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'h l/fFK /^i^ /^^ . Sft? % P.}- I I \\<\i)\.\); I' v.! ^\i) i;: x\'\ \ n\ J' \ ilttv >>| : IS, LN. ' fr, -O' ^ t :• ■ .,' flii ; Hk y 'Uunvi :l. ^' INTnODUCTIOX. I ^ tiiinciution which hns Ijcoii bo poiistantly poiirod upon his head. The tiiiio iiiHy coiiio — I think thi-rr arc indiratioiis of its approach — whiMi th(!re will mingle with his coiKh-ninatiou that "iiilinite pity," wliirh (Jcor;^!! Williani ' urtis, standing »)n lii-mis' Heights, ho ehH|iii" tiy expressccl his oration on tlie Surrender of liurgoyne — " iidinitc pity,"" tliat a nature ao heroic, and witli a record so brilliant, should have been driven, by a sense of bitter wrong and the violence of his passions, to a crime so inexcusable. On the (exposure of his treason, it becNiino the passionate desire of a whole nation to blacken his cliiiriicter. Instantly h(! became an outcast and an outlaw. Every pen denounced, and every tongue curse-lields, was declared to be only "Dutch courage." He who in Philadelphia and elsewhere had been the courteous and honored host, at whose table the hiy tlic iiise.st of tho hundred villuiiiies "of Murlboruiigh."— Wuca«/»ii/"« England, V. T,p. yj3. IXTIIODI'CTION". 5 the palace of IJIiMiheitii, and l)cliold how England ftjigavo his crimes and rowarded his virtiu's. It is dillicult to concoive of (hirkor and more cxccrahio criujes than those of David, the; {^rcat kin^ of Israel — murder and perfidy from the vilest motives! And yet tlio heart that conceived and executed the treacherous murder of Uriah, iridict- ' ed the I'salms, and was so teiidn- and atfectioiuite that David would have jrladly died for the u'ltuitural Ahsiiloin! The kin;j repent(!d and God and man forj^ave him. If wo cannot forgive Arnold, we can and 'iot and traitor, I shall endeavor truthfully to tell, and in such a spirit as to merit, and I trust, to obtain, the sympathy of all lovers of fair play. The identity in the name of the author . nd the subject, and f INTHODUCTIOX. possibly the trc-atinont, may sujrj^est a relationship which docs not exist. Had General Arnold died on Lake Chainplain, when desperately figlitinle Schuyler numuscripts in the possession of the fam- ily of General Schuyler; ami the Gates ann — MarriaLri.' — His First Duel, i.v;;2 CIIAPTKlf IT. TICOXDEUOGA AND rltoWX I'olXT. The Boston Massacre — Arnold's Fiery Patriotism — His Letter — Battle of Lexington — Capt. Arnold Volunteers and Leacit, 'us Company to Cam- bridge — Expedition to Ticonderoga — Captuns St. .ii.'u's — Warren liis Friend — Injustice to Arnold — Death of his Wife — 'roiuiiing Letter of his Sister, Hannah Arnold, ',i')-4x CIIArTKR Tir. K.\iM.iirii(»\ I'o tji i:iu:c. Expedition to Quebec, and ^larch Through the Wilderness — Arnold pro- poses the Expedition to Washington — Washington Approves, and Selects for it "Picked ^len " of liis Army, and (iives the Connnand to .\rnold — Thi'ir Ditlicidtics, Sntfcinys and l>angers — Enos gi'ts frightened and Abandons his Comradi's— Ariinlil, with Morgan. Pushes on — Provi-;i'.ns Exhansted— Arnold with Six Men Makes a Forced March to the Camidian Settlements, Obtains Food, and Saves the Detachment, 4!)-7J 10 CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. ASSAULT UPOX QUEIJKC. Arnold Holds an Indian Council — His Speech to the Indians — Crosses the St. Lawrence, Climbs to the Plains of Al)rahani, and Meniices Que- bec — Iteceivep thanks of Wiishinj^ton and Siluiyler — Mont^ionicry and Arnold Assault Quebec — Montgomery Killed — Arnold !>hot while Leadinj,' the " Foriorn Hope " — .Made a nriyadier-GcntTal — HIdckadfs Quebec, 7;J-^H 1 chaptp:r v. hktreat fuom caxada. The Affair at the Cedars — Visit of Franklin, Chase and Carroll to Arnold's Qiuirters— The Seizure of Goods in Montreal — Trial of Colonel Hazen by Court-Martial — Controversy IJetween Arnold and the Court — Charges against Arnold by Lieut. Col. John Brown — Action thereon ))y Wooster, Schuyler and Oates^Chargcs Iteclared by Congress to be Cruel and Groundless — ArnoUl's Retreat livni Canada, . t''J-104 "4 [ ^: i } CHAPTER VI. NAVAL HATTI.K OK VALCOUJi ISI.AXO. The British, Greatly Superior in Numbers and in Guns, .\ttack the Anici- ican fleet under Arnold, on Lake Chanii)lain — 'J'he Fight Continues from Noon until Night, wIkmi the British Retire — Tiie Americans Es- cape Through the British liine — Are Overtaken, and Arnol I, in the Congress, Fights and Retards the Enemy until his other Vessels Es- cape — He Runs the Congress Aslu)re, ihuiis her, and witii his ^len, FkOaches Ticonderoga, 1U-j-1"JU CHAPTER VII. AUNOLP SUrKKSKUEI) — IIIS riGHT AT KIPGEFIEI.n, KTC. Arnold in Wasiiington's Camp — Sent to Rhode Island — Advances €1,000 to aid Lamb in Raising his Regiment — Otfers Himself to the Beanti- iul Miss Deblois — Five Junior Brigadiers Promoted over Him — Withholds his Ke^ignation, at Washington's request — Desperate Battle, and Escape at Ridgefield— Congress Vote him a Horse, and Commission 1 im a ^lajor-General — Declare tlit> ("barges of Brown to be Cruel .'\spersions upon his Character — Washington be^s Congre.-s to send him North to aid in Repelling Burgoyne, . , I'Jl-LW 1 CONTENTS. 11 CIIArTEll VIII. rAMPAIGN ON THE MOUAWK, AND UKLIEF OF FORT STANWIX. H. Loger Investfs Fort Stanwix— Ilcrkinier poinjj to its relief, falls into an Anibiisrado, ami at the Biittio of Oriskiiny is Mortally Wounded — Arnold Volunteers to go to the relief of Gansevoort — Reaches German Flats, and altliough a Council of War resolve that they must wait for Heinforceni"nfs, he deterniini's to " l*U;iMi Them — Andre's Capture — His Letter to Washington, 26o-29;{ CONTENTS. 13 CITAPTKU XVr. AnXOI.lVs KSCAl'K — ANDKlfs KX KCUTION'. Arnnlil Tliars of Aiulro's ("iipfmv— F]ii>s to tin! Viiltiin> — W;isliin^t(in Arrives at W.'st. Point— Mr^i. Aniokl's Di.stros-Ariiold's Lvtt.'T to \\''asliiii!,'toii, I»t'(l.irinjr Her Tnnoconco. and I{(',trj.'in<,' Wiisliiiigtoti to Proti'it Ilcr — 1>( elari's Mis Military Faniily Iniiocfnt — Hannah Ai- nolil's liottor UL'trwint: tlu' I'lty of ull Ilcr Frionds, anil rrayinKThoni not to For«ikc I lor— Andre's Trial as a Spy— Efforts to Save His Lifo — Arnold's alli'jrod offer to Siurcnder liinisoU" in Kxc'liunf,'o— Andre's Kxt'tiilion, 2'J-1-315 C IT AFTER XVII. MKS. AKN01.I>''s INXOiKNCK — WAS ANUUE A Sl'Y? Wa-! Mrs. Arnold Guilty of Complicity with hor Hnsbii^l's Treason? — Was Andre a Spy, and Kxecuted in Acordance with the Laws of War? y 16-328 CHATTER XA'III. ARNOLD TAINI.V ATTEMPTS TO JISTIKV HIS TREASON. Arnold in New York ( ify — His Address to the American I'eopL' — Tlis rpiclamation to the OHicers and Soldiers of the American Army — At- tempt to Kidnap Ilim— His Wife Joins Him iu New York, . 029-341 CHAPTER XTX. AIIXOI.D T.KADS TSRITISII SOLDI KKS AOAIXST HIS X'ATl"". F rOlXTRY. Arnold Leads an Expedition Apainst ^'irarinia and Connecticut — Massa- cre at Tort (iriswold — Arnold's Narrow Escape from Death by tlie Hands of a Woman at New London, .... 312-354 CHAPTER XX. ARNOLD AT THK COUKT OK (JKOKOE THE III. Arnold's Iteiiartare with Lord Cornwallis for En£,'land — His deception by the Kinast, this ]ieriod of American liistory is becoming more and more attractive and picturesque. The name of Benedict Arnokl is doomed to live in that history forever as the only cons])icuous instance of treason: "Sadly conspicuous," as AVashington Irving says, " to the end of time." Ilis punishment has been terrible but just. In the sense in which Satan has been called the hero of I'aradise Lost, he was one of the heroes of the revolutionary war. One great crime obliterated the memory of years of hard and patriotic service. A century has gone since his abortive conspiracy, and there is, I think, a disposition ti> be less relentless— I niav sav more just to his meniorv. (15) f^ 10 j.iFi: OF Bi:xi:i)icT ailnuld. 'I'liciv is u williii^nt'r-s to look lit'hind tlie black sliailow of liis trc'Hsoii; to rt'coi^iii/c holiind tlu; traitor of West Point the hero of Sai'atoi^a. In projiortion as lii.stoiT is severe, it .-houkl 1)(! scrupulously just. With tli(! cmiviction that (Jeiieral Arnold has not had fair treatment; that his life as ii patriot and ^■(»ldier sh(^uld he truthfully told, I a>k a hearin<,^ ^\'illianl Arnold, horn in Leaniin^t(»n, Knirland, in ir»s7, settled in Providence in lr», was the ancestor of the Arnolds of Rhode Island and ('onne(;ticut. Jle was a con- tenii)orary of Jvotill earlier in AVales, were liiii'ldy respectable, and their lineaire has been traced back for several centu- ries. There is a i,'eneal(»enedict, the eldest, HMuoved to Newport about the year 10r)3.'' 1. Ho WHS tlic son of Tlioims Arnold, of Mclcoino Ilerscy, of ('liosnUtonrno, < ounty of Oorsct, KnjjliiiKl. who was son of Hichurd Arnold, Lord of tlio manor of lliiyliero, I'uri.^ili of Mlddlctun, Co. of Oorsel. -I'e Arnold OeiiealoKy in N. Y. Ills. Soc'iuty. •Z. I liiive received from a prand dauKliter of (Jeneral Arnold, rosiding in Tana- da, a cnrious, antique | ajier, ai)])iirontly of anteri-vcjlntionary ori^dn, contiiininK ii i;('neiiloi;y of sonuMif the Arnold family, fron\ IMl tn 177(). Some jiurts of it seem !o liave lieen preimred l)y (iovernor lU'iii'diet Arnold, the suucessor of K-igur Wil- liams, a.s rrcsidcnt and (io\ ernnr of the Colony, lie says : "We eanie from rrovidence wit'.i onr family todwelliu Newport, in Rhode Island, the I'.ith of Novemhcr, Thursday in afternoun, anil arrived ye same nii;litianno Do- mini Iti.')!. Memorancl\ini : my father and his family sett sayle from D:irlmonth, in old En(,dand, the first of May, Friday, and arrived at New Knglaml .June .;iili. anno 1) -mini WXi. Aleni'n : We came to l'roviden< e to dwell the 'Jith (jf April, lOiii. Mr.moraniluin. •• lienedict and Demaris Arnold wore married the 17th of Dcfomhcr. anno Domini Ifiti). Onr Sonne Henedict was horn Fobrnary in, li;il— bein.L;- our lir>t born, and bear- est therefore his father's name— at)0\it two honrs before day. "Our second Sonne we named Caleb. He was born the I'Jtli of December, anno HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS I'Rl'ASOX. 17 lie succeeded IToger "Williuins as President of the Colo- iiv, under the first ehiirtev. and was t^evend times eleeted (iovernor unch^ the second eliiirter; servini; as Ciovernor t'n. ni ir.CP, to KiOO, and from >Iay, KiOl*, to lOTii; also fn»m l, and the f^randson, also named Benedict, moved to Xorwieh, Connecticut, in 1730, and was the father of the suhject of this memoir. He was by trade a cooper, carryin^if on the business quite lar<;ely, and in addition he eui^ai^ed in general trafhc, own- inir several vessels, and sometimes commantoTiii:n OF 15. ARNOi.n— McMit.Thoni- iis Tnicy, one of tlio (iritfiMiil proiirleior.s of Norwii.li, Conn., horn in Knt'Iaiid m mil, wns n linciil doi'iinliuit of (he L"JUii,'i'noration from F-t-'horl, tlie lir.-t Suxon Ixini; of all Knj,'lnnil, lie liat seven children, viz.: Jahn, Jonallian, Thonuis, Md-iam, S'lloinoii, Uiivid, anil Sam\iel. Jiilm T/ficf/ was an ancestor of Iloii. Ronbon Hyde Walworth, ChancoUor of the State of New York, and also of Mrs. Gideon M. l»avidson, the muiher of C, M. Davidson. .iDi'iitlian Trcirji, born in 1041, married Mary Griswold and had nine children, the seconil of wliom was JlmiiKih True)/, who was married In 1095 to Thomas Davison, 1st, the great, great RraiidfaUier of (Jideon M. Diivison, the father of ('lenient M. Davison. Miniam Trarii, born in MHH, tb^ only dautihter of Lieut. Thomas Traoy, was mar- ried in Ifi'i.S, to Tlionias Waterman, one of the orii,'inal proprietors of Norwich, son of Robert Walennan, of Kli/.abetli Urown, an ancestress of Mrs. (i. >T. Davisdu. Tliey had eii;lit eliildren, viz : Tliomas. KHzabeth. Jo/i/j, Miriam, Marllia, I.ydia, Jiiseiili and Anne. ,l(il\n Waterman, born in ir,7-2, mnrrieil in 1701 Elizabeth Lathrop. second daughter of Samuel l.i'throp and llannali .\d);ate, of Norwich ; tliey bad four children, one of whom was the niotlier of Gen. Ueiiedict Arnold, wlio was the third cousin of Thos. Davl.son, 'Jnd, the great gratul father of (". M. Davison. The grand chil- dren of (ien. Arnold, and the fatlier of C. M. Davison are consequently 5tli cousins, and are of the 'Xk\ generation, in a lineal descent from King Egbert. Windsor. Canada, Sept. Cth, 18C2. "t, Genralogy of Arnold family— also manuscript letter of his grandson. Rev. Edward Gladwin Arnold. Sue, also, Miss C'aulklns' History of Norwich, p. 40'j, HIS rATIlIOTlSM AN'I) HIS TKKAHON. 10 rondcrctl \]\vm inaccunitn and luijnst. Ilia nncostors in Kii<,Hiiii(l, iiiid liin lorctatlnTs in lilKMlt- I>liiii(|, wvvo. as has Ik'ou statt'il, men of cliaracttr, oducatioii and position, and cortaiidy no luniily in Rliode Island, up to the tinio of tho Kt'vohition, had ht'on moro honored in otlicial jiositions, and it is hut simple justice to ])hK'e them anioii"; the most, jirom- inent of the founders of that small, hut admirahle State. M'liethrr of fjreat ov little importance, it is a fact that there were tew ct)lonial families whose lineatje, hy hotii father and mother, was more entirely res[)ectahle. Captain Ueiiedict Arnold died in 17G1. The house oceu- ]»ied hy him, and in wliich the suhject of this memoir was horn, stood in the oM part of the town of >('orwi('h, and was not demolished until 1S53. There were in anil around it many memorials of vonni; Iienedict. After liis removal to New Haven, the house and housolot were Bold by liim to one lliii^h Leillie, for seven hundred pornds sterlinjj^. In consequence of the insanity of the wifu of Ledlie, and exa<^^erated tales f^rowini^ out of this circumstance, the house was believed to be haunted, and many wild stories of supernatural appearances were told of it, and credited by the superstititms. In the year 1775, Deacon WilliaTn Philli})s, of I>oston, father of Lieutenant Governor I'hiliips, moved to Xorwich and occu})ied the old Arnold man^' »n nntil the Jiritish left I3oston.' The famoiis IMalbones, of Newport, were the next occu- pants, and the misfortunes of that family added to its Nveird reputation. Xext, Col. Moore, of Xorfolk, Yiri^inia, father of jiicliard Channing ]\[oore, IJishop of A'iri^inia, occupied it, and died there in 17S4. It was afterwards ])urchased by Uriah 1. See Miss Caulkius' History of Norwich, page 411, manuscript letter of C. C. P. Wuterman. t ' 20 LIFE OF BENEDICT AIINOLD. N [ 'I Trac}', Nvho lived in it for many years undisturbed. .Tlio stran'fc noises and sij^lits for wliieh it had been so lou}; noted now eeased. The ^j^arden and <;roves were no louf^er infested with stranire visitants, and the chambers were now (juiet and |)eacefwl. The mother of J>enedict Arn(dd lias been described by her contemporaries, and by tradition, as a woman of extra- ordinary strenijth of character, and oitirely devoted to lier family. " Benedict Arnold's mother," said one who knew her well, " was a saint on earth, and is now an angel in heaven.'" Several letters of hers still extant, prove that all which was said in her praise was true. She died Aug. 15th, 175S. The inscription on her tomb-stone confirms what has been said. " ]n memory of 7/(7»nfr/(, tho wcli-bolovoil wifo of Captain Benedict Arnold, and dau<,diter of Mr. John and Mrs. Kli/.abotli Waterman. She was a pattern of piety, patience and virtne: wlio died Aug. 15th, 1758. .eatis 52." > Captain Oliver Arnold, the uncle of Benedict, died in Isew TIaven, in 1 781. He had long been an invalid, and left very little for the support and maintenance of his family. After the death of his uncle, Benedict was always liberal and kind to them; and even after his exile in England, did not forget his cousins, and his remittances to them are said to have been generous. lie assisted the eldest son to a lib- eral education; but the young man, grieved and indignant at the conduct of his cousin, joined the naval service of the United States, and attaching himself to the celebrated Paul Jones, hoped by deeds of desperate daring to efface the dis- grace which his cousin's treason had attached to the name, lie returned to New Haven with his health broken, and soon died. 1. Miss Caulkins' History of Norwich, page 409, and manuscript letter of C. C. P. Waterman. HIS TATR OTISM AND HIS TREASOX. 21 .The ) loii^ of the Id Paul lie dis- name. Id soon bf c. c. P. Another son, named Oliver, was a Lright lad, and as he j^rew up developed a talent for making impromptu rliymes; happening in at a book store in New Haven one day, lie met there the ])oet Joel Barlow, and was ])resented to liim. liarlow liad lately published an altered, some tliunght, an improved, edition of "Watts' Psalms and Hymns. Young Olive being pressed by Barlow to give a specimen of his improvisations, iinally complied by addressing Bai'low as follows: " You've provod youi-sclf a sinful crotur, You've niurtlored Watts and spoilt the metro; You've tried the word of God to alter; And for your pains deserve — a halter." ' He, like his elder brother, was a devoted patriot, con- <)ino tar barrels, which they had apjjropriated for a •" Thank snivii ig bonfire,'"' As is usual with tiie brave, he was generous, and liis syni- ]>athies were always with the weak; ho was the ehanii>ion (if the smaller lads and those of his own age, and no bully was ever ])erniitted, in his presence, to practice any injus- tice upon the younger boys. He was kind to his friends, but Would never sul)init to force. lie received the advantages of what would be regank'd now as a fair common school and academic education, iiududing some Iniowiedge of Latin and nvithennitics. His father at one time whs a nuin of considerable means, as we have seen, and I'enedict was sent abroad to schooL A letter from his mother has been '])ublished, dated Aug. l'2t\\. 1753, ad- dressed to him at Canterbury, .some twelve miles from Xor- wich, in which this ii'ood l*uritan ladv savs: "Prav, mv dear son, whatever you neglect, don't neglect your precious sold, Avhich once lost can never be regained." ^ She begs him, for her, to "give service to Mr. Cogswell and lady." lie was then twelve years old. Another very interesting letter of hers is as follows: "Xouwuu, Aiuil rjtli, 17")4. Dkau Cnii.ur-;: — I roceivwl youis of the 1st instiuit, aiul wiis ;r]iul to lioar thvt you wcro woll. Pray, my dear, let your first coiu't'rn ljt> to make your peaco with God, as it is of all concerns of the greatest inipor- tance. Keep a steaily watch over your th(jui,'hts, words and actions. JJc dutytul to superiors, obliyiny^ to eipials, and atl'ahle to inferiors, if any such there be. Always choose that your companions be your l)etters, that by their good examples you may li-arn. " From your affectionate mother, " H.\NNAU AllNOLD. " r. S.— T have sent you 50s. Use it priulently, as you are accountable 1 Miss Caalkins' Uislory of Norwk-h, page 412. .i. New Ilaveii Juunial, St'i)t. «, Ittjit. I 21 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. to God and your Father. Your Fatlier and Aunt join with me in lovo and service to Mr. Coj^swell and Lady, and yourself. Your sister is from home.' "Vour Father puts in twenty more." * This sum sent to a boy of thirteen, as pocket-money, vould indicate tliat the family were in a condition to give liim whatever advantaf^es of education the country then afforded. There is also evidence to show that he was sent to school to a Dr. Jewett, of Montville.* His letters, his writings, his speeclies, particularly his de- fense on his trial before the Court-martial, near Philadel- phia, show him to have been a man of respectable education for tlie days in which he lived. I have seen in the hands of a connection, a copy of a latin school book, " Cornelius Nepos," (published in 1748,) and in liis own hand-writing, "'• Benedict Arnold, Ejus Liber." Those writers who hav^o spoken of him as illiterate and vulgar, have been neither accurate nor just. Although not a man of what to-day is called a "liberal education," his would compare favorably with that of many officers of rank in the army of the Revolution. In 1755, the war between France and Great Britain, known in American Annals as the "Old French War," ])roke out. In the following year Arnold, then less than lifteen years of age, was carried away with the romantic idea of being a soldier. His love of adventure and a roman- tic wish to perform daring exploits, led him to run away from home to Hartford, fi-oni where the Connecticut troops were to start for Lake George and the Northern frontier, and enlist as a soldier. His mother sought and obtained the kind offices of the Rev. Dr. Lord, and through him, her darling son was restored to her. But the Connecticut boy, destined to a life of strange adventure on land and sea, grew 1. LossiiiR's Fielil-nook of tlic Revolution, note; Vol. 2, page 005. 2. nill's LilV of Arnolil, ihiko I'^i. 3. Uill's Life of .\raold, piigo JO. 'I HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 25 moody and restless, and yearned for the wild life of the frontier; so excited was his imaj^ination witli his dreams of a soldier's life, that he left his home a second time, and joined the provincial troops. The incidents of the jonrney to Albany and the Lakes by the school-boy volunteer are not recorded. If this soldier-lad had kept a journal, and told us what he saw as he passed through the old Dutch town of Albany, and the incidents of his march through the forests, it would have possessed peculiar interest; but we only know that the wilderness was then unbroken and wild, frequented only by the scout and the Indian, and that Lake George lay beneath its over-hanging Highlands, with none to admire its beautj^, except when some hunter or soldier, some Leatherstocking, Uncas, or Ileyward, paused a mo- ment on its shores, to be led from " Nature up to Nature's God." Pliilip Schuyler, then lately married, commanded a provincial company. George Washington was preparing himself by severe service under the British flag to lead his country to Independence. AVith what anxiety the fond mother waited the return of this her only surviving son, may be imagined. The fancied charm of a soldier's life was soon dispelled by experience; he soon wearied of military discipline, deserted, and returned through the wilderness alone to his home. Although an infant in law, and too vounij to execute a valid contract of enlistment into military service, yet some apprehensions seem to have been felt by his mother and friends that he might be arrested as a deserter, and he was hidden away M'hile a recruiting officer was in the town. lie had already become familiar with lire-arms, and with tlie pistol and the rifle had few if any superiors as a marks- man. To his great skill lie was on one occasion, at least, as will be seen hereafter, indebted for his life. He was strong, harily, active, and excelled in all atldetic 1 26 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. sports and gyirmastic exercises. In fencing, boxings, in ska- ting, in runnin<5 and leaping, lie had no superiors. It is said that even after he recovered from his wound received at Quebec, when making the campaign to relieve Fort Stan- wix, he could readily vault over a loaded ammunition wagon without touchiiiii: hand or foot.' Previous to his adventure as a soldier, he had entered the employ of Doctors Daniel and Joshua Lathroj), wlio were relatives of his mother. They kept a large drug store in ^N^orwich, and were gentlemen of education — botli mxm'c grad- uates of Yale College; and Daniel had Unished his medical studies in London. They seem to have been esjiecially kind towards this boy, and being related to his mother, they manifested more than usual interest in his fortunes. They gave him a home in the family of Dr. Lathrop, the head of the house. They had a large business, importing their own medicines, and had furnished medical stores to the Kiiii-lish army in the French War.'' Benedict remained with them until he reached the age of twenty-one, and then removed to Xew Haven, where aided by his former employers, he establi sited himself as a drug- gist and bookseller.' His business rapidly increased. He enrraired in {general trade and exchange, and his cnertjv and enterprise enabled him raiudly to acipiire considerable ])roi>- erty. He end)arked in the West India trade, and purchased and ship[)ed to those Islands, horses, mules, beef cattle, and other provisions. He sometimes saileit of a {'a])taiii of a Xew England n)ilitia conii>any; but its truth has never been questioned. Once, while drivini^ beet-cattle on to a vessel, a refractory steer refused to ^o aboard; mad and wild with rage and fright, the animal broke loose, and dashing through the crowd of men engaged in loading the vessel, defied pursuit. Arnold mounted his horse, aTid riding ra])idly, overtook the animal, seized the enraged brute l)v the horns and nose, and held him fast until he was subdued and secured. Another anecdote, illustrating the violence of his unre- strained passions, is told. Pi-evious to 17(50 British lieve- nne Acts had been enacted which were generally felt to be most unjust and o])]n"essive by the Colonies, and the cus- tom-house officers were often regarded as instruments of oppression. It is said that Arnold was not particularly scrupulous in piying the duties on imported goods; nor was his evasion of custom exactions thought by his neigh- bors in those days, to be a very serious otfense. A sailor who had sailed on one of Arnold's vessels to the AVest In- dies, in revenge for some real or supposed injury, accused him of smuggling. Arnold gave him what he called "a little chastisement," but which others called a flogginir, and obtained from hiui a promise in writing lu leave New Haven and never return. The sailor did not go. and Arnold finding him still in the place, headed a party who took him to a public whi})ping post, where he received forty lashes and was conducted out of the town. Arnold was tried for the offense, and lined tifty shillings.