Arnold escaped; Andr was hanged. He was well received by King George III and the Tories but frowned upon by the Whigs and most Army officers. He dared not tell me his name. [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. On August 25, Peggy finally delivered to him Clinton's agreement to the terms. While Benedict Arnold escaped to British-occupied New York, where he was protected from punishment. Arnold established himself in business in 1762 as a pharmacist and bookseller in New Haven, Connecticut, with the help of the Lathrops. 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. The Arnold residence attained the reputation as one of early Amsterdam's finer homes. (Benedict Cumberbatch doesn't count; he's British.) [1] Only he and his sister Hannah survived to adulthood; his other siblings died from yellow fever in childhood. [55], Arnold lived extravagantly in Philadelphia and was a prominent figure on the social scene. Thereafter his name became an epithet for traitor in the United States. [9], Arnold's father was a successful businessman, and the family moved in the upper levels of Norwich society. Stansbury's testimony before a British commission erroneously placed his meeting with Arnold in June. It is what happened after 1775 that began to wear him down and bring on his disillusionment. Omissions? "[108] Cornwallis ignored Arnold's advice to locate a permanent base away from the coast, advice that might have averted his surrender at Yorktown. 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. "Whom Can We Trust Now? My family have voted conservative in most elections. He was a war hero who persistently fought for America's independence. How did Benedict Arnold betray the Continental Army to the British? Arnold's letters continued to detail Washington's troop movements and provide information about French reinforcements that were being organized. [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. Through the early morning hours of Sept. 22, 1780 the two plotted. Some historians suggested an Arnold liaison in New Brunswick, but Canadian historian Barry Wilson noted the weakness of this traditional account. An epidemic of yellow fever ravaged Arnold's family in the 1750s, however, claiming three of his . He died, age 60, and was buried in London. Arnold lost most of his siblings to yellow fever, calamitous events that triggered alcoholism in his father. Arnold died in London at the age of 60. Though Trump has checked off the betray the USA box quite well. Benedict Arnold was born in 1741 to a prominent Connecticut family. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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". He also peppered Washington with complaints about the lack of supplies, writing, "Everything is wanting. "[32], Arnold began the war as a captain in the Connecticut militia, a position to which he was elected in March 1775. 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. [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. As a young man, Arnold. [84], Arnold next wrote a series of letters to Clinton, even before he might have expected a response to the July 7 letter. The second was Benedict Arnold. [41], Arnold was on his way to Philadelphia to discuss his future when he was alerted that a British force was marching toward a supply depot in Danbury, Connecticut. Arnold benefited from his relationship with Mansfield, who became a partner in his business and used his position as sheriff to shield him from creditors. Arnold eventually moved to England where he became a merchant. [142] His descendants are spread across Canada, most of all those of John Sage, who adopted the Arnold surname. 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]. Arnold was planning to surrender the fort there to British forces, but the plot was discovered in September 1780, whereupon he fled to the British lines. His ventures met with mixed success. [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. His performance in the Battle of Ridgefield in Connecticut prompted his promotion to major general. [31], Arnold was in the West Indies when the Boston Massacre took place on March 5, 1770. 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 grew resentful of several rival and younger generals who had been promoted ahead of him and given honors which he thought he deserved. Unable to find a new military or. His first name was actually Enoch. "[144] The victory monument at Saratoga has four niches, three of which are occupied by statues of Generals Gates, Schuyler, and Morgan. general, has a name that's become synonymous with deceit and. He led a small contingent of militia attempting to stop or slow the British return to the coast in the Battle of Ridgefield, and was again wounded in his left leg. In an ironic twist, Heron went into New York unaware of the significance of the letter and offered his own services to the British as a spy. He also began to insist on a face-to-face meeting, and suggested to Arnold that he pursue another high-level command. Washington refused his resignation and ordered him north to assist with the defense there. We largely don't even know who he is. [45] He then distinguished himself in both Battles of Saratoga, even though General Gates removed him from field command after the first battle, following a series of escalating disagreements and disputes that culminated in a shouting match. [148] He was buried at St Mary's Church, Battersea, England which has a commemorative stained glass window. He was the second of the couple's six children. Arnold had three sons with Margaret Mansfield:[150][151]. [27] Margaret died on June 19, 1775, while Arnold was at Fort Ticonderoga following its capture. In 1775, when the war began, he was a merchant operating ships in the Atlantic Ocean. 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. 