Benedict Arnold The Revolutionary Traitor

The book opens to a grim scene of a crowded field, filled with angry and shocked people, surrounding the gallows and looking at the road ahead as a band marched in playing a funeral march. Behind the band marched the broken and defeated Benedict Arnold, former general of the rebel army and traitor to the new country of The United States, in prison rags and shackles. The somber scene concludes with Arnold swallowing his saliva and marching onward towards his sure death. The story of Benedict Arnold begins 39 years earlier in the port town of Norwich, Connecticut. Benedict Arnold was born to a wealthy family in Norwich in one of the coldest winter months ever recorded. He was named after his dead brother of the same name and was some what of a rebel in his younger days. His parents sent him off to a respected boarding school where his real troubles began. In August of 1753 he received a letter from his mother, Hannah. It told of an awful outbreak of yellow fever in Norwich that is soon to claim the lives of his younger sisters Mary and Hannah. Two weeks later he received a follow up, in which his mother stated that Hannah was out of danger but his 8 year old sister, Mary, was dead. Soon after, Benedict's youngest sister, Elizabeth, died of yellow fever. As his pranks and tricks at school became increasingly violent, Benedict's father's shipping business was dying and his drinking problem got worse. Benedict

It is believed that Benedict Arnold was a great general in the revolutionary war. He fought beside George Washington in the continental army. When he was a general for the continental army he had a couple of successful raids and took over british forts. He was also promoted to colonel by Benjamin church. He was doing great during his time with the continental army and his comrades trusted him, and he was praised for his successful attacks. Even though, a couple of his companions did bully and mess with him, they still found him useful when it came to taking over british forts and achieving bountiful attacks towards the british. He even got hurt during an attack on the british. George Washington sent Arnold to attack Quebec where he hurt his knee. As a result, his attack in Quebec failed miserably. This really shows that Benedict arnold was trying his best to be great man and do what was right. After Arnold had done so many

In 1774, he was elected to the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts and simultaneously to the Continental Congress. He married Dorothy Quincy on August 23, 1775 and they had two children. His daughter is named Lydia Hancock, and his son is named John George Washington Hancock.

Desiring recognition and the feeling of pride brings a fullness in life so if you were to not being given the proper recognition, if you were utterly ignored, if you were tossed aside and others received credit for your very own work, is if you were faced to choose between taking the high road and becoming a better human being or would you act out in vengeance? Benedict Arnold’s historical acclaim is often associated with the traitor activity, by examining the experiences with Arnold, Americans are able to appreciate his leadership prior to his betrayal; his character is really revealed through his past and all that he accomplished for his beloved country.

The argument over Arnold’s place in American history has carried into this century. All the Americans relate George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson as their heroes, but there is a debate whether Benedict Arnold was a victim or a traitor. Arnold was a general during the American Revolutinary War, and he fought for the Continental Army. His name became synonymous with the word traitor. Benedict Arnold was a Revolutionary Hero that had a huge effect on succeeding in the war. He had motivated a lot of soldiers during the war with his victorious discourses, and battles. Determination could be one of the most important reasons why the Patriots won the war, and had a chance to create their own country. These days, kids are in

The book Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington is written by Richard Brookhiser and published by The Free Press in 1996. This book is a bibliography of George Washington’s life as a boy to an old man. George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Washington was also the eldest of his fathers’ remarriage and had a total of nine siblings, three step siblings and six full siblings.

In 1775, Benedict Arnold had taken his first victory-Fort Ticonderoga. The Battle of the fort occured on May 10, 1775. Arnold and four-hundred soldiers stood opposite of the fort on Lake Champlain and waited for the scouting units to return (CIA). When they had returned, they told Benedict that the fort had only housed fourty-nine British

The importance of this raid lay in the fact that they captured much-needed cannons and gunpowder.