* On one of his voyages to the West Indies, the ship of which Arnold was master, lying in the bay of Honduras, was nearly ready to sail for home. Some circumstances induced him to send the ship back in charge of the mate. 1. Arnold's own account of this transaction may be found in Hill's Life of Arnold, poufS 22 to 25. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TUKASOX. ol "While very busy prj]).ii'iii^' the jwipors and arniiii,'niij for tlic departure of tlie vesst-l, a curd of invitation was hrou^'lit to him from a ('a|)tain C'roskio, comniandin^j^ a ]jritish merchant ship in tlie bay, inviting hira to attend u social party that evening. J'eing very much occu|)ied, he did not attend, and nei;lec'ted to Kcnd his rej^ret. The next morn- ing he called on the ]>ritish otKcer to jiay his resjiects and apologize; for the m\i,dect. lie was received very rudely, and called "ad — d Yankee, destitute of good manners or those of a gentleman." The young American made no rei)ly, except quietly to draw oif his glove, anistol cocked, forbade their apj)roach on peril of their lives, but ])erinitted his antagonist and his seconds to come ashore, com{)elling the boat aii^t. JdImih, iu \vlili:li liu liahplly Buccveded." "CiKNKKAI, JOSKPU WAHnES." 'I'lIP. HosTON MASSAf.KE— AnX0l,D'8 FlKItY rATi:IOTIi,M— Ills I.I;TTI;U— IJaTTI.E (iF I.KXl.NliTOS— CAPT. AllSOLD VOLUNTEERS AND LEAbtl llis CoMl'ANY TO CAM- jiuiDfiE— KxrK.niTioN to TicoNPEnocA— Caitires Pt. Johns— Wabuen his rillENP — iNJfsTK E TO A'tNoI.D-DEATlI OF HIS WiFE— ToVCHINO LKTTEII OF HIS SisTKH, Hannah Aunoi.d. DruiNO tlie }-e!irs of 1705, atid on to 1770, Ariiuld was actively (Mij^aged in a lai'i^e and inci'casini; Itusinesss, and uj)- l)arontly contented and liaj^py with liis tiiniiiy. Jlis active and adventurous spirit found ejuploynient in visits to Can- ada and voyages to the West Indies, and an occasional trip to London. Meanwhile, the discontent of tlu; coh>nies witli the niotii- er country was constantly incr(^asin<;. The home ijovern- nient was arbitrary, ojtpressive and arroirant. The cohmies were bei^inning to realize their j)ower, and tlie s»ieds of the revolution were heofinnincr to ijerniinate. In ^larch, 1770, a collision occurred in tlie streets of Bos- ton, between the peo])le and the IJritish soldiers, in wJiieh several citizens were killed. The incident known in contemporary American history as "the Boston massacre," caused an intense feeling of in- dignation throughout the thirteen colonies. 3 (33) 34 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. ! I i AiMiold was at tlie time absent on a voyage to tlie West In- dies, but when news of the event reached him, all the fiery zeal and inipetnosity of his character were roused, and he wrote lionie, saying, "I was very much shocked the other day on hearing the accounts of the most wanton, cruel and inhu- man murders committed in Boston by the soldiers. Good God! are the Americans all asleep, and tamely yielding U]) their liberties, or arc tliey all turned j^^iilosnp/ters, that they do not take immediate vengeance on such miscreants'?" * This was among the first utterances of this then fervid patriot, lie was at that t'lme person.illy very popular in Xew Haven, and was at about that ])eri(xl elected captain of tlie Governor's guards, an independent military com- pany, composed of tlie most spirited and active young men of the city. A\ hen after near five . ars of hard and active service — a service which involved as much j^ersonal exposure, hard- ship and suffering as was incurred by any officer of the war, he stood at Morristown, in New Jersey, before a court-martial, as hereinafter detailed, to defend his honor. He thus speaks of his condition when the war began : "Whon the present necessary war ajrainst Great Britain commencetl, 1 was in easy circumstances, and enjoyed a fair prospect of improving them. I was happy in domestic connections, and blessed with a risin<^ fam- ily who claimed my care and attention. The liberties of my conntry were in danger. The voice of my country called upon all her faithful sons to join in her defense. With cheerfulness I obeyed the call; I was one of the first in the field." '^ Tfc was a merchant of property, doing a large business. "lie was possessor of an elegint house, Gtorehouses and wharves and vessels," at New llaven.' 1. Lottor of Arnold to B. Donglns, June 9, 1770; printtHl in nistorical Slagazine, April, IS w, p. ll'.i. ■2. Trial of General AinoM. i>. loj. 3. See certificate of Jeremiah Millet'. Jr..hefore Board of Claims, London, March T). 1781, who estiiniiti's Arnold's jiripeity at New Haven at £'2, 100 currency, all of which, he says, was confiscated. HIS PATKIOTISM AND IIIS TREASON. 85 laEazine, |n, March uy, aVi of He and General AVooster, an otiiccr in the then recent M'ur airainst France, seem to liave been tlie iionnlur leaders. Wooster was an elderly gentleman, cautious and conserva- tive, wliile Arnold was at the head of tlie ardent, zealous young men, who could M'ith difficulty be restrained i'roui open violence. The liev, Samuel Peters, in the appendix to his history of Connecticut, states that in 177-i, while he "was being ])ersecuted as a tory," by what he calls a mob, he applied to James Ililhouse for protection, and that J\[r. Ililhouse re- ])lied, "I want protection myself against the mobs of Col. AVooster and Dr. Benedict Arnold." ' Peters also relates that after he " had taken refuge in tlic house of the Kev. Dr. llultbard, and armed it as his castle, with twenty muskets, iuul powder and balls, that Arnold and his mob came to the gate. Peters said: ''Arnold, so sure as you split the gate, 1 will blow your brains out." Arnold retired, saying " I am no coward, but I know Dr. Peters' disposition and temper. * "^^ *■ I have no wish for death at present." The battle of Lexington was fought on the 10th of April, 1775. The news of this battle sent an electric shock throughout the Colonies. All New England was in an uproar. Xew York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolinas, everywhere the people were roused to action, and with one voice tliey echoed the cry of Virginia's great orator, Patrick HemT, "Liberty or death." The reports of the collision, like the vibrations of an eartlupiake, shook tlie whole con- tinent. From the ]\[errimac to the Hudson, from the ^[ohawk to the Delaware and Potomac, from tlie Green ]\Iountains to the Gulf of J\[exico, from the Atlantic to the Alleghanies, the people flew to arms and shouted, "Let us march to the aid of our brethren in Massachusetts." The news of this battle, fought on the nineteenth of April, 1. History of Connecticut, by Dr. Samuel Peters, 1781 ; re-published, 1877. 3G LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. W 1-eacliod Xew Haven at inid-dav of the twentieth. Arnold instantly called his company tos, iVT.'i; Vol. II, pp. as;;, ;i84. ■1. Vor the text of this agreement see collections of Connecticut Historical Socie- ty, Vol. II, p. 'JU. ;!. Soc letter of Arnold, April liOth, to Muss. Committee, Rivini; detailed stdtcincnt nf the eonditlou of Ticuudcroga, found iu Force's American Archives, 4th Scries, Vol. II, p. 45U. 38 LIFE OF BENEDICT AKNOLD. Cliaiiiplain had been the scenes of conflict, adventure and romance, since the early settlement of the country. It was Avell known, and to none more clearly than to Arnold, that the British ])0sts on these lakes were feebly garrisoned and carelessly guarded, and that they contained, what the colo- nies then most needed, military stores, arms and ammuni- tion in large quajitities. The imagination of Arnold was fired with the idea of ca])turing these ]tosts, and he m\is ambitious of the glory of striking a blow so important for his country, lie had, when a boy, visited these lakes, and was ftimiliar with the localities. Dr. Josej>h "Warren, "the first great martyr," as Daniel "Webster called him, was then a member of the committee and entered warmly into the project of Arnold,' and here was formed a warm j^ersonal friendship between these two men, both of whom seem at that time to have been acting with "the utmost patriotic ardor." To the kindness of Warren on this occasion and the personal at- tachment then formed mav be attributed the gratitude on the ])art of Arnold, which survived the death of his friend and was manifested in the generous aid furnished by him for the education of the orphan children of "Warren, and which will be fully narrated hereafter. Arnold presented the project so clearly, and such was the impression made upon the committee by his intelligence, energy and enthusiasm, that they immediately and eagerly commissioned him as colonel, and authorized liim to raise four hundred troops for the service. He was instructed to leave a garrison at Ticonderoga, and return to Cambridge with the arms and stores that he might capture. The Con- gress of Massachusetts supplied him with money, powder, 1. See letter of Warren, dnted Cnmbridgc, April SOth, 177 'i, quoted In Frotliini;- Imm's Life of Warren, page 47 1. " lienediet Arnold proposed to lead an expedition to capture Ticonderoga. Warren was appointed on a committee on this subject, and look great Interest iu it."— Frolhimjliam's Life of Warren, p. 474. ^^m HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. V/J liijence, 4 lead, flints and horses, and lie set off on the expedition with the utmost speed. He was instructed to raise his men in AVestorn Massacliusetts. lla\'n<^ been commissioned on the Od of May, and ari'iv- in<^ in 8tockbri(iy;e on the Gth, he learned with snr[)rise that an exj)edition for the same purpose had ah"ead_y started, and was on the way to the lakes. He himself had no men, and leaving some oilieers to raise troops, he hastened for- ward, and on the Dtli overtook an expedition under com- uuuid of Kthan Allen, leading a body of "Green Mountain boys'' towards Lake (Jeorge.^ Arnold exhibited his commission .and claimed the com- mand; but as he had no soldiers and was a stranger, the volunteers naturally preferred their own olHceis, and refused to recognize him.' A small party from Connecticut, and another from Berkshire county, under Colonel Easton, had joined Allen. Arnold has been censured for claiming the command. His manner of doing so may have been arro- gant, but he certaiidy was the only otlicer who had then been commissioned to ca])ture these posts by any recognized State authority. Allen's leadership was by the selection of his troops. Massachusetts, the leading New-Eng- land colony, and on whose soil the war had bcL'^un, had iriven to Arnold a reuul: ir commission, full instructiouf and authorized him to raise the necessary troojis, and in claiming the command he was hardly going bevond his authority ; but while it was natural he should claim the command, it ivas ecjually natural that the "Green IVFoun- tainBoys" under Allen should refuse it to him. Arnold was compelled to yield the point and joined the expedition as a volunteer, insisting, howevei", upon his rank, but issu- ing no orders.' Early on the morning of the 10th of jNfay, 1. See I.ossinir's Field Book of tlic Revohitiuli, Vol. I, p. 124. 2. Simrks' Life of Arnold, p. I'l. a. Soiirks' Life of Arnold, p. 17. >il M 40 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. the party readied the shore of ]>ake Georj^o, and were dis- appointed ill finding very few boats witli Avliicli to cross; but botli Arnold and Allen appreciated the fatal conse- (juences of delay: the fort must be surprised, if captured at all, and so they hastened across tlie water, with the small number of men their few boats would carry, and at the early dawn Allen, with Arnold at his side, and ein'hty-three men man lied through a sally -jiort, and captured Ticonde- roga! iliey were not disappointed in the arms and mili- tary stores found in the fortress — one hundred and twenty iron cannon, fifty swivals, two ten-inch mortars, ten tons »>f musket balls, three cart loads of flints, thirty gun car- riages, sliells. ten casks of powder, material for boat build- ing, two braco ciinnon, and pork, flour, etc, were the valu- able spoils taken. After the surrender, Arnold again insisted on taking command of the post, affirming that no other person pres- ent was vested with an authority equal to that conferred on him by Massachusetts.* In order to comply with the in- structions of tiiat colony, to send the captured arms and ammunition to Cambridge, it seemed necessary that he should have command. In harmonv with this idea. Gen- eral Warren M'rote to the Connecticut authorities, May 17th, asking them to appoint "Colonel Arnold to take charge of them (the arms, ifec,,) and bring them down in all ])ossil)le haste," and this, he suggests, "may be a means of settling any dispute which may have arisen between him and some other ofticers which we are always desirous to avoid, and now especially, at a time when our common danger onglit to unite us in the strongest bonds of amity and aftection.''^ But the Connecticut committee which had followed the troops, instead of doing this, by a formal written instru- 1. Spnrks' Life of Arnold, p. IS. 2. Sec letter of Warren, in I'^iotliiiighnm'.s Life of Warren, p. 100. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 41 11 pres- ■rod on le in- s aiul at he Gen- iTth, urge of ossible .^ttling (1 some tl, niul Olli^llt fction.'"^ kI the iiistru- ment, apiwinted Colonel Ethan Allen commander of Ticon- deruixa nntil i'urther orders from that iState, or from the Cre- sentations of Arnold to the Massachusetts committee had been more than realized, not, it is true, by his own etlbrts alone; others as well as he, had a])]ireciated the vast importance of this exjiedition. The idea seems to have occurred to him and to several others at about the 1. Fee Baneroffs Uistoryof the United States, Vol. VII, p. 340. 2. Warren writes, May 2.Jtli, ITT'i : " Our worthy friend. Col. Arnold, not having had the tole hnnnr of reducing Ttcon- ili'Mu'a and Crown I'oint. (leterniii:ed npon an {■xpiMlition to St. Johns, in which he iuippily :.iicceedea."— itWcr (/ Wurnn, in Fivthinuhjiitu l.ijv oj Warren, p. 494. 4? LIFE OF LENEDICT ARNOLD. M\ li same lime; indeed, the moment hostilities commencfMl the obviuns tliini^ to do was to surpri.-e and ca|)ture the British posts on tlie hdrtance and feasibility of its (Ticondenga) capture and his desire to attempt it."" "Colonel Samuel II. Parsons, returning from Massachu- setts to Hartford, April 2G, 1775, met Benedict Arnold, then captain of a company of volunteers, on his nnirch to the Camp at Cambridge. At this interview the surprise of Ticonderoiia was suy-ijested." " Parsons' letter before referred to clearly shows that it was Arnold who made the sugges- tion, for he says: " He (Arnold) gave mean account of the state of Ticonderoga, and said that a great number of brass cannon were there," etc. AVhoever first suggested the expe- dition, it was now accomiilished, and the arms were soon on their way to the Colonial authorities; a portion of the 1, Pec Col. of Conn. Historical Society, Vol. I, p. 18J. 2. Hall's History of Vermont, p. lO'.t. ;t. i^ee " Origin of Expedition ngain.>!t TiconderoRa in 1775." A paper read before the Conn. His. Society, by J. H. Trumbull, Jan'y, 18CJ. " The proposition came from Benedict Arnold, itc." "% i.'; HIS TATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 43 iirtillory and other stores reaching the campof AVashliigton at Cambridge, suj)plying tlie arms and ammunition which he so greatly needed. Immediately after the capture, Arnold commenced the construction of boats for the trans;portation of the captured arms.' These expeditions were none too quick, for soon after Arnold's ca])tnre of St. Jolins, a reinforcement of nu>re than four hundred British and Canadians arrived at that ])lace, and it was rumored tliat an expedition would ])roceed up the lakes to re-take the forts. Arnold having had some experience in seamanship, collected the vessels he had taken anil prepared to meet the enemy. The schooner captured from Major Skene, the King's sloop, and a flotilla of bat- teaux were armed, and, his force having been increased to one hundred and iifty men, he made vigorous preparations to repel any attack which might be made. On the lirst of .Tune the Congress of ]\[as&achusetts ad- dressed him a letter, acknowledging the receipt of letters from him dated the 10th and 23d of May, and express "great satisl'action in the acquisitions you have made,'' ■^- * and assure him that they place the greatest confi- dence in his fidelity, knowledge and good conduct, and they desire hiui to dismiss the thought of quitting his important command at Ticonderoga, Crown I'uint and Lake Cham- plain, adding, "You are hereby re(juested to continue your command over the forces raised by this colony."" 1. Sec Notes to the History of Fort George, by B. F. PcCosta. 2. See MSS. from Mussaeliusetts Archives, quoted in DeCosta's Notes to History of Fort George, p. 10. Al.so, Am. Arcliives, 177.">, p. I;i82, us follows : "CoLLoNY OF Massachusetts I$av, Watkutow.v, June 1. 1775. " Mr. -This coriKrcss have Received yours of 19 & '2:i(l May ult. a copy of which has been sent to N. Hampshire, and Capt. Urown and Capt. Phelps they hiphly ap- lirove of and t;ike great satisfaction in the acquisitions you have made at Ticonde- roga, Crown Point, on The Lake, etc. ; as to the state you arc in respecting your Pro- vision, etc. we have advices from Couaecticut and New York tliat ample prepara- i 44 LIFE OF BENEDICT AKXOLD. lie .-cut mcssoneors into Canadji for tlic pnrjwrso of learn inir the feflin,i?s of the Canadians and the designs of the Indians. IFe also wrote to the Continental (^onrai es of a very humane, tender oHiccr. Hope those now with you may meet with an eijual degree of teiu'.rness and humanity. " Your little family arc all well. l!encdi( ' is eager to hear everything relative to his papa. I*Ir. Mansfiehl, contrary to all expectation, is again able to ride out ; and his physicians think ho is in a fair way of recovering a comfortable state of health. Mr. ihirrison.you have undoubtedly heard, is dead by a fit of the apoiilexy. We have numbers of people daily coming here from New York and ISuston. Capt Sours, and Mrs. lirown and I'latt, with several other families from York, are now here. The w, Also niann- -1 ript jduriinl of Arnold in possession of Mr. Harlow, of New York, the journals ( f -Miijor .Meifis, .ludsre Henry, Messrs. Thayer, Senter and others, who were in the cxpe- d'Mon and ki'i>t jnuriials. Also Spark's Life of Hcnodlet Arnold, Losaing's Field Book of the Uevulufion, and Force's American Archives. urr, afterwards A'ice Trcsident of the United States, ]\rathew Ogdcn, and some other young men, eager for adventure, joined the expedition as V(jlunteer.s. That Arnold suggested this expedition to AV'ashington appears from a letter of Gates, then adjuvant-general of the force at Cambridge, dated Aug. 25th, 1775, in which he says: " I am directed by his Excellency, General Wash- ington, to request you to await the rctiwii of the express (sent to Gen. Schuyler). I have laid your ])lan before the (leneral, who will converse M'ith you upon it when you next meet." ' The detachment consisted in all of eleven hundred men — ten companies of musketnien and three of riliemen. These riflemen were from the mountains of Virginia and Penn- sylvania; men of whom Daniel ]3oone and David Crocket were examples; hunters and Indian fighters, familiar with woodcraft, the rifle, the hunting-knife and the birch-bark canoe; men who could endure hunger, exposure and fatigue; who knew how to find subsistence and shelter in the forests; Avho could supply themselves with food from tlie deer, the bear and other wild i;aine, and from fish from the rivers and lakes; men with some of the sagacity, reso- lution and fertility of resource which Coo])er has ascribed 1. The following is Uie Utter : IlKAD Qr.vitTr.i'.-t, 2"ith Autr., 177'.. Sir: I urn confldeiit yoti tohl mc lad of So])tomber. All the information Arnold could obi n of the route, was what he could glean from the meagre journal of Mon- tresor, win* had passed from ^'raiada to the Kenebec fifteen years before, some facts gathered from aparty of St. Francis Indians, who had lately visited the camp of Washington, and a rude and imperfect map made by a surveyor of the Kennebec. The route selected as the most feasible was to ascend the Kennebec to what was called the great carrying place, be- tween it and the Dead river; then turning west, surmount the carrying place; thence on over the extreme summit which divides tlie waters of New England from those of the St. Lawrence. Crossing this, they hoped and expected to strike the head-waters of the Chaudiere, and from thence descend to the St. Lawrence and Quebec. AVith his very limited knowledge of the country and the route, the commander deemed it prudent to send forward a small exploring party in a result . His nnigh, lifficul- lis pio- [e3 and ired, as Joseph IS left a d iVoiii J sketch inher, in to Foi't , east of die first \ Uart'uKj o\v. master W [i-ees at of the into the carrying 10 great uhegan. IS twelve could be ', leaving at even- eping, as lonis seemed usual when on shore, on the brunclies of the fir, hemlock and other evergreens. The ground across this carrying j)hu'e was nmgh, rocky and rugged, interspersed with bogs, in wlildi the men often sunk to their knees. It was now- decided by Steele to divide his little i>arty, leaving the weakest and half the provisions, wliile lie pressed forward with the strongest and most enduring of his men. Two days of very hard work brought him to the buidis of Dead I'iver. Pressing on, eacli or chart, yet resolved to accomplish our orders at the luv/- ard of our lives; a half a biscuit, and half an inch sipuire of raw ])ork was our evening meal.'' ' October -Ith, brought the ]iarty to the deserted wigwam of Xatanis, an Indian chief, then supposed to bo in the j)ay of the English as a spy, but who with a jiartof his war- riors was afterwards induced by Arnold to join the expedi- tion, and who with his men faithfully accompanied liim to (»)uebec. The country grew more and more rough aiul dif- ficult as the ])arty advanced, and having now reached nearly to the hi"'h lands dividiui; the waters M'hich flow to the Atlantic, from those which emi)ty into the St. Lawrence, the weather became bitterly cold, and snow and ice added to their ditHculties. The lonely, inhospitable solitudes of these high and far-away regions, is strikingly illustrateil by tliL" fact, that in l.boS a musket wliieh had been left in 1775, ly one of Arnold's expedition, was first discovered. The stock had entirely decayed, and the mountings and barrel had lallen to tlie ground." During this period of more than 1. Henry's Journnl pp. 29, 31. 'J. Henry's Juiiriiiil, m to to page 34. ^ ';'! 