Mike Parker: Benedict Arnold: Trusted officer turned traitor
When we hear the name Benedict Arnold, we immediately think “traitor.” Arnold’s reputation is nearly as despicable as that of Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus Christ.
But Arnold did not start his military career as a sellout to the British. The future general was born on January 14, 1741, in Norwich, CT. Robust and athletic, the young Arnold spent his free time ice skating on Connecticut’s frozen lakes and leading local boys in mischievous stunts.
Arnold also showed talent for writing. At age ten, his mother enrolled him at a private school in Canterbury. She hoped he would go on to Yale College. That dream did not come to pass.
Arnold’s father suffered losses in his business that led to alcoholism. Benedict’s father withdrew him from private school. Benedict was apprenticed him to his mother’s cousin, a pharmacist – then called an apothecary – named Dr. Lathrop.
The French and Indian War (1754-1763) allowed Arnold to demonstrate other abilities. He impressed his fellow militiamen with his excellent marksmanship and his ability to march for hours without growing tired. However, before he could see any action, Arnold received news that his mother was dangerously ill. He returned to Norwich and was by her side when she died on August 15, 1758.
The death of Arnold’s mother sent his father spiraling deeper into alcoholism. His father was arrested in 1761 for public drunkenness and died the next year. Arnold was left with the funeral expenses of both his parents.
When the American Revolution began, Arnold became an officer in the Continental forces. This month, 250 years ago, he proved his military worth on October 11, 1776, at the naval Battle of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain. The battle is generally regarded as one of the first battles of the American Revolution fought by the United States Navy.
Most ships in the American fleet under Arnold’s command were captured or destroyed by a British force under the overall direction of General Guy Carleton. Despite losing 11 ships and nearly 200 sailors to capture or casualty, the American defense of Lake Champlain stalled British plans to reach the upper Hudson River valley.
As darkness approached, the British 22-gun Inflexible finally reached the action. The largest ship to engage in the battle, she quickly silenced most of Arnold’s fleet and sent the rest sailing for cover. The British also began landing Native American auxiliaries on both Valcour Island and the lakeshore to deny Americans the possibility of retreating to land. As darkness fell, the American fleet retreated, and the British called off the attack, in part because some boats had run out of ammunition.
On that moonless foggy night, Arnold’s fleet threaded its way through a gap about one mile wide between the British ships and Valcour Island. By morning, the Americans had slipped away. General Carleton, upset that they had escaped him, immediately sent his fleet around Valcour Island to find them.
Adverse winds, along with damaged and leaky boats, slowed the American fleet’s progress. Eventually, the British located the struggling Americans and chased them for the next two days. Along their escape route, Arnold’s ships were deliberately run aground and burned to prevent them from falling to the British.
Arnold led the remaining smaller vessels into a small bay on the Vermont shore, too shallow for the larger British ships to give chase. Arnold’s boats were run aground, stripped, and set on fire, their flags still flying. Arnold, the last to run his ship aground, personally torched his flagship Congress. The surviving crew, about 200, made their way overland to Fort Crown Point. Upon reaching their destination, they were pleasantly surprised to see four surviving American ships which had escaped the British fleet shortly after the battle began on the 11th.
Despite the good news, Arnold knew the British held firm control of the lake, so he ordered the fort destroyed before retreating. With winter settling in, Carleton chose not to push further up the Hudson against Ticonderoga. Arnold’s goal of stalling the British expedition had ultimately succeeded despite the apparent defeat of his fleet at Valcour Island.
In early May 1779, Arnold offered his services to Sir Henry Clinton, commander-in-chief of the British army. He began regular, encoded correspondence with Clinton’s aide, Major John André. The precise reasons remain a matter of speculation. He likely felt insulted by Congress’s repeated refusals to promote him. He had constant feuds with other Patriot generals. He was still angry that he was court-martialed, although he was acquitted of all charges. Perhaps even more importantly, his perpetual debt left him in need of money.
Arnold corresponded with Major André for 16 months, suggesting various ways in which he could help the British cause. Then, on August 3, 1780, while still in the American service, he was appointed commander of West Point, a stronghold that controlled the Hudson River Valley. Arnold offered to hand West Point over to the British in exchange for £20,000.
The British accepted, and Arnold set about weakening West Point’s fortifications. Meanwhile, he transferred his personal assets to London. When his communication with André was exposed, Arnold escaped aboard a British vessel, abandoning André to be hanged by the Americans.
In the end, the assessment of one Philadelphia politician perhaps best captures the nature of Benedict Arnold:
“Money is [Arnold’s] god, and to get enough of it he would sacrifice his country.”
Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.
