| Benedict Arnold |
Article Index for Benedict Arnold |
Articles about Benedict Arnold |
Website Links For Benedict |
Information AboutBenedict Arnold |
Benedict Arnold V ( January 14 1741 – June 14 1801 ) was a successful Connecticut merchant who fought for American independence from the British Empire as a General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War . In the United States , Arnold is best known for his betrayal of the rebel cause when he plotted to surrender the American fort at West Point , New York to the British during the American Revolution . The measure of Arnold's treachery was made worse by the fact that he was considered by many to be the best general and most accomplished leader in the Continental Army. In fact, without Arnold's earlier contributions to the American cause, the American Revolution might well have been lost; notwithstanding, his name, like those of several other prominent traitors throughout history, has become a byword for treason.http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-9272960Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1). Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. 03 Aug. 2007. Arnold distinguished himself early in the war through acts of cunning and bravery. His many successful campaigns included the Capture Of Fort Ticonderoga (1775), the Invasion Of Canada (1775) , victory at the Battle Of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain in 1776, the battles of Danbury and Ridgefield in Connecticut (after which he was promoted to Major General), and the Battle Of Saratoga in 1777. In spite of his success, Arnold was passed over for promotion by the in order to surrender it to the British. Arnold's scheme was detected when American forces captured British Major John André carrying papers that ultimately revealed Arnold's plan. Upon learning of André's capture, Benedict Arnold escaped down the at West Point would today be named in honor of Benedict Arnold.The History Channel, 2007, The History Channel Presents: The American Revolution In the winter of 1782, Arnold had left the army and moved to London with his second wife, Margaret "Peggy" Shippen Arnold . He was well received by the King and the Tories but frowned upon by the Whigs . In 1787 he entered into mercantile business with his sons Richard and Henry in Saint John, New Brunswick , but returned to London to settle permanently in 1791. EARLY LIFE Arnold was born the last of six children to Benedict Arnold III and Hannah Waterman King in Norwich , Connecticut in 1741. He was named after his great-grandfather Benedict Arnold , an early governor of the Colony Of Rhode Island and Benedict IV, who died in infancy before Benedict Arnold V was born. Only Benedict and his sister Hannah survived to adulthood; his other siblings succumbed to Yellow Fever in childhood. Through his maternal grandmother, Arnold was a descendant of John Lathrop , an ancestor of at least four Presidents Of The United States . The Arnold family was financially well off until Arnold's father made several bad business deals that plunged the family into debt. When his father turned to alcohol for solace, Benedict was forced to withdraw from school at 14 because the family could no longer afford the expense. His father's alcohol abuse and ill health prevented him from training his son in the family mercantile business, but his mother's family connections secured an apprenticeship for him with two of her cousins, the brothers Daniel and Joshua Lathrop who operated a successful Apothecary and general merchandise trade in Norwich . French and Indian War At 15, Arnold enlisted in the Connecticut Militia . The militia marched to Albany and Lake George to oppose the French invasion from Canada at the Battle Of Fort William Henry . However he never engaged in battle during the war.
|
|
|