56 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. ! Bi § eifflitv vcars, tlie Colonies had become a ijreat nation; the pioneer Jiad penetrated ever}'' bay and harbor of the great western hd ih, Steele )ert Cun- rs of age, activity i'ar away •, until it distant. \ices back de])th3 of hungry, to shelter , and they le pelting nd a soli- leir coni- to obtain 0, looking 9th, when .liver. At fire, they anxiously discussed tlic question litiw this duck and their little ])ittance of remaining food could be most efl'ectually used to prolong life. They decidetl to boil the duck in their camp kettle, each niim ])utting in his last bit of pork, and each marking his own by running through it a snndl wooden skewer, marked with his own ])rivate mark. Tlu> l)roth so made was to be all the bujjjK'r tlie poor fellows had, reserving the boiled pork for breakfast, and the duck to be divided and laid by. " My appetite," says Henry, " was as ravenous as a wolf," but the resolution to take no nu)re than the broth was kejit.' Ivisirig early the next morning, each man took his mouthful of ])ork, and breakfast was <»vcr. The duck was then sejiarated into ten parts, the mimber of the party, and divided in the hunter's usual way — that is, one of the party, turning his back — and then Steele asked of the man whose back was turned to the frag- ments, "Whose shall this be?" The man answered, nam- ing the part}'. Henry says, "my share of the duck was one of the thighs." The day wore away, the party hasten- ing on, the duck was eaten, and the party encan)])ed and tried, when night overtook them, to sleep, liisiiig the next morning, they resumed their march with not a morsel of food. Traveling all the weary day, they lay down again su])])erless. The next day, trying to hurry on with all the little strength left, they ran their canoe against a partially sunken tree, and the frail bark was torn open from stem to ster?i. To repair this by finding birch trees, stripping off the bark, digging cedar-roots for thread, and collecting pitch from the pine, delayed them some hours, and now, utterly ex- liausted with hunger and fatigue, and at an unknown dis- tance irom the main party, some of them began to despair. Jlenry says: " The thought came that the Almighty had I, lienri''s Journal, pp. 37-38. i W m iT li* 58 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. destiiit'd us to die of hunirei' in tlie wildonR'ss/' Vcw will rcproacli the boy for saYiiied a fearful danger. ]\[ore than three weeks had passed since they had left Fort Western, The main body had followed as soon after these scouts as possible, moving in four divisions, one day's march apart, to avoid coni'usion in passing ra))ids and portages. The rifie- men, with ^Forgan at their head, in advance; then came Green and JJigelow with three companies, followed by Meigs with four, and then Fnos with the three renuiining companies, brought up the rear. Arnold remained at Fort AVestern to see all embarked, and then in a last birch-bark canoe, paddled by Indians, \w. pushed rapidly forward, and, passing each ])arty, overtook JMorgau and the riflemen at Norridgewaek falls. Here, ■just below the falls, more than half a century before, had been the site of an Indian village of the tribe for which 1. Henry's Journal, p. 47. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 59 i'ew will my t'viis • iur-utf he bjnir- iiL'd this lours, ti> )Wii, aiitl mhiugt'd [ick of u forwiird, njlo from (I! The II, us thu ij; a lire, cc of the rave men (liUii^er. left Turt scouts as apart, to The rifle- HMi came owed bv mainiiiii" III harked, iiians, he u\crtook Here, fore, liad or which v. I i tlie falls were named; and hero, in 1698, camo tlic good Fath .' Halle, a French priest, as a missionary, who after twenty-three years of devoted self-denial amoM<^ these red cliililren, was, in 1724, cruelly slain in a sudden attack hy a ]>;irty from ]\[assachusetts.^ When ArnoM arrived there, in October, 177."), he found an utter solitude. The only mementos of the once happy villar^e were the ruins of the altar and the chapel, and a cross which marked the "jfrave of the venerable priest. From this ])lace the march was to be tliroUii'li a wild and uninhabited wilderness, without jiaths, and often without even an Indian trail. Across dismal swamps and decej>tive bogs, up rocky ])reci|>ices and almost inaccessible mountains, along streams full of rajnds and falls, and along and over all these obstacles the rude bat- teaux, the arms and ammunition, with which to attack the strongest fortress in America, and all their ])rovision8, su]»- plies and clothing, to jirotect them Irom the rigor of a Canadian winter, now too raj)idly approaching, were to be transjjorted. Draft animals could not be used to any considerable ex- tent, as a large portion of this savage and desolate i*egion was then inaccessible to any animals but those of the chase. At the falls near Norridgewack, the first portage was en- countered. Here the batteaux, ammunition, provisions, everything had to be taken from the water,aiid carried by liaiul a mile and a half aroniul the falls. It A\as a task of great labor and fatigue, the baidrtage, tlien another pond, and again a portage, and a third |Min'ht; the current became rapid, full of drift wood, and the channel diflieult to find and follow, and portages frequent, and at length seven of the batteaux were upset, and their contents, including provisions, were lost. This was a very serious misfortune, for they were now in tiie very heart of the wilderness; weary, worn out, pro- visions poor and scanty, wintry Avinds howling around them, M'ith unknown dilhcuities confronting them. Yet, in noiu; of the journals is there any iiulication of despair; neither the men nor the officers, nor their leader, flinched from going forward, and it should be remembered that they were going towards and not from the enemy.' On the 24th of October it was supposed that they were within thirty miles of Chaudiere pond, and that their ]U-ovisions might, with grent care, hold out for twelve or tifteon daj's. Another council was called, and it was decided to send back to the liospital the sick and feebh;, and tliat only the strong and hardy should go forward. Arnold had written to Washington on the loth of Octo- ber, from the second portage, between the Kennebec aiul Dead river, when, after giving details of the expedition, he said: "Your cxcollency may possihly tliink wo liavo boon tardy in our marcli, * * V)ut wlion you considor tho bailnoss and the woi^lit of tlio battoanx, tho lar^'e quantity of provisions we havo boon obliucd to tovcf up a^'ainst a very rapid stroam, wboro you would havo taken tiio men for amphiltious animals, as thoy wore a f^rcat part of tho tiino under wa- ter; add to this tho great fati^nio in portage, you will think I havi' pushed the men as fast as could possibly bo done."* 1. Henry's Journal, p. ').!. Maine His. Col. Vol. 11, [i, 170. 2. Collections of Maine Uis. So., Vol. I, pp. 171, 17^. will HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TUEASOX. man wa^ til water, nn arose, 1 elglit to apid, full ul follow, I batteaux ons, were were now L out, pro- iind them, ;t, in none r; ncltlier elied from ; they wen; \c 24th of hirty miles lig-ht, with Another ack to the stro'.is; and h of Oct(.- lu'hce and edition, he iirdy in our WL'ij^llt of till' i-cd to tovct' vcn tlio lliril If' uiuler \va- hiiik I bavi' The next day he wrote back '' to hurry up tlie provisions as fast as possible." On the J 7th lie wrote to Lt. Colonel Knos from " Dead river, 20 miles above the ])ortage: " " I find Colonel fircone's division very short of provisions. I Imvo or- lU'ied Major Jii^'elow, with thirty-one men out of each company, to return and meet your division, and brino- up such provisions as you can spare, to be (lividfd equally amon<^ tin- three. Tliis will li<,'liten the I'ear, ami they will l)e able to make {,'reater dispatch. * I make no doubt you will hurry on as fa.st as possible.' On the 24th, Arnold, on Dead river, tliirty miles from (haudiere pond, writes again to Enos: "I have been de- layed by the extreme rains and freshets; have provisions for twelve or fifteen days,'' and adds that in a council of the officers it had been decided to send back all the sick and feeble, and directing Knos to select as many of his best men as he could furnish with provisions for fifteen days, and the remainder, sick and well, should be sent back, and he con- chides: '' I make no doubt von will ioiii with mo in this matter, as it may be the means of saving tlie whole detacli- ment and executing onr plan, as fifteen days will doubtless britig us to Oiinada. I make no doubt you M'ill make all |»ossible ex])edition,"' ( )n the same day he wrote to Greene: " Send 1)ack all the sick, and proceed oti witli the best men. Pray hurry an fad as possihUy ]\rea!nvhile Arnold liimself was hurrying on with all pos- sible dis])atch. 1'iie rain changed to snow, ice covered the water, and the men wading and breaking through snow and sleet, at length reached the very summit which sepa- rates the waters of Xew England from those of Canada. Another ])ortage of four miles brought them to a small stream, along which they ])ass' " :o Lake ^Fagentic, the Cliaudiere pond. On the 27th Arnold addressed a letter t" " (ireene, Enos, and the captains in the rear," saying, " I 1 Mane His. CuL, \\>\. I, p. ITU, V * f'TfJ- 64 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. 'I'liin' gnii ii 1 sliall proceed as fast as possible to the inliabitants to send back provisions; pray make all possible dispatch." The day he reached Chaudiere pond he wrote to AV^ashington, explaining the dilHciilties which had retarded his progress, saying, "I have this minute arrived." lie ex])lains how the jjrovisions became short by losing a number of loaded batteaux at the falls; he had ordered all the sick and feeble to return. "I am determined," said he, " to set out imnie diately for Sartigan (the first French settlement) and procure a supply of provisions and send back to the detachment." ^ lie adds that if he finds the enemy had not been apprised of his coming, he should attempt to surprise Quebec "as soon as a 2>roj)er number of men should arrive." lie con- cluded by saying, " I have been deceived by every account of our route, which is longer, and has been attended by a thousand difiScnlties I never apprehended, but if crowned with success, I shall think it but trifiing." On the very day previous to the date of the above letter, AVashington, writing to Schuyler, says: "My anxiety ex- tends to poor Arnold, whose fate depends upon the issue of your campaign."" Again AVashington writes to Sclni}'- ler: "I am alarmed for Arnold, whose expedition is built U])on yours, and who will infallably perish if the invasion and entry into Canada is abandoned by your successor."^ On the 29th of October Arnold wrote "To the field- oflficors and the ca])tains, and to be sent on, that all may see it," an encouraging letter, saying the scouts had re- ported that the French Avere rejoicing at his approach, and would gladly supply provisions; lie tells them he had just met Steele and Church, and that he was going forward as fast as possible, and that he hoped in six days to send back provisions, and prays them to make all ^^of" "Ac tils- 1. Mniiie Uis. Col. V.il. I, pp. 4TG-477. •i. Am. Ari'liives, 4 S., Vol. Ill, p. ITO. a. Am. Archives, 4 S , 1875, p. iiTG. HIS PATRIOTISJI AND HIS TREASON. 65 o send " The ington, fogress, ns how ' loaded id feeble t iiunie procure imeut." * apprised hec " as lie con- r account Jed by a crowned ve letter, ixiety ex- the issue to Sclniy- , is built invasion ^ssor.''^" the field- It all may had re- •oac'h, and had just I'orward as •s to send \r"A6 dis- jxttch. If any could spare provisions, they were to divide with those most needy. ^ The same dav he wrote a-'ain to Enos, unconscious that tliis ofticer had already al)aiuloned the expedition, saying: "I hope soon to see you in Quebec.'"' About tliis time it seems that the order of march by companies was given up, and all were urged, in their extremity, to push on with all ]»ii>sil)le speed towards the French settlements, to which Arnold himself was hastening, to obtain supplies. A few extracts from the journals of the soldiers will illustrate tlieir condition better than any language I can use. Henry says: " October 29th our provisions were exhaustoil. We had no meat of anj' kind. ^J'ho flour was? diviiled, and each man had fivo pints, and it was baked into five cakes, under the ashes, in the way of Indian bread." ^ " We slept on fir branches, and on awakening? in tlie morning', and the blanket thrown from my head, what was my surprise to find we had slept under at least four inches of snow." * Henry gives tlie details of the misfortunes of a poor drummer named Sliafer, wlio had defective eye-sight. His mishaps, sometimes ludieruous, often ])atlietic, were caused l»y his imperfect sight. Some mischievous or heartless soldiers had stolen all his last five cakes. The mess of which Henry was a party first laughed at him, and then gave him a cup full of flour and Henry gavehiiu his own third cake. OftL'U in crossing the gullies and ravines, the soldiers would t-ross on a lou wliich had been blown down bv the wind, or the ax men had felled. Often poor Shafer would tr.mblo off, • Iruni aiul all, and he Mas, as Henry says, "the laughing stock " of the soldiers, but to Henry himself an ol)ject of compassion. Yet this poor drummer, half blind, starving, and almost, naked, '"bore his drum uninjured to Quebec I. Miiinc Ui". Col., Vol. I, pp. 177-8. ■J. Miuiie Ui.s. Col., p. 478. '■i. Ili'iiry's Jo\irnaI, pp.Q'J-Ca. ■1. lluiiry'ii Journal, p. 03. 5 PI ji: k i!i'lii!*N' L .1 ' GG LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. when many stroni^ and luilc men died in the wilder ness ?5 1 Henry descril)es the endurance of the wife of Serireant Greer, who was, lie says, " a lai-i^e, virtuous and respectable woman," accom])anying her husband and the soldiers in their march. They encountered a pond frozen over with ice ; breaking- the ice with their hands and guns, the}' marched on and soon found themselves "waist deep in water.'' Ho was astonished l>y the endurance of ^Mrs. (ireer, as she raised her clothes Diore than waist high, 'to keep them dry.' She waded before me to firm ground, and no one dared intimate a disrespectful idea of her."' "Marching on, without even the path of the savage to guide lis, we found a battcau to take ns across which the ]>r()vidence of Col. Arnold had stationed therefor our accom- modation." ' "Thus we proceeded, the pale and meager looks of mv companions tottering on their feeble limbs, '^ * and com- ing to a sandy beach of the Chaudiere, some men of our company were observed to dart from the file, and with their nails tear out of the sand roots which they deemed eatable, and eat them raw. ]\)werful men struggled, even with blows, for these roots, such was the extremity of their hunger. During the day's march (Nov. 2\ I sat down on the end of a log, abt-olutely fainting with hunger and fatigue. A ]>arty of soldiers were making a broth. They gave me a cup of it." It had a greenish hue, and Henry tasted it. It was made of a dog, a large black Newfoundland, which had beh)nged to Captain Dearborn, and though a great favorite, and tlie faithful companion of their march, it was given uj> to appease the cravings of their hunger. "They eat," says ]. llenry'.« Journal, p. Co. V!. Hfiiry's Jouninl, p. 07. ;!. Henry's Journnl, p. 07. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. G7 AVI Idcr Sergeant L'Sjiectiible uUliurs iti over 'with ;un8, they t deep in (jf :Mrs. uifit liij^h, 111 ground, ler."^ SilVflgC to whicli the niraccom- oks of my and coiii- lon of our and with V deemed ed, even ■ of their (hiwii on 1 fatigue, gave nie a .■d it. It wliieli had : favorite, given up eat," says Im Dearborn, "every part of him, not excepting his entrails,' and tlien collected the hones to pound up and make hroth fur another meal.'' There M'as only one other dog in the ut Avhy mnltij)ly details; nothing induced these resolute men to murmur or com- ])lain. Daring all their suflPerings and privations, such was Arnold's influence over them, and such the confidence he IkuI ins{»ired, there was no murmuring. He liad shared every danger; they were satisfied lie was doing the best that could be done, and they believed in his ability to take them thnjugh. The hour of supreme peril came at last, and speedy relief must be had, or the men would die by the hundred from absolute starvation. Selecting a small party of the strongest men, Arnold started at 10 o'clock for tiie French settlement, ami he made twenty miles in two hcmrs, ]tassing down the Chaudiere with all the speed ])ossible. Tlie river was rocky, ra])id and dangerous, and now three of his batteaux dashing against the rocks, were stove in, losing all their baggage and ])rovisions, and the meii barely escap- ing with their lives. This disaster saved them all from death, for alialf a mile farther on was an unknown and ter- rible fall, over which no l)oat could safely ]>ass, and, if it liad nut been discovered, all would have j)erished. This man of iron, however, M'as still hopeful and determined, 1. I.eit^r of Dearborn, quoted In Thayer's Journal— note to pnge 15. •->. Ik'iiry's Journal. ^^ lii i: 68 LIFE OF BENEDICT AKXOLD. and, dividiiii^ the small quantity of provisions still left, and takin<5 with him but six men and two hoats, he pressed on, conscious that the lives of hundreds of his brave, patient, devoted followers, depended on his success in procuring immediate succor. On the 30th of October, at night, he reached the first house, eighty miles from the lake, and with the next morn- ing's sun a supply of fresh provisions and flour had started and was hastening back, with all possible speed, yet none too soon to save the lives of his famishing soldiers.' Says one: " When we saw the cattle coming up the river that Arnold had sent, it was the joyfullest sight I ever beheld, and some could not refrain from tears." Arnold sent careful instructions that the needy should take sparingly, and those who had provisions, to let what was sent pass on to those most in need, so that all might be relieved. On the 8th of November he wrote to Washing- ton, giving further details of his march, and saying that the detachment had all hap])ily arrived within two or three day's march, except "Colonel Enos' division, which, I am sur- ])rised to hear, are all gone back," " and in spite of this and all other disasters, he writes liopefuUy of the success of the enterprise. The journals of these "forty days in the wilderness," in- cluding ArnoUrs letters and journal, give a plain but vivid •I)icture of the sufferings endured and the difficulties over- come. The men had hauled or puslied their batteaux one hundred and eighty miles, and carried them and all their contents at least forty miles on their shoulders, and yet starving, half naked, nearly frozen, "fired with a love of liberty, the men pushed on with a fortitude saperior to erery obstacle."' i III 1 pi Li Lii 1. Arnold to Washington, Maine His. Col. Vol. T, p. 482. 2. Arnolil to Wasliington, Nov. 8, 1770. Maine Uis. Col. Vol. I, p. 482. 3. Lctterof Arnold ; Maine Hist. Col., Vol. I, p. 400. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TKEASON. CO left, and 3Bsed on, patient, rocuring the first xt morn- d started yet none the river it I ever ly should what was might be Washing- ying that o or three I am sur- f this and ess of the •ncss," in- l»ut vivid Ities over- teaux one all their I, and yet la love of •rtoe\-ery |S2. ■i :-ii 'W 4 'si The desertion of Enos was very nearly fatal to the expe- dition. The party that returned took back with them, ac- cording to Dr. Senter, more than tlieir ])roportion of the jiruvisions, and thus contributed to the extreme scarcity of food.' On his arrival at Cambridge, Enos was put under arrest by Wasliington, tried, and altliongh acquitted (the wit- nesses against him, many of them, being where he ouglit to have been — in Canada), yet he never acquired again the confidence of the commander, and left the army.' "Washington writes to Schuyler: "In consequence of Knos' return, Arnold will not be able to make a successful attack on Quebec, without the co-operation of Montgom- .■rv." ' Kothing could exceed the indignation felt towards Enos, by those wliom he liad abandoned. Henry says, "Enos' desertion was worth}' of punishment of the most exem- ]»lary kind," * "Enos got frightened, and with tlie greater part of the provisions turned back." It is somewliat sur- ] (rising tliat the im])etuous and })assiomite Arnold, in writ- ing to AVashington of this desertion, says only, "Colonel Knos' division, I am surprised to hear, are all gone back." " To which Wasliington replies, "Your surprise could not be greater than mine at Enos' return." * "I immediatelv ])ut him under arrest, and liad liim tried for quitting your "letachment without your orders." ' 1. Sto Dr. Sontcr's Journal, p. 17. "Wc were left the altcnintivcof nccopiiiif,' tlie ^imiU iiittance, ami proceed or return. The former was ndi)pted, with the deter- liiintd resolution to go vhrough or die." 2. "Uis appearance excited the greatest indignation in tlic cont' lental cnmp, and Enos was looked upon as a traitor lor thus deserting his companions and iiidangering the whole e.vpedition.' — iossniy'*' I-'icld Buuk of tlie lievulutim,yol. I, p. \>->. 3. Force's Am. Archives 4th S., Vol. Ill, p. 1703. 4. lieury's Journal, p. 132. 5. Apjicndix to Henry's Journal, p. 18G. fi. Am. Archives, 4 S., Vol. III. p. l'J2. 7. Sjiarks' Writings of Washington, Vol. Ill, pp. 192-3. 70 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. I "VVritiiij^ to Sc'huyle", AVii.sliiiii^toii expresses his relief and joy at Arnold's Bate arrival, and adds, ''The merit of that oflieer is certainly great, and I lieartily wish that fortune may distinguish him as one of lier favorites. He will do everything whieli prudence aniiinmate ability. During all the difticulties I have ut- tcniptod to descrihe, all testinu)ny coiu'urs in estahlishiug that the loader iposscsscd great executive; ability; that he was resolute, ever thoughtful, vigilant and active, and saga- cious in overcoming obstacles. Jle had such control over his men that none subject to the nuignetism of his personal jiresence yielded to despondency. It was those <^>nly who were behind with Knos who harbored the thought of aban- doning the entei'])rise. This jtower of ins|)iring men with onthusiiism, holding them up to a high ]inrpose in the face of danger, is rare, and has always marked the gi-eat liaders of nu'u. This power was exhibited by Arnold in a very remarkable degree, not only in this e.\i»edition, but in the hard l)attles which he afterwards fought. AVashington, as we shall see in the ])rogress of this narrative, recognized this ])o\ver and sent him to the post of danger, iu)t only on Mccount of his courage, but also because of his ])ower over the militia ami his ability to nmke them fight like veterans. In the midst of solitude, far from succor, cold, ill-clad, sometimes freezing, often nearly starved, nothing but enthusiasm for their cause, and jierfect confidence in their leader, could have created and held them up to their reso- lute ])uri)ose. It is impossible to read the details of the expedition without being struck with wondi'r at the energy and perseverance which surmounted such obstiich's. The intelligent aiul im])artial foreign histori-'ui, I'otta, speaks of the achievement as entitling its leader to be ranked " among the great captains of anticpiity." I>ut for Arnold's treason, this march and the assault upon Quebec would have been ii favorite theme of poetry and ehjcjuencc, and the record thi R'of one of the brightest pages in American history. Is it ju-t to his brave associates to savnothinij of Arnold himself. To rub them of their well-earned glory, because it would 72 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. illuminate a traitor's name? The sober and measured lan- guage of Washington "warms into ])atlios, and almost pas- sionate eloquence, when s])eaking of their exploits and suf- ferings. Indeed, src^" vus the imj)ression that Arnold's difficulties and conduce made upon him, that he closes liis letter of December 5th with the prayer: " That the Almighty may preserve and prosper you, in the glorious work you have begun, is the sincere and fervent prayer of, dear sir, etc." • This expedition has been compared to that of Napoleon crossing the Alps, the retreat of the 10,000 described by Xenophon, and to Bonaparte's retreat Iroin Moscow; but in justice to the American soldiers, it should be remem- bered that this was an advance and not a retreat. Every dif- iiculty overcome placed them nearer the enemy, and farther from tlieir friends. Every obstacle they surmounted was a barrier against retreat. Taking it altogether, it is not ex- travagant to say that for tough endurance and unflinching courage, it is diflicult to find its parallel." 1. sparks' Writings of Washington, Vol. Ill, p. 192. 'i. In a letter dated Nov. 27, Arnold gives a brief summing np ' C the expedition; "Thus in about eight weclts we completed a march of near (ioo miles, not to be paralleled in history ; the men having, with tlie greatest fortitude and persever- ance brought their battenux np rapid streams, being obliged to wade almost the whole way, near one hundred and eighty miles ; carried them on their shoulders near forty miles, over swamps and bogs almost Impenetrable, and up to their knees in mire, being often obliged to cross them three or four times with tlieir baggage. Sliort of provisions, part of the detachment disheartened and gone back, famine staring us in the face; an enemy's country and uncertainty aliead. Notwithstand- ing all these obstacles, the officers and men. Inspired with a love of liberty and their country, pushed on with a fortitude superior to every obstacle, and most of them had not one day s provisions for a week."