Benedict Arnold was born on January 14, 1741 in Norwich, Connecticut and named after his father. His mother was Hannah Waterman King, a rich widow. Arnold attended Canterbury for a while, but when the family's money was lost in some bad business dealings, he had to leave school.

He started as an apprentice in the drug store business owned by his cousins, Daniel and Joshua Lathrop. While he was working for them, he would leave to fight battles during the French and Indian War. He quit the apprenticeship with his cousins and traveled to Europe where he bought supplies to open his own drug store in New Haven, Connecticut. His sister, Hannah, the only living family member he had at that time, was his assistant. When the British started taxing the Colonists, Benedict Arnold started smuggling supplies in to keep his business going.

He married Margaret Mansfield in 1767 and they had three sons. When he heard about the Battles of Lexington and Concord, he marched to Cambridge, Massachusetts and asked the Massachusetts Committee of Safety for permission to capture Fort Ticonderoga.

When he was marching his small unit of men, he met up with Ethan Allen and 175 Green Mountain Boys in Castleton. Allen's men were also headed for Fort Ticonderoga. Benedict Arnold thought he should be in charge because he had the permission from the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, but Ethan Allen had the men. In the end they decided to take command together. He was not impressed with Ethan Allen and his men who had no formal military training.

In the early morning of May 10, 1775, they marched right into Fort Ticonderoga and captured the 83 sleeping British soldiers and two officers, Captain William Delaplace and Lieutenant Jocelyn Feltham,. It was an easy victory and there were no shots fired.

Benedict Arnold and the Green Mountain Boys didn't get along. After the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, Colonel Easton was sent back to Massachusetts to report on the victory. Arnold and Allen stayed behind and planned to invade Canada. When Easton returned to Fort Ticonderoga, there was a lot of arguing mostly about how much Arnold participated in the capture of the Fort. Benedict Arnold challenged Easton to a duel, but Easton refused and Ethan Allen and Colonel Easton left.

Arnold continued to plan his invasion of Canada until the Massachusetts Committee ordered him to report to Colonel Benjamin Hinman. This made him mad, so he resigned. His troops joined with Colonel Easton which didn't make him any happier. He left for Albany, New York and there wrote his report on the capture of Fort Ticonderoga.

When the Continental Army was planning its invasion of Canada, General Washington suggested Benedict Arnold. He rejoined the Army as Colonel and started planning his strategies. General Philip Schuyler was chosen to lead the campaign with General Richard Montgomery helping him. Three thousand men in total would march toward Lake Champlain and then on to Quebec.

Benedict Arnold and 1,500 men left Boston. The march to Canada was difficult. They marched through snow and rain and over rocky or swampy wilderness. They had to travel the Kennebec River which was very rocky. There was little water. The men were hungry. To make matters worse, Benedict Arnold sent a letter to General Skuyler reporting on his progress through an Indian scout he trusted. The Indian scout gave the information to the British. Yet, six weeks after leaving Boston, on November 14, 1775, Arnold and his men reached Point Levy across the St. Lawrence River from Quebec.

That night Benedict Arnold and his men attacked the gate of St. Louis. The Continentals did not realize the British Army of 450 regular soldiers had been reinforced to 1,700 by Colonel MacLean's men because of the letter given to the "trusted" Indian scout. Arnold was forced to retreat to Point au Tremble, twenty miles away from Quebec.

He finally moved his troops back to Point Levy when he realized he could not take Quebec. At Point Levy, he intercepted supply boats and waited for General Montgomery to arrive. Some soldiers returned home because their enlistment was over and the soldiers that stayed were getting sick with small pox.

General Montgomery arrived on December 2, 1775 with only half his men, because 300 Connecticut soldiers had returned to Fort Ticonderoga.

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Finally, on December 31, 1775, the battle for Quebec began. They were forced to retreat to Point au Tremble, twenty miles away from Q

Montgomery died a battle ensued, but things went poorly for the Americans. Montgomery fell and Benedict Arnold was wounded with a bullet in his leg. Daniel Morgan was forced to take over and did so fiercely. They were trapped, however, by their lack of knowledge of the area and were forced to surrender. Arnold was in command and refused to end the siege, bellowing orders from his sickbed. He did not want to leave unless he was triumphant. He requested reinforcements which he received only in small amounts. He was given high praise by Washington and others and made a Brigadier General which he was happy about, but the expedition failed anyway.

