THE BETRAYAL OF BENEDICT ARNOLD

On September 21, 1870, the British warship Vulture slipped up the Hudson River taking a British major to a secret meeting that could change the entire course of the American Revolution. It was moonless and windy as the sloop anchored on the west bank near Stony Point, and a boat set out from the shore. A few minutes later, John Andre – adjutant general to Sir Henry Clinton, one of the British Commanders rowed ashore.

As soon as he reached the land, he was taken to a secret spot surrounded by fir trees. There he met General Benedict Arnold, the commander of the vital riverside post of WestPoint. Andre came ashore in full uniform near Havestraw. The two officers had already exchanged letters in which Benedict promised to surrender WestPoint if the money and terms were right.

At the time the 39-year-old Arnold was one of General George Washington’s most trusted men. It was 1870 and he had just taken up his new post as the Commander of WestPoint. By the time, he was already siding with the British and had been having secret correspondence with Sir Henry Clinton. Why would a person of such a stature side with the British during the time of the revolution? What brought Arnold to deny his being a patriot and became a traitor? It may probably be because of the past experiences he had.

Born on January 14, 1741 in Norwich, Connecticut, he had been a rebellious boy, and at the age of 14 had run away from home to fight in the French Indian War. After serving some time, he deserted and made his own way back to the wilderness. The army forgave him because of his youth. In 1775, on the outbreak of the revolution, he joined the colonial forces. He became a part of the “Green Mountain Boys” that took over Fort Ticonderoga in New York. Later, he took part in the unsuccessful siege of Maine and Quebec. His leg was broken in the battle but his courage gained him promotion as brigadier general.

After this brilliant start to his military career, his fortune went in to a nose dive. In 1777 – after being acquitted of charges of misconduct in Canada – he was disappointed when the Congress appointed five new major generals, all younger than himself. However, he came back victorious when he was credited for the capture of the invading army of General John Burgoyne of the British army. In 1778, Washington gave him command of the city of Philadelphia.

His career sea sawed once more after his marriage with his second wife Peggy Shippen, a beautiful society girl. He lived extravagantly and found himself in debt. He probably thought that he will receive credit for his military exploits and so he lived a lavish life. But things went different. Instead, he soon fell out of the state executive council which brought eight charges against him – including the use of military personnel as personal servants.

The charges were presented to Congress in 1779. Four of them were thrown out. Arnold demanded a speedy trial to deal with the remaining counts but the court martial did not convene until December. He probably thought that the delays were wrong and that it brought injustice to a man who has served the military and had been very good at it. Always a sensitive person, he probably saw this as a motive to side with the British. So he did enter a secret deal with them.

He was acquitted of all his wrong doings but General Washington reprimanded him that might as well be the reason for him to decide on his next move. He asked to be given command of the West Point and General Washington agreed. He took up his post in August 1780.

Having been in debt and having had several blows on his military career, he probably had the resentment about serving the Americans. Thus, when he was approached by the British, Arnold was already receptive to abandoning the patriot cause. He demanded £20,000 and a commission as a major general in the British army for giving up West Point.

And so on, September 21, Major Andre and Arnold met to finalize the agreement. Unfortunately for them, the Vulture then came under American fire and headed away, leaving Andre stranded. Andre donned civilian clothes as Arnold may have wanted it. Arnold was however to wrought up considering that the gesture turned Andre into a spy and would mean execution of caught. Andre headed down the Hudson with a safe conduct pass from Arnold but he was captured by three militiamen, who turned him over to the commander at North Castle. He was arrested as a spy carrying incriminating papers. When Arnold was notified at breakfast on April 23 that a British officer had been captured, he fled by boat to the Vulture. Andre was later hung as a spy on October 2, 1780. On the other hand, Arnold was given his commission and received ₤6315. King George III made him a consultant for American affairs that he probably would have wanted ever since. Most of his remaining years were spent in the West Indies until his death in London in June 1801.

(R.G. Collingwood was then correct about using the a priori imagination to recreate history. In the writing of history the historian has to narrate a story by using common sense and the available evidence.)

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Sources:

Benedict Arnold. Retrieved October 10, 2008 from http://www.multied.com/Revolt/arnold.html

John Burgoyne. Retrieved October 10, 2008 from http://americanrevwar.homestead.com/BURGOYNE.

Peggy shippen. Retrieved October 10, 2008 from http://www.answers.com/main/peggy

Collingwood, R. G. (1946). The idea of history. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Pp. 205-334 .

Hyde, Montgomery (1973). Benedict Arnold. In Crimes and Punishments (Vol. 1, pp. 135-136)

USA: BPC Publishing Limited.