Benedict Arnold

:For other people of the same name, see Benedict Arnold (disambiguation).

Wartime career

Ticonderoga

In March 1775 a group of sixty-five New Haven residents were formed into the Governor?s 2nd Company of Connecticut Guards. Arnold was chosen as their captain. As such he organized training and exercises in preparation for war. On Friday, April 21, 1775 news reached New Haven of the opening battles of the revolution at Lexington and Concord, A few Yale student volunteers were admitted into the guard to boost their numbers and they began a march to Massachusetts to join the revolution.

Related Topics:
April 21 - 1775 - Lexington and Concord - Yale - Massachusetts

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Enroute Arnold met with Colonel Samuel Holden Parsons, a Connecticut legislator. They discussed the shortage of cannons possessed by the revolutionary forces and, knowing of the large number of cannon located at Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain, agreed that an expedition should be formed to capture the fort. Parsons continued on to Hartford where he raised funds to establish a force under the command of Captain Edward Mott. Mott was instructed to link up with Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys at Bennington, Vermont. Meanwhile Arnold and his Connecticut militia continued on to Cambridge where Arnold convinced the Massachusetts Committee of Safetyhttp://www.committee.org/ to fund an expedition to take the fort. They appointed him a Colonel in the Massachusetts militia and dispatched him, along with several captains under his command to raise an army in Massachusetts. As his captains mustered troops, Arnold rode north to rendezvous with Allen and take command of the operation.

Related Topics:
Fort Ticonderoga - Lake Champlain - Ethan Allen - Green Mountain Boys - Bennington - Vermont - Cambridge

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By early May the army was assembled. On May 10, 1775 Fort Ticonderoga was assaulted in a dawn attack and taken without a battle, the colonial forces having surprised the outnumbered British garrison. (See Battle of Ticonderoga (1775)). Expeditions to Crown Point and Fort George were likewise successful as was another foray to Fort St Johns (now named Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec). But this fort was abandoned when British troops arrived from Montreal. Throughout the campaign Arnold and Allen disputed over who would be in overall command. Allen eventually withdrew his troops, leaving Arnold in sole command of the garrisons of the three forts. However, a Connecticut force of 1,000 men under a Colonel Benjamin Hinman arrived with orders placing him in command with Arnold to serve under him. This act by the Continental Congress incensed Arnold who felt his efforts on behalf of the revolution were not being recognized. The end result was that Arnold resigned his commission and returned to Massachusetts. http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=36363

Related Topics:
May 10 - 1775 - Battle of Ticonderoga (1775) - Crown Point - Fort George - Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu - Montreal

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The Ticonderoga expedition was considered an overall success. Together Crown Point and Ticonderoga yielded 201 cannons, 100 of which were sent back to Boston where they were positioned on the Dorchester Heights overlooking the city. The presence of these weapons forced the British army under General Thomas Gage to evacuate Boston. The force retreated by sea to Nova Scotia in March 1776.

Related Topics:
Dorchester Heights - General Thomas Gage - Nova Scotia

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The Quebec expedition

See: Invasion of Canada (1775); Arnold expedition

Related Topics:
Invasion of Canada (1775) - Arnold expedition

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Shortly after the formation of the Continental Army in June of 1775, Major General Philip Schuyler, commander of the Northern Department, developed a plan to invade Canada overland from Fort St. Johns at the northern end of Lake Champlain, down the Richelieu River to Montreal. The objective was to deprive the Loyalist's an important base from which they could attack upper New York. General Richard Montgomery was assigned the leadership of this force.

Related Topics:
Continental Army - Major General - Philip Schuyler - Northern Department - General Richard Montgomery

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Benedict Arnold, on hearing of these plans proposed that a second force, in unison with Schuyler?s, attack by travelling up the Kennebec River in Maine, portaging over the height of land, then descending the Chaudiere river to Quebec City. With the capture of both Montreal and Quebec City, he believed, the French speaking colonists of Canada would join the revolution against their British masters. The Commander in Chief, General George Washington, and the Continenetal Congress, approved this amendment to the plan and charged Arnold with the task of carrying it out. Benedict Arnold was commissioned a Colonel in the Continental Army to lead the Quebec City attack.

