Book Review Of 'The Notorious Benedict Arnold'

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

Arnold was a brilliant leader in the continental army, leading to many victories for the United States. His uncommon bravery had really showed a great impression on all the soldiers, boosting their morals even more. ”Arnold dedicated himself to the Revolutionary cause, sacrificing family life, health, and financial well-being for a conflict that left him physically crippled, sullied by false accusations, and profoundly alienated from the American cause of liberty.”

Throughout the book “The Notorious Benedict Arnold” by Steve Sheinkin, it is clear that Benedict is mistreated and set aside from the rest of the army. He isn’t given the appreciation he deserves, but continues to attempt to prove himself until he became fed up with not being recognized. Congress also tends to not care about him and his job as much as they did with other generals. “Arnold’s pay as a major general was $332 a month, that is - Congress was often unable to come up with the money to pay the army” (Sheinkin 226). After being treated the way he was, Arnold still contributed greatly to America’s success. Arnold was shot in the leg

1. Arnold Friend 's name can be interpreted as being "a friend." Also, by removing the r 's, his name becomes "an old fiend," which can be interpreted as a reference to a demon or even Satan. What other clues are there that Arnold is not who he claims to be?

Benedict Arnold was a general during the Revolutionary War, whom fought for the American army but eventually betrayed them and fought for the British. Included in this report will be his biographical information, the major events and people in his life which influenced him to become the person he was, and why he was important. I will be using this information to explain what made him a leader.

When George Washington discovered the now-infamous treachery of John André and Benedict Arnold, he was preparing for a breakfast at the Arnold home. Arnold fled from the house, but his wife “Peggy had retired to her bedroom, ready to feign innocence and hysterical despair…She was an artful actress, and the show of stunned sorrow which she staged in the days that followed convinced almost everyone of her innocence.” Ever since Peggy Shippen Arnold’s dramatic display of her ignorance to her husband’s betrayal, historians have struggled to accurately reconstruct the facts of her life. Today, the consensus has given her a prominent role in Benedict Arnold and John André’s conspiracy, but thanks to her family’s efforts to preserve her legacy by

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.

Benedict Arnold helped found the Rhode Island colony. His grandson was a wealthy merchant, taking goods across the Atlantic. Eventually, his wife died, turning him into the town drunk. It was his only surviving son who branded the name Benedict Arnold evil.

“While commanding in Philadelphia, Arnold met and married Peggy Shippen” (Benedict Arnold). She was the daughter of a loyalist resulting to many run-ins with the British troops, specifically British Major John André. They met through the wife of Arnold and so they would use her as an excuse to meet up. It was not long before Arnold was sharing troop locations with André as well as the locations of supply depots. Arnold then ran into some sensitive files and began tearing the forces down, little by little, by refusing to order necessary repairs and letting the supplies go down. Just then Arnold began sending his assets from Connecticut to England. September 21, André was carrying papers that had Arnold’s role in the West Point surrender plot and got arrested, George Washington was immediately informed about this. Arnold heard the news and immediately fled to the British, the troops Washington had sent made no effort in capturing Arnold. Although Benedict Arnold was a traitor, it actually helped the Patriots in the long run because it re-energizing their decreasing morale. Here is a primary source about the plan of the switching of sides: “It was midnight, Horses were saddling officers going from tent to tent, ordering their men, in a suppressed voice, to turn out & parade no drum beat– the troops formed in silence & in darkness – I may well say, in consternation, for who in such an hour, & called together in such a manner, & in total

Later on his father died after being arrested repeatedly for his drunkenness. After these series of events Arnold settled in New Haven to be working as a pharmicist and a bookseller. 1764 came and Benedict partnered up with Adam Babcock to

Benedict Arnold, born January 14, 1741, in Norwich, Connecticut, had succeeded to be an all around, skilled man. His childhood, “was full of hardships that took a lot of loneliness and work to get over.” Throughout his childhood, he dealt with great quantities of loss, as well as the fact he had to scurry for survival. Therefore, Benedict worked many jobs to help his situation, and despite the troubles, he always seemed to be determined to do more. After all of his jobs, Benedict wanted to be in the militia, as well as join the sons of liberty, “to take action over the violated rights and frustration that taxes are bringing.” Over the years in the militia, Benedict won and lost many battles, fighting as a proud citizen of the colonies. It has been heard that he has a major problem with an outburst of opinion, and “has made many enemies in command.” The New York Gazette can make the

“After so many sacrifices, he became disillusioned with the war’s progress,” Linda Creighton explains in her article, “...he grew deeply mistrustful of the cause's civilian leaders and, ultimately, Arnold himself felt betrayed” (Creighton). As a result of this “betrayal”, Arnold criticized the mindset of the his former peers in his “Proclamation to the officers and soldiers of the Continental Army”, arguing that their own act of treason against the British “has robbed [them] of [their] property, imprison [their] persons, drags [them] to the field of battle, and is daily deluging [their] country with [their] blood” (Arnold). Although his Proclamation acts as a method of trying to appeal Continental soldiers and not as a list of reasons of why he’s betraying the country, the source still provides a great example of his sentiment during this period of the war. Furthermore, Arnold’s interest in money contributed to the reasoning behind his disloyal actions. When he completely lost faith in the American war effort, Arnold reached out to British Major John André and “plotted to sell West Point to the enemy for 20,000 British pounds” (Creighton). Consequently, André was captured and executed and Arnold was later exposed as a traitor, betraying the trust of George Washington, the commander-in-chief who gave

He conspired with the British and sold them information of West Point and how to capture it. He did this because he wanted more money, and the British would give it to him. He also wanted more attention, which the British also gave him. Thankfully, this plot was discovered because the caught his British contact. His contact was hung and Arnold would have been too if he had been caught.

America’s first spy ring, better known as the Cupler ring, was Washington’s carefully thought out solution to gain intelligence on the overpowering British troops. The revolution was happening; there was no turning back and no denying that America was going to gain independence from Great Britain. Washington needed a plan, a way to foresee what the British planned to do next. Washington’s only solution was to resort to spying.

Arnold’s change of identity is shown through the author’s use of setting. At first, he lives in Wellpinit, an Indian reservation. On the reservation there is violence, poverty, and alcoholism. Arnold does not appreciate where he lives because his “reservation is located approximately one million miles north of [important] and two billion miles west of [happy]” (Alexie 30). Arnold does not like his culture, nor does he like his home. He thinks that his race is far from important and happy. This contributes to his identity crisis. He does not like his identity, but one thing that keeps him from forsaking it, is his