On this day in 1777, the Continental Congress voted to promote six officers to the rank of Major General, with the intent of balancing the number of flag officers (Generals) from each state. This action changed the course of then Brigadier General Benedict Arnold's life drastically. Each of the men promoted were junior to him, and he felt slighted. The man, who would later become infamous for his treason and defection to the British army, drew up a letter of resignation, disgusted by what he saw as corruption and specifically citing that some of the men promoted were given credit for actions taken by himself.
This action was believed to be an oversight by then Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, George Washington, who urged Arnold to take no rash actions and appealed to the Continental Congress to right the wrong. Arnold had shown himself to be a brilliant tactician and was responsible for several major victories early in the war, including the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga and a surprise expeditionary attack upon Quebec, for which he was promoted to the rank of Colonel, and was promoted to Brigadier General for his role in reaching and laying seiege to Quebec City.
He further distinguished himself in several more battles, establishing a good relationship with George Washington, but also making enemies of well connected junior officers who began a campaign of accusations against Arnold which culminated in a Court Martial in early 1780 where He was cleared of all but two minor charges. For his actions in the Battle of Ridgefield, Arnold was finally promoted to Major General; however, his seniority was not restored over those junior officers earlier promoted. During his final major battle as a field commander, at Saratoga, Arnold's left leg was severely wounded and instead of allowing it to be amputated, he had it poorly set, leaving him permanently and severely crippled by the wound. His valor at Saratoga led Congress to restore his command seniority. Arnold interpreted the manner in which they did so as an act of pity for his wounds, and not as recognition that they were righting the previous wrong.
Soon afteward, Arnold married the young daughter of Judge Edward Shippen, a loyalist sympathizer, and began to contemplate treason. Arnold passed information with the help of his wife and her contacts throughout the latter half of 1778 into early 1780, when he was cleared of all but two minor charges in the Court Martial. After the Court Martial, George Washington rebuked Arnold publicly for the minor charges; and at that moment, Arnold turned traitor and began working towards a plot to hand the fort at West Point to the British, which would have effectively cut the Continental Army in half, isolating the Northeastern States and may have changed the outcome of the war greatly.
After his treason was discovered quite by accident, Arnold managed to successfully escape and was given the rank of Brigadier General by the British, and eventually found himself under the command of Lord Cornwallis. Arnold advised Cornwallis to locate a permanent base away from the coast, but was disregarded; the advice might well have averted Cornwallis' eventual surrender at Yorktown, which effectively ended the war.
Despite being a brilliant tactician and General, Arnold died apart from his family and in considerable debt on June 14, 1801. By some accounts, he is said to have begged forgiveness for his treason when he was close to death. Despite his many victories and significant contribution to American Independence, Arnold remains almost universally viewed as a one dimensional figure: the traitor.
She was sure she had found the tratiors among them. Despite repeated pleading and persuasive arguments, others insisted that she was in actuality the traitor. To the very bitter end, she fought against those accusations and continued to point out those she was
sure
must be guilty. Even as she was carried to the gibbet, she maintened her own innocence and gave advice even to those most vocally oppposing her. In the end, she was vindicated.
Was she right? Will the few remaining loyal members of this town find the traitors among them before it's too late? Only time will tell. For now, Titus can take cold comfort in her vindication: this moment in time.
Titus, Vanilla Townie, has been lynched.