— .Vanie His. Col. of V'ul. I, jip. 49j-(i, CHAPTER IV. ASSAULT UrON QUEBEC. "It IP not in the power of any man to commanrl success, but you have done more; you havu deserved H."—\\'cuhiHMEIIY Kll I.ED— .\KN0LD SHOT WlIlLK I.EADINU THE '■ FuKLOitN Hope " —Made A^liRioADiEu-GENEitAL- Block ades Quebec. Thk energy and activity of Colonel Arnold saved liis detaeliinent from actual starvation, but it taxed both to the utmost. A few hours more witiiout relief w ^d have seen many of his gallant ineu helijless and dying in the forest. By the 8th of November nearly all of the detachment, except the rear division, had reached his camj) at the French settlements. The men came straggling in, singly, in squadsof small parties, and in companies. Their comman- der imnisdiately set al)out ro-organizing ''the straggling and ema-^'ated troops."^ On the 4th of November, while the soldiei-s were coming in, a bodv of Indians occunvini; as their hunting grounds a ]>art of the territory over which Arnold had marched, waited upon liim at Sartignan, and with all the formality and dignity which characterize an I. Pptirks' Writings of Washington, Vol. Ill, p. 102. II. Henry's Journal, p. 70. (73) 'i LIFE OF JJFNEDICT AIlxNOLD. Indian council, cloniaiideil the Ciiuse of hid entering \\]M)n tlu'ir tcn-itorv. Colonel Arnold made a formal reply, saying': "FiitKMJH AN'I) liliKTiiUKN:— 1 feel iiiys-iii country, and more bo, an I find we meet, as fritMidn, luid tliat wo are equally coii- cerncil in tliiH cxpiMlition. IJrotlu'rs, we are tlie eliildrcn of tlmse peoj)!)' who liave now takfii np tlie liatrlict against us. More than oiii' lumdretl years ajfo we worn all as one family. We then ditltnMl in our reliirion, and ciinie over to this f^reat country liy consent of thf kin^;. Oar lathers boujfht lantl of the sava;,'es, and have fj:rown a {i^reiit i)i'opli' — even as the stars in the sky. We have planted the j^round, and by our lalior jifrown rich. Now a new kin;,' ami his wicked ^'reat nim want to taki- our lands and money without our consent. 'J'his we think unjust, and all ourpreatmen, from the river St. Lawronce to the Mississippi, met together at Philadrlphia, whcie they all talki'd to^rctjior. and sent a prayer to the kins^ that they would be brothers and liKht for liini, Ijut would not give up their lands and money. The kin^' would not hear our prayer, but sent a ^'reat army to Boston and indeavored to set our lirethrcn against us in ( anada. 'I'iie kind's army at Hoston came out into the fields and houses, killed a yreat many women and children while they were jieace- ably at work. The Bostonians sent to their brethren in the country, and they came in unto their relief, and in six days raised an army of fifty thousand men, and drove tie; kind's troops on board their shijis, killed and wounded fifteen hundred of their men. Since that they ilurst not come out of ]?oston. Now we hear the French and Indians in Canada have sent to us that the kin.i^'s trooi)s oppress them, and make them pay a great price for their rum, etc., press them to take up arms against the Hostoiiians, their brethren, who have done "them no hurt. By the desire of the French and Indians, our brotiiers, we have come to tliiMr assist- ance, with an intent to drive out the king's soldiers; when drove ott", wi' will return to our own country, and leave this to the peaceable enjoyment of its proper inhabitants. Now if the Indians, our brethren, will join us, wo will be very much obliged to them, and will give them one Portuguesj per month, two dol- lars bounty, and find them their provisions, and the liberty to choose their own olticers." ' This remarkable and curious speech had the desired effect. A treaty was eMtereick and disabled, had gathered arourul him; and iu)W across ilie St. Lawrence towered the citadel of Quebec. The walls of the city were bris<-ling with heavy ordnance. The Uritish authorities, apprised of his approach, had burned 1. Sec Appendix to Henry's Journal, p. 183. TT 76 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. every boat on the river, and sentineled the channel with vessels of war. Could he have found the means of cross- ing immediately on his arrival, it is probable Quebec would liave fallen into his hands.' "We tarried at Point Levi nearly a week, during which time we were busy in prepar- ing to cro^5 the river ; being obliged to purchase birch-bark canoes twenty miles distant and carry them by land, the regulars having burned all near them as soon as they heard of our approach." " During this time there had prevailed a terrible storm of wind and sleet, which rendered any at- tem])t to cross impossible ; meanwhile the garrison had been strengthened by troops from Newfoundland and from the Sorell, under McLain. Tiie storm having abated, on the thirteenth, at nine o'clock at night, Arnold with his bark canoes succeeded in eluding a British frigate and sloop, and other vessels stationed in tne river to intercept him ; and before he was discovered, had landed five hundred men at "Wolfe's Cove, leaving one hundred and iifty on the other side unable to cross. A.t daybreak on the following morning, he and his troops liad climbed the difficult path and formed his little army on the plains of Abraham. Here, sixteen years before, AV^olfe had died at the hour of victory, repeating the lines of his favorite poet Gray, "The paths of glory lead but to th? grave." His victory and death had given him a monument in Westminster Abbey, and his name had been added to the roll ot heroes which illustrate the records of England's military glory. AVere the Americans and their leader, now 1. When Arnolrt nppcared opposite Quebec, "this dariiiar spirit .vis moved to an immediate advance. That instant of time \\ns one of tliose wliicli contain vast posslbiUties, and Arnold was a man pecuUarly prompt to seize opportunities for daring adventure."— CarriH(7ton'«/Ja(Wf«o/ the Iicvulutiun,p. 130. 2. Letter of an officer of the expedition pubHshed la the appendix to Henry's Journal, p. l&i. .-V' 4 ..It t m *»w« HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. / / cl with if cross- c would ut Levi ])ropai'- fch-bark and, the ey heard availed a any at- had been rom the 1, on the liis Lark loop, and ini ; and d men at he other lis troops army on ', AV\)lte !S of his initent in 3d to the Ingland's ider, now Icoiitain vast Irtuiiities for to Henry's standing on this liistoric "jdain/'less brave and meritorious than those who overcame ^Monteahn? How did the enterjirise of AVolfe and that of Arnold compare in point of difficulty and danfijer? "NVlien Wolfe led his troops to the plains of Abraham, his fleet consisting of twenty-two ships of the line, completely commanded the riviT, while Arnold had crossed in frail bark canoes and landed his soldiers by stealth, the St. Lawrence being abso- lutely controlled by British men-of-war. "Wolfe had an army of thousands of well trained, well e(|uipped, well armed veterans, while the Americans did not exceed six hundred eti'ective men — aTiil these in rairs, bare-footed, M'orn Avith fatigue, armed witli damaged mus- kets, and without artillery; yet, with these few men, and relying on the friendly feeling of the people within the city, and of the Canadian militia, ArnoKl determined, if ])ossible, to provoke a sally and an attack by the garrison, as AVolfe had done. He marchod his men up to the walls, gave cheers, to which some of the citizens responded, and tried by every means to ]n-ovoke an attack, but in vain; wiser but less chivalrous than Montcalm, the English kept within the shelter of their walls.' Arnold says, "my men were in want of everything but stout hearts, and would have gladly met the enenn', whom mo endeavored in vain to draw out of the city."" The garrison at this time, including regulars, marines and militia, were some eighteen hundred strong, but such Avere the fears felt by Lieutenant Governor Cramaha and Colonel ^[(.•Lain of the loyalty of the inhabitants and of the militia, Hud so great were the apprehensions created by the assailants, 1. " Suppose the Mfiniuis of Montcalm not to quit his intrenched lines to accept lliat straii:-'e clmUenut! (nf WolfcO * * * ai:'! what becomes of the glory of the voun^' hvToV—nnrknaji's llcnry Esmond. - Tills act of Arnold lias been comlemiicd ns "silly bravado," but a similar act '•( Mniittromcry, whore tlio superiority of the garrison over his troops was equally great, lias not been so characterized. iflft 78 LIFE OF BKNEDICT AKNOLD. tliiit with all llieir snperiurity of nnmher.s, tlioj would not venture ontside the walls. Arnold then sent a Hag demand- ing the snrrender of the city, but the bearer of it was fired upon.' Hearing that Sir Guy Carleton was approaching with reinforcements froni up the river, and after iinding that ho had ammunition only for five rounds to a man, Arnold tiiought it })rii(lent to retire; and he succeeded in taking his troops to Point aux Trembles, twenty miles ab(jve Que- bec, there to await the ayival of Montgomery, who was approaching. This retreat was none too soon, for lie had scarcely reached his cam]) when the great guns of Quebec announced the arrival of Sir (tuv Carleton, the same who had been a sul)altern under Wolfe at the time of his victory over ^[oiitcalm. AVas. .igton, with a generons apprecia- tion, never bliiul to the merits of his subordimites, wrote to Arnctld, saying, ''It is not in the ])owerof any man to com- mand success; but you have done more — you have deserved it." At this time, ignorant of his retreat from the walls of the city, he adds: " I ln»pe yctu have met with the laurels which were due to your trials in the possession of (^ueljec." '' My thaidirit."' And on another occasion, AVash- ington, after e.\})ressing his hoj)es for Arnold's success, says: "Then you will have added the only link wanting in the great chain of continental union, and rendered the freedom of your country secure.'' ' General Schuyler, writing to Washington, says: "Colonel Arnold has great merit. Jle has been pecidiarly unfortunate that one-third of his troops left him. If the whole had been with him when he arrived at Quebec, he would ju-obably have had the sole honor of giving that important j>lace to America.''^ 1. Maine Uis. Soc. Col. Vol. I. p. 494. 'J. Am. Arohivos, 4th S..Vi)l. IV, p. l'J2. 3. Am. Archives, 4th S., Vul. IV, p. 'iJG. V 5 4 i m HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TllEASOX. 70 mid not Llemaml- ,vas tir».'tl iiifi,' with : Ibivt lie Arnold n takinii^ JVC Que- ^vho was r lie liud : Quel)fc anu! who s victory apprecia- wrotc to 11 to COlll- deservL'tl walls of 10 laurt'ls (.)\ic1k'('."" nter])i*rsc' , AVasli- ss, says: t;' in tilt' tVei'dom itiiiij^ to it. ' IIo -- troops arrived lonor of The alarm of the Canadians on seein^^ these resolute men niuTge from the wihlerness, was very great. Tl leir march through the forests and over the mountains seemed almost incredil»h-. and the most exaggerated re])()rts of their numhi'i-s, their skill witli the riile, and indomitahle pruwe»s, spread through the country. 1'liis alarm — ])anic would describe it more accurately — jii'i'N eiited the English from attacking the Americans. Some acts (if Arnold which liavf \)vvn criticised as "vanity" ami "bravado,'' were among the means he used to keep up this alarm, he lieing one of those M-ho af^t u})on the ])rinci])le that boldness, even to temerity, is sometimes prudence. "They best succeed who dare." ( )n the lltth uf Noveml)er Carleton arrived at Quebec, and his coming ins])ired the loyalists with hope and confidence. Moiitiromerv, who had succeeded to the command of Schnv- Icr's army, had thus far been brilliantly successful. He had (•aiitin'('(l kSt. Johns and ]\Iontreal, and came down the 8t. Lawrence, hoping to complete his career of trinm]»h by taking Quebec. Ihit his troojis were undisci])lined and soiiiotimes turbulent, so that his authority over them restetiiu'iit of many of them having expi. 'd at the ajiproach of winter, rendered them unwilling to remain, and he was Ictf with eight hundred men oidy with which to garrison Montreal and go down to aid .Vrnojd in the capture of Que- liec. On the third of December he I'eached Arnold's camp at i*(>iiit aux Trembles, and brought with him but three hun- di't'd men. lie however brought clothing and stores, to relieve the necessities and sufferings of the hardy men who gliidly welcomed him. He found only six hundred and sev- ciity-tive of those who had left Candjridge; these he re- lie\i(K {lud was imju'esseu by them, as he says, 'Mvith a stvle of diijcipline much superior to what I have been used to -ee ill this campaign.'' " Colonel Arimld's corj)s,'' gays »li 80 LIFE OF BEVEDICT ARNOLD. iWlliil iliili he, "is an exceedingly fine one, and lie liimself is active, Intel] i<^cnt and enterprisinij^." ' Munti^^omery and Arnold seem, from their letters, to have inspired each otlier ■with mutual respect and confidence, and there was the most cordial co-o})eration hetween them. Both were young, enthusiastic, and fired with a love of glory. At the time of the assault Montgomery was thirty- seven, and Arnold thirty-four years of age." On the 5th of December this little army, not exceeding one thousand men, with a regiment of two hundred Canadian volunteers, which Arnold had raised, and a few Indians who had fol- lowed him from the wilds of IMaine, marched down towards Quehec, nnquestionahly the strongest fortified city in America, defended l)y two hundred cannon and a garrison of double the number of the assailants. The assaidt must be made at an early day, for the terms of the enlistment of a lara-e nuinber of the Xew Eii'dund men would ex])ire on thoSlst of December, and many had left families at home to which they M'oro impatient to return. Montgomery sent a fiag demanding the surrender of the town. It was fired upon, as was that sent by Arnold, and refused admittance. Then, following tlie example of Arnold, he sent "a menacing and extravagant letter" to tiie commander, bnt Carleton refused to hold " any kind of jiarley with rebels." ' " To the storm- ing we must come at last," said the ijallant !N[ont2;onierv. A council of war was called and the two leaders, sus- tained by their subordinates, ivsolved on the desjierate and almost forlorn ho])e of an assault. It was arranged that Montgomery shoukl attack the lower town by the way of Cape Diamond on the I'iver, and Arnold on the side of St. 1. Montgomery to Schuyler, Dw. M\. ITTf); Am. Archives, 4th S., Vol. IV. p. 18!). 'i. The moiuuiieiit ti> Moiitifoniery in St. Pauls cluirch-yurd, Nuw York, states tluit lie was iified I'm yi'urs i\l I lie time ot his Jealh. a. Lossing's Lite of Sclniylcr, Vol. I, p. '1^0. HIS patriotis:m asd his treasox. 81 is active. s, toliave nfidence, f' eii tlieni. love ut" as tliirty- :) le otli of and ineii, )liiiiteers, luid fol- ri towards citv ill f^arrison lult must .;rrf nent of a ,;V jjxpirc on t lioiue to i-y sent a red ii])oii. /'{ . Tlien, ein/^ and A n refused ■i le storin- )mor3'. Irrs, sus- jrate and iged that way of le of St. |il. IV.p. 189. fork, states lidipic, wliile two feigned attacks were to Le made on other ])arts of tlic city. On tlie hist day of the year, in the midst • if a (h'iviiig siiow-storm, Montgomery and Arnold led in jiiTsnn the two assaulting parties. Tlie troops were started at two A. M., and that they might recognize each other in the darkness and storm, each soldier wore on his cap a band I'f white paper, on which many wrote the electric words •• Lilferty or deatli," For many of those gallant felloM's, iliere was to he no to-morrow, no JVao I^yw's day. Yet they were cheerful, conliding in their leaders and liopeful of success. ]\[ontgomery at the head of his ])arty marched from his quarters at Holland house, to Wolfe's Cove, tlience fi ir two miles along the shore of the St. Lawrence to the barrier under Cape Diamond. The carpenters instantly began to saw off the pickets; entering the opening thus nu\de, ]\[()nt- gomery found himself, with his aids, in advance of his troops, and sent back messengers to hurry them forward; continuing to press onward himself, until, directly in his front, a log house with loop-holes f(.ir muskets ami a bat- tery of two three-pounders interce])ted liis passage. This log house was held by a party of British soldiers and sea- men, ami as ^Nfontgomery and his party approached, "a ]iart of the guard was seized with a panic; but the C(mi- niander restored order and the sailors stood at their guns with lighted linstocks." ^Montgomery ])au>ed inside the pickets until about sixty of his men joined him, then >liouting, "Men of Xew York, you will m)t tV-ar to follow where your getieral leads; come on, my brave boys, and p < Quebec is ours I "' he rushed forward towards the battery. I As lie and his Jiarty came running uj"), the cannon, loaded % with grape-shot, were dischargeil into their breasts, and Moiitgomerv, his aid McPherson, and voung Cheeseman, # ami ten others, instantly fell. Their leaders killed, the col- nun broke and fled. This left the garrison free to concen- mi 82 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. tPiite all its force upon the attack Arn<»l dcatli >•[' one and tJie severe wounding of the othc removing then at the moment their services were most needed. I5nt each led militia, many of whom had ])r(»l)al)ly never been under serious lire, and Avhile these troops would cheerfully follow and obey the order --" Come on. boys '' — they might hesitate and falter if toM to '"go ahead, boys.'' Arnold, therefore, as usual with him. led the forlorn lio]i(\ marching about one hundred yards before the main bo(ly. " As he reached Palace (iate, in the mid>t of a wild storm, the alarm was ringing from all the bells of the city, drums were beating, and the artillery ojiened ui»on him. "With their fearless leader at their front, the ])arty ran along in single file, bending ilown their hea their poAvder dry. ]janib, with a field-])iece upon a sled, and ^Morgan, with his I'itlemen, followed. The lirst barrier was at the Sault au Matelot; a]>pr()aeliing this the ]»arty found them- selves in a narrow way, swej>t by a battery, with soldiers tiring upon them from houses on each side of the jjassage. Arnold, advancing ra]udly towards the barrier, cheering his men to the assault, was struck by a musliet bidl, at the moment of its capture, llis leg was broken and he fell forward u])on the snow. Risinii- with great ellbrt, being able to use only one leg, he emleavured to press forward, and refused to be carried from the iicld until the nuiin body came up. Dr. Seriter, who accompanied the expedition as 1. "Arnold, Icadins the forlorn hope, aclvancid pcrlmp-^ one hundred yards before Uie main body."— i/cmi/'s Juunnil, p. 107. Ills TATT^TOTISM AM) HIS TREASON. 83 siirifoon, savs: '' I)a_vli:Lrlit liad scarcely made its appear- ance ore (\)lon('l Arnold was l»n>u])f)rtod ])y tw( Mildiers, wouiKled in the \eported by others, the}' Avere too t, to succeed. Some retreated; moiv, includiuijj Morgan, Greouo, j\rei<>;s, Hendricks and otlun's, of the gallant band who followed Arnold tiu'ough the wilderness, were compelled to sur- render. AVhile his detachment was still Ughiiig, Arnold, ••not f< '• n. moment forgetful of his duty,'' writes from the ho.Nj»i' . to Woo^ter, in command at Montreal, giving an account of the disaster as far as kiujwn, and asking for reinforcements.^ As rcjxii'ts of continued disasters caine into the hos2)ital where he lay, " We entreated Colonel Arnold," says Dr. Senior, '"for liis own safety to lie carried back into tlie country, where they ennld not n-adily find liini, hut tono pnrposo. Ho would neither he removed nor sutler a man from llie hospital to retreat. He ordered his pistols loadiMh with ii swurd on his bed, adding', lie was determined to kill as many as possible, if tliey came into the room. We were now all soldiers; even to the wonndeil in their beds were ordered a gun by their side, that, if they did attack the 1. " Two-thirds of the baU entered the outer side of the lep, about midway, and in iUi olilique course between thftibin and the til)ula. and lodged in the muscle at llie ri>e>if ilie teudnu Acliillcs."—!')'. Juaac Scntci's Jounial, p. ol. 1'. Henry's Journal, p. 109. ". Lossiugs Life of Schuyler, Vol. I, p. D02. 84 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. HI iiiiil hospital, to iiiiiko tlu' most vi^'orons dcfcnso possihln. Onlors wore also sent out into tlio villatrcs round tiio city, to tin; captains of the militia, to immediately as-emblo to our assistance." ' Carlcton, still distrnstiiii^ tlic loyalty of tlio j)eo])lo, sent out no troops in pursuit, nd tlic American camp was un- • listurbed. On the sixcli oi" January, Arnold, still in the lios})ital, writes:* "The commo'.fl of the army by the death of my truly gi-cat and good friend, General Montgomery, devolves upon ino, a task [ find too heavy under my present circumstances. I received a wound Ijy a hall through my left leg, at the timo I had gained the first batt -ry at the lower town, which, by loss of blood, rendered me very weak. As soon as the main body came up, I rctireil to the hospital, near a mile, on foot, being obliged to draw one leg after me, and a great part of the way under the continued fire of the enemy from the walls, at no greater distance than fifty yards."' But, notwitlistanding his wt)und, liis eyes were fastened longingly on the walls of Quebec, " and," says this indomita- ble nipn, " I have no thouglits of leaving this proud town un- til I first enter it in triumj)!!." * * "My wouiul has been exceedingly painfid, but is now easy"; and "the Providence which has carried mo through so many dangers is still my ])rotection." * * "I am in thu way of my duty and know no feai"." Had the ball that shattered his leg, pierced his heart, his would have been associated witli the names of AVolfe and ^[ontgomerv, among the heroes who have died for their country. JJut there was work for him yet to do in aiding to achieve the independence of his country. Patriot blood still coursed through his heart, and he Mas destined, on still more sanguinary battle-fields, to shed that blood freely, for his country ; and then attempt to betray it. Ills 1. Senior's Journal, p. 35. 2. Am. Archives, 4th S., Vol. IV, p. 5Sa. ill niS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASOX. 85 services were effective — Providence rendered his treason abortive. As soon as the news of the attaclc upon Quehec reached Congress, that body unanimously promoted liim to tlie rank uf Brigadier General, as a reward for his gallantry in tlie a.-;sanlt, as well as for his skill, address and energy in con- ducting his army through the wilderness. On the thir- teenth of February', he wrote to Congress, returning tlianks for his promotion, which, says he, "I shall study to de- ,^erve."' Schuyler, writing to AVashington, and referring to the attack on Quebec, says, with inaidy feeling: *' The gallant .Montgomery is no more! the brave Arnold is wounded, and we have met with a severe check in an unsuccessful attack njon Quebec."'' AVashington replies with equal feeling: "I condole with you on the fall of the brave and worthy JMontgomery," " " " and I am much concerned for the intrejjid and enterprising Arnold."' Grateful for the kind consideration and good wishes which AVashington's letters had expressed, Arnold replies' " 1 am greatly obliged for your good wishes and the con- cern you express for me. Sensible of the vast importance of this country, you may be assured, my utmost exertions >liall not be wanting to eft'ect your wishes in adding it to the United Colonies. I am able to hobble about my room, though my leg is a little contracted and weak; I ho])e soon to be readv for action." ' Some historians, unwilling to com- mend and industriously seeking cause of complaint against Arnold, have criticised his conduct at Quebec, sugirestinir that if he had done this, or that lie might have succeeded. To such critics, let AVashington's letters re])ly. This calm, 1. Am. Archives, 4th S., Vol. IV, p. 1017. -. Irving's Wasluiigton, p. 4C;!. U. Am, Archives, 1th S., Vol. IV, p. 1574. ■■;i" » mm 8G LIFE OF «1:NEDICT ARNOLD. just man, mIio undcrtitcxxl fill the Ikcts and difTicultiop, had no ]\\]\'^\\n>nebee in J7.j1». J.earning- by aconinumi- cation from Arisold that Monti^-omery had n])on his person, when he I'ell, a wateh which the wi(h)\vof this i;'allant soldic r desired to obtain, he sent it to her throui;'h the American commander.' The ijallantry of Alont^'omei-y and Arnokl; the death of one and the severe wound of the other, created a |»rofound sensati»)ii tliruu^hout the United Colonies. As they had been joined as iirst and second in comnnind, and as each luid i'alit'U at the head of his troops, their names were associated iogethei-, and both were for the time the popular idols.' 1. " Jloiittrimii'ry liiid a wntcli on liis person wliicli ^U's. Moiit^'oniory was very (li'sirous of olitiiiniii;;. She uiiuU' licr wish known to Aniolil, wli > t^eiit wonl Ik Ciirlclon lliiil luiy sinii would hu luiid Ibr it. earli'lon iinni(>rnrfli. 