FREE ESSAY ON UP DATED BENEDICT ARNOLD

UP DATED BENEDICT ARNOLD

Benedict Arnold was born in Norwich, Connecticut. Arnold received his schooling at
Canterbury. While away at school, a few of Arnold's siblings passed away from Yellow
Fever. Arnold was a troublesome kid that would try just about anything. As a 14-year-old
boy, he ran away from home to fight in the French and Indian War. Later, Benedict Arnold
left and returned home through the wilderness alone to work with his cousins. The army
had excused him without penalty because of his young age. In 1762, when Benedict was just
twenty-one years old, he went to New Haven, Connecticut where he managed a book and drug
store and carried on trade with the West Indies. (B Arnold) In 1767, he married Margaret
Mansfield, a daughter of a sheriff of New Haven County. They had three sons together. 
When the Revolutionary War was just beginning to break out, Benedict Arnold became a
prosperous ship owner, merchant, and trader. Within days, Arnold became very interested
in the war once again and joined the American Army. All of the battles Arnold commanded
over showed immense courage and bravery, but he was soon known as America's greatest
traitor due to his betrayal of the American's. As the Revolutionary War broke out,
Benedict Arnold decided to volunteer to head over 1,000 men up to Maine. He asked for
additional men from his companies to join the army. Arnold then became a captain in the
Connecticut Militia. General George Washington had his favorites, which Arnold was among
the very few. So, Benedict Arnold was sent on an infernal 500 mile march to Maine by
Washington, also known as "The Rock". (Macks 72) Benedict Arnold and only about fifty
percent of his original soldiers made it to the St. Lawrence River where they met up with
General Montgomery. Their plan was to attack the British Army by surprise in Quebec City,
Canada. Both Montgomery and Arnold arranged to start on the lofty mountainsides of
Quebec. Arnold and his soldiers found themselves trapped by the British. 
A member of the British Army shot a musket ball directly towards Arnold's leg. His leg
was badly broken and he had to be taken to a hospital bed almost a mile away from the
attack. The attack had lasted fifty days and the secret journey resulted in a catastrophe
for the volunteer soldiers who marched away. The conditions were terrible. It was said
that almost fifty percent of the men froze, starved. Forty of the fifty percent of the
worn out men died before returning home. Many people believed that they would have all
died if it were not for the extraordinary field general-ship. (Lake Champlain) The
Massachusetts Committee of Safety became suspicious of Arnold's behavior and conduct.
Benedict was fed up so he resigned his commission at Crown Point, New York. Arnold tried
to persuade the General of New York into letting him invade Quebec. Arnold understood
that he would later face consequences with the Massachusetts Committee because of his
actions, but he prepared himself. Benedict came up with a petition and accumulated over
500 signatures from Northern New Yorkers. (M. Flynn) The petition showed the American's
appreciation of his accomplishments and good deeds.
Arnold's wife had been sick with an illness for quite some time. The news soon made it to
him that Margaret had passed away. Arnold proceeded back to New Haven to bury his wife
and go through her belongings. Arnold met with General Washington once again and informed
him of his plan to invade Quebec City for the second time. Arnold would go up the
Kennebec River into northwest Maine and would then travel through the woods, while
Schuyler would head directly north. (M. Flynn) After meeting with the Massachusetts
Committee of Safety, Arnold was dismissed of any errors. While patiently waiting for
Schuyler's decision, Washington ordered Arnold to stay on campus until the word came
through. Colonel Arnold and General Washington validated sixteen thousand men on
September 2, 1775 before heading off to Canada. (M. Flynn) Arnold ended up choosing a
little under one thousand men to take with him on the attack. Washington had additionally
added three hundred more soldiers from Pennsylvania and Virginia to proceed with Arnold.
There were raging rainstorms and strong winds, almost like a hurricane. Part of Arnold's
men backed out and returned home with most of the Army's food. The left over men were
subdued to eating tree bark, leather from their shoes, Newfoundlander dogs, and anything
that could be digested. 
The first men to arrive at the St. Lawrence River in Quebec were only a week and a half
late, even with the extra miles added on. Montgomery had replaced Schuyler for an unknown
reason. The British were completely aware of Arnold's plan to attack Quebec once again.
Arnold had written General Schuyler a letter updating about the soldiers advancements.
