He is also believed to have built the first U.S. telescope. He engaged in a variety of business deals designed to profit from war-related supply movements and benefiting from the protection of his authority. "[102], The British gave Arnold a brigadier general's commission with an annual income of several hundred pounds, but they paid him only 6,315 plus an annual pension of 360[b] for his defection because his plot had failed. 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). Benedict Arnold was born in 1741 to a prominent Connecticut family. See the fact file below for more information on . With the permission of his master, Armistead enlisted in the Revolutionary War under General Lafayette. They bought three trading ships, using the profits from the sale of his homestead, and established a lucrative West Indies trade. 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. [80] Many of these documents had been lost during the retreat from Quebec. [31], Arnold was in the West Indies when the Boston Massacre took place on March 5, 1770. Unlike his accomplishments in the battlefield, Arnold was not a good Governor. Things Trump will never be. [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. Arnold's letters continued to detail Washington's troop movements and provide information about French reinforcements that were being organized. William Fitch Arnold (17941846) (Captain, Benedict Arnold, played by Curtis Caravaggio, is a one-time character in the episode "The Capture of Benedict Arnold" in the 2016-18 TV series, Courtwright, Julie. 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. He had his leg crudely set, rather than allowing it to be amputated, leaving it 2 inches (5cm) shorter than the right. Benedict Arnold's name might be the first that comes to mind when we think of treason not just because he was a traitor, but because he was such an unlikely one. Arnold commanded the army only until May 20, when Lord Cornwallis arrived with the southern army and took over. He claimed that Arnold was guilty of all kinds of treasonous acts and preferred the company of the British loyalists, all without offering any proof. Especially galling was a long feud with the civil authorities in Philadelphia which led to his court-martial. [13] A commonly accepted story that he deserted from militia service in 1758[14] is based on uncertain documentary evidence.[15]. After his leg healed, Benedict Arnold was named Military Governor of Philadelphia. Various translations of Sun Tzu's The Art of War have been published over the past century. For his services he was restored to his proper relative rank. [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]. For additional information about Arnold's amazing career as a Continental officer, consult James Kirby Martin, Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary Hero: An American Warrior Reconsidered (New York, 1997). Needed repairs were never ordered on the chain across the Hudson. 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 . Among others, he shared the name with his father and. [62], Arnold had been badly wounded twice in battle and had lost his business in Connecticut, which made him profoundly bitter. "[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. Clinton refused this suggestion; after a military tribunal, Andr was hanged at Tappan, New York, on October 2. [111] He renewed that request when he learned of the surrender, which Clinton then granted. Some historians suggested an Arnold liaison in New Brunswick, but Canadian historian Barry Wilson noted the weakness of this traditional account. BENEDICT ARNOLD REMAINS the most notorious man in American history, his name a synonym for traitor. [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. He returned a hero, but his rash courage and impatient energy had aroused the enmity of several officers. [60] Some of this communication was effected through the services of Joseph Stansbury, a Philadelphia merchant.[61]. 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. The second was Benedict Arnold. 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. Peggy came from a loyalist family in Philadelphia; she had many ties to the British. John Andr was executed for spying. On August 13, Schuyler dispatched him with a force of 900 to relieve the siege of Fort Stanwix, where he succeeded in a ruse to lift the siege. During this time, Arnold brought his sister Hannah to New Haven and established her in his apothecary to manage the business in his absence. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [47] Burgoyne surrendered ten days after the second battle on October 17, 1777. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Benedict Arnold Arnold escaped; Andr was hanged. He also began to insist on a face-to-face meeting, and suggested to Arnold that he pursue another high-level command. Upon the outbreak of hostilities at Lexington, Massachusetts (April 1775), Arnold volunteered for service and participated with Ethan Allen in the successful colonial attack on British-held Fort Ticonderoga, New York, the following month. Arnold was let off with just a slap on the wrist, but again his pride had been wounded. Benedict Arnold's name is synonymous with the word traitor. [114] His reputation also came under criticism in the British press, especially when compared to Major Andr who was celebrated for his patriotism. [81], Early in April, Philip Schuyler had approached Arnold with the possibility of giving him the command at West Point. Arnold remained there until July 1781 and then returned to New York. [63][64], Arnold had an extremely ambitious and jealous personality. 