Benedict Arnold

On the morning of September 25, 1780, General Benedict Arnold sat at breakfast. His house was across the river from West Point. He was in charge of that fort. A rider brought him a letter. It said a man had been caught with secret papers. Arnold got up from the table. He rode to the river. His boat crew rowed him to a British warship.

A Fighting General

Arnold was born in Norwich, Connecticut, in 1741. When the war began in 1775, he joined the American side. That May he helped capture Fort Ticonderoga from the British. Then he led a hard march through the woods of Maine to attack Quebec. He was shot in the leg.

In 1777 the British marched south from Canada. The two armies fought at Saratoga, New York. The American general there had taken away Arnold's command. Arnold rode into the battle anyway. He led the attack on the British lines. He was shot in the same leg again. The British army gave up ten days later. After that, France joined the war on the American side.

Feeling Cheated

Arnold felt that Congress had treated him badly. In 1777 Congress had promoted five generals over him. It also asked hard questions about his money. In 1778 he took charge of the city of Philadelphia. He spent a lot of money there. In 1779 he married Peggy Shippen. Her family had friends on the British side.

One month after the wedding, Arnold wrote a secret letter to the British general in New York. He offered to help the British.

The Plot at West Point

In 1780 Arnold took command of West Point. It was a strong fort on the Hudson River. Arnold agreed to hand it to the British. In return he wanted money and a job as a British officer. This was treason. Treason is the crime of turning against your own country.

A British officer named John André met with Arnold. He carried away papers about the fort. On September 23, three American soldiers stopped him on the road. They found the papers in his boot. Two days later Arnold got the news and ran. The Americans hanged André as a spy. A spy is a person who secretly gathers information for the enemy.

A British General

The British made Arnold a general in their army. In 1781 his soldiers burned part of Richmond, Virginia. Then they burned New London, Connecticut. That town was close to the place where he was born. In December 1781 Arnold sailed to England. He died in London on June 14, 1801.

On the morning of September 25, 1780, General Benedict Arnold sat at breakfast in a house across the Hudson River from West Point. He commanded the fort, and General George Washington was due to arrive that morning. A rider brought Arnold a letter. It said that a man had been caught near Tarrytown with secret papers, and that the papers were on their way to Washington. Arnold left the table, spoke to his wife upstairs, and rode to the river. His boat crew rowed him down to a British warship. Washington arrived about an hour later.

A Fighting General

Arnold was born on January 14, 1741, in Norwich, Connecticut. Before the war he was a merchant who traded goods by ship. When the fighting began in 1775, he joined the Patriot side. That May he and Ethan Allen led the men who captured Fort Ticonderoga, a British fort on Lake Champlain. That fall he led a march through the Maine wilderness to attack Quebec, and he was shot in the leg.

In 1777 a British army marched south from Canada. The two sides met at Saratoga, New York. General Horatio Gates, the American commander, had taken Arnold's command away after a quarrel. On October 7, Arnold rode into the battle anyway and led the attack on the British lines. He was wounded again in the same leg. The British surrendered ten days later. The victory helped convince France to join the war on the American side in 1778.

Feeling Cheated

Arnold believed Congress had treated him unfairly. In 1777 Congress had promoted five officers over him, all of them junior to him. Congress also questioned the money he said the army owed him. In June 1778 he became military governor of Philadelphia. He lived well there and spent heavily. In April 1779 he married Peggy Shippen, an 18-year-old whose family had friends on the British side.

About a month after the wedding, Arnold began sending secret letters to General Henry Clinton, the British commander in New York. He offered to help the British for money.

The Plot at West Point

In 1780 Washington gave Arnold command of West Point, the fort that guarded the Hudson River. Arnold agreed to hand it to the British for money and a rank as a British officer. This was treason, the crime of betraying your own country. In September he met Major John André, Clinton's aide, and gave him papers about the fort.

