During the American Revolution, there were many iconic, brave, and patriotic leaders whose legacy are still known two hundred and fifty years later. However, none of the great leaders have quite the heritage of Brigadier General Benedict Arnold. Born and educated in Norwich, Connecticut, Benedict Arnold served briefly as an apprentice to a druggist and operated merchant ships on the Atlantic Ocean before serving in the New York state militia during the French and Indian War. General Arnold accumulated a large sum of money is his early life as a result from his successfulness as a druggist and a merchant. Arnold’s life took a turn for the worse when his mother died at the age of twenty-one, leaving him orphaned. As a result, he sought out the military to cope with his grief. Arnold began to show a great proclivity for warfare and was quickly elected captain to the Connecticut state militia. Soon after, Arnold was brought into the Continental Army to aid Washington’s forces. During the Revolutionary War, Benedict Arnold showed that he was bold, daring, and quick-witted. However, Arnold also displayed that he was sensitive, overly materialistic, disdainful of authority, and antagonistic to superiors and peers. After expending much of the money he had reserved from his successful early life in war efforts, Brigadier Arnold became frustrated that he was not being compensated for the resources he was putting forth. After being mistreated and denied a promotion from Congress, Arnold began to seek resources that would appreciate his inclination for warfare. Benedict Arnold’s wife, Peggy Shippen, proved to be the bridge that Arnold needed to connect himself with the British army. She was a good friend of the British major John Andre, and stayed in touch with him when he got promoted to the leader of the British espionage system located in New York. Benedict Arnold switched his allegiance to the loyalist cause because he was in need of financial support, he felt underappreciated and mistrusted by Congress, and ultimately, Arnold’s wife was the connecting link Arnold needed to align himself with people who would appreciate and support him.
After watching his financial reserves dwindle away during the first few years of the Revolutionary War, Benedict Arnold felt pressured to find an outlet that would support his extravagant lifestyle and compensate him appropriately for his war efforts. Throughout his early life, Benedict Arnold strove to provide himself with the upper-class lifestyle that his drunken father had failed to give him as a child. Arnold had been very successful in his pre-military life, and by the time he was in his early thirties he had enough success as a druggist and a seagoing merchant to begin building one of the finest homes in town. During the first three years of the Revolutionary War, Arnold watched ad his monetary sources were taken by the Continental Army and never returned. While commanding part of the patriot army in Philadelphia, Arnold met and quickly married Peggy Shippen, who was the daughter of a wealthy Loyalist sympathizer. The marriage brought Arnold the social status he desired, but not the wealth to go along with it. He lived extravagantly in debt and his lifestyle concerned the Continental Congress. Feeling pressured to provide for his newly wed wife and pay off his many debts, Benedict Arnold began to seek different methods to quickly gain a large sum of money. On May 10th, 1779 a messenger was sent from General Arnold to British captain John Andre. Arnold sent this messenger to enquire on the possibility of defecting. Most importantly, Arnold needed to know two things: How much would his services be worth? And were the British really in the war to stay? Andre’s response adequately satisfied Arnold – he would be payed ten-thousand dollars for his compliance with this British. Content with the amount of money he would be receiving, Benedict Arnold decisively defected to support the British troops.
Arnold’s reason for abandoning the Continental Army stemmed from more than just his economic problems, he also felt that he was mistrusted and neglected by both his superiors and the Continental Congress. During Benedict Arnold’s enlistment in the Continental Army, he accomplished many great battle feats and as a result, became one of the well-known heroes and patriots amongst the American people. Arnold demonstrated his abilities during the American siege of Quebec City when the leader of the expedition, General Montgomery was killed. Wounded, Arnold still managed to show great courage, determination and boldness during the invasion. Despite his many accomplishments, Arnold was repeatedly passed over for a promotion in the Continental Army. Arnold took great offense when five men of lesser rank were promoted over him in 1777. In addition to looking him over for a promotion, Continental Congress conducted many investigations into Arnold’s personal life. Suspicious of his extravagant lifestyle and new marriage into the historically loyalist Shippen family, Congress felt that Arnold could not be trusted. Pennsylvania’s radical patriot and president of the state’s Supreme Executive Council, Joseph Reed, became the primary figure leading these investigations. Reed charge Arnold on petty accounts based on rumor, some of which included being discourteous to a militiaman, and the purchasing of illegal goods. Reed had very little substantive evidence against Arnold, but nevertheless, managed to tarnish his name and reputation. Benedict Arnold became quite offended of these attack to his character and wanted the situation to be rectified. On May fifth, 1779, Arnold wrote to Washington stating: “Having made every sacrifice of fortune and blood, and become a cripple in the service of my country, I little expected to meet the ungrateful returns I have received of my countrymen, but as Congress have stamped ingratitude as a current coin I must take it.” To Arnold’s disappointment Washington did not got to any extreme efforts to bring an end to these trials. Discouraged and irritated, Arnold began to think that the colonial test of independence had failed. He believed that the British would have higher regard for his name and abilities than his own country did. Five days following Arnold’s letter to Washington, he sent his inquiry to British captain John Andre that suggested that he was ready to defect to their cause.
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In addition to needing more financial resources and being invalidated by the Continental Congress, Benedict Arnold was greatly influenced by his wife, Peggy Shippen, who remained an passionate and ambitious Tory that and ultimately became a big influence on Arnold’s decision to change his allegiance. Peggy was described as a bright, charming, and beautiful teenager when she met Arnold. Shippen enjoyed high society, and her family’s status allowed her to meet any influential people, especially loyalist supporters. Two years before she married Arnold, Peggy met and befriended John Andre, a well-educated British officer. This friendship would become an essential contact and the foundation for the treason for which Benedict Arnold became infamous. Sir Henry Clinton’s papers suggest that Shippen knew of her spouses treasonous negotiations and to some degree was involved in them. Peggy realized that if Arnold could aid that British in a substantive way, he would be greatly rewarded. The couple married on April 8, 1779, and it would take less than a month for Arnold send an inquiry to Andre regarding his possible defection. If it were not for Peggy’s contact and friend, Arnold would likely not have known of any British personnel that would accept and trust the information the he was providing. The timing of Arnold’s defection shows that his new wife had a great and immediate impact on him and his decision to support Great Britain.
For the majority of the Revolutionary War, Benedict Arnold was an ardent and steadfast supporter for the patriot cause. However, after losing all of his fortune supporting the Continental Army and receiving nothing but disrespect in return, Arnold began to question his loyalties. Continued mistreatment and the desecration of his name by the Continental Congress only further convinced Benedict Arnold that his allegiance needed to lay elsewhere. Arnold’s wife, Peggy Shippen, encouraged and facilitated the transition for Arnold between the Continental Army and British Red Coats. Even though Arnold is considered one of the greatest traitors in American history, he did ultimately leave a impact and legacy on the colonial people. He showed them that the true threat to their freedom and liberties did not come from outside forces, but from within their own Continent.