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. [43], Arnold arrived in Schuyler's camp at Fort Edward, New York, on July 24. Benedict Arnold is an American Revolutionary War General who is known for being the best American Strategist during the war. Benjamin Franklin wrote that "Judas sold only one man, Arnold three millions", and Alexander Scammell described his actions as "black as hell". Answer (1 of 54): Go up to most British people and ask who Benedict Arnold was, and you will get a resounding "who?" back. Soon after Ticonderoga, Arnold brought his men on a dangerous trek through the . attended Canterbury for a while, but when the family's money was lost in some bad business dealings, he had to leave school. 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 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. Mo talks with author Nathaniel Philbrick about the now . Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. [29] She is buried in the crypt of the Center Church on New Haven Green. John Andr was executed for spying. 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. [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. [1] "Arnold, Benedict (17411801)". Benedict Arnold was born a British subject, the second of six children of his father Benedict Arnold III (16831761) and Hannah Waterman King in Norwich, Connecticut, on January 14, 1741. 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. Arnold reopened the secret channels with the British, informing them of Schuyler's proposals and including Schuyler's assessment of conditions at West Point. With Benedict Arnold, he led the Green Mountain Boys to capture Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775. 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. She was a close friend of British major John Andr and kept in contact with him when he became head of the British espionage system in New York. He started as an apprentice 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. Washington also infiltrated men into New York City in an attempt to capture Arnold. Letters were to be passed through the women's circle that Peggy Arnold was a part of, but only Peggy would be aware that some letters contained instructions that were to be passed on to Andr, written in both code and invisible ink, using Stansbury as the courier. Unable to obtain a regular commission in the British army, he later pursued various business ventures, including land speculation in Canada. 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. Thereafter his name became an epithet for traitor in the United States. 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. [128][d], Benedict Arnold's name became synonymous with "traitor" soon after his betrayal became public, and biblical themes were often invoked. [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. [58] She married Arnold on April 8, 1779. General Parsons laid it aside, seeing a letter written as a coded business discussion. In April of 1775, after learning about the conflicts at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, Arnold organized his men in preparation for a march to Cambridge to aid in the fight against the British . [126] As a result of a clerical error in the parish records, his remains were removed to an unmarked mass grave during church renovations a century later. By. He then took the letter back to Connecticut, suspicious of Arnold's actions, where he delivered it to the head of the Connecticut militia. 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. The British promised 20,000[b] for the capture of West Point, a major American stronghold; Washington greatly admired Arnold and gave him command of that fort in July 1780. His physicians diagnosed him as having dropsy, and a visit to the countryside only temporarily improved his condition. He knew that he was distrusted and disliked by senior military officers on both sides. Congress restored Arnold's command seniority in response to his valor at Saratoga. Word of the siege's disastrous outcome led the company to turn around, and Arnold served for only 13 days. As the park's Facebook page explains, the hero's name was left off the monument for a reason. [13] A commonly accepted story that he deserted from militia service in 1758[14] is based on uncertain documentary evidence.[15]. This meeting was thwarted when British gunboats in the river fired on his boat, not being informed of his impending arrival. He arrived before Quebec City in November, after a difficult passage in which 300 men turned back and another 200 died en route. The arched, double-door main entrance provided a stately, picturesque quality to the home. Benedict Arnold, (born January 14, 1741, Norwich, Connecticut [U.S.]died June 14, 1801, London, England), patriot officer who served the cause of the American Revolution until 1779, when he shifted his allegiance to the British. He died after four days of delirium on June 14, 1801, at the age of 60. Only action by Arnold's superior at Ticonderoga prevented his own arrest on countercharges leveled by Hazen. 0:00. [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. Donald Trump has taken over from Benedict Arnold as "America's number one traitor," according to a group of veterans seeking to vote the president out of office this November. [127] His funeral procession boasted "seven mourning coaches and four state carriages";[103] the funeral was without military honors. In 1776, he deployed defensive and delay tactics at the Battle of Valcour Island in Lake Champlain that gave American forces time to prepare New York's defenses. [103], Washington remained calm when he was presented with evidence of Arnold's treason. [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. 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. By the time that he was 14, there was no money for private education. The Portrayal of Benedict Arnold in American History", Shy, John. 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