Related Topics:
Kennebec River - Maine - Quebec City - General George Washington

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Just prior to leaving for Maine, Arnold learned of the death of his wife Margaret. He was forced to make a stop in New Haven to ensure the welfare of his children. His sister Hannah took over the role of surrogate mother at his request.

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The force of 1100 recruits embarked from Newburyport, Massachusetts, on September 19, 1775 arriving at Gardinerston, Maine on September 22, where Arnold had made prior arrangments with Major Rueben Colburn to construct 200 to be used to transport the troops up the Kennebec and Dead Rivers, over the height of land, then down the Chaudiere river to Quebec City. A lengthy portage was required over the Appalachian range height of land between the upper Dead and Chaudiere rivers.

Related Topics:
Newburyport, Massachusetts - September 19 - 1775 - September 22 - Major Rueben Colburn - Dead River - Appalachian

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The expedition was beset with problems from the start. The bateaux had been constructed out of green wood and shortly started to fall apart, the weather was extremely foul, much of their food was spoiled and had to be abandoned along the trail, and they suffered an outbreak of smallpox that decimated their ranks. By the time they finally reached the Saint Lawrence River across from Quebec City on November 9, the half starved force had been reduced to less than 700 by death from smallpox and desertion. Furthermore, the habitant settlers were not supportive of their cause, as expected, and for the most part openly opposed the invasion.

Related Topics:
Smallpox - Saint Lawrence River - November 9 - Habitant

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The British were aware of Arnold?s approach and destroyed most of the serviceable watercraft on the southern shore. Two warships, the frigate Lizard (twenty-six guns) and the sloop-of-war Hunter (sixteen guns) kept constant patrol to prevent a river crossing. Even so, Arnold was able to procure sufficient water craft, crossing to the Quebec City side on November 11. Arnold, realizing his force did not have enough strength to capture the city sent dispatches to Montgomery requesting reinforcement.

Related Topics:
Frigate - Sloop-of-war - November 11

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Meanwhile, Brigadier General Richard Montgomery marched north from Fort Ticonderoga with about 1700 militiamen on September 16, 1775. He captured Montreal on November 13. Montgomery joined Arnold in early December and with their combined force of about 1,325 soldiers attacked the city on December 31, 1775. The colonial forces suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of General Guy Carleton, Governor of Canada and commander of the British forces. Montgomery was killed, Arnold was wounded, many casualties occurred (killed or wounded) and hundreds more were taken prisoner. See Battle of Quebec (1775).

Related Topics:
September 16 - 1775 - November 13 - December 31 - Guy Carleton - Battle of Quebec (1775)

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The remnants of the colonials, reduced to some 350 volunteers and now under the command of Colonel Arnold (after the death of General Montgomery) continued an ineffective siege of the city until the spring of 1776 when reinforcements under Brigadier General David Wooster arrived. Upon being relieved of command, Arnold retreated to Montreal with what remained of the volunteer rebel forces.

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http://www.generalatomic.com/AmericanHistory/siege_quebec.html http://theamericanrevolution.org/battles/bat_queb.asp

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The Battle of Valcour Island

Following the failure of the Quebec expedition the British launched a counteroffensive in the latter part of 1776 intended to gain control of the Hudson River Valley. Control of the upper Hudson would have enabled the British to link their Canadian forces with those in British occupied New York City, dividing the American colonies of New England from those in the South, potentially defeating the revolution.