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]. [142] His descendants are spread across Canada, most of all those of John Sage, who adopted the Arnold surname. 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. He also faced financial ruin, falling 16,000[b] in debt with creditors spreading rumors of his insolvency, to the point where he took legal action against them. [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. How did Benedict Arnold betray the Continental Army to the British? [52] Historian John Shy states: Arnold began planning to capitalize financially on the change in power in Philadelphia, even before the Americans reoccupied their city. Crippled from his wounds, Arnold was placed in command of Philadelphia (June 1778), where he socialized with families of loyalist sympathies and lived extravagantly. He had requested to resign multiple times after being refused promotions and, from December 1779 to January 1780, was court-martialed because of multiple charges of misconduct. He returned to the army at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in May 1778 to the applause of men who had served under him at Saratoga. Clinton was uninterested in most of his aggressive ideas, but finally authorized him to raid the port of New London, Connecticut. [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". That autumn he was appointed by Gen. George Washington to command an expedition to capture Quebec. [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 was rebuffed by Congress and by local authorities in requests for security details for himself and his in-laws. His fellow conspirator, Major Andre, was hanged by the Continental army for being a spy. Benedict Arnold is an American Revolutionary War General who is known for being the best American Strategist during the war. In 1764, he formed a partnership with Adam Babcock, another young New Haven merchant. He then directed the construction of a fleet to defend Lake Champlain, which was overmatched and defeated in the October 1776 Battle of Valcour Island. The British withdrew from Philadelphia in June 1778, and Washington appointed Arnold military commander of the city. . In that era, people ate most of the common foods without. Arnold mingled with Loyalist sympathizers in Philadelphia and married into a Loyalist family when he wedded Peggy Shippen. This long after he lived, it would probably be impossible to know whether Benedict Arnold liked or disliked any particular food. [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. Benedict Arnold served in the Connecticut militia and participated in the Siege of Boston. Peggy's Childhood Peggy was the daughter of Edward Shippen and born into a prominent Philadelphia family. "[32], Arnold began the war as a captain in the Connecticut militia, a position to which he was elected in March 1775. Benedict's exploits and continuous wins caught the eye of George Washington, who . Arnold established himself in business in 1762 as a pharmacist and bookseller in New Haven, Connecticut, with the help of the Lathrops. 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. attended Canterbury for a while, but when the family's money was lost in some bad business dealings, he had to leave school. After the war, he petitioned to have Vermont become a state. "No one has betrayed those in uniform like Donald Trump ," said the voiceover in the latest ad . An epidemic of yellow fever ravaged Arnold's family in the 1750s, however, claiming three of his . Some could even argue that, patriotism aside, it might have seemed insane for him not to turn traitor. Despite his popularity and battlefield prowess, Benedict Arnold eventually broke bad. Or was it a kind of extreme midlife crisis, swerving from radical political beliefs to reactionary ones, a change accelerated by his marriage to the very young, very pretty, very Tory Peggy Shippen? [1] At the age of sixteen, Arnold enlisted in a militia and served in the French and Indian War in upstate New York . 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. 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. Benedict Arnold, despite his bravery on the battlefield, eventually switched sides and became the most infamous traitor in American history. [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. In 1787, he moved to Canada to run a merchant business with his sons Richard and Henry. We largely don't even know who he is. [27] Margaret died on June 19, 1775, while Arnold was at Fort Ticonderoga following its capture. One month after taking command, Arnold slipped the plans to British Major John Andr in exchange for 20,000 pounds of sterling, the equivalent of more than $4 million today. 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. Benedict Arnold began the Revolutionary War as a militia captain. [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. [74] Furthermore, revolutionary mobs were scouring Philadelphia for Loyalists, and Arnold and the Shippen family were being threatened. Benedict Arnold (14 January 1741 [O.S. 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. Once the former Revolutionary War hero . 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