What Are Benedict Arnold's Accomplishments

Benedict Arnold was born in Norwich, Connecticut, January 14, 1741. Arnold was born the last of six children to Benedict Arnold III (1683-1761) and Hannah Waterman King. He was named after his great-grandfather Benedict Arnold, an early governor of the Colony of Rhode Island, and his brother, Benedict IV, who died in infancy before Benedict Arnold V was born. Only Benedict and his sister Hannah survived to adulthood; his other siblings succumbed to yellow fever in childhood. Through his maternal grandmother, Arnold was a descendant of John Lothropp, an ancestor of at least four Presidents of the United States. The Arnold family was well off until Benedict Arnold III made several bad business deals that plunged the family into debt and became
an alcoholic, forcing his son to withdraw from school at age 14 because the family could not afford the expense. At age 15, Arnold enlisted in the Connecticut militia. The militia marched to Albany to oppose the French invasion from Canada at the Battle of Fort William Henry. However he never engaged in battle during the battle because the British suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the French. The British surrendered on the conditions that they could evacuate the fort under safe conduct and could keep their weapons. However, the Indian allies of the French, who had been promised scalps, arms, and booty, attacked and massacred several hundred of the British soldiers. The French could not or did not stop the Indians. This event may have created an abiding hatred for the French in a young and impressionable Arnold that influenced his actions later in life. Arnold 's mother, to whom he was very close, died in 1759. Arnold took on the responsibility of supporting his ailing father and younger sister. His father 's alcoholism worsened after the death of his wife. He died in 1761. In 1762, Arnold established himself in business as a pharmacist and bookseller in New Haven, Connecticut. The oppressive taxes levied by Parliament forced many New England merchants out of business. Arnold found himself £15,000 in debt. On February 22, 1767, he married Margaret, daughter of Samuel Mansfield. They had three sons, Benedict, Richard, and Henry. In 1771, the American Revolutionary War began between the Thirteen Colonies (America) and the British Empire. In 1775 (while Arnold was away fighting at the Battle of Ticonderoga) Margaret died. Arnold 's sister, Hannah, took the children in. Benedict Arnold had many successful battles included the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga (1775), victory at the Battle of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain in 1776, the battles of Danbury and Ridgefield in Connecticut, the Quebec Invasion in 1776 (after which he was promoted to Brigadier General), and the Battle of Saratoga in 1777.
In spite of his successes, Arnold was passed over for many promotions by the Continental Congress while other general officers took credit for his many accomplishments. As his personal debts mounted, Congress investigated his accounts, and charges of corruption were brought by political adversaries. Frustrated, bitter, upset by the questioning of his honor, and strongly opposed to the new American alliance with France, Benedict Arnold secretly changed
sides. In July 1780, Arnold sought and obtained command of the fort at West Point. Because of a secret, year-long correspondence with British General Sir Henry Clinton via British Major John André, Arnold now could offer to hand the fort over to the British for £20,300 (about $3,355,000) and a brigadier 's commission. He had chosen West Point for its strategic importance: the Americans had been using its position to prevent British ships from moving northward from New York City up the Hudson and connecting with British forces in Canada - a move that would have split the north from the south. His plans ceased when André was captured September 23, 1780, with a pass signed by Arnold. André was carrying documents that disclosed the plot and which incriminated Arnold. André was later hanged as a spy. Arnold learned of André 's capture and fled to Vulture, a British ship waiting for him on the Hudson River, narrowly avoiding capture by the forces of General Washington who had left for West Point immediately upon learning of Arnold 's plan. The British made Benedict Arnold a brigadier general in the British forces, with an annual income of several hundred pounds, but only paid him some £6,315 (plus an annual pension of £360) because his plot had failed. Had the plot succeeded, British forces would have been in position to divide the northern and southern American forces and potentially end up defeating the revolution. In the winter of 1782, Arnold left the army and moved to London with his second wife, Margaret "Peggy" Shippen Arnold. He was well received by the King and the Tories but frowned upon by the Whigs. In 1787, he entered into mercantile business with his sons Richard and Henry in Saint John, New Brunswick but returned to London to settle permanently in 1791. In earlier years, a horse had fallen on Arnold’s leg. Eventually, gout attacked his uninjured leg, and he walked only with a cane. His doctors diagnosed him as having dropsy. He died, after four days of delirium, on June 14, 1801 at age 60. On his death bed, legend has it that Arnold said "Let me die in this old uniform (Colonial) in which I fought my battles.
May God forgive me for ever having put on another". Arnold was buried at St. Mary 's Church, Battersea, in London, England. It is unknown whether he was buried in any particular uniform. American sources maintain that Arnold died poor, in bad health, and essentially unknown. He left a small estate, reduced in size by his debts, which his wife, Peggy, vowed to clear. Peggy died in 1804. In 1976, 172 years later, an American admirer of the Arnolds paid for a stained-glass window in their honour. Its inscription reads in part: Beneath this church lie buried the bodies of Benedict Arnold, sometime general in the army of George Washington, and of his faithful and beloved wife Margaret Arnold of Pennsylvania…The two nations whom he served in turn in the years of their enmity have united in this memorial as a token of their enduring friendship. Twelve years later, Arnold finally received the promotion and the title he had sought throughout the last twenty years of his life. A historical plaque placed in 1988 on the house in Gloucester Place is dedicated to: Major General Benedict Arnold, American
Patriot

Bibliography

Brandt, Clare – The Man in the Mirror: The Life of Benedict Arnold (1st Ed.; New York: Random House Inc., 1994)

Benedict Arnold: Revolutionary Major General. 1 April 2008 http://www.benedictarnold.org/ Martin, James K. (1991) “Arnold, Benedict” World Book Encyclopedia 1991 Edition

Mitchell, Broadus – The Price of Independence: A Realistic View of the American Revolution
(1st Ed.; New York: Oxford University Printing)