177(1, fitted ont a sloo)! of-wiir, and ninncil lief'Tlic .^^lnl;,'onl(•ry,'' and a (liutliii,' battery wliii'li they named " 'I'lio Arnold."— .flw;. .Irf///ir»-, l/Zi >'., Vul. V,)).7M. .\\f>Q Oruliou of lir. Miiith huloro Congress, as ibllows: ICxtracl I'roni ".\n orulinn in memory of General >[ontKomery, and of the OfTu'ers and Soldiers who fell with him neeembor iil.-'t, 177.'), before Qnebeek ; drawn np (and delivered February, 177(1,) at tl.c drsiro of the Uonorable (oulinental Con- tjiess, by William Smith, D. ])., Provost of the College and Academy of Thiladei- phia."— ^l»i. -■In7(('i".s, \lh S., Vol. IV, pii. ^'~'\ ]77('i. After siieaking of Montgomery in the liighest terms, the orator says : " Leaving him, therefore, for a while— ulas, too short a while— to enjoy tlio noblest of all triumphs, the a])plaus'- " his country, and tlie conscious testimony of ]iis own luart, let us inquire afte other band of lirave and hardy men, who are stemming rapid rivers, ascending pathless numntains, traversing unpeopled des- erts, and hastening tlirough deep moias.ses and gloomy woods to meet him in Bceues of anothci issue. Ills rATIlIOTlSM AND HIS TUEASON. 87 Arnold, tlioiii^li ('(Uif'ii'j;] to tli(> liuspitiil witli liis woniid, and siMTouiidcd with every iiiini^iiiuMc ditliculty, liud im tlunif^lit of giviiii^' 11]. the eiitcrjjrisc. With ii I'lirco less hy halt" than the _y;ivi'ri>oii t('r. then in ciimiiiaiid, writes t(» Couiijress, Fehriiary tburteeiith: "(Jeiiend Aniuld has, in aiii<»:^tsiir jirisin^' lujinner, kept u|> the hloekadr of (^)iu'hi'('. and tliai with half the number of the iMKMiiy." And on the twentv- lilth of l'\-hni!iry, he writes to "Wasliini^ton. saving-: "(li-ii- eral Arnuhl, to his great honor, kept np the; l)K)eka(k! with " PeKcrts ill viiin Opjiosert tlicir roursc, ntifl dcepriipaciims IIoim1>;, And moiinlaiii.s in wliose jiiw.s ik'stnictidii kti'i'i '1, llmi^icr unci Un\~Ariiii>iiaii shon's iiml siurni- 1 (Ifiicr ill tliL'ii' view, nml i,'lory yet nniiMiclu'il. 'I'licy liclil tlicir lisirless wiiy— oli! v|rfnj,Mli i.l iiiiii.l .■\linii>t iiliui;;htv in soviTe cxtifinci ■Tlcinisu This prMisc WHS imiil to (on tliniisiixl Iioincs, snstiiinini,' every clangor, 'ii a rp- Ileal to llieir own eoiintry, iiiid is eortaiiily ilii", >o far as lier.i'Mi i> eoiicerneil. to K•■'^ tliiiii a teiitli part of the nuuil.er. iiiau-liiiiL,' tliroii'^h enual dilliciillies ai;aiii--l a eiipiial of a liostile eoiinliy. ICven tlic iimreh of Ildunil'al overtlie .l/;<.». so niiicli ecloliratcd in history 'allow- iiif; tor the disparity ui nuiiihers,) lias iiotliing in it of superior merit to llio niuridi of Arnold; and in many eiieliin-timees iliere is ii most striliin^ siinilitude. 'I'he lonaer had to eiKMiunter the rapid Jilioiic : the latter the more rajUd KeiineheeU, lhioUL!h an iiiiineiise leiiirtli cd' eounlry. 'J'he former, when he rame to ipiit the liver, found his farther pas>aL'o harreil hy mountains, reariie^' their snowy erests to the >ky, rnvrsi'd, wild, uneultivated. This was also the ease with the latter, whoso troops, oarryilig tlioir boats and bayigauo, were ol)lii,'ed ti cross and rocross the sMiiie mountains sundry times. At the loot of the mountains Hk! former was de- serted by three thousand of his army, dc-pondinj,' at the leiiLdh of tiie wiy, mid I'rrilied at the hideous view of those stu|iendons lii^i-ht.-i. which they eiiiisi tiueijcc, iiinrchod near the same distaiieo in about throe moiuhs, resides tliese rifle companies, Anioll's corps consisted of about five liuudred New luijiland trfiops, who sustained all the l'ati.i,'iies of tlie worst part of the march liy land and water, with the utmost fortitude. And iiig." J^i .Vjj ■ J^il V' ' EMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / oy ^ds // /.v^ ^^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 -MUM IM ■ lU |||||22 *« IIIM 1.4 11.6 VI -^^^.> /,. y M Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 iT* #/: V S'/ ^ I ?> 88 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. Bucli a handful of men that the story when told hereafter will scarcely he helieved." ' Washington, writing to Congress, says: "It (the hlock- adc) exhibits fresh proofs of Arnold's ability and persever- ance in the midst of difHcnlties."* On the first of April, AVooster arrived from Montreal with reinforcements, and assumed the command. The day after, Arnold, only partially recovered from his wound, re- ceived a serious injury while visiting the outposts, by tlie fall of his horse. When somevdiat recovered, being in favor of more active measures than General Wooster adopted, and imjiatient of inaction, he asked and obtained leave to rejwrt at Montreal, where, npon his arrival, ho took command. In a letter to (icneral Schuyler, dated April 20th, he explains his reasons for going to Montreal, and adds, " had I been able to take av.y active ])art, I should by no means have left camp, but as General Wooster did not think proper to consult me, I am convinced I shall be more useful hero than in camp, and he \ er}' readily granted me loiive of absence,"' AVith the d<:>parture of Arnold from the camp, all vigorous efforts in the field to capture Quebec and unite the Canadas with the United Colonies terminated. Had the efforts of Washington, Schuyler, Montgomery, and Arnold been successful — had the Can- adas joined the American Union — what changes in history would have ensued! Possibly the power of the free States thus strengthened might have prevented the extension of slavery, ami slavery itself might possibly have been abol- ished without the great civil war. 1. Am. Archives, 4th 8., Vol, IV, !>. 090 ; ditto, p. M03. 2. Spailis' WritiiiKS of Washington, Vol. Ill, p. 270. ;!. " Arnolil was discontented at not beini? perniiited to continue his authority at a scai5ou when he might have struck a daring and cll'cctual hluw. "—liUnidudion to Journal of Charka Carroll, qf Carrollton, p. 15. CHAPTER Y. KETREAT FROM CANADA. " I am content to bo (lie last man who quits this country, and fall so that my coun- try may rise."— Am M to Sultivan. The Affair at the Cedars — Visit of Fkanklin, Chasb and Carroll to AiJNoi.D's QUARTEKS— The Seizure of Goods in Montreal— Trial of Colonel HaZEN by COUUTMaKTIAL— CoNTROVEItSY BETWEEN ARNOLD AND THE COURT —Charges Against Arnold by Lieut. Col. John Brown— Action thereon by WoaSTEU, SCHUVLEK AND GATES— CHARGES DECLARED BY CONOHESS TO BE CRLEL AND Groundless— Arnold's Ketreat from Canada. John Maushai.l, Chief Justice of the United States, in his lite of AVaohington, s])eakiiii^ of the e.xpedition against (Quebec, and sunnniii"^ up the case ■with judicial calmness and accuracy, says: " It was a bold, and at one time promised to be a succcsisful, effort to annex this extensive province to the United Colonies. The disposition of the Canadians favored Ihc nicaMire, and had Qnebf c fallen, there is reason to believe the colony would have entered cordially into the Union. Had Arnold been able to reach Quebec a few days sooner, or to cross the St. Lawrence on his first arrival, or had the gallant ]\Iontgomery not fallen in Ihe assault on the thirty first of December, it is probable the the expedition would have been crowned with complete success. Hut the radical causes of the failure were the lateness of the season when the trocps were assembled, a deficit in the preparation, and still more, the sliortneae of the term for which the ineu were enlisted." ' The means placed at the command of the officers never approached the estimates which they made as adequate to accomplish the result. Arnold, in one of liis letters, says : I. Marshall's Life of Washington, Vol. I, p. OG. (89) 90 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. "We labor luuler almost as man}' difHcultles as the Tsi-ael- ites did of old — obliril, 177G, the commissioners ai)pointe(l ])y C\)n^rc.5B to visit Canada, consistin"^ of JJenjamin Franklin, Samuel Chase, and Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, arrived at the camp of General Arnold, at Montreal. The Rev. John Carroll, brother of Charles, and the iirst Koman Catholic Arch-liishop of the United States, accompanied the party, with the ho])e of enlistinjj^ the liomaii Catholic cler<,'y in Canada on the side of the United Colonies." Carroll, in his Journal, says : "We were received by (reneral Arnold in the most })olite and friendly manner, conducted to head- ([uartei's, where a genteel comjiauy of ladies aiul gentlemen had assembled to welcome our arrival." A salute bv the cannon of the citadel was tired. "We su])ped at the Gen- eral's." ' l>enjamin Franklin, then seventy years of age, honond and venerated as a sage and patriot on both sides of the Atlantic, Chase, and Carroll, of Carrolton, at BU])per, the guests of Benedict Arnold, grace being said by him who was the Iirst Itoman Catholic Arch-]»ishop of the United States, would constitute a group for the artist. Modern reporting had not then been invented, otherwise we might have had the discussion of the Canadian cami)aign bv these distinguished men. In the S]>ring of 1770, a ]iarty of about four hundred Ajuericans, led by Colouel IJedell, under the orders of Arnold, were holding a fortified position on the north bank of the St. Lawrence, some thirty-six miles above ^Fontreal, on a point called "The Cedars." In ^[ay, Cai>tain Foster, of the British ariuy, came down the river from a [>lace near 1. Journal of Charles Carroll, p. 30, Xoto. 2. Juunial of Cliarlos Carroll, p. UJ, Maryland Ills. Society Centennial Memorial. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 91 where ()^dcnsbnri,'1i now is, with about one hmulred and tit'ty English and Ounadiansand live liiindred Indians, under the celebrated Brant. On hearing of their a]»i»r(»a('li, not waiting for tlioir arrival, Colonel Bedell fled to Montreal to obtain, as lie said, reinforcements.' lie left the ]»ost under the coni- inand of ^lajor JJiittertield, who, without making any ftlicient defense, was frightened by the threats of Indian barbarities to surrender. Both Butterlield and Bedell were afterwards tried by court-martial and cashiered for their conduct in this alfair." Arnold, as soon as he heard of the approach of the enemy, sent Major Sherburne, with one liundred and forty men, to strengthen the ])ost, and j)re- : 'red to tbllow himself !Major Jjuttei'lield, making no -gorous defense, surrendered the post the very day iSher- burne would have arrived. As the latter approached the Cedars, ignorant of the dis- graceful surrender, he was caught in an ambuscade set for him by the Indians, and although surprised, he and his men fouijht irallantly until thev wore entirely surrounded ami ( ivcrpowered b\" numbers. Fifty-two were killed, mnny after tlicv had ceased to resist. Arnold, indignant at Butter- lield's surrender, and at the cruelties and barbarities per})e- trated upon the soldiers, and on the way to their relief, has- tened rjipidly towards the scene of action to revenge the dead and re-take the post. Beaching St.Anne, at the west- ern end of the island of Montreal, in advance of his boats, ho was in time to see the savages conveying their prisoners from an island, almost three miles distant, to the main land, r.ut his boats, not having yet arrived, he was Avithout the means of instant pursuit. Dispatching messengers to hurry up the boats, he sent a friendly chief of the Caughiuiwaga 1. Sec Letters of Sfcssrs. Chnsc nnd (arroU, Am. Archives, 5th S., Vol. VI, p. 688. '.;. Am. Archives, 5th S., Vo). I, p. 717, 92 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. i '1^ tribe to the liostile party, demanding the surrender of tlie prisoners, and declaring if tlic Indians injured tliera, he would destroy their villages, and pursue and put to the sword any one who fell into his hands. AVhile he was waiting for liis boats to come up, the Indian chief returned, bringing the reply: that they would not give up their prisoners, and that if Arnold attempted to follow and attack the British and Indians, the Indians would immediately put the pris- oners to death. Without a moments' delay, Arnold sprang into the boats which were now arriving, and proceeded as rapidly as pos- sible to the island where the captives had been confined. All had been removed except five, and these had been robbed of their clothing, and were left nearly naked, and starving. The others, except two who were too feeble to endure the jinirney, had been taken to Quince Chlcnsc,' the two sick ones had been cruelly murdered. Arnold pushed directly for the enemy as rapidly as ])ossible. As night approached, his flotilla of boats neared the place where the enemy were encamped, entrenched and fortified, and he was fired upuu from the shore. As it was now dark, and the i:)Ositiun of t!ie enemy not known, he retired to St. Anne to wait for daylight; a council was held, and it was determined to at- tack in the niorniny; as soon as it was light enough to see. At two o'clock at niij^ht a fla our own country before it is too late. There will be more honor in making a safe retreat than in hazarding a battle against such superiority; and which will be attended with the loss of men, artillery, etc., and the only pass to our country. * * * Those argu- ments are not urged by fear for my poi-sonal safety; I am content to be the last man who quits this country, and fall, so that my country may rise. But let us not f Ul altogether." * Sullivan retreated, Arnold still Iiolding on to Montreal, that being the last place giNcn nj), and then he made a mas- 1. Am. Archives, 4Ui S., Vol. VI, pp. .'■1S8--90. 2. Am. Archives, 4th S., Vol. VI, p. 1104. IIIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 95 terly I'ctrciit to St. Jolins. After seeing nil the luoii cm- lijirk, and the hist hoat leave tiie sliore, lie, with a siii<;le at- tendant, mounted his horse and rode hack to reconnoitre the ]»ritish arinv, advancinu^ under Ihiriroyne. C'oiniiiijj in sii^dit of tlie advancing coliinuis, lie sati.stied himself of their iinmhers and character, then he wheeled his horse just in time to csca])e, and i^allo|>ini^ ra|>iliore. and leapini^ into it he was the last man to leave Canada. J)arkness was now a])j)roacliin<;, and it is not dif- ficult to imaijine the sad review of the incidents of the cam- pai:^n which must liave crowded his memory, as liis hoat was ur<;('d on in pursuit of his retreating soldiers, lie overtook them during the night at Islc-aux-Xoix, (Jeneral Sullivan, writing to Washington June H)th, says: "(icneral Arnold pulled up the hridges on the road from Montreal, from which ])laco lie made a very ])rudent and judicious retreat with the enemy close at liis heels."' lie hastened on and piroceeded to confer with General Schuyler, with whom all through the campaign he had kept up a con- stant and most friendly correspondence. Schuyler had heen I'amiliar M'ith all his difficulties, and that officer's sympathy with his dangers had heen often and m(»; v kindly expressed. Here he also met (Jeneral Gates, with whom he then had the most friendly relations, as appears from the following, as well as many other letters which passed between them: "CiiAMBLAY, May :^lst, 177G. " My DKAii Geneiiai.: I am a tlionsaiul times obliged to you for your kind letter of the od of April, of ■which I have a most prate sense. I shall be ever happy in your friendship and society; and hope, with you, that our next winter-quarters will Ijc more ayreeable, though I must u«.ubt it, if attairs go as ill with you as here. Neglected by Congress 1. .\m. Archives, 4th S., Vol, VI, p. IIW. 4 96 LIFE OF BENEDICT AIINOLD. , 1 Y ■ i-i: Ijolow; iiinclifil with nvcry want horo; distrossed with tl>o smallpox; want of Gcnf'niJH ami (lincipliiip inoiir Army — which may ratlit'rbe ralltul a (fn-at rabhh' — our iato iiiiliai)py n'tn-at from Quehcrk, and loss of tho Cedars; onr credit and roputation lost, any all. AVhile here Arnokl was involved in difficulties, growing out of thu seizure of certain goods from the merchants of ;N[ontrcal, for the use of the army, which have been made the basis of attacks upon his integrity. The facts are here set forth at some length, so that a just conclusion may be arrived at in regard to the charges growing out of the trans- action. 1. Am. Archives, 4th S., Vol. VI, p. CIO. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 97 The condition of affairs at tl»c time those j^oods were tak- en appears from a letter written by Arnold to the Commit- tee of Congress, dated June second, in wliich he says : '*! am making every possible preparation to secure our retreat. I have secured six tons of lead, ball, shot and mcrcliaiidi/.e. The inliabitants I have not as yet taken hold of; I intend to begin to-niDrrow. Everything is in the greatest confu- sion. Xot one contractor, commissar}' or quarter-master. I am obliged to do the duty of all."' It is not surprising that confusion and irregularity should exist. On the sixth of June he writes to Schuyler: "1 have received your instructions respecting the tories and their ellects; most of the former had absconded —great ])iirt of the latter is secured. I have sent to St. Johns a quanti- ty of goods for use of the army, some bought, some seized."* The goods were seized in accordance with orders fur the use of the army; their seizure is referred to in the above letter, and the circumstances attending such seizure were fully and promptlj' reported by Arnold to Generals Schuy- ler and Sullivan, They were sent to (^hamblay under the care of Major Scott, who, on his arrival there, was ordered to repair to Sorel, the guard had been ordered to return, and the goods were to be delivered to Colonel Ilazen to be stored. Ilazen refused to receive or care for them, and in conse- quence the boxes in which they were stored were broken open, and tlie goods plundered. What were left were sent to St. Johns, and delivered to one McCarthy, who received what was left of them, by orders of General Sullivan. Arnold's own account of the transaction is given in his re- l)orts to Generals Schuyler and Sullivan.' 1. Am. Archives, 5th S., Vol. I, p. 1C5. 2. Am. Archives. 4th S., Vol. VI, p. 925. :J. ".=t. Johns, Tunc 13th, 177n. " Dear General:— I wrote you a few days since from Montreal that I had seized a parcel of goods for the use of the army by particular orders from the Commis- 7 98 LIFE OF BKN EDICT ARNOLD. i! Clmi'ges wore made l>y Genenil Aniold nufiiinst Colonel llii/.i'ii Ibr liis refusal to receive and take care of tliene goods. A coiirtiiiurtinl was ordered for liis trial. The slonore of ConnrcHS. Our Iiiirry nixl cfniriislDri \va« so irrrat when the Kooflswcre rect'lvcil, it wns iiiiiiDSNililo lo tHk(> r (uiillciilar hccipuiiI of tlu'in; cviry iimii x iiamu wuM iniirkol on liin i>artii'iilar |iii('ku.(o. with ini ton to tiiku |iartioiihir iiccouiil of llu'iii III rliniiilihi or SI. Join I, where the »(o() ('l,nmli/i/. The (jooils were sentlo.sY. JiihiiH hy Cnl. Ilnzm, in dilVen>nl parcels, all under the can- of ii rrcnrh corporal; and Ihrouf^di them I found the L;oods liroken open, plunde id and ndxed toKether In the (,'reatest ciiufusion, and ({real part mi.ssiuK. Mr. Mri miliii ban (ivn- eral .»'i///itvi«'^ orders, and is unw leceiviiij,' the (joods. I have senl over to Titan- ilerofin a quantity of nails and >;oods, the pro|perty of 'Ihiniiim M'ltlker, Ksip. ami ordered them to he stored there, and deliwred to his oriler." — .liu. /Irc/i/ri.'', I//1 .S , Vol. VI, p. um. .See also report to fJcn SuUivnii. as follows : "• • The Junction of the I'aiiailinnii with theColonies-nn ohjecl which hrouKhl ns into this country— is now at an end. Let us quit them, and secure our own country helore it is too Inte. "I here will he more honor in making asafe retreat than hn/ardinKahaitle against such superiority, w hicdi will donhtless be attended with the less of men, artillery, etc.. nnd th« only pass to our country. " These arguments are not urged by fear for my personal .safety; I am r'ontentto lie the last man who quits this country, and fall, so that my country rise. Hut let us not all fall altogether. •'T1h> goods 1 seized in Montreal & sent to fhambly, under care of Major ScoU, have been broken open, iilundereil and huddled logetlier in the greatest confusion. They were taken in such a hurry It was impo.ssihle to lake jiarticular account of them. Kach man's name was marked on his jiaekaires. '■ When Major .>^cott arrived at t'hambly he received yourposilive orders to repair to Sorel; the gmird was ordered to return, and tlie Koods lo I e delivered lo Colonel J/a;eu to be stored. He refused receiving or taking any cure of them ; by which means, and Major Scotl'g being ord';red away, the goods liave been opened and plundered, 1 believe, to a large amount. It is impossible for me to dislii.guish each man's gooils, or even .'•ettlc with the proprietors. The goods are dcli\cied to Mr. Mel iirlhy. This is in t the first or la.st order Colonel Ihizeti has disobeyed. I think him a man of loo much consequence for the post he is in. I have given him orders to send directly to .s'l. Johns all the heavy cannon, shot, jowdcr and bnt- teaux, valuable stores, and the sick. " I go to Montreal immediately^ and beg to have your orders as? soon as possible for my future conduct. •'1 am, with respect and esteem, dear General, yourmostobedlent, humble servant, "B. Arnold" —Am. Airhivea, ^l.^ S., Vol. V2, p. 1105. IirS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 99 important iitid only witiioss besido liiiiipelf to sustain the cliuri^t's \v«H Major Scott, who was otrered by General Ar- nold, and the {•ouit refused to receive his testiniony. This decision was palpably erroneous, and Arnold was naturally iiidi<;tiant, and thereupon filed his protest, sayin-^: "As the court have ret'nsed acce|)tin^ my principal evidence, ]\rajor Scott, * * I (],, Hcdeinnly protest against their ju'oceed ini^s and reli.sal us un|)rece»h.'nted, aiul 1 think unjust."' Thereu])on the court made an entry on their records in these words : "General Arnold having offfred a protest to the court, for the entry of it, in their iiiinnteH, which apiirars to tiicm illej^al, iililn'ral and ii'ijfen- tlcnianlike ; for these reawm-* they have olijertrd to its entry and i jfiise the same." The court likcwiM' directed tiic rrcsidi'iit to dt'iiiaml sutis- laction of the (Jeneral, which ho did in the following' words: "Siu: "Ah yon have evidently called in question not only th(> honor, hut the .justice of this court, hy the illiberal protest you exhilutcd. the court have directed me — and as President of this court I deem it my duty — to inform you that you have drawn upon yoinaelf their just resentment, and that nothinjr hut an open acknowledj,Mnent of your error will in- consid- ered as satisfactory." ' To which Arnold haufjhtily replied: "The very extraordinary vote of the court, and directions ^'iven to the President, and his still nxtre extra- ordinary demand, are in my opinion ungenteel and indectent retlections on a superior otKcer; which the nature and words of my i)rotest will by no means justify; nor was it desijim-d as you have construed it. I am not very conversant with courts-martial, but this 1 may venture .o say: they are compo-ed of men not inlallible; even you may have errcil. Con- ^'ress will judge between us; to whom I will desire the General to trans- mit the proceedinjf ^ of this court. 'J'liis I cm assure you, I shall ever in public or private, be ready to support the character of a man of honor; and as your very nice and delicate iionor in youriijiprehension is in.jured, you may depend as soon as this disajjreeable service is at end (which God grant may soon be the case,) I will by no means withhold from any gen- tleman of the court, the satisfaction his nice sense of honor may require. Your demand I shall not comply with." " 1. Am. Archives, 5th S., Vol. I, p. 1272. 2. Ain. Archives, 5th S., Vol. I, p. 127:5. 