Benedict gave the letter to a well-trusted Indian so he could bring it to Schuyler. The
Indian betrayed Arnold and Schuyler's trust by handing over the letter to the British. On
New Year's Eve, in the middle of a snowstorm, Montgomery and Arnold started their attack
on Quebec City. Within minutes, the British were alerted. Montgomery was killed by a
cannon ball. Without a leader, Montgomery's forces headed off. Arnold was quickly made
Brigadier General by Congress and Washington's approval. An additional two thousand and
five hundred soldiers were sent up due to the low number of men left. About two hundred
and ninety men were taken hostage as prisoners, thirty-five were hurt, and fifty had
died. A new British Army from England disembarked and ended the invasion. (M. Flynn) 
The war was successful. Arnold was the head of the evacuation of Montreal. Arnold was the
last person to leave the Canadian border to head down south. Benedict's return back to
the colonies with his soldiers started in June of 1776. Arnold discovered exactly how
much his home country had changed since he was away. For example, Virginia became
independent and his church had been arrested because they were British spies. The war has
ended. American's said, "Arnold showed himself as the most enterprising man among the
rebels". (M. Flynn) Arnold was determined to fight near Valcour Island, which is
comfortably up against the shoreline of New York. In June of 1776, while the Battle of
Valcour Island just began, Arnold had hurt himself badly. (M. Flynn) Despite his pain,
Arnold managed to lead his soldiers the rest of the way to Lake Champlain. July 7, 1776,
Benedict and his men headed to Lake Champlain. (M. Flynn) 
They found refuge at the southern end of the lake. It turned out that Arnold led his men
into the exact spot they wanted to be in, which was Fort Amherst on Crown Point. They
were all glad that their travels were over. Benedict and his soldiers rowed just about
one hundred miles to reach their destination. It was a long and stressful journey.
Arnold's ongoing energy and positive attitude kept his men on their feet. A tiny group of
fifteen boats finally formed by late September. Arnold urged and pleaded to Washington to
put together a navy of about five hundred men. (Lake Champlain) Washington approved
Arnold's needs; he sent the boats up north. Arnold sailed the boats on the Richelieu
River, which was near a British preparation site. He alone created a far reaching
"victory" for his country. 
In 1776, Lake Champlain in New York State was an important place during the Revolutionary
War. It was an easy access route by water for the invasion of Canada. A group of
Americans put together an expedition to take over Fort Ticonderoga. The group included
Ethan Allen, a Vermont colonial leader and Benedict Arnold, a colonel from Connecticut.
Arnold trained his own militia force for the capture of the fort. Arnold and Allen met up
in Bennington. Arnold accompanied Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, also known as
Vermont soldiers, before heading off to Fort Ticonderoga on May 10, 1775. (Kenneth 65)
Benedict Arnold shared the command with Allen. Allen and Arnold led the Green Mountain
Boys in a surprise attack. Not a single person from Arnold and Allen's troops had died
while taking over the fort. The Green Mountain Boys and Allen basically ignored Arnold
during and after the capture of Fort Ticonderoga. Benedict went to Colonel Easton to
complain about the way he was treated. The two ended up in an argument and nothing was
ever solved. Arnold was even spotted spending time with the officers from the other side
instead of his fellow soldiers.
At this time, Allen and Benedict were making a plan to invade Quebec City, Canada. While
in Massachusetts, Colonel Easton had just about destroyed any knowledge about Arnold's
participation in the capture. (B Arnold) Arnold was furious and once again the two
engaged in an argument which further resulted in a physical fight. The British recaptured
the fort in 1777, but abandoned it in 1780. The fort was left behind because the British
gave up hope of using the invasion route in later years. At Saratoga National Historic
Park in Stillwater, New York, rests a monument to Benedict Arnold's leg. (BA's Leg) The
monument sits on the exact spot of where Benedict was knocked down and wounded when the
Battle of Freeman's Farm was in progress. Benedict Arnold's leg was pinned beneath his
own horse. His leg was extremely wounded and bled immensely. Although Arnold's leg was
badly broken, it survived the battle. 
While being appointed to command over the city of Philadelphia in 1778, Arnold met a
young woman named Peggy Shippen. Peggy was a society girl and the daughter of an
important Tory. She had three daughters by her husband Edward Shippen who was a judge.