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Colonel Arnold received a promotion to Brigadier General after the Quebec invasion and was assigned the task of preventing a British invasion from the north. For details of the ensuing campaign see Battle of Valcour Island and http://beatl.barnard.columbia.edu/students/his3487/cantrell/champlain.html

Related Topics:
Brigadier General - Battle of Valcour Island

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Eastern Department

Late in 1776 Arnold received orders to report to Major General Joseph Spencer, newly appointed commander of the Eastern Department of the Continental Army. On December 8, 1776, a sizeable British force under Lieutenant General Henry Clinton captured Newport, Rhode Island. Arnold spent a week with his family (who he had not seen for over a year) in New Haven, Connecticut, and arrived at Providence, Rhode Island, on January 12, 1777 to take up his duties in the defense of Rhode Island as Deputy Commander, Eastern Department . Unfortunately, the ranks of the Rhode Island force had been depleted to about 2000 troops in order to support Washington?s assault on Trenton New Jersey. Since Arnold was facing 15,000 redcoats he was forced to employ defensive measures only, not having enough troops to form an attack.

Related Topics:
Joseph Spencer - Eastern Department - December 8 - 1776 - Lieutenant General Henry Clinton - Newport, Rhode Island - Providence, Rhode Island - January 12 - 1777 - Trenton New Jersey - Redcoats

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On April 26, 1777 Arnold was on his way to Philadelphia to meet with the Continental Congress and had stopped in New Haven to visit his family once again when a courier arrived with a dispatch that a British force of 2,000 troops under the command of Major General William Tryon, British Military Governor of New York, had landed at Norwalk, Connecticut. Tryon marched his force to Fairfield on Long Island Sound, and inland to Danbury, a major supply depot for the Continental Army, destroying both towns by fire. He also torched the seaport of Norwalk as his forces retreated by sea.

Related Topics:
April 26 - 1777 - Philadelphia - William Tryon - Norwalk, Connecticut - Fairfield - Danbury

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Arnold hurriedly recruited about 100 volunteers locally and was joined by Major General Gold S. Silliman http://www.famousamericans.net/goldsellecksilliman/and Major General David Wooster of the Connecticut militia, who together had mustered a force of 500 volunteers from eastern Connecticut.

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Arnold and his fellow officers moved their small force near to Danbury so they could intercept and harass the British retreat. By 11 a.m. on April 27, General Wooster?s column had caught up with and engaged Tryon?s rear guard. Arnold moved his force to a farm outside Ridgefield, Connecticut, in an attempt to block the British retreat. During the skirmishes that followed, General Wooster was killed. General Arnold injured his leg when his horse fell on him after it was shot.

Related Topics:
April 27 - Ridgefield, Connecticut

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Philadelphia

After the Danbury raid Arnold continued his journey to Philadelphia to meet with congressional members, arriving on May 16. General Schuyler was also in Philadelphia at this time but soon left for his headquarters at Albany, New York. This meant that General Arnold was the ranking officer in the Philadelphia region so he assumed command of the forces there. But Congress preferred Pennsylvania's newly promoted Major General Thomas Mifflin. (Brigadier General Arnold had earlier been passed over for promotion). This caused further resentment and it appeared to Arnold that Congress did not want him, no matter how determined he was to fight for the cause of liberty or what his achievements were. Consequently Arnold resigned his commission on July 11, 1777. But very shortly a message was received from General Washington urgently requesting Benedict be posted to the Northern Department because Fort Ticonderoga had fallen to the British. See Battle of Ticonderoga (1777). This request demonstrated Washington's faith in Arnold as a military commander, and Congress complied with his request.

Related Topics:
May 16 - Albany, New York - Thomas Mifflin - July 11 - 1777 - Northern Department - Battle of Ticonderoga (1777)

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Saratoga Campaign

See Saratoga Campaign

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The summer of 1777 marked a turning point in the American War of Independence. The Saratoga campaign was a series of battles fought in upper New York that culminated in the victory achieved by the Americans at the Battle of Saratoga, and the capture of a large contingent of the British army led by Lieutenant General John Burgoyne on October 17, 1777. Brigadier General Benedict Arnold played a decisive role in several of these battles. The battles are listed below with links to the main articles. The operations in which Arnold participated are flagged.

Related Topics:
American War of Independence - Battle of Saratoga - John Burgoyne - October 17 - 1777

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