On September 23, 1780, three American militiamen stopped André near Tarrytown and found the papers in his boot. They sent him to an army camp, and the news reached Arnold two days later. André was tried as a spy, a person who secretly gathers information for the enemy. He was hanged on October 2, 1780.

A British General

The British made Arnold a brigadier general in their army. In January 1781 his troops burned part of Richmond, Virginia. In September they burned New London, Connecticut, a few miles from the town where he was born. In December 1781 Arnold sailed to England. He lived for a few years in Canada and then returned to London, where he died on June 14, 1801.

On the morning of September 25, 1780, General Benedict Arnold sat at breakfast in a house across the Hudson River from West Point. He commanded the fort, and General George Washington was expected that morning. A rider brought Arnold a letter. It said that a man had been caught near Tarrytown, New York, with papers hidden in his boot, and that the papers had been sent on to Washington. Arnold left the table, went upstairs to speak to his wife, and rode to the river. His boat crew rowed him downriver to a British warship, the Vulture. Washington reached the house about an hour after he left.

A Fighting General

Arnold was born on January 14, 1741, in Norwich, Connecticut. Before the war he was a merchant in New Haven who traded goods by ship. When the fighting began in 1775 he joined the Patriot side. That May he and Ethan Allen led the men who captured Fort Ticonderoga, a British fort on Lake Champlain. That fall he led about 1,100 men through the Maine wilderness to attack Quebec, and he was shot in the leg in the assault on December 31, 1775.

In October 1776 Arnold built a small fleet on Lake Champlain and fought a British fleet at Valcour Island. He lost the battle, but the fight delayed the British invasion from Canada until the next year. That invasion ended at Saratoga, New York, in 1777. General Horatio Gates, the American commander there, had removed Arnold from command after a quarrel. On October 7, Arnold rode into the battle without orders and led attacks on the British lines. He was wounded again in the same leg. The British army surrendered on October 17. News of Saratoga helped convince France to join the war as an American ally in February 1778.

Grievances

Arnold believed Congress had treated him unfairly. In February 1777 Congress had promoted five brigadier generals to major general over him, all of them junior to him. Congress also questioned the money he said the army owed him from the Quebec campaign. In June 1778 Washington made him military governor of Philadelphia after the British left the city. He lived well there and ran up debts. On April 8, 1779, he married Peggy Shippen, an 18-year-old from a wealthy family with Loyalist ties. About a month after the wedding, Arnold began writing secret letters to General Henry Clinton, the British commander in New York, offering to help the British for money.

The Plot at West Point

In the summer of 1780 Washington gave Arnold command of West Point, the fort that controlled the Hudson River. Arnold agreed to surrender it to the British in exchange for money and a commission, an official rank, as a British officer. This was treason, the crime of betraying one's own country. In September he met Major John André, Clinton's aide, behind the American lines and gave him papers describing the fort's defenses.

On September 23, 1780, three American militiamen stopped André on the road near Tarrytown. They searched him, found the papers, and sent him to an army post. The officer there sent word to Arnold, which is how the warning reached the breakfast table two days later. André was tried as a spy, a person who secretly gathers information for the enemy, and was hanged at Tappan, New York, on October 2, 1780.

A British General

The British made Arnold a brigadier general. In January 1781 he led a raid up the James River that burned part of Richmond, Virginia. In September 1781 his troops burned New London, Connecticut, a few miles from Norwich, where he was born. In December 1781 Arnold sailed to England. He lived for several years in Saint John, New Brunswick, in Canada, and then settled in London. He died there on June 14, 1801.

On the morning of September 25, 1780, General Benedict Arnold sat at breakfast in the Robinson house, across the Hudson River from West Point, with two officers from Washington's party. Arnold commanded the fort, and General George Washington was expected at the house that morning. A rider brought Arnold a letter from Lieutenant Colonel John Jameson, the officer commanding an outpost to the south. It said that a man calling himself John Anderson had been caught near Tarrytown, New York, with papers hidden in his boot, and that the papers had been forwarded to Washington. Arnold left the table, went upstairs to speak to his wife, and rode to the river. His boat crew rowed him downriver to the British warship Vulture. Washington reached the house about an hour after he left, and the papers reached him later that day.