3. Am. Archives, 5th S., Vol. I, p. 127.3. V. 100 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. The court sent a letter to General Gates, giving their reasons for refusing to hear the evitlence of [Major Scott, every one of whicli went to affect l)is credibility and not liis competency as a witness. The ca^^e is this : — Cliarges were presented hy General Arnold against Colonel Ilazen, and the General offered as the principal witness to sustain the charges, Major Scott ; the court refused to hear the ev- idence; Arnold protests, and sa^'s he thinks the refusal " un- precedented and unjust." Tills language can hardly be considered as disrespectful, or going beyond an enrnest protest: certainly the court go much farther when they declare the protest of their supe- rior ofhcer, "illegal, illiberal and ungentleuianlike"; but when the court goes farther still, and directs its president "to demand satisfaction," and dictate an "open acknowl- edgement of error," as the only satisfaction the court will accept, they certainly exhibit a strange spectacle of judi- cial dignity. The answer of Arnold, except the last part, is dignified and certainly not uncourteous. lie disclaims the constrnctioii they put upon the words of his protest — reminds them that courts are composed of men who are not infallible, and then says: "Congress, to M'hom the pro- ceedings will be transmitted, will judge between us." Had he stopped there no exception could liave been taken to Jiis reply; but the extraordinary resolution, that the President "should demand satisfaction of the General," were words to which Arnold was ever too ready to respond : and his response that when the service was over he would by no means with- hold any "satisfact'on any gentleman of the court might re- quire," Was undignified and unworthy of his position. The court sent the pajicrs to Go'eral Gates, demanding tlie arrest of Arnold. Thereupon Gates issued an order dissolving the court, and transmitted all the papers to Con- gress, with the following comment: Ills PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 101 "The warmth of General Arnold's temper might possi- My lead him a little farther than is marked by the precise line of decorum to be observed before and towards a court- martial. Seeing and hnoioing all the circumstances^ I am convinced, if there was fault on one side, there was too much acrimony on the other. I was obliired to act dictato- riallj, and dissolve the court-martial the instant they de- manded General Arnold to be put under arrest. The United States must not be deprived of that excellent offi- cer's services at this important moment,"' There is no evi- dence in the ease reflecting ujion the integrity of General Arnold. Mr. Sparks, ])erhaps the most accurate of Amer- ican annalists, and one who tries to do justice to Arnold, l)ut whose just prejudice against him for his treason ren- dered it difficult, and sometimes impossible, says the "let- ters of Arnold alone sufficiently prove that he was not prac- ticing any secret manauvre in the removal of the goods, or for retaining Ihem in his possession." ' It will be observed that General Arnold reports that the gcods were seized by order of the commissioners. In this connection, I quote a ])aragraph from a letter from him to Chase, one of the commissioners, dated the 15th of May, in which he says, " I believe I know your sentiments in re- gard to provisions, and I shall not let the army tHiffer.' * * * * Most of our men returned from below naked. AVill it not be advisable to seize on all such goods in Mon- treal as we are in absolute necessity for, and jtuy them the value? This I subniit to your better judgment."* Carroll, of CarroUton, was one of the commissioners, by whose orders Arnold alleges the goods were seized. He was one of the Board of War, which investigated these charges, as hereafter particularly detailed. 1. Am. Archives. 5th S., Vol. I, p. 12G8. Sparks' Life of Arnold. G9. Am. Archives, 4th S., Vol. VI, p. 581. Am, Archives, 4th S., Vol, VI, p. 081. 102 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. lil.i; |l If the allegation of General Arnold, that the floods were seized by order of the comniissioners was untrue, Carroll must have known it. When, therefore, he who had been in Canada and knew all the facts, reports that these charges were "cruel and groundless," I think we may safely concur in his conclusion.' This affair created a prejudice in the minds of some members of Congress, and probably contributed to bring about the acts of injustice towards Arnold, which will be hei-eaftcr detailed. It was also the misfortune or the fault of Arnold, that he had a difficulty with Lieutenant-Colonel John Brown. Their diiierence seems to have originated at the capture of Ticonderoga, in 1775, when Brown was a subordinate of Colonel Easton, and opposed Arnold in his claims to com- mand. Brown went to Quebec with the troops under Montgomery, and after the death of that officer, Arnold wrote a letter to Congress, cliaro-in;; Ih'own with havinj; been "publicly impeached with plundering the officers' baggage taken at Sorel," * * * and adding, "Itliiik it my duty to say the above charge is the topic of public conversation at Montreal," and he protested agaiust Brown's promotion until these matters were cleared up; and with his usual frankness, he adds: " The contents of the enclosed letter I do not wish kept from the gentleman mentioned therein; the public interest is my chief motive in writing. I should despise myself were I capable of asserting a thing to the ])rejudice of a gentleman without sufficient reasons to make it public."* Brown declared, in a letter dated Jun(! 26, 177G, addressed to Congress, that tlie charge was false, scandalous and malicious, and on first hearing of the charge at Quebec, he " challenged General Arnold to prove it," and demanded a court of inquiry, which was refused.' 1. Journal of Congress, Vol. III. p. 19:). 2. Am. Archives, 4th S., Vol. I. pp. 12--iO. 3. Am. Archives, 4th S., Vol. I, pp. 12-20. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 103 lie also allojres that on the arrival of General AYooster at Quebec, lie again (lenianded a court of inquiry, "who likewise refused." He made the same demand "of the committee sent to Canada from Congress, who refused." He made, he says, the same demand of General Schuyler, at Fort George, " but the General thought it inexpedient." ' One can scarcely help conchuling that the action taken b}' Generals Wooster and Schuyler, and the committee of Con- gress, who were on the ground, must have been just; and that there were circumstances existing why Lieutenant Colonel Brown's demand should not be granted. Schuyler was eminently a just num, and AVooster was not ])articu- larly friendly to Arnold, and the committee of Congress, consisting of Franklin, Chase and Carroll, would uncpies- tionably have interfered to correct a wrong, if satisiied of ith "stence. On the first of December, 177C, Colonel Brown sent a ]»aper to General Gates, presenting thirteen charges against (ieneral Arnold, expressed in very intem])erate language, and asking that he be ordered " in arrest ihr the ioUowing crimes;"' and then enumerated thirteen specitications of otfenses, running back to the affair at Ticonderoga, in J7T5, and following him to Cambridge, Quebec, and through Canada. The language is violent, and discloses "a warmth which," in the words of ]\Ir. Sparks, "indicates too great a . 4. Sparks' Writings of Washington, Vol. 4, p. 12. 108 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. mi '.I .ilrcmly appointed to this service, he suggests it to Gates, uiid tliat botli Scliuyler atul Gates felt "infinite satisfac- tion " and relief from '' very great anxiety " when he nnder- took the ooniniand. These distinguished officers did not overrate his zeal, activity and energy. lie did, indeed, give "life and activity to the dock-yards," and to every branch of the business of preparation. He was constantly going to and fro, nrgiiig on the work, making requisition for niecliauics, for seamen, for naval stores, for ordnance, for everythinij: necessarv to build, equip, arm and man his little fleet. ]>ut no degree of energy and activity could enable him to equal the arma- ment which Sir Ciruy Carleton could bring from the St. Lawrence to the theatre ot conflict. The resources of a mighty emjtire Mith untold wealth; the naval stores of the the then acknowledged "mistress of the seas," was behind Carleton, and her rulers luid the ability and disposition to su})ply his every want. On the other hand, the feeble (.'olonies, with tlieir depreciated " continental " paper money, with comparatively few seamen; all naval stores and needed sui)plies and material difficult to obtain on the sea coast, and when obtained, to be transported far inland — these were difficulties which 710 enerijv could overcome. On the 18th of September, Arnold, writing to Gates, says: " I begatleast one hundred good soanicn as soon as j ossiblo; we have a wretched motley crew in the fleet. Tlie marines, the refuse of every regiment, and the sailors, few of them ever wet with salt water — we are upwards of one hundred men short."' On the Ist of October, Arnold, writing to Gates, com- ])lains that the seamen have not been sent, and hopes he shall be excused, "if with five hundred men, half naked," he should not be able to beat the enemy in their overwhelm- ing numbers and complete preparation. lie sends for shot, 1. Am. Archives, uth S., Vol. II, p. 481. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 109 in nsket balls, Luclcsliot, grenades, clothing, and "one hun- dred seamen, no land-lubbers."' Gates replies on the third, and sends what he can, bnt says : "What is not to be had, you and the princes of the earth must go unprovided with." ' Gates, writing to Schuyler, P})eallies and the difHculty of obtaining tliem, says : "Succeed or fall, we have done our best." * Arnold, on the seventh of October, complaining that those in authority on the At- lantic had failed to send much needed su])j)lies, says : "Ls it possible my countrymen can be callous to their wrongs, or hesitate one moment between slavery or death? * * That Being in whose hands are all human events, mmH doubtless turn the scale in favor of the just and oppressed." * Gates gave to Arnold careful instructions, and among t»tlier direetions, said: " Should the enemy come up the lake and attempt to force their way through the ])ass you are istationed to defend, in that case you will act with such cool, determined valor as will give them reason to repent of their temerity." * Arnold kept Gates, who was at Tlconderoga, constantly advised of his ])osition and movements. On the 21st of September, he announced his intention to go to Valcour Island, and saj'S, " if you do not approve, will return."' On the 28th, he writes to Gates from " Isle Valcour," giving a detailed statement of the position of the fleet.^ On the 12tli of October, Gates says to Arnold: "I am jjleased to find you, and your armada, ride in Valcour JJay, in defiance of our foes in Canada." ' 1. Am. Archives, 6th S., Vol. II, p. 835. 2. Am. Archives, 5th S., Vol. II, pp. 859-800. ;5. Am. Archives i:)thS.,Vol. II, p. 481. 4. Am. Archives, Stli S., Vol. II, p. O*!. 5. Am. Archives, 5th S„ Vol. II, p. 8'JO. (i. Am. Archives, 5tli S., Vol. 11, p. 440. 7. Am. Archives, .-.th.S., Vol. II, p. .lOI. a. Am. Archives, 5th S., Vol. II, p. Iul7. 110 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. ■mz The oorreaporulonce at this time between Arnold and Gates, and Arnold and Sclinyler, had ceased to ho tbnnal. En.i^aii;ed in a cotnnion cause, and struggling with ditlicMd- ties which taxed their energies and patience to the utmost, and sliaring common responsibilities, they had been drawn close to each otlier, and during all the campaign of 177remacy l)etween the fleet of Arnold and that of Sir Guy Carlotori approached, Schuyler, (iates, Washinijton — all were con- scious of the great sujteriority of the Jiritish. All were anxious, hut each indulged liope, arising niaitdy from the ught between Commodore l\'rryand the British Admiral P)arclay; the battle oti Lake Cluimplain, in whicli the Americans, under Macdonough, tri. i]>hed. In neither of these was there any such great disparity of force, as between that of Arnold and Sir Guy Carleton. The British fleet consisted of the Inflexible, a large, three-masted ship, two schooners, the Lfuly ]Marv, and the Carleton, a floating battery called the Thunderer, twenty gun-boats, besides lung-boats and transjwrts. "They had." says Bancroft,' "more than twice his (Arnold's) weight of 1. Am. Archives, 5th S., Vol. I, p. 1073. 2. Bancroft's Ilistory, Vol. IX, p. 154. 112 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. iiu'tal, nnd twice ns many fit^liliii^ vessels, and Hkilled eca men and oflic'ers against landsmen." As has been stateii, the British armed vessels were manned by about neveu hundred selected seamen and well-trained gunners. Ca]»- tain l*rin<^l(', of the Jh-itish navy, commandetl, but Carleton was him.self on board, and auKMi;'; the many youn<^ ofheers was Edward Pellew, afterwards distinguished as Admiral Viscount Exmouth. This fleet carried ninety-three ^uns, some of them of heavy calibre. The fleet of Arnold con- sisted of three schovyiiers, two slou]).s, three galleys and eight gondolas, carrying in all seventy guns.' Earlv on the morning' of the 11th of October, the ffuard boats, stationed as sentinels, gave notice that the Britinli fleet was approaching, and it soon aj)j)eared off Cumberland Head, moving before a fair wind u\> the lake. Carleton came on, conscious of his greatly superior strengtii, with his battle-flags proudly flying, and when the fleet of Arnold was discovered, moored in the passage behind \'alconr Island, Captain Prlngle expressed his belief that they would not encounter much resistance, and he anticipated an easy victory; but Carleton, remembering Quebec, knew that Arnold would light to desperation. As the enemy ap- pro, vdied, the Americans made ready to receive them. As they advanced arouiul the southern ])oint of Valciuir Island and attcmj)ted to beat up towards the chainiel in which the Americans had formed their line of battle, the large ships fell behind. Arnold, who rarely waited to be attacked, da- termined to take advantage of the wind, and attack the smaller vessels which were in advance, before the large ones could beat up to their assistance. With the schooner Uoyal Savage, and three galleys, he went to meet the British, and opened a rapid fire, but was gradually pushed back by superior force, and attempting to return to the line, in 1. Sparks' Life of Arnold, p. 75, nnd Lossings Field Book of Revolution, Vol. I, p. 103. HIS TATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 11.'} iK'utiiifj back, tlie Rovul Savnije, with itn inoxporionced crew, went H{,'r(nm(l and was al>aiiin^ liU l>ai,';;a<,'(', and all his pajxTs, hut the incti were saved.' At halt-past t"*elve the Ih-itirfh, haviii<; hroui^ht all their j^un-huats and sehouners within ninskct shot of the Ameri- can line, the aetion became general, and from the shore of the mainland to the island, the hostile fleets tired at close i-an^e. Arnold, in the Congress galley, to which ho liad gone after al)aneze, the criji[)led vessels bore away as rapidly as ]iossible up the Lake. Using all possible expedition, the fleet reached Schuyler's Island, some twelve miles from the scene of the battle ; and here they were compelled to lay to, and stop ths leaks in their vessels and repair damages. Arnold instantly sent off a dispatch to Gates, saying: "As soon as our leaks are stojvped, our whole fleet will make the utmost dispatch for Crown Point." AVell might he add: "We have gn>at reason to return our humble and hearty tlianks to Almighty God, for preserving and delivering so many of us from our more than savage enemies." Two of the gondolas were so badly injured they had to be abandoned and sunk. In the afternoon the remainder of the cri|)plcd flotilla again got under way; but the wind gradually ceased, and soon a breeze sprung u]) from the south, retarding their advance, so that very little ])rogress could be nuide by beating and rowing. The next morn- ing, as the fog n>>e and the sun came out, the whole ]5ritish fleet, with every sail set, was seen crowding down u])on them ! The cri]-pled Congress, with Arnold on beard, the AVashington and some gondolas, were in the rear. All the others, with every inch of canvass spread, and urged to the utmost, wore flying towards Crown Point. It was but a short time, however, before the enemy came up and ojiened fire on the Congress, the A\"ashington and the gondolas. After receiving a few broadsides the AVashin, 177C. ' ' Dear Gener ai.:— I make no douht before this you have received a copy of my letter to General Gates, of tiic 12th instant, dated at Schuyler's Island, advisini? ot an action between our fleet and 'ho enemy the preceding day, in which wo lost ii schooner and a gondola. We remained no longer at Schuyler's I.sliind than to sioo our leaks and mend the .«ails of the Washington. At two o'clock P.M., the 12th, weiglicd anchor, with a fresh breeze to the southward. The enemy's fleet at (he same time got under way; our gondola made very little way ahead. In the evening the wind raotierated, and we made such progress that at six o'clock next mornin:.; we were about oft' Willsbotough, twenty ciglit miles from Crown Point. The ene- my's fleet were very little way above Schuyler's Island ; the wind breezed tip to the southward, so that we pained very little by beatingor rowing : nt the same time the enemy took a fresh breeze from the northeast, and by the time we had reached Split Rock, were along side of us. The Washington and Congres.s were in the rear, the rebtof our fleet were ahead, except two gondolas sunk at Schuyler's III8 PATIUOTISM AM) HIS TIIEASOX. 119 Richard Yariclc, writini^ to (ieiu'ral Gates, October ITtli, after alludiiii; to the dct'cat of the Heet, acUls: '' But anion^' tlm favors of Provitli'iioo we have tin.' blossingr of General Arnold's safe return. I feared much for him. I ho{)e, however, he will still humble the pride and arrofjnace of hun<;hty Britain, and convince them that one defeat doe.s not di.spirit Americans." ' On the t\vent\--socon(l of October, General Gates, writing to Gov. Trumbull, says: Island. The Washington gnllcy was in such a shattered condition, and had so many men killed and wouiulfd, she siruek to the enemy after receiving a few br, adsldcs. ^Ye were then attiuUed in the Congress galley by a ship mounting twelve eighteen-pounders, a sehooner of fourteen si-xes, and one of twelve sixes, two under our stern and one on our broadside, within musket shot. " They kept ui) an ineessant lire on us lor about live glasses, with round and grape shot, which we returned as brisKly. The sails, rigging and hull of the Congress were shattered and torn in pieces, the First Lieutenant and three men killed, when, to j)revent her falling into the enemy's hands, whuhad seven sail around me, I ran her ashore in a small creek ten jnilcs from Crown Point, on the Kast side, when, alter saving our small arms, I set her on fire, with four gondolas, with whose crews I 'cached Crown Point through the woods tlmt evening, and very luckily escaped the savages, who waylaid the road in two hours alter wo pnssed. At four (,'clock yesterday morning I rcacihed this place, exceedingly fatigued and unwell, having been without sleep or refreshment for iie ir tljiee days. Of ngi ess we had twenty-odd men killed and W( nndcd (Mir whole In.ss amounts to eighty odd. The enemy's flc.'t were last night three mi k> below Crown Point ; their army is d(jubtless at their heels. We are Imsily employe. 1 in completing our lines, redtiibts, which, 1 am sorry to s.iy, are not so forward as I could wisli. We have very few cannon, but are mounting every piece we have. It is theoiiinion of Generais Gates and l>t. i:lair, that eight or ten thousand militia should be immediately sent to our assistance, if they can be spared fmm below. I am of opinion the enemy will atttiek us with their fleet and army at the .same time. The former is very formidable, a list of which I am favored with by General Wiiterbury. and have enclosed. ".The .season is so lar advanced, cur people are daily growing more healthy. We have about nine thousand efl'ectives, and if properly supported, make no doubt of stopping the career of the enemy. All your letters to me of late have miscarried. I am extremely sorry to hear by General Gates you are unwell. I have sent you by (ieueral Watertmry a small box, containing all my public and private papers and accounts, with a considerable sum of hard and paper money, which I beg the favor of your taking care of. " I am, dear Generol, your most affectionate humble servant, "B. Arnold. "Tenon. Major-General Schuyler." Am. Archives, 5th S., Vol. II, p. 1080. 1. Am. Archives, 5th S., Vol. 11, p n02. 120 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. i' ■' pi; " It would have been happy for the United States had the gallant be- havior, and stoady good conduct of that excellent officer (Arnold;, been fiupportixl by a fleet in any degree equal to the enemy." ^ On the 14tli of October, General Gates in ;Tencnil orders " returns his thanks to General Arnold and the officers, sea- men and marines of the fleet for the ^alhuit defense they made against the great superiority of tlie enemy's force."' The conduct of the Americans extorted tlie admiration even of tlieir enemies. A gallant young English officer, named Dacre, was sent to p]ngland with dispatches, find in giving an account of the conflict "does justice to Arnold, and ac- knowledges that the disposition of liis force, and the defense lie made against a superior enemy, and the management of his retreat, did liini great honor." " The above extracts are given to show the judgment of the officers and fellow-soldiers of Arnold at the time of the action, and before their opinion could be clianged by his subscijuent conduct. I am not unaware that, after ArnoUFs treason, and since it has become the natural inclination of our historians to discredit him, it has been stated "that he recklessly sacri- ficed his fleet without public benefit."* Such was not the opinion of his comrades, and Chief Justice Marshall, with more judicial fairness, expresses the judgment of the officers of the devolution, when he says: "Arnold's fleet was very advantageously j^osted, and forming a strong line to defend the passage between Valcour Island and the west- ern main; and liis defeat did not dispirit the Americans, nor diminish liis reputation.* 1. Am. Archives, 5th S., Vol. II, p. 1192. 2. Am. Aichivos, 5th S., Vol. Ill, p. ,Vi5. :'). Am. Archives, 6th S., Vol. III. p. 1,227. ■1. HiiiRToft's History of tlic T'liiietl Stnto.«, Vol. IX. p. l.'iR. 5. Marslinll's Life of Wiishiuytoii, Vol. Ill, pp. 8-10. See also Irvlng'8 Life of Wasliington, Vol. 11, p. 441. CHAPTER VII. ARNOLD SUPERCEDED, AND HIS FIGHT AT RiDGEFIELD. "I am anxious to know whether (ieiu'rnl ArnoUl's iion-proinotion was nwins to accident or design ; and the cnusu of it. t^urcly a more aeiive, a more spirited, and sensible ofBcer fills no department of your army."— iVasliinnluii. 1 " May the broad hand of the Ahnii;lity (jvirshadow yo\i ; and if called to battle, may the Oud of armies cover your head ill the day of it."— i/ciH«a/i Arnoid to htr Brolhtr. Arnold in Washington's Camp-sfnt to Riiodk Island— Advances £l,fi00 to aid I.AMit IN Raising nis Regiment— Ofkehs Himself to tue Beautiful Miss Deiii.ois— Five Junior Brioadieus PRoMoTici) ovr.u him— He witholds iiis Re- signation AT \Vasiiin(. ton's Rkquest— His De.«?ehate Battle, and K.scai'E at RiDGEFIELD — Congress Vote him a Horse, and Commis.sion iiim a Ma,jor- GENERAI, — DEiLARE the ClIARGE-i OF BliOWN TO BE CrI'EL Asi'ERSIONS Ul'oN HIS Character— Washington Begs CuNoitLss TO Send iini North to aid in Re- pelling Blt.coyne. On his arrival at Ticondcro^a, Arnold was most cordially welcomed by General (Jates, Ills ])()]mlarity had been greatly increased by his conduct in the battle npon Lake Champlain. Mr. Sparks say.s: " Some writers have coiiimentfcl on the execution of this enterprise in ii tone of captious criticism, which can liy no means be sustained by an impartial view of the suliject.^ Arnold was sent out to meet the enemy. Whether he should fight or not. it is true, was left to his discretion. He chose the former, and was beaten; but not until he had maintained a combat for half a day, with a force nearly double his own, and caused the enemy to retire. This fact is enough to prove that his position was 1. Letter to Richard Henry Lee. Sparks' Writinj^s of Washington, Vol. IV, p. :t51. 