The battle of Quebec during 1775 is one of the many battles that took place during the American Revolution. It is a famous battle that at the time seemed to diminish the hopes of the Americans to force Britain out of America. The American rebels were split into two armies that were to head up from opposite sides of the Montreal/Quebec area and force the British out of that area so they could take over. The main reason the Americans wanted to gain control of this area was in hope that the French Canadians would join the American revolution, and help send the British back across the Atlantic Ocean. Britain could not hang onto Montreal, but they easily hung onto Quebec and they forced the American army to back off and after that night, the American forces never made an effort to try to take control of that area again. One man who was part of the American forces at that point was Benedict Arnold. He is known as the biggest traitor in American history, but he is an important face of the American Revolution at this time. “In 1780, Arnold deflected to the British, and his change from Patriot to traitor is one of the most compelling narratives in American history.” His journey through the forests of Maine leading up to the battle of Quebec is a story to behold and when one begins to understand the story of the journey, then they will realize that the long and hard trip to the destination is a huge contributor to the reason why the rebels lost that battle.

          The events of the two years previous to Saratoga were very influential to Benedict Arnold. During that time Benedict Arnold and George Washington were planning a double-pronged attack and invasion of Canada, this would be accomplished by taking out Montreal and Quebec. The idea was that the British commander in Canada, Sir Guy Carleton, could only defend one of the cities during a simultaneous attack, which would leave an unprotected city to fall to the Americans. Montreal would have to be sieged by moving northward through Lake Champlain, then into the waters of the St. Lawrence River opposite Montreal. The route toward Quebec was far more complex. A force would have to be guided along the raging Kennebec River, into the highland mountains of Maine, over three lakes to the Dead River, then onto the Chaudière River, and on into the St. Lawrence River opposite Quebec. During Washington’s meetings with Arnold, he was examined Benedict very carefully, and he liked what he saw. In Washington’s mind there wasn’t a better man for the job than Arnold, to lead the charge into Quebec. Arnold was given independent command from Washington to lead troops through Maine and

Benedict Arnold was born on January 14, 1741 in Norwich Connecticut to Hannah King, who was a wealthy widow; and Benedict Arnold III. He had a number of siblings with unknown names who mostly died of yellow fever.

Prior to the war Arnold became a captain in the Governor's Second Company of Guards. Eager for action, Arnold and his men marched off to Cambridge and asked for the commission of the Massachusetts committee of safety to capture Fort Ticonderoga. Along the way Arnold’s group met up with Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys. Despite their differences the groups successfully captured the fort on May 10th by surprising the British Garrison. As the Green Mountain Boys raided the rum stores Arnold was in an argument about credit in capture of the fort. Arnold lost the argument and he received very little credit in the report to Congress.

The life of Benedict Arnold, is a legendary American story, about military victory, dishonor, and treason. In many ways, Benedict Arnold was a hero, a member of the sons of liberty, who rose to the rank of general, and won historic battles during the Revolutionary war. If Benedict Arnold was killed in the battle of Quebec, history would have remembered him very differently. However, Benedict Arnold succumbed the great moral dilemma of greed, which ultimately tarnished his image in American minds. Because of his deceit his military triumphs were forgotten, and replaced with being remembered as a great American traitor. However, to fully understand why Benedict Arnold turned his back on America, a careful examination of his early life, revolutionary war contributions, and decision to join the English Crown is required.

Prior to the American Revolution, Benedict Arnold was a captain in the Governor's Second Company of Guards. When hearing about the battles of Lexington and Concord, Arnold and his men became eager for action. They marched off to Cambridge to ask for the commission of the Massachusetts Committee of Safety to capture Fort Ticonderoga. Along the way, Arnold’s group met up with Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys. Arnold and Allen disputed about who was in total command but Arnold’s attempt to take command was futile so he accompanied the Green Mountain Boys with Allen as leader. On May 10th, the two groups successfully captured the fort by surprising the British Garrison.

One would say that his obvious lack of enthusiasm is perhaps a literary device to make the point that his fate was already made. Through many years, he worked and made enough money to buy his freedom. He married and had two daughters. In 1797, he died in London.