Arnold went to Montreal where he received a delegation of members of Congress to deal with Canada. The diplomatic acts failed and eventually Arnold checked an attack by the British and Indians and successfully evacuated Montreal. Seizures of stores were ordered for the severely lacking troops and Arnold plundered efficiently and "legally". Arnold ended up to be one of the last to leave Canada shoreline on the retreat south.

Benedict Arnold's summer battles of 1776 involved legal matters, not tactical warfare. He was being taken to court for the plundering of Montreal's stores. Major arguments ensued where Arnold accused another officer, Hazen, of not taking control, and as a result, he had to. The arguments between to the two were hot and heavy and Hazen eventually insisted to be court-martialled in order to clear his name. The court took the brunt of Arnold's anger and they demanded an apology which, Arnold, of course, refused to do. Instead, he challenged them. The court demanded his arrest. The task of ending the quarrel fell to General Horatio Gates who knew a man of Arnold's ability and acumen was needed in the growing heat between the British and the Americans in the North. Arnold was exonerated. He was soon in charge of a small fleet of ships and ordered to Ticonderoga.

Here again, Arnold was successful, but found his critics willing to point fingers and pass blame. The Americans lost ten of their fifteen ships and Arnold was blamed. While not a victory, the battle showed the British the stamina and tenacity the Americans had.

The following winter was trying for Arnold. Some of his old Army nemesis' rose up once more to bring charges against him. He spent most of the winter defending himself. He saw a number of junior officers receive promotions to Brigadier General above him, leaving him behind. Here again, political machinations, robbed him of his due, he felt. Washington was upset over the situation and spent time trying to calm his friend and find out what happened in Congress, especially for the fact that he was not consulted over the promotions. Washington was not completely successful at either task and Arnold ended up traveling to Philadelphia to get answers for himself. Because of an action that took place on the way--he successfully routed the British after they burned Danbury--he was appointed a major general, but without his seniority. This fact rankled Arnold, as well as the outstanding account which he was due repayment for his expenses. Congress tried to be affable with Arnold, but still refused to restore his seniority. Washington went to bat for Arnold and submitted a letter to Congress commending Arnold. With nothing being done, even with the aid of the Commander-in-Chief, Arnold resigned in July 1777.

That same day, Washington had recommended Arnold to aid Schuyler near Ticonderoga. Arnold felt the opportunity too great, and asked to put his resignation on hold. He immediately took off for the north. This was an opportunity he could not miss! At the same time, Congress voted not to reinstate Arnold's seniority and he would never forgive them for the slight.

Upon his arrival in the north, Arnold was immediately embroiled in another war between states, as he had been early in his military career. Here two American forces were "warring" against the other for leadership. Most of the New Englanders backed Horatio Gates, while the New Yorkers in the areas were supporting General Schuyler. Arnold was torn, but threw his "support" to Schuyler since he was in similar straits as Arnold.

Later, it was Arnold, the only volunteer, to take Fort Schuyler. He accomplished this by faking out the British into thinking there were hundreds of thousands of American forces heading to the fort, when in actuality he had less than a thousand. He entered a fort empty of the enemy.

Returning to the main force, Arnold found himself under the leadership of General Gates. It wasn't too long before the two men found a difference of opinion in tactical stance when the Battle of Freeman's Farm (Battle of Saratoga September 19-October 7, 1777) began. Arnold was ripe and ready for battle and wanted to press his forces before the American lines. Gates, however, held him back and refused reinforcements, remaining cautious. When Gates removed some of his forces without his knowledge AND failed to credit Arnold and his forces with their participation in the Battle of Freeman's Farm to Congress, it put him over the edge. He wanted to leave, but Gates pulled his command instead for insubordination.

Having a little time to think, Arnold paced his tent, realizing his reluctance to actually leave when there was soon to be some action taking place. So, he paced and complained, paced and complained and paced and complained a little more. Finally, while his aides were trying to keep him informed and not hearing anything satisfactory, he ordered his horse and charged into battle, conveniently ignoring the fact he had no official command. The sight of the fighting man invigorated the troops and they rallied around him. In two severe assaults, Arnold led the men to push open the center of the enemy's line. Backed by Daniel Morgan and his riflemen, the pressure from the American forces was so strong, the British collapsed. As victory was staring the Americans in the face, Arnold's horse was shot and fell on the same leg that had been injured before. It was Arnold's actions, however, that perhaps more than any officer there, led to the American success, because ten days later, Burgoyne conceded--and as a direct result, France came to the aid of the infant country.

