HERO OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
When the Revolutionary War broke out between Great Britain and its 13 American colonies in April 1775, Arnold partnered withVermontfrontiersman Ethan Allen (1738-89) and Allen’s Green Mountain Boys to capture the unsuspecting British garrison at Fort Ticonderoga in upstateNew Yorkon May 10, 1775. With the enlistments of many of his men expiring on New Year’s Day, Arnold had no choice but to launch a desperate attack against well-fortified Quebec City through a blizzard on December 31, 1775. Early in the battle, Arnold received a grave wound to his leg and was carried to the back of the battlefield. The assault continued, but failed miserably. Hundreds of American soldiers were killed, wounded or captured, and Canada remained in British hands.
By the later part of 1776, Arnold had recovered sufficiently from his wound to once again take the field. He played a crucial role in hindering a British invasion from Canada into New York in the autumn of that year. Arnold’s performance at the Battle of Lake Champlain rescued the Patriot cause from potential disaster.
Despite his heroic service, Arnold felt he did not receive the recognition he deserved. He resigned from the Continental Army in 1777 after Congress promoted five junior officers above him. GeneralGeorge Washington, the commander in chief of the Continental Army, urged Arnold to reconsider. Arnold rejoined the army in time to participate in the defense of central New York from an invading British force under General John Burgoyne in the fall of 1777.
In the battles against Burgoyne, Arnold served under General Horatio Gates (1728-1806), an officer whom Arnold came to hold in contempt. Burgoyne surrendered his entire army at Saratoga. News of the surrender convinced France to enter the war on the side of the Americans. Once again, Arnold had brought his country a step closer to independence. However, Gates downplayed Arnold’s contributions in his official reports and claimed most of the credit for himself.
Meanwhile, Arnold seriously wounded the same leg he had injured at Quebec in the battle. Rendered temporarily incapable of a field command, he accepted the position of military governor of Philadelphia in 1778. While there, his loyalties began to change.
A TREACHEROUS PLOT
During his term as governor, rumors, not entirely unfounded, circulated through Philadelphia accusing Arnold of abusing his position for his personal profit. Questions were also raised about Arnold’s courtship and marriage to the young Peggy Shippen, the daughter of a man suspected of Loyalist sympathies. Throughout his life Arnold had accumulated debt. The debt and the resentment Arnold felt over not being promoted faster were motivating factors in his choice to become a turncoat. He concluded that his interests would be better served assisting the British than continuing to suffer for an American army he saw as ungrateful.
By the end of 1779, Arnold had begun secret negotiations with the British to surrender the American fort at West Point, New York, in return for money and a command in the British army. Arnold’s chief intermediary was British Major John André (1750-80). André was captured in September 1780, while crossing between British and American lines, disguised in civilian clothes. Papers found on André incriminated Arnold in treason. Learning of André’s capture, Arnold fled to British lines before the Patriots could arrest him. West Point remained in American hands, and Arnold only received a portion of his promised bounty.
Arnold soon became one of the most reviled figures in U.S. history. Ironically, his treason became his final service to the American cause.
LATER LIFE
After fleeing to the enemy side, Arnold received a commission with the British army and served in several minor engagements against the Americans. After the war, Arnold resided in England. He died in London on June 14, 1801, at age 60. The British regarded him with ambivalence, while his former countrymen despised him. Following his death, Arnold’s memory lived on in the land of his birth, where his name became synonymous with the word “traitor.”
The Death of John André
September 29, 1780 -- John André to Henry Clinton
In April 1779John Andréwas placed in charge of the British Secret Intelligence. In this role he continued the negotiations with Benedict Arnold, which had been in progress since 1778. As Arnold was promoted to commander of West Point in August 1780, the British began to take his offerings seriously.
All that remained were the final details. Not easy to arrange, Arnold demanded a personal meeting with André. He asked André to go to Sheldon's Headquarters at Lower Salem, disguised as "John Anderson," an American agent.
On September 20th, André went on board the Vulture, a British shipin the Hudson River, to await for an American ship to pick him up and take him to Sheldon's Headquarters. It was not until the night of the 21st, that André was picked up by Joshua Smith and taken to meet with Arnold. André wore his uniform so that he would not be taken for a spy.
Arnold met André on the shore near Haverstraw, NY and they went back to Smith's house, behind American lines, to talk. There, Arnold gave André papers of West Point, which revealed the placement of troops and other compromising information. By morning the meeting was over, but the Vulture had moved up river, having been fired upon by the Americans. This stranded André.
As a result of the Vulture’s move, André was forced to go back to the British by land, something he did not want to do, knowing of the dangers. To help out, Arnold wrote some passes, using the disguised name of "John Anderson," for André to get back to safety. André was not happy with these circumstances, and when it was decided that Smith would help lead André toward the British, André began to see himself as a prisoner and decided it was best for him to change out of his uniform and be disguised for the trip. André wanted to move fast and go all night, but on the 22nd , they ran into some New York militia men who convinced them to stay the night with them and move on in the morning.
André could not give up his disguise, because all of his negotiations had been in secret. If anyone in the countryside had realized he was British they would have reported him. Therefore, he had to relent for the evening. On September 23rd, Smith finally left André's side near Pine's bridge, over the Croton River. They both believed that André would not see any more Americans past this point and that he would safely make it to the British lines. Around 9 am that morning though, he was stopped in neutral territory, near Tarrytown, by some militia men. André is recorded as having said, "I was taken by three volunteers who, not satisfied with my pass, rifled me and, finding papers, made me a prisoner" (Van Doren, 340). He may have thought the men to be loyalists at first and then realized his mistake too late.
The men, finding the papers from Arnold on him, took André to North Castle, where Lt. Col. Jameson was in command. Jameson, not sure what to do, first sent a letter onto Arnold, his commander, concerning the situation. At this point Benjamin Tallmadge returned to North Castle from scouting and, being very suspicious of these goings-on, sent a letter with the found papers to Washington . André was held prisoner. Meanwhile, Arnold received the letter, and just missing having breakfast with Washington, who had not gotten his letter yet, fled for the Vulture and British safety.
Arnold escaped, but André was to be tried as a spy. Something he had wanted to avoid from the very beginning. When Washington read the letter, he asked for the Court of Inquiry to study the incident and decide whether André was acting as a spy. The British believed that the Americans would not dare to execute a British Adjunct General. There was a trustbetween sides that generals would be taken as prisoners and not executed.
André was moved from Headquarters, to West Point, and finally toTappan, where he was housed in a tavern. There, as the verdict was decided that André was acting as a spy by going behind enemy lines and disguising his uniform, he wrote a courageous letter, datedSeptember 29, 1780, to his Commander, General Henry Clinton. All the men on both sides were amazed at the turn of events. The American men admired André for his gallantry as much as the British did for his leadership. No one wanted him to die, but Washington had to be firm and did not back down. André was hanged as a spy at Tappan, New York, on Oct. 2, 1780. He was mourned even by his enemies.
André was an important general to the British and the loss of him was felt strongly. Everyone believed that Arnold should have been the one to die because of his treason and that André just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Americans wanted to trade, but the British would not do it, knowing what would happen to Arnold.