Soon enough, Arnold and Peggy began to have a close relationship. The two were
inseparable and Arnold asked Peggy for her hand in marriage. Peggy was only eighteen
years old and Benedict was thirty-eight years old when they tied the knot, both were
beginning their second marriage. Arnold began to receive high social status after
marrying into the Shippen family. Congress always kept a close eye on Arnold because he
had been accused of numerous accusations previous to his marriage. (B Arnold)
The executive council of Pennsylvania accused Benedict of Tory leanings and of using
military soldiers as his own personal servants. He was soon brought to a marital court
where he was found guilty on two different charges. He was guilty of issuing a pass to a
ship he later invested money in and for using government owned wagons for his own
personal use. The court ended up dismissing him without any wrongdoing, but General
Washington scolded him for using poor judgment. He thought he deserved to be recognized
for his money, rank, and glory. Only a year and a half after Arnold's heroic courage at
Saratoga, he offered his services to the British Army. Arnold convinced General George
Washington to give him command over West Point, a fierce American fort in which he was
soon to take over. (Macks 118 and BA's Leg) The West Point fort guards the Hudson River,
which is north of New York City. In May of 1779, Arnold became in command of West Point,
but he worked out a plan to surrender the fort to the British general, Sir Henry Clinton.
Benedict had arranged to hand over the keys to West Point. He had been corresponding with
the British for almost sixteen months. In September of 1780, a group of thieves trapped a
traveler in the woods right outside of West Point. American forces captured the man. He
was turned over to the American Army where his true identity was revealed. The "traveler"
turned out to be Major John Andre, who was part of the British Army. (Macks 118) He was
Benedict Arnold's connection with the British. 
The scandalous scheme was quickly detected. The American's found a map and many letters
in his boot. The letters that were found implicated Benedict. Arnold's scheme to
surrender West Point was fully uncovered. Before General Washington could arrest, then
later capture and kill Arnold for being a traitor, he escaped from the American's and
went to New York City where he became a Brigadier general in the British Army. The
British sent a frigate called "Vulture" so he could disappear without harm. Soon after
his escape, Arnold began to conquer British forces. Arnold demanded 20,000 pounds from
the British for the losses he suffered in joining them. He received only 6,315 pounds.
(Macks 70)
Now a British officer, he led his new men on expeditions that burned Richmond, Virginia
and New London, Connecticut, his native state. Thankfully, West Point was saved. The
American Army soon hanged the British agent, Major John Andre. The British lost the
battle and Arnold became dismayed at the mistake of switching sides. The once great
Benedict Arnold was referred to as a "businessman turned ruthless, ambitious soldier".
(Macks 70)
King George III recognized Arnold kindly when he went to England in 1781, but others
there looked down upon him. In 1797, the British government granted him 13,400 acres in
Canada. The land was of little use to him. Benedict spent most of his remaining years as
a merchant in the West India trade, just like he had once done. His second wife Peggy was
faithful to him through all of his troubles. People believed that Peggy indeed played an
extremely important role in knowing what was going on with her husband and the British.
Peggy had been a close friend with Major John Andre before she met Arnold. (B Arnold) It
was said that during the winter of 1777 and 1778, the young woman held many parties in
her Philadelphia home. By this time, Peggy had made many friends. Her parties and balls
were strictly for people of high status. Lots of British officers and Tories attended. It
was thought that she may have encouraged him to become a traitor but it is not a proven
fact. 
In Benedict Arnold's last days he was burdened with debt, became discouraged, and was
basically distrusted by most people. Arnold soon passed away in England in 1801. He left
behind a total of eight children. Five of the children were from Peggy's first marriage
and the other three were from his first marriage to Margaret. His four sons then became
members of the British military. America now has their first despicable traitor! 
Bibliography
Works Cited
Benedict Arnold on Lake Champlain. The Battle of Valcour Island. Online. Internet. 7
March 2000. Available: http://www.heroswelcome.com/Arnold.htm
Connecticut SAR. The Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Online.
Internet. 28 Feb. 2000. Available: http://www.ctssar.org/
Flynn, J. Michael. Benedict Arnold: The Traitor Who Saved America. Online. Internet. 18
March 2000. Available: http://www.magweb.com/sample/scry/sch23ben.htm
Historic Valley Forge. Benedict Arnold. Online. Internet. 19 March 2000. Available:
http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/arnold.html
Kenneth, Dave C. "Say You Want a Revolution." Don't Know Much About History. U.S.A: Avon
Books, 1995. 
Liberty. Chronicle of the Revolution. Benedict Arnold's Leg. Online. Internet. 7 March
2000. Available: http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle/ben.arnold.leg.html
Mack, Stan. "Redcoats and Guerrillas." Real Life American Revolution. USA: Avon Books,
1994.