Arnold's seniority was subsequently restored, but he was already too angry to forgive Congress, and never would. He was now also crippled, a blow to his pride after being such an actively athletic man. "He spent the winter of 1777-1778 with the army at Valley Forge. On May 30th, 1778, Benedict Arnold signed the Oath of Allegiance to his country. It was signed at Artillery Park in Valley Forge and witnessed by Henry Knox. After the evacuation of the British in Philadelphia, Washington appointed him commandant of the city.

In Philadelphia, still recuperating, he met Peggy Shippen, a boisterous young woman, the baby of the three daughters of Judge Edward Shippen. (William Shippen, his cousin, was surgeon general to the Continental Army.) Arnold pursued and wooed Miss Peggy Shippen who was missing the company of Captain John Andre, and after some misgivings on her part and the hesitation of her father, Arnold finally succeeded. Peggy was eighteen and Arnold was thirty-eight when they married. His marriage into the Shippen family brought him social status, however, it was something he really could not afford. The couple lived well beyond their means, and as a result, Arnold entered into some shady business dealings, including shipping, real estate speculation and authorizing the use of government supplies for his own personal needs. With people in Congress eyeing everything he did, he was soon brought up on charges and was court martialled. He defended himself, furiously as always, but he was found guilty on two charges: using government wagons for his personal use and issuing a pass to a ship he later invested in. Washington, himself pronounced the charges "imprudent and improper" and "peculiarly reprehensible."

By May of 1779, Arnold had begun bargaining with the British. Why would a man commit treason against his country, especially one who had fought so valiantly? We can only speculate. He was certainly angry and hurt over the many slights he received over the years. He probably felt unappreciated by his country and those he fought with, even sacrificing his own leg for the cause. His pride was most likely the biggest piece of his life that was damaged--humiliation was always an affront Arnold could never take. Money, of course, played a big part. He was offered in excess of 10,000 pounds and a commission in the British military.

At the time, Arnold's wife was considered an innocent in the matter, however, new research leads us to believe that the young woman played an important part in knowing what was going on and aiding her husband's endeavors. The occupation of Philadelphia during the winter of 1777-1778 was an exciting one for the young woman. Parties, routs, and balls were all aspects of the social scene with numerous British officers and Tory sympathizers. Peggy had made some friends among them.

The bounty Arnold offered the British was West Point. He began correspondence with Major John Andre by a circuitous route. Andre had been friends with Peggy Shippen Arnold during the Philadelphia occupation. Andre was an adjutant general and intelligence chief of Sir Henry Clinton. Washington offered Arnold the position of left wing of the army, in the meantime, which earlier in Arnold's career would have been a coup. He used his crippled leg as an excuse and was given West Point instead.

Andre was the courier between Arnold and Clinton regarding the closing of the deal. With his ship forced back by American troops, Andre was sent on foot back to British lines with a pass from Arnold as well as documents for Clinton in his sock. He was captured and placed into American custody when the documents were found. Arnold heard of his capture and was able to make his escape...to the same ship, the Vulture, which Andre had arrived on. Andre was put on trial, and met his death as a spy. Arnold defected to the British and received substantial remuneration for his defection. These included pay, land in Canada, pensions for himself, his wife and his children (five surviving from Peggy and three from his first marriage to Margaret) and a military commission as a British Provincial brigadier general.

The British provided handsomely for Arnold, but never completely trusted him. He was never given an important military command. They moved to London where he found no job, some admiration and even some contempt. He moved his family to Canada where he reentered the shipping business. The Tories there disliked him and had no use for him, and eventually he returned his family to London. When the fighting began between France and England, he tried again for military service, but to no avail. His shipping ventures eventually failed and he died in 1801, virtually unknown, his wife joining him in death three years later.

Soldier, patriot, traitor; born in Norwich, Conn. Prior to the American Revolution he was a prosperous trader. He was an outstanding leader in military situations. He captured Fort Ticonderoga (1775) - in conjunction with Ethan Allen - and nearly captured Quebec City, where he was wounded in his leg. In 1776, he delayed a possible British invasion of New York by means of a makeshift fleet on Lake Champlain. In 1777, he inspired American troops and led them to the victory that brought about Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga (he was again wounded in his leg). He became bitter due to Congressional slights, and he moved into traitorous correspondence with British leaders. In 1780, he attempted to betray vital West Point to the British. Failing in this, he remained in the British camp, conducted raids against both Virginia, and his native Connecticut, and then retired to England where he received some money but no honor for having changed sides. He spent his last years as a not very successful trader in Canada and the West Indies.