary. Arnold never received all of the 20,000 pounds he was promised by the British for becoming a traitor. Major-General Nathanael Greene (August 7 [O.S. [142] His descendants are spread across Canada, most of all those of John Sage, who adopted the Arnold surname. [140], Canadian historians have treated Arnold as a relatively minor figure. January 14, 1741, in Norwich Connecticut. 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. In 1775, when the war began, he was a merchant operating ships in the Atlantic Ocean. [22] In a strange twist of fate, "the second most hated 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". [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". Discussions had not borne fruit between Schuyler and Washington by early June. At the end of 1781 Arnold went to England. Troops were liberally distributed within Arnold's command area (but only minimally at West Point itself) or furnished to Washington on request. It was invoked again as sectional conflicts increased in the years before the American Civil War. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). His father was also called Benedict Arnold and his mother's name was Hannah Waterman King. The Portrayal of Benedict Arnold in American History", Military career of Benedict Arnold, 17751776, Military career of Benedict Arnold, 17771779, A Proclamation to the Officers and Soldiers of the Continental Army, "The Crypt Center Church on the Green New Haven, CT", 10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0200008, "Independence National Historical Park: History of the President's House", "The Culper Spy Ring American Revolution", "Loyal American Regiment Historical Treks", "Native Norwich Is Ignoring Benedict Arnold", "Benedict Arnold: The Aftermath Of Treason", Saratoga National Historical Park Tour Stop 7, "In Commemoration of Arnold's Expedition to Quebec", "Letter: Some recognize Gen. Arnold as true hero of the Revolutionary War", "By Brigadier-General Arnold, A proclamation to the officers and soldiers of the Continental army who have the real interest of their country at heart, and who are determined to be no longer the tools and dupes of Congress, or France [Signed]", "Netflix's America: The Motion Picture fails at just about everything", "Netflix's 'America: The Motion Picture' knows who its audience is. The fort was finally captured by the British in 1759. Arnold was born in Connecticut. Arnold's name had become synonymous with the word traitor. Before his betrayal Benedict Arnold was a legitimate hero and a competent officer. Wikipedia Sign up to our newsletter. 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. [84], Arnold next wrote a series of letters to Clinton, even before he might have expected a response to the July 7 letter. Angry and frustrated, Arnold resigned his military command of Philadelphia in late April. Benedict Arnold was an enthusiastic patriot who believed passionately in the cause of American liberty. As a young man, Arnold. A historical marker in Danvers, Massachusetts commemorates Benedict Arnold's 1775 expedition to Quebec Bayley Seton Hospital in the Clifton section of Staten Island was named in part for Richard Bayley, father of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Arnold died in London at the age of 60. He presided over the rear of the Continental Army during its retreat from Saint-Jean, where he was reported by James Wilkinson to be the last person to leave before the British arrived. Arnold's role in the war was controversial, with some supporting his actions and others supporting the Patriots. Soon after Ticonderoga, Arnold brought his men on a dangerous trek through the . A figure climbed down from the larger sloop, into the boat and quietly made his way up the Hudson River. A Connecticut militia force arrived at Ticonderoga in June; Arnold had a dispute with its commander over control of the fort, and resigned his Massachusetts commission. That autumn he was appointed by Gen. George Washington to command an expedition to capture Quebec. [123], In January 1801, Arnold's health began to decline. Some could even argue that, patriotism aside, it might have seemed insane for him not to turn traitor. [30] The household was dominated by Arnold's sister Hannah, even while Margaret was alive. Washington was one of the few who genuinely liked and admired him, but Arnold thought that Washington had betrayed him. Despite Arnold's defection to the British, he was a fierce patriot for . 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. [72] Clinton was pursuing a campaign to gain control of the Hudson River Valley, and was interested in plans and information on the defenses of West Point and other defenses on the Hudson River. He wrote that he was "very much shocked" and wondered "good God, are the Americans all asleep and tamely giving up their liberties, or are they all turned philosophers, that they don't take immediate vengeance on such miscreants? 2. They bought three trading ships, using the profits from the sale of his homestead, and established a lucrative West Indies trade. Arnold was aware of his reputation in his home country, and French statesman Talleyrand described meeting him in Falmouth, Cornwall in 1794: The innkeeper at whose place I had my meals informed me that one of his lodgers was an American general. [116] Delivery of his first ship the Lord Sheffield was accompanied by accusations from the builder that Arnold had cheated him; Arnold claimed that he had merely deducted the contractually agreed amount when the ship was delivered late. [1][7] Arnold was the fourth surviving member of his family named after his great-grandfather Benedict Arnold I, an early governor of the Colony of Rhode Island; his grandfather (Benedict Arnold II) and father, as well as an older brother who died in infancy, were also named for the colonial governor. On July 12, he wrote again, making explicit the offer to surrender West Point, although his price rose to 20,000[b] (in addition to indemnification for his losses), with a 1,000[b] down payment to be delivered with the response. 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. Unable to find a new military or. Their friendship became the foundation for the treason for which Peggy's. [29] She is buried in the crypt of the Center Church on New Haven Green. By. [26], On February 22, 1767, Arnold married Margaret Mansfield, daughter of Samuel Mansfield, the sheriff of New Haven and a fellow member in the local Masonic Lodge. 4. [109] They also attacked and captured Fort Griswold across the river in Groton, Connecticut, slaughtering the Americans after they surrendered following the Battle of Groton Heightsand all these deeds were done just a few miles down the Thames River from Norwich, where Arnold grew up. Arnold returned to England in 1791, but he left to spend several years privateering in the West Indies before permanently settling in London. [55], Andr conferred with Clinton, who gave him broad authority to pursue Arnold's offer. Again he tried to resign, but in July he accepted a government order to help stem the British advance into upper New York. 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