Benedict Arnold: soldier, patriot, and traitor. The most famous traitor in American history, Benedict Arnold was born on January 14, 1741 in Norwich, Connecticut. He had joined the Connecticut militia to fight in the French and Indian war in the 1750s, but had deserted. His mother died when he was 18, and his father became an alcoholic. Benedict worked hard to support his family, after his father's shipping business began to fail. He was extremely amibtious, arrogant, and talented.
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Benedict built a successful shipping business himself, and was a staunch supporter of the American cause at the outset of the Revolutionary War. He helped Ethan Allen capture Fort Ticonderoga, he was instrumental in the American victory at Saratoga, but he was becoming dissatisfied. He was upset that the Continental Congress was not giving him the recognition he felt he deserved. He was made Military Governor of Philadelphia after the British evacuated that city, and he began to socialize with known Tories. Tories were people who supported the British army, and many of Arnold's subordinates were curious about his close friendship with them. Arnold married the daughter of one of these Tories, a woman named Peggy Shippen, and together, she and Arnold hatched a plan that would make Arnold rich, by betraying America.
The review of this Book prepared by Nathaniel Ford