A Fighting General

Arnold was born on January 14, 1741, in Norwich, Connecticut, the son of a merchant whose business failed. By 1775 he was a merchant in New Haven who owned ships and traded with the West Indies. When the fighting began he joined the Patriot side, and that May he and Ethan Allen led the men who captured Fort Ticonderoga, a British fort on Lake Champlain. That fall he led about 1,100 men through the Maine wilderness to attack Quebec, and he was shot in the leg in the assault on December 31, 1775.

In October 1776 Arnold built a small fleet on Lake Champlain and fought a British fleet at Valcour Island. He lost most of his boats, but the fight delayed the British invasion from Canada until the next year. That invasion, led by General John Burgoyne, ended at Saratoga, New York, in 1777. General Horatio Gates, the American commander there, had removed Arnold from command after a quarrel. On October 7, Arnold rode into the battle without orders and led attacks that broke into the British lines. He was wounded again in the same leg, and the leg never fully healed. Burgoyne surrendered his army on October 17. News of Saratoga helped convince France to sign a treaty of alliance with the United States in February 1778.

Grievances

Arnold believed Congress had treated him unfairly. In February 1777 Congress had promoted five brigadier generals to major general over him, all of them junior to him. Congress also questioned the money he said the army owed him from the Quebec campaign. In June 1778 Washington made him military governor of Philadelphia after the British left the city. He lived well there, ran up debts, and faced charges from Pennsylvania's government over his use of army wagons and supplies. On April 8, 1779, he married Peggy Shippen, the 18-year-old daughter of a wealthy judge whose family had Loyalist ties. About a month after the wedding, Arnold began writing secret letters to General Henry Clinton, the British commander in New York, offering to help the British for money. Clinton's aide, Major John André, handled the correspondence.

The Plot at West Point

In the summer of 1780 Washington gave Arnold command of West Point, the fort that controlled the Hudson River. Arnold agreed to surrender it in exchange for money and a commission, an official rank, as a British officer. This was treason, the crime of betraying one's own country. In September André came up the river on the Vulture and met Arnold behind the American lines. He left with papers describing the fort's defenses, written in Arnold's hand.

On September 23, 1780, three militiamen, John Paulding, David Williams and Isaac Van Wart, stopped André on the road near Tarrytown. He was in civilian clothes. They searched him, found the papers, and refused his offer of a bribe. They sent him to Jameson's post, and Jameson sent word to Arnold, which is how the warning reached the breakfast table two days later. The orders read to the army on September 26 began, "Treason of the blackest dye was yesterday discovered!" André was tried as a spy, a person who secretly gathers information for the enemy. He was hanged at Tappan, New York, on October 2, 1780. Congress gave each of his three captors a silver medal and a pension of $200 a year.

How We Know

Historians know the plot from the papers found on André, from Clinton's secret files, and from the letters Washington and his officers wrote in the days that followed. The famous line in which Washington turns to Lafayette and asks whom they can trust now does not appear in any letter from 1780. It was written down by the historian Jared Sparks in 1835, who drew on what Lafayette remembered decades later. Peggy Arnold's part is still debated. Washington let her return to her family in Philadelphia, and in 1782 King George III granted her a pension of 500 pounds a year for services the British called very meritorious.

A British General

The British made Arnold a brigadier general. In January 1781 he led a raid up the James River that burned part of Richmond, Virginia. In September 1781 his troops burned New London, Connecticut, a few miles from Norwich, where he was born. In December 1781 Arnold sailed to England with his family. He lived from about 1785 to 1791 in Saint John, New Brunswick, in Canada, where he went back into trade, and then settled in London. He died there on June 14, 1801, at the age of 60.