2. Life of Arnold, pp. SO-81. See Bancroft's History of U. S., Vol. IX, p. 150. (121) 122 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. .iiidiciously chosen, and that the action on his part was skillfully fon^'ht. * * With consumniate address, ho then penetrated tiie enemy's lines, and bronghfc ott' his whole fleet, shattered and disabled as it was, and succeeded at last in saving six of his vessels, and it might be added, most of his men. * * * The conduct of Arnold was at the time approved by his military supe- riors, by Congress, and the whole nation." Therel'ure, when he joined tlic army afjuin atTioondoro^a, his fellow-soldiers cordially welcomed him, and i-ei^arded his escape, in the langnage of ('olonel Yarick, as ''a l)le.ss- injj from Almighty God." Carleton did not attack Ti- conderoga. The lateness of the season, and the manner in which Arnold had resisted li's attack on the Ameri- can fleet, doubtless inflnenc'd h'm. Arnold had exhib- ited thus far in his military carter a brilliant heroism, an energy and determination, cortaiiily unsurpassed by that of any officer in the service. lie ha(i from the first enjoyed the unqualified confidence of AVashington and Schuyler. AVarrciJ, while he lived, was his devoted friend, and Chase, and Carroll of Carrollton the commissioners from Con- gress to Canada, mIio had visited him in his camp, certified to his ffood conduct. Yet he liad bitter ami infiuential enemies. Lieutenant Colonel ]3rown and Colonel Easton jn'obably prejudiced some of the members of C^iugress from 'New P^nii'land against him. Chase liad written to him in August, on his return to riiiladelphiii from Canada: "T am distressed to hear so many reports injurious to your character about the goods seized at Montreal. I cannot but request all persons to suspend their opinion, to give you an opportunity of being heard. Your best friends ar.; not your countrymen. * * * Mr. Carroll re- quests his compliments, etc. ' Your atl'ectionate and obedient servant, "SaMUKL CitASE." Possibly the warm friendship manifested for him by Schuyler, who early suggested his name for an important ]wsition, and who was very unpopular with most of tlie 3. Am. Arcliivcs, 5Ui S., Vol. I, p. 810. -} HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON'. Is^ew England delegates in Coiigrcs?, may liave prejudiced some of the members from that section ajjcainst him. "A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country." As he now came np the lake to Ticonderoga, with the glory won in tlu; Miidcnicss of Maine, at Quebec, at A'alcour Island, honored by bin associates as the hero of tlie hour, there was a great contru-st betwe^'ii his conditiijii, when in May 1775, he marched by the side of Ethan Allen into the sally-port of the old fortress. If his memory reverted, us it doubtless did, to the time when as a ninaway boy lie had sought on the shores of these same waters, adven- ture in the ranks, ho must have felt some satisfaction in •what he had already accomplished. Intensely ambitious, had he possessed the wonderful self-control and j)oiso of "Washington, his career would have been as brilliant in its termination as it had thus far been bright and promis- ing. But, while respectful to his superiors, and ])lacable to those who made friendly advances to him, there is prob- ably no instance — I know of none — in which this proud and haughty soldier sought to conciliate an enemy. To those who injured him, and to those he believed desired to injure him, he was stern and defiant. Hence he had many and powerful enemies, and he was too proud to take any step to conciliate them. They who became unfriendly from any cause, or without cause, were apt to continue so; and prejudice was easily created against a man of his haughty spirit, and these enemies finally drove him to des- peration and a terrible crime. On the twenty-seventh of Xoveniber, Arnold and Gates were at Albany, and Gates wrote to the President of Con- gress, saying: "General Arnold, who is now liere, is anxious nftin* his long absence to see his family, and settle his public accounts. Should the motions of 124 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. tho ononiy iiiiiko liis prcsfnon nocossavy, T know liia zoiil for tlio acrvico will oiitw'i^'li all other cuiisiderutiuiis, and induce liiui to tuku tim route that leads to them." ' On the fourteenth of December, 1770, AV^ashlni^ton writes to Governor Truiuball, of Connecticut: ''I have ordered General Arnold, on his way down from Ticonderoga to ^(orwich, or wherever his presence will be most necessary ;" " and to General Gates: "1 wrote to (ieneral Arnold to go*to the eastward on account of intelli- ji^enco from that quiirter. His presence will lie of inlinite service."' This order missed him on his route, and he had the ])leasure of visiting AVasliington at Ins camp, on the banks vi' the Delaware, wlieri; he remained three days, a short time before the battle of Trenton.' The Ib-itish were threateniui' the coast of New England and Arnold was now sent to lihode Island to co-operate with General Heath in railvini; the militia, ami niakini; ])re])arations to repel them. General Green, writing to the (iovernor of lihode Island, says : "General 8])encer and (ieneral Arnold are coming to take the command in lihode Island. Arnold is a line sjurited fellow, and an active Gen- eral."* On his way, Arnold visited his sister, and his children, then under her motherly care. The British landed and took possession of Newport. The winter was passed by him in New England. He visited Boston, and spent some time there in consulting leading men and the Legis- ture, with a view of raising a force with which to attack the enemy in Ilhode Inland. Washington wrote to him several times during the winter, and in reply to letters from liim desiring permission to attack, Washington discouraged hinb 1. Am. Archives, 5Ui S..V0I. Ill, p. 87.5. 2. Am. Archives, 5th S., Vol. Ill, p. rilf). :i. Am. Archives, 5th S., Vol. Ill, p. 1217. 4. Am. Archives, Dth S., Vol. Ill, p. VMi. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 125 on the ground tliat his force was insufficient to make success "moriilly certain." * In tlie canij)aif^n afjainst Quebec, Arnokl liad formed a strong attachment for a comrade, ('apt. John Lamb, who in the assault commanded the artiMcry; and nho i)ah- liiRton, Vol. IV. p ;ii:i; also, letter of March 3d, Vol. IV, p. 311. 'i.. l.cakcH LiCe of I.nmb, p. lOO. ;!. Leake's Life of Lamb. j). I'i3. This act does not tend to prove the penurious- ne.ss with whicli Arnold lius been charged. 120 LIFE OF BKNTDICT AltXOLD. will piiiko no ohjortion to ronoivinpr tlioin. I make no douht, yon will soon liiivo till' |)l('iisurr! to son I lie chiiniiiii^ Mrs. Kinciy, iiml hiivo it in your power to Rive nie the favomblo intcUivrt'nce. I shall remain uniler tlio most anxious suspcnHc until I liavi' tlic fiivor of n Lino from you, wiio, if I may judf,'!', wil' from your own oxpcrii'ncordnsidertlie fond aiixii'ly, the plowing liopps and cliilling U'.wh that alternately poBsess the heart, of dear Madam, Ynur obedient and most humble Serv.mt, "J3KNKDICT Arnold. "Mrs. Knox, Donton."' ror]ia]>8 the brilliant soldier woiilers, giving an account of his conduct; confirmed by the relations of ]\Ir. Carroll, one of the late commissioners to Canada, then a member of the Board of War, and that this evidence had ijiven entire satisfaction to the Board, concerning the Gen- oral's character and conduct, so cruelly and (jroundlcsshj aspersed. " Congress immediately confirmed the report. But not- withstanding all this, for some reason Congress did not give him his projier rank; he was still out-ranked by the live Major Generals, by whom he had been superceded on the lyth of Februarv. lie who had been the senior Briga- dier General, was now at the foot of the Major Generals, 1. Journals of Congress, Vol. Til, p. 19i. 2. The text of the resolution is as follows: "The Poanl of War reported tliat they had had a conference witli Major-General Arnold, concerning the imputations cast upon ;ms cluiracter, contained in a haml-liill. dated I'itt^licld, April 12th, 1777, and snbscribci', .(olin Brown— laiil befiire Congress by the (icneral in his letter to tlic Pri sident- 'hat the Cieneral laid liclorc tlio Hoanl a variety of original letters, orders and other papers, which, toL'ctbcr with tlic (Icncral's account of his conduct, confirmed bv the relation of Mr. (am ill, oiic ni'tlio late cmnmissioners toCainida— now amem')or of this board— luive given entire salisl'action to tliis Bi ard, con- <'erning the General's character and conduct, so cruelly and grouitdlcsaly aspersed in the publication. ■'Scsolved, That the said repct be confirmed." Ditto p. i!)0. ri II mm 134 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. all his late juniors outrariking liiin. There is an inconsis- tency and a mystery in regard to this action of Congress, difficult 10 understand. General Wasliington himself could not understand it. On the 5th of May, he wrote to the President of Congress, saying: "General Arnold's promo- tion gives me much pleasure. lie has certainly discovered in every instance, where he has had an opportunity, much hravery, activity and enterprise. JJut what will be done about his rank ? He will not act, most probably, under those he commanded but a few weeks ago." ' Washington, sensible of the delicacy of Arnold's posi- tion, gave him the command on the Hudson, which w\'is then regarded as honorable a post as any officer could hold. On the 7th of May, Washington writes to General McDou- gal, saying: "I have desired him (General Arnold) to come immediately to Peekskill. * * You will find him a man of judgment." * * * Arnold however did not accept this position, but asked and obtained leave to go to Pliiladolphia, and ask the resto- ration of his proper rank and that his accounts should be settled. Washington gave him a letter to the President ot Congress stating the object of his visit, and requesting that Arnold should have "an opportunity of vindicating himselt, and his innocence."' He adds "It is needless to say any- thing of this gentleman's military character. It is univer- sally known that he has always distinguished himself as a judicious, brave officer, of great activity, enterprise and perseverance." On his arrival, he addressed a letter to Congress, which shows how deeply he felt wounded and grieved : •' I am exceedingly unhappy," said he, "to find that after having made 1. SparKs' Writings of Washington, Vol. IV, p. 408. 2. Sparks' VVritin.>,s of Wasliinj?ton, Vol. IV, p. 410. 3. Sparks' Writings of Washington, Vol. IV. p. 416. Ills TATKIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 135 every sacrifice of fortune, ease and domestic happiness to servo my coun- try, I am publ.cly impeached (in particular by Lt. -Colonel Brown,) of a catalogue of crimes, which, if true, ought to subject nie to disgrace, in- famy, and the just resentment of my countrymen. Conscious of the rec- titude of my intentions, however I may have erred in judgment, I must request the favor of Congress to point out some mode V)y which my con- duct, and that of my accusers, may be inquired into, and justice done to the innocent and injun.'d. ' ' This was the letter which, with the other papers, were referred to the Board of "War, as above set forth. On tlie day this petition was presented, May 20th, Ilichard Henry Lee wrote from Congress to Mr. Jefferson, saying: "One plan, now in frequent nse, is to assassinate the characters of the friends of America, in everyplace and by every means; at this moment they are now reading in Congress an audacious attempt of this kind against the brave General Arnold." ' But Congress did not restore his proper rank — nor was any action taken on the letter " of General Washington." Congress had declared that they were entirely satisfied with the conduct of General Arnold; the}' declared the charges againsi him "cruel and groundless," and yet they did not do him the justice to restore his rank. Those who knew him best, and whose opportunities for learning his true character were most favorable, were his warmest friends. Washington, Schuyler and Gates, up to and after this time, the commissioners of Congress to Canada, Chase and Carroll, of Carrollton, who had been in his camp, and among the troops in Canada, sent there to investigate and correct wrongs and abuses — all bear testimony to his merits, and all at this time were his friends. To what extent his treatment by Congress is to be attributed to envy, jealousy, or other unworthy motives, it is now perhaps impossible to determine. II i 1. Sparks' WritiiiKS of WiisliiiiKton. Vol. TV, p. ^17. 2. Sparks' Writiiig.s of Wasliiiiytou, Vol. IV —note to page 418. 13G LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. "NVlulo in Pliiladelpliia, Arnold presented his accounts, and asiked the aj)pointnient of a committee to investigato and audit them. These accounts were voluminous, running hack to the time when he started from (•ambridiru on the expedition to Quebec, through all his campaigns in Canada and on Lake Champlain, down to the battle of Yalcour Island. During all this time the army was very imperfectly organized, the supply of money was inadequate — what was furnished often un-current; the business of purchases, payments, and money affairs generally, rested in a very- large degree with the commanders of detachments. In June, 1770, in a letter from St. Johns, writing to Gen- eral Sullivan, Arnold says: " I have borrowed several suuis of hard money. * * The poor soldiers receive no benelit from their pay (it being in uncurrent paper), and starve in the midst of plenty, with their ])(»ckets full of money." ' Writing to the commissaries of Congress, June '2nd, 1770, Arnold says: "Everything is in the greatest confusion." Not one contractor, commissary or quarter-nnister. I am obliged to do the duty of all." " In May, 1776, at Sorel, he had to purchase for the troops beef, wheat, flour, blankets, tents, clothing, etc. He says: "A. quarter-master and commissar}' are nnich needed here; I have so much on hand I can hardly get one minute to write."' To Chase, one of the commissaries, he says, May loth: "Will it not be advisable and justifiable to seize on all such goods in Montreal as we are in absolute necessity for, and pay them the value? This I submit to your better judgment." * Arnold had sometimes used his own means, and his credit, which at that time seems to have been good in Canada, to relieve the most pressing needs of the suffering soldiers. At ]. Am. Archives, 4th S., Vol. VI, p. or,l. •J. Am. Arcliivcs, fith S., Vol. I. p. 1(15 a. Am. Archives, 4th s., Vol. VI, pp. .■i79-5S0. 4. Am. Areliives, 4tti S., Vol, VI, pji. S.'^O-SSl. iH^B .i^^Hj m il jBt HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 11^7 the coinmcncenient of the war he was in easy circnmstancos, a pros2)erous and enterprising merchant. He said that in tlie service of liis country he had sacrificed the " greater ])art of a handsome fortnne." lie was always profuse in his expenditures, and was a man who, if he had means or credit, would never hesitate one moment in using lioth for the relief of his soldiers, and to promote his ruling passion for military snccess. ITndouhtedly the accounts of his expendi- tures, seemed t) the committee of investigation very large: and he had enemies who did not hesitate to charge him with an attempt to defraud the country, for which lie had been so freely ex})osing his life. In the ahseiu^e of any proof of fraud, it is more charitable — proljably more just — to attrib- ute the large claims which he presented, to the confusion in which atl'airs had been managed, and to the necessities of the service — the sufferings of the sohliers, which had intluccd him to use his own means and credit to the utmost. While the committee of Congress were examining his accounts, he was a])pointed to the command of the army then gathering in the neighborhood of Philadelphia, to watch the movements of General Howe. AVhen this oliicer made a demonstration towards I'hiladelphia, Arnold was sent fVn'ward to the Delaware above Trenton, to co-ope- rate with Washington in opposing his advance. This duty he discharged with his usual zeal, and was as usual eager to light. AVriting to Mifflin, June 12th, 1777, he says: " Fight the enemy wo must, whenever our reinforcements are in. AVe cannot avoid it with lionor; our men are in high spirits."' But the British General retiret^ to Brunswick, and Arnold returned to Philadelphia, and again sought a settlement of his accounts. The committee having the matter in charge did not report, nor did Congress act ujion his reiterated re ^aest that his proper rank should be 1. Remembrancer, Vol. V, p. 208. ) 1 "If 138 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. restored. His jiatiencc became exliansted, and his woiiiided ])ridc and impetuous temper would not Bubmit. lie wrote a letter to Congress tendering Ins resignation, but deelaring that he was driven to it only by a sense of injustice; and ])rot'e6sing an ardent love for his country, and his readiness to risk his life in her cause; but added: " Honor is a sacrifice no man ought to make; as I received, so I wish to transmit it to posterity." On the very day this letter from Arnold was presented to Congress, tliat body received a letter from General Wash- ington, dated July 10th, 1777, communicating the fact that General Burgoyne was advancing along the old war path from Canada, determined to possess himself of all our posts in that quarter, and threatening to advance still further to Albau}' and the Hudson, and earnestly recommending that they should send Arnold to the field of danger. He says: " * * Upon this occasion I would take the liberty to siip^'est to Con- gress the propriety of sendinr AXD IIFS TRKASOX. 141 Luke C'lianiplain, and the Lniiks of the irudnon, to Alhniiv. Auxiliary and co-operative with this, was another expedi- tion under St. Leper, whicli, passing u]) the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario to Oswego, was to push thn»ugli hy way of "Wood Creek and the Oneida Lake, into the ricli valley of the IMoliawk, capturing on its way ohl Fort Stanwix, then called Fort Schuyler, where the city of Home now stands; thence along the Mohawk to join Biirgoyno at Alhany. ^feaiiwhile, General Kowe was to advance up the Hudson from the city of Kew York, and form a junction with the combined forces of St. Leger and Bnrgoyne. AV^ith St. Leger was a large body of Indians, under Sir John John- son and Joseph Brant (Thayandenega), one of the ablest and most celebrated of the Indian chiefs. The fall of Fort Schuyler, and the success of the expedition, would expose all the settlements west of Albany, most of which were then organized, as Tryon county, to the barbarous cru- elties of the savages. How appalling these would have been, the massacre of men, women and .children at AVyo- ming, Cherry Valley and other places, but too well indicate. The success of Burgoyne's campaign would have cut oji' Xew England from the other States, and have jdaced the ])owerful State of New York in the complete control of tlu' I'ritish. It is v t, therefore, surprising that both the friends and foes of American independence, looked upon the result, as likely to be extremely important, ])erhaps absolutely decisive. "This campaign will end the war," said Roidesel, one of Burgoyne's most distinguished officers The theater of conflict was one of the most picturesque in America; and has been long known as hereinbefore stated, as the battle ground on which the fate of America between France and Great Britain had been often contested. The lakes of the north, as well as the valleys of the Mohawk and the Hudson, had often been the pathway of French, English, .^«Mr-'n--t— Ay-rtT.:?j'^rA.rf-«^l«» 142 LIFE OF BEXEDICT ARNOLD. IM III Colonial and Indian armies. Composed of lakes and moun- tains, rivers and valleys, dark forests and fertile fiats, the country was interesting, not only for its strategic impor- tance, but for its picturesque beauty. Most of this vast region, now among the most thickly settled and highly cul- tured parts of New Yc ., was in 1777 a wilderness. Settlements west of Albany were scattered and weak; the people exposed alike to the wild animals and still wilder and more savage Indians. Block-houses for defense were still common among the settlers; and along the Mohawk the little stone church was often used as a substitute in case of attack. The Tory element was of considerable strength. In the Valley of the Mohawk, there had lived for several years in baronial style, in "Johnson Hall," the family of Sir William Johnson, and the influence of this family over the Indians, with whom they were allied by marriage, was very strong. Far greater difl'erences in social rank and condition existed at that time in New York than in most of the New England States. Grants of lands in large areas had been made to various individuals, and as the law of entail and primogeniture then existed, these lands were still held in very large tracts by the descendants of the grantees, and the landlords lived in considerable state, and exercised lari^e influence over their tenants and dependant-?. Some of these large land-holders were adherents of Great Britain, but most of the historic families of the colonial days were patriots, exercising controlling influence in their State, and they made themselves felt in the national government. The Clintons, the Livingstons,* the Van Rensselaers, the Gane- voorts, the De Lanceys, the Duers, the Jays and the Schuy- 1. Livingston "Informed me he held 300,000 Rcres of Iru^."— Journal of Charles Carroll to Canada, in 1776. Van Eenselaer had a grant of twenty miles on each <>ide of the Hudson. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 113 lers, and tlieir associates, were very important personages at tbo Colonial and Ilevolntionary period. In no pait of the lte])nl)lic are the changes and advance of onr country more strikingly illustrated than in this val- ley. A hundred years ago, and Fort Stanwix was the frontier post; the hark canoe of the Mohawk and Oneida Indians, and the flat-boat of the pioneer, bore the few sup- plies and exchanges taken to and from Albany to the set- tlers. Now tlie lournev from the site of Fort Stanwix at Kome, past Utica, through this picturesque valley to Schenectady and A]l)aiiy, is along a canal and railway that convey the travel and the trade of the continent, and over which pass a nuniber of passengers and an aniount of com- merce nowhere exceeded in die world. John Burgo^Mie, the leader of the expedition, which it was confldently hoped would end the war, had seen servige and won. a brilliant reputation as a soldier, in Portugal. He was connected by marriage with the noble house of Derby; was popular with the people, a favorite at court and in the army; and every means was jilaced at his com- nuxnd which could contribute to the success of his enter- prise. His troops, grenadiers, infantry and artillery were of the best in the British army. He had under him Major- General Pliillips and General Fraser, a gallant Scotchman, both regarded as possessing extraordinary skill and ability; about four thousand German trooj)s, commanded by Gen- eral Eediesel, and a large number of Canadians, Indians and Royalists, made up a force numbering in all nine or ten thousand men. In arms and appointments, in every- thing which could make his army effective, nothing was omitted. On the 24th of June, this carefully prepared engine of destruction moved along the old historic Avar patli towards Crown Point. General St. Clair occupied Tieondoroga and I 3 ■n 141 LxFE OF BENEDICT AKNOLD. Moimt IndcpciKlcnce — tlic former the old fortress into wliicli Ethan Allen and Arnold liad marched side by side, on tlie 10th of ^Fuy, 1775. Fort Independence had been con- structed since tliat time. Together, these two posts com- manded a narrow passage of the lake, and this had been so obstructed as, it was believed, would prevent the passage of vessels; but unfortunately both these fortifications were themselves completely commanded by high and accessible elevations, called Sugar Loaf Hill and Mount Hope, and through a strange oversight these comnif -ding positions had been left unoccu]>ied. The British arrived in the neiring in scalps, and hanging on the out-posts of the advancing columns, frequently murdered unarmed parties, and their ferocity was often exhibited in the ruthless scal])- ing of the settlers, not sparing women and children. On the 27th of July, Jane McCrea, a beautiful girl of twenty years of age, betrothed to David Jones, a loyalist and Lieutenant in the Jh-itish service, Avhile riding frtjm Fort Edward to the British camp, escorted by two Indians, was cruelly killed and scalped. This sad traged}', made more touching by the beauty of the victim, has for a century been the tlieme of poetry and romance. The hori-id drama has been told in various and conflicting narratives, and the exact truth is involved in some obscurity; but that it touched the heart and nerved the arm of every loyal father, brother, and lover in the American settlements, far and near, there is no disjiute. Each realized the ]iossil)ility that such niiglit be the fate of liis own wife, daughter, sister or betrothed; and the story told at the fireside of so many liomes, aroused a hatred toward the British, then accused of exciting the savages against the Americans, which, in the neighborhood of the tragedy has not died out to thi= day. The accusation, so far as Burgoyne was I. Losslng's Field Book of the Revolution. 