“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes.” This biblical proverb is not an affirmation of man’s ability to choose; rather, it is a warning against believing in one’s infallibility. While British historian Stephen Brumwell researched the life of Benedict Arnold, the famous American traitor, he was taken aback at how often Arnold demonstrated this sense of infallibility.
Arnold in Ticonderoga and Quebec
“Right from the onset of hostilities in 1775, Arnold pushes himself to get into the action. He participates in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York, which was really important because Ticonderoga had been a significant fortress during the previous war―the French and Indian War,” Brumwell said. “The fort was also full of artillery, which the patriots were very short of, and those guns were brought back and used to besiege the British garrison of Boston and force that garrison out.
“Before the end of 1775, Arnold, a colonel at the time, is appointed to command an expedition against Quebec. Despite the problems posed by the terrain, the weather, desertion of elements of his troops, he got the bulk of his command to the objective and united there with other forces under the command of Gen. [Richard] Montgomery. At the time, it was seen as a remarkable achievement, and it laid the foundation for Arnold’s reputation.”
Although the campaign would end in failure, along with Montgomery dead and Arnold wounded, the young officer had proven himself both brave and capable. The most important man in the Continental Army, George Washington, took notice.
Arnold on Lake Champlain
The following year in 1776, Arnold, now a brigadier general, was assigned command of the patriot fleet at Lake Champlain. The problem was that the Americans had no fleet; they possessed a few small vessels. During the summer, he convinced his war council of the necessity of securing “our superiority on Lake Champlain by a naval armament of gundolas [sic], row gallies, armed batteaus [sic].” His men quickly got to work to assemble more vessels.The British, known for their seafaring vessels, were forced to follow suit in order to regain naval superiority. They had planned to conduct an invasion from Canada, but Arnold’s foresight delayed such a military action. On Oct. 11, the two fleets met in the naval battle of Valcour Island.
“Arnold’s fleet was defeated at the Battle of Valcour Island, but the mere fact he had forced the British to stop and build a fleet of their own, gained crucial time. Because at the same time, another British army under William Howe had defeated Washington on Staten Island, pushed him off of Manhattan, and Washington was retreating back through New Jersey.
Arnold at Danbury and Saratoga
Arnold further distinguished himself in 1777 by fending off British raids in Connecticut, specifically in Danbury, where his horse was shot out from under him and his coat collar was shot off. His bravery resulted in his promotion to major general, but it was a promotion that Arnold felt was long overdue. His disdain for Congress led him to resign his commission in July 1777, but Washington did not accept it.
Arnold continued in his position, and several months later he was instrumental in the history-altering Battle of Saratoga, which convinced the French to officially join the American cause. Arnold displayed conspicuous bravery, which left him practically crippled from a bullet wound to the leg. Again, however, he was undermined, this time by the campaign’s commanding officer, Horatio Gates, who preferred to take most of the credit.
Arnold in Philadelphia
Effectively crippled, Arnold was assigned to Philadelphia as the city’s military commandant. Washington meant it as a favor to Arnold, but Brumwell suggests that the appointment expedited his betrayal.“What Washington did, though he didn’t mean to, was he handed Arnold the poisoned chalice because this was the worst possible assignment for someone of Arnold’s temperament. Philadelphia was a hotbed of the most radical patriots. And here comes this military hero, and that didn’t mean a whole lot to them. They were suspicious of the military and what the military potentially could represent,” Brumwell explained.
Arnold and Congress had already been at odds for many months, and a new enemy was Joseph Reed, who was head of the Supreme Executive Council in Philadelphia. There were others who were suspicious of Arnold’s business practices, his lavish lifestyle, and his friendly ties with known Loyalists. (His wife, Peggy Shippen, was the daughter of a wealthy Loyalist.) Living in this “hotbed,” Arnold was “making enemies by the day,” Brumwell said, and these enemies were trying to “tarnish his good name.”
Despite today’s post facto view of Arnold, Brumwell explained that Arnold could endure battle wounds, underappreciation, and physical hardship, but he could not abide the sullying of his reputation.
Arnold’s Changing Motivation
Brumwell also sheds light on another motivation for Arnold’s betrayal, and it is a point that is often overlooked. Although he began as a true patriot for the American cause of 1775, as the war progressed, he believed that the cause had changed.Arnold believed that the cause was about rights and not about becoming independent. After the Battle of Saratoga, the British government, led by Prime Minister Lord North, permitted the Carlisle Commission to negotiate with the Continental Congress. The purpose of the commission was to negotiate terms of reconciliation rather than independence. The agreement would have practically given the Americans everything they wished, including self-rule, but sans independence. After the American victory at Saratoga, however, it was past the point of no return.
Arnold at West Point
That decisive blow was to be the surrender of West Point. Arnold had requested the position as commander of this defensive and strategic fortified outpost along the Hudson River. Through his wife, Shippen, Arnold made contact with British Maj. John André. Arnold provided him with vital information about the outpost’s troop strength, their future movements, and their defensive positions. After one of their meetings on Sept. 21, 1780, André was caught and captured. The information found on his person incriminated Arnold as a traitor. Arnold narrowly escaped, fled to the British, and became an officer in the British Army for the rest of the war.
The perpetual narratives about Arnold’s motivation for treason have been money and resentment. Although surrendering West Point was contingent on a 20,000 pound payout and a military command in the British Army, Brumwell argued that money and resentment were not the primary motivations.
“He had a lavish lifestyle to fund, but was he so badly in debt and in need of money that money, as one of his critics said, ‘was his god’?” Brumwell asked rhetorically. “I think it is very significant that when he first approached the British in May of 1779, the idea of money isn’t even raised. He does mention the question of compensation for any losses he might suffer. Of course, if you go over to the other side, all your property is going to be confiscated.
Ideological Grounds
“I would argue that Arnold felt strong ideological grounds for doing what he did,” Brumwell added. “Long after he had gone over to the British in 1784, [Arnold] said that at the beginning of the war he had been an out-and-out patriot. He thought the cause was just. He thought Americans―and he had always considered himself to be an American―were within their rights and were justified in rebelling against what he considered to be the tyrannical taxation policies of Britain. When he no longer considered it to be right, that’s when he changed sides.”Arnold continued to contend that his decisions, from joining the cause in 1775 to betraying it five years later, were justified and that his reputation remained unblemished, going so far as to fight a duel against a British lord who accused him of defecting for dishonorable reasons.
“This is what intrigues me. He obviously thinks he hasn’t done anything wrong,” Brumwell said. “He really did believe that if he came to a decision, that was the right decision. Until someone one day opens up an old trunk in an attic somewhere and finds Arnold’s personal journal, which maybe that will happen if he wrote one, then maybe it will shed new light on his motivation.”
