Benedict Arnold

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Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold (* 14. January 1741 in Norwich , Connecticut Colony ; † 14. June 1801 in London , England) was originally a rebel who in the American Revolutionary War , first as General in the Continental Army (Continental Army) of the rebellious 13 colonies of North America East coast fought. He later defected to the British and is therefore considered the archetype of a traitor in the United States.

Life

Arnold came from a wealthy family. The family's prosperity was lost due to his father's drunkenness, so that he finally had to do an apprenticeship with a pharmacist at the age of 13. However, he broke off his apprenticeship at the age of 15 to take part as a soldier in the Seven Years' War on the British side. In 1767 he married Margaret Mansfield, who died in 1775. The marriage had three sons.

In the American War of Independence (1775–1783) he fought successfully in several battles against the British, was promoted to Brigadier General or Major General and was on friendly terms with George Washington . In 1775 he led an initially successful campaign against Canada. He was beaten and wounded in the Battle of Québec on December 31st. He then had to withdraw from Canada. His impetuous character got him into trouble several times with other officers and superiors. In 1777 he was removed from command at the Battle of Saratoga by General Horatio Gates ; In 1778, however, George Washington gave him a new command.

At this time he was already a widower and threw himself into social life, gave parties and finally married the 19-year-old loyalist Margaret "Peggy" Shippen at the age of 38 . Most recently he was heavily in debt and lost all standing in Congress , combined with the threat of being tried before a court martial .

In 1780 he successfully sought command of Fort West Point in the (later) state of New York. He then secretly negotiated with the commander of the British forces, General Henry Clinton , to hand over the fort and its 3,000 soldiers to the British for a cost of £ 20,000 (around $ 3.5 million today). When these plans were discovered through the capture of the British spy John André , he deserted to the British army and fought from then on against the American troops. An important command was never returned to him.

In 1782 he moved with his wife to London, in 1787 back to Saint John (New Brunswick / Nouveau-Brunswick) and finally back to London in 1791.

Aftermath

Caricature by Benedict Arnold (with Jefferson Davis ) in Hell, 1865

In the United States, the name "Benedict Arnold" is synonymous with a traitor.

The story of his betrayal has been the subject of several cinema and television films, such as B. in the movie Der Scharlachrote Rock ( The Scarlet Coat ), USA 1955, directed by John Sturges , in the TV series: Turn: Washington's Spies or 2017 in season 1, episode 10 of the series Timeless . His name is even mentioned on "The Simpsons"; also in "The Big Bang Theory" (3rd season, 15th episode), "King of Queens" (2nd season, 11th episode), as well as in "Last Man Standing" (6th season, 8th episode).

literature

  • Jane Merrill: The Late Years of Benedict Arnold: Fugitive, Smuggler, Mercenary, 1780-1801 , McFarland & Co, Jefferson, NC 2020, ISBN 9781476676531 .

Web links

Commons : Benedict Arnold  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

This article is heavily based on the article of the same name in the articles on Archiving Early America and Virtualology.com.

  1. ^ Currency Converter, Pounds Sterling to Dollars, 1264 to Present (Java). Retrieved January 12, 2018 .
  2. ^ Brian F. Carso: "Whom Can We Trust Now?" The Meaning of Treason in the United States, from the Revolution Through the Civil War. Lexington Books, Lanham (MD) 2006, ISBN 978-0-7391-1256-4 . OCLC 63692586.
personal data
SURNAME Arnold, Benedict
BRIEF DESCRIPTION General in the Continental Army of the 13 rebel colonies on the North American east coast
DATE OF BIRTH January 14, 1741
PLACE OF BIRTH Norwich , Connecticut
DATE OF DEATH June 14, 1801
Place of death London , England