10 14G LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. a- I concerned, has lorii^Leon known to have been unjust. He was shocked by tlie event, caused " the assassin to heliunted out, and tlireatened liiin with death, hut par(h)ned him on bein;": tokl that the total detection of the Indians would have ensued from puttin<(his threat into execution."' ]^>ut the touching story of poor Jenny McCrea brought liundreds of volunteers to oppose Burgoyne, who might otherwise have remained at home. The fall of Ticonderoga and the retreat of St, Clair alarmed the patriots, gladdened the loyalists, and fixed the wavering Indians to what thev now rcij-ardcd as the str(»n<»;- est side. Yet heavy as was the loss, it is not clear but that in the end it was for the advantage of the Amei-ican cause. If Burgoyne had been repulsed from the fortitications at Ticonderoga, having command of the lake, he could at all times have made good his retreat; but he was now advanc- ing so far into the interi(^r that he must either ijet throuixh to Albany or be captured. His advance south and beyond water communication with Canada, secured the capture of his whole army. Yet at the time the disasters of the vVmer- icans in the north, and the approach of Burgoyne with his Indian allies, caused a depression and anxiety scarcely equalled during the war. In this dark Ikmu- it appears that both AYashington and 8chuyler, each of whom knew Arnold well, thought of him as the fittest othcer to send forward to lead, and as Washington said in his letter to Congress, "to animate the militia that may assemble for checking Gen- eral Burgoyne's progress;" and he adds: "being more and more convinced of the important advantages that will result from his presence and conduct, I have thought it my duty to repeat my wishes, that he may set out without a moment's loss of time for that purpose," ^ " lie is active, 1. Rivnoroft's History of the United States, Vol. IX, p. 372. 2. Sparlts' Writings of Wasliington, Vul. IV, p. 4'JO, : I' HIS rATRioTis:vr and iits treason. 147 jndicious and brave," and " I liavonodonhtof his addini^ to the lionors he has already acqnired."* Congress, notwith- standing the strong prejudice which some of the members entertained against ArnoUl, yielded to these repeatxxl requests of Washington, and he was ordered to the nortii- ern frontier. Pleased with such an endorsement, which soothed his wounded pride, and flattered by being selected for the post of danger, Arnold instaTitly set forward, declaring he would serve under anybody or anywh"?'^, so that he could serve his country, and that he would tri!::.t to the justict. of his claims for future repara*^'' n. IIow much Washington expected from him appears from a letter to General Heath, dated July 19,1777: " I have sent General Arnold up to join Schuyler. * * I hoj)e with Arnoid's assistance, in wdiom the army, and militia ])articularly, have great confi- dence, matters will be put in a more forward train." " On the lOth of July, 1777, W^ashington writes to Schuy- ler from "The Clove:'' " Upon my recjnisilion, Gonoral Arnold, Wiiiving for tho present all dis- pute about rank, left I'hiladelphia, and arrived, hero last evenin;,', and this day proceeds on his journey to join you. Althoufrh ho conceives himself, if his promotion had been regular, as superior in command to General St. Clair, yet ho generously, upon this occasion, lays aside his claim and will create no dispute, should the good of the service require him to act in concert. I need not enlarge upon the well-known activity, conduct and bravery of (Jeneral Arnold. The proofs ]m has given of all these have gained the confidence of the public, and of the army— the Eastern troops in particular." ^ On the same day Washington, to encourage the officers of the militia, announced to tlioin that their favorite. Gen- eral Arnold, was to command them. J le addressed a letter "To the Brigadier Generals of Militia in the western parts of Alassa- chusetts and Connecticut," saying: "General Arnold, who is so well 1. Spiirks" Writings of Washington Vol. IV. ii. 187. 2 Mas.s. His. Vol., Vol. IV, p. fi". Heatli I'lipprs. 3. Writings of Washington, Vol. IV, pp. I'JS-y. I ml H 148 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. 1 known to you all, goes up at my request to take the command of the militia in jiarticular, and I have no doulit but you will, undi'r his conduct and direction, repel an pnomy from your hordcrs who has brou<,'ht sav- apres with the avowed intent of adding'' murder to desolation." ' Starting Avitiuiut delay from the camp of Wasliington and traveling rapidly, lie arrived in July at Fort Edward, and joined General Schuyler. The ai'my was preparing to move a few miles down the Hudson and take a position near Moses Creek. The forces were divided into two divis- ions, one of which was put under the command of Arnold. Schuyler retreated to Stillwater, the British taking posses- sion of Fort Edward. "While here, intelligence reached Arnold that the question of his rank had been brought up in Congress, and on the ayes and nays — then for the first time called in the Continental Congress — decided against .him." In the face of the letters of "Washington to Con- gress in reference to Arnold, his military record, and his conduct in the present expedition, this action seems very strange and cruel. Indignant, mortified and wounded, he asked permission to resign, but by the persuasion of his old friend. General Schuyler, who represented to him the "absolute necessitv " of his services ai so critical a mo- ment, he, with a magnanimity and patriotism rivaling that of Schuyler himself, withdrew his request. He was yet, by his heroic services and by his blood, to extort from Con- gress the rank which in the judgment of Washington was so unjustly withheld.' Writing to Gates, then his friend, 1. Writings of Washington, Vol. IV, p. 500. It was at this time, while Arnold was the guest of Wa.'hiiigtoii, and being " lirother Masuni'," lliey visitid together a Masonic l.c^ge. Tliey neeived a liroth- erly welcome, and each signed his name on the reoorproach of St. Leger and his Indian and tory allies, he a[)]K\aled to Schuyler for aid, setting forth the dreadful condition of the inhabitants of Tryon County, if the fort should be taken, and the scattered and defenseless settlers given up to the' cruelties ai-d atrocities of the Indians. The irarrison had been strengthened by Colonel Mariuus Willett, a brave and skillful otlicer, from the city of IS^ew York, with his regiment and provisions and military stores. St. Leger had arrived on the 3d of August, and sur. rounding the fort with Iiulians, who, by their yells and war whoops, sought to intimidate the garrison, demanded a sur- render, which Ganesvoort perem])torily refused. Meanwhile, General Herkimer having heard that the enemy were approaching across Oneida Lake towards the valley, called on the militia of Tryon county to rally to the rescue. They responded zealously, and from the scattered hamlets and settlements gathered in and met at Fort Dayton, on the German Flats in the Valley of the Mohawk, and on the day when St. Leger invested Fort Schuyler, Herkimer was at Oriskany marching to its relief. The sister of the JNIuhawk chief sent word to him that 1. Letter from Arnold to Gntes. Ans. 'i, 1777. ^faiiuscript lettur in Gates' puiicrs, Vol. IX J). 42, in the New York Uistorical .Society. 150 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. llerkhner was approach! n<;, and tlii-s skillful warrior on con- sultation with Sir John Johnson and St. Leger, deterniinement the crack of ritles and the yells and shouts of the combatants. This was followed by such a deluge of rain as instantly to render the fire-arms unserviceal)le. i!oth ])arties paused and sought shelter under the trees. During this pause the leaders were busy ])reparing to renew the conflict as soon as the rain should cease. When the rain 152 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. Blackened the battle rapjed again with ni 'liminished fury. In the midst of this contliet, guns were heard from the direction of Fort Schuyler ; it was the attack of Colonel Willctt on the ]iartiall}' deserted camp of Sir flohn Johnson. AVillett caj)tured a liirL^e (quantity of clothing, stores, cani]* e(|uii)au;es, tive JJritish flags, and carried them into the Fort without the loss of a man. The British tlags were immediately run u]) on the Hag-stalf and hung under the colors of the United States, a Hag of strii)os of red and white, lately im])rovised and rudely made np from the gar- ments of the sohliers and their wives. The tiring from the direction of the Fort caused the Indians to lalter, and they soon gave way and lied in all directions. This bloody battle, known as the ''iJattle of Oriskany," was, in i)ropor- tion to the numbers engaged, one of the most destructive during the war. It was not a decisive victory for either ])arty. The Americans remained in i>ossession of the tield, but the conflict did not relieve Fort Schuyler ; the British and Indian furces returning to the siege, so closely invested it that no reliable information ot the battle reached (ianse- voort. The gallant Ih'rkimer was taken to his home near the Little Falls, on the Mohawk, and died a few days after the battle. His name has been approjiriately given to the village and county of his residence, where his memory is still cherished. St. Leger claimed a victory at Oriskany, and atcain de- ]nan ded a surrender of the fort, declaring to Ganesvoort that nothing could save the garrison from massacre bv his savage allies but immediate surrender. Ganesvoort indig- nantly refused, and determined to hold out to the last ex- tremity, lie dispatched Colonel Willctt, with Lieutenant Stockwell as guide^ to General Schuyler for relief. At night, i»i the midst of a violent storm, they left the fort; crossing the Mohawk upon a log, and crawling upon their hands and HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 153 knees, tlicy pjisscd tlie line of sentinels undiscovered, and after many ]iar(lshi|")S, on tlie 12th of Aiii^nst reached thi' liead larters of (ieneral Schuyler.' Jle had ahvady heard of the i)attle, and was devising means for the succijr of Gansevoort. lie fully appreciated tlie suiferings which would follow the fall of Fort Schuyler, lie knew that the tomahawk, the scalping kiufo and the midnight torch, would desolate, scatter and desti'oy the ])atriot settlements all along the Yallev of the ]\I<»liawk, and throuirh Trvon county, and that the victorious Indians and tories, flushed with success, would come down "like an avalanche" upon Schenectady and Albany, and swell the approaching army of IJurgoyne. Arnold, writing to Gates, says : "Those infernal savapcs, painted like furies, are continually liarrnssiiif,' and scalpini? our people, and the niisiTiihle, drfi-iM rlrss inhiiliitiints. Wiiole i'auiilies of tlie hitter have been inhumanly hutchercil, witliimt dis- tinction of a<,'e or sex; and some (I am credibly informed) have been roasted alive in the presence of the polite and humane Hritish army. * * * Tills is the protection many poor deluded wretches have ex- perioncod from the British arms, who remained quietly in their homes, agreeably to Generiil Burgoyne's proclamation." ' Scliuyler, therefore, from motives alike of compassion for the settlers who appealed to him as to a father for ]n'o- tection, as also for military reasons, determined t(» relieve the beleaguered garrison, lie called a council of war. and proposed to the otKcers assembled, to send a detachment up the Mohawk. ]Most of the ofhcers, except Arnold, oj)posed this ])ro])osition, on the ground that the entire army was already too M'eak to resist Burgovne. Schuyler became very much excited by their o])position. "Walking rapidly up and down tli^ council room, and smoking vehemently, he overheard some one say, '■'■ he means to v^eaken the arm ij!^^ He liad been charged with 1. I.ossing'sPict. Hist, of the Kevoliition, Voi. I, p. 2')0. 2. From Gates' Papers, Vol. IX, ji. IJ, in Nfw York Historical Society. 'Ai\\ 154 LITE OF JiKNKDKT AKXOLI). cowai'ilice, and even with treason, by liis ]ii"('jii(li(',e(l ene- mies. C'l•lll^llin<^ into tVai,nn(!nts with his t(!('th tlie clay jiipe wliich ho was sinokiii"^, he ])ause(l, raised his liead, and lodkini; (»ver tlie •,^niU]> of olHeers, said with dii^nity: " CJentlenien, I shall take the responsiidlity upon inyselt"; Fort Stanwix and the; Afohawk Valley shall i)e saved!! Where is tlie iJri^^adier who will coninianil the relief? I shall beat uj) for volunteers to-niorrow." Arnold, thou<^li a Major-(ieneral, and second in ('(inunaiul, indiujuant that his friend sliould be so wronijed, instantly volunteered. Im- pulsive, ever ready for deeils of dariiiij;, knowini;- liow false and cruel were the imputations cast upon Schuyler, he at (Mice oll'ered his services, and they were most gratefully ac- ce[)ted. On the next morjung the drums were beatiui^ through the cani[) for vtdunteers, and it was announced that Major-Cieneral Arnold had offered to lead them, and before noon eight luindred men had volunteered to follow him to the rescue of (Jansevoort. Schuyler, giving Arnold his in- structions, says: '• It gives me great satisfaction that yon have otfered to go and conduct the military expedition in Tryou County."" ' jSlany of Arnold'o vohmteers were of the brigade under General ]x'arned, some of which had already lieen sent by Schuyler into the valley of the Mohawk. Washington, writing to Schuyler August 21st, says : "If the militia keep up their spirits * '^ '•'■ they will, with the reiniorcements under (ieneral Arnold, l)e enabled to raise the siege of Fort Schuyler, which will be a most important matter just at this time." " AVith such portion of his troops as could move rajtidly, Arnold ])Uf.hed on with his usual energy to Fort Dayton, on the German Flats, arriving on the 20th of August. On 1. Losslng's Schuyler, Vol. II, p. 288. a. Sparks' VVritiiigs of Washington, Vol. V, p. 37, and Carrlngtou's Battles, p. 325. I 1 HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TIIEASOX. 15«") the 21st lie called a couneil of war, coiisirttiiiiif of I>ri:L^iiai;e to the Oiieiilas to meet at Alhaiiy, anil hml Intrusted him (Gen. Arnold) to eiiKiifje as many of them as po.ssihlu in our service, and had fiiriiisheil him with some [ireseiits for them, in (•oiiscMnience of which lie had dispatched a messenger to them, reiiuestinn they would meet hiiiuit tlie GiTMiaii Flats ; as yesterday they did not arrive, ho had given orders for the army to march for Fort Schuyler this iiiorninjr. since whkh a de|iutatiun from tlie Oiieidas and 'I'usearoras had arrived, aeiiuaintiii;; him that thecliicfof Imth triln's witli their families would be hero the day after tomorrow, reinicstiiiKii iiieetiii«»wilh us; one of the Oneidas who had lately been at the enemy's encampment, also Infuniied that all the Si.v Nations, exceiit the two tribes above mentioned, had joined the enemy, the whole with foreign Indians amounting to (iflecn hundred, by tlie eiiemy'.s account. The Oneida, who is known to be a fast Irieiiilof ours, says, that fmm view- ing tlieir encaminnent, lie is fully coiiviiiecd tliiTe is upwards of one thuu^aiid IiKlians. acd from the best authority their oliier forces are near seven huiidied, besides some tories wlio have joined them since their arrival. Col. Willeit, wlio lately left the Fort, being present, is fully of opinion the above aceouiii is nearly true. "The General then ac(iuainted the Council that by the returns delivereil this morning, our whole lorce, rank and tile, ellectives. are nine huudied and thirty- tluee, and thirteen artillery men, e.vclusive of a lew militia, the whole not exceed- ing one hundred, ou whom little dciieudeiice can be placed; at the same lime re- (luests tlie opinion of tlie Council whellier it was prudent to iiiarcli with the jircsent force and endeavor to raise the siege of Fort Schuyler, or to remain at this jilace until a reinforeenunt can be solicited from below, and more of tlie militia lurned out to join us, and until the Oneidas had determined if they would join us, of which they give encouragement. "Jicsolccd, Tliat iu the opinion of this Council, our force is not equal to that of the loG LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. Iligli-soiniding proclamations had been issued early in the campaign hy both Burgoyne and St, Leger, and that of St. Lcgcr had been signed also by Sir John Johnson and others, hohling out inducements to the inhabitants to join the royal cause, and containing fearful threats against those who should refuse. Learning that these proclamations had had some influence upon the people, on his arrival at the German Fhits, Arnold issued a counter-proclamation, modeled somewhat after those which had been issued on the other side. The sever- ity and plainness of his language may doubtless be attrib- nted in part to the Indian outrages, of which the murder of poor Jane McCrea, which had been lately perpetrated, M'as an instance, lie denounced St, liCijer's force as " a CD banditti of robbers, murderers and traitors, composed of savages of America, and more savage Britons." lie oflers '' all concerned pardon, provided within ten days they lay down their arms, sue for ])rotection, and swear allegiance to tlie United States of America;" but declares if they "persist in their wicked career, determined to draw uj)on themselves the just vengeance of Heaven and of this cxas- ]ierated country, they must expect no mercy from either,"' oiumy, nnd tlint it would bo imprudent nnd p\Uting too much to the luiznrd to lUtumiit to inarcli to tlic relief of Fort Schuyler, until the army is reiiUnrecd ; the (' >uncil are of the opiuiou tlint an expre^^s oiiiilit innneiUiitely to be s^cnt to Gen. tiates, reqiie^ting jie will iininediately send such a reinfon enieiit to us as uiU enable us to inarch to the relief of the Fort, witli a jirobabilily of .succedini,', and that in the meantime the army remain at the German Flats, at lea.st until an answer can be had from Gen. Gates, and that all possible method be taken toper- Buadc the militia and Indians to join us. "B. AR^iO'LT), President." 1. The following is a copy of the proclamation : •• By the Hon. licnediet -Vrnold, Ksq.. Major Gencr.il and Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the United States of America, on tin; Mohawk lUver. " Whereas, a certain Harry St. Le^fcr, a Hritisli General in the service of the George of Great Britain, at the head of a biiiulitii nf Kobbcr.s, Murderers and Trai- tors, composed of Savages of America and more savatre Britons, among whom is a noted Sir Jolin Johnson, John Butler and Daniel Clans, have lately appeared on the frontiers of this Slate, and have threatened ruin and distruetioa to all the inhabitants of the United States. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 157 Meainvliile, some of the fj'arrison ut Fort Sclniyler, hear- ing iiuthiiii^ from Colonel Willett, and seeing no signs of relief, beiran to consider whether it wouUl not be wiser to save themselves from threatened massacre by surrender; but their determirkcd commander resolved that if no succor reached him, when liis provisions were exhausted he would march out some dark night with his troops, and cut his way through his besiegers, or die in the attempt. iJut this des- ])erate exjiedient was rendered unnecessary by the skill and strategy of Arnohl. Jle had been detained a short time at Fort Dayton for supplies, baggage and ammunition, to over take him, and for the " militia, who were now coming in in great numbers."* lie now sent word to Gansevoort that he was coming. On the 22nd, having heard that St. Le- ger's approaches had reached very near the fort, iKjtwith- standing the &u]>posed superiority in numbers on the part of St, Leger, and notwithstanding the resolutions of the council of war, that it would be imjn-udent to attempt to relieve Fort Schuyler until reinforcements should arrive, ho determined " to ]uish forward and hazard a battle rather than see the garrison fall a sacrifice."" On the 21st of August he wrote to Oeneral Gates: "I leave this place (the German Flats) this morning with 1200 Continental "They have also, by artifice and misrepresentation, induced many of tlio iRnorniit and unwary sul)jc(ts of tlioso states to forfeit tlieir allef,'iani'c to the same, and join them in tlieir atrocious crimes and partiesof treachery and parricide, nuinun- ity to these poor deludi'd wretches, who are hast; n' i;; Ijlindfold to cr-ist in their wickeil courses, lUtcrniinel to draw on themselves tho just ven- geance of Heaven, and of lliis exaspeiated country, they must e.xpect no mercy fromeither. " n. AitxoT.r), >taior Ceneral. 'Ciiven under my hand at Uend Qui'-' --.German Flats, '.idth of Aiii;ust, 1777." —Gales' Pupcrs, N, Y. His. Suckly. 1. Letter from Arnfild to Tiansevoort, Aug, 'J2, 177/, li. Stone's Campaign of liurgoyne, p. 212, 158 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. m troops and a liaiulful of militia, for Fort Sclinyler, still be- sieged by a imnibcr equal to ours. You will hear of my being victorious or no more. '•' '- As soon as the safety of this part of tlie country will ])crmit I will fly to your assistance." On the 23d lie wrote again to Gates, inclosing copy of the ])roceedings of the council of war, and say- ing that he had determined to hazard a battle rather than suiter the garrison to fall a sacrifice, and tluit he was marching for Fort Schuyler." ' On the mornint; of the 23d he was makiufi: a for^^d inarch up the ]VIowhawk with a part of his force, and had proceeded about ten miles from }iis cain]i wlien he met an express froin Gansevoort announcing that the siege had 1. The following is tlio toxt of his letter: "MowiiAWK Kivii]'., M M I i.Ks Above Fort Dayton, 1 .MiK't Xi, nil, i, O'clock r. M. J Dear Gkneral: " I wrote you the 21st Inst, from the German Flntts.that from the best intelligenee 1 could procure of the Kiieniy's strciiKth, it was much superior to Ours; (it same time Inclosed you Coppy of the resolutions of a f'ouncil of Warr, find requested you to send me a reinforcement of One thousand Li^lu Troops. As the Knemy hud made their approai'hes within Two hniidn>(l yunls of the Tort, I was determined at all events to hazard a lint tie ratlier tliau^'ilU'er ihe Garrison to fall asacrifisc; this morn- ing I marched from the (i. Klatts for this place : tlie e.\cessivo had roads and necessary precautions in Marching thro' a thick wood retarded us so much that wo have but this moment reached this place, where 1 have met an K.\press with the Inclosed Letter from ( olo. (iansevoorl, aci|uaints me the Knemy had yestcrilay retired from Fort Schuyler with ^reat precipilation; I am at a loss to .IiuIk*! of their real in- t nlions; whether they have returned home or retired with a view of en;,'aging us on the road; lam inilii.eil to tlie firmer from the acco't of the Deserters, and from their leaving their Tents and considerable Uaggage, which our people liave secured. "I shall immediately Detail Abt. Nine Imndreil Men and make a forced March to the fort in hopes of coming up with their rear, and seeming their Cannon and heavy Haggage. "My Artille:y, Tents, »tc., Ac., I shall leave here ; the Datteaus with Provisions fol- low me. As soon as the security of the l'.>st wdl rermit, I will return with as many Men as can be spared. As I come down in liatteaus, slinll be able to nuike great dispatch. " I have sent an Order for the Light Troops if yon have sent any, to return to you immediately, and the Militia to go home. "I am, Dear General, Your AlTectionatc, "ObeJ., Ilble. Srvt., "U. Arnold. "Houble. Mnjor-Geueral Gates." —Gates Papers, Vol. IX, p. 01, N. Y. JliU. Societ; HIS TATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. lo'J been raised. Gaiisevoort did not at first understand it, but Arnold griinly smiled at tlie success of a Rune De Ouerrc, which be had ])racticed. It was this: His troops liad captured a !^[()hawk Dutchman named Hon Yost Schuyler or Cuvler, whose residence was near the Little Falls. In compan}' with Lieutenant Butler and some others, ho bad been arrested within the American lines at a jmblic meet- ing at which I'utler, making a speech, was endeavoring to persuade the ])eo])le to join the Koyal cause. The ])arties so taken were tried l)y court-martial as spies, and both Ibitl«!r and IIonYost convicted and sentenced to death. IIonYost is said to have been a singular combination of cunning and shrewlness in some things, with a want of sense ay>proaching idiocy in others ; so that the Indians on the Mohawk regarded him as one stricken by the (Jreat Spirit. They regarded liim with the mysterious respect and wonder mingled with awe, with which the red man regards the insane and the idiot. Those thus stricken by the Crteat Spirit they always treat with a certain respect. Living much with the Indians, IIonY(»st hid joined the tories. His aged mother and his brother hearing that he was a prisoner and had been sentenced to be hung, hastened to Arnold at Fort Dayton, and implored him to s])are his life. It is a touching trait of a mother's love that her devotion to her child, so unhappy as to be phys- ically a crip]ile, or mentally defective, is greater tlian that, for her more fortunate children not thus atHicted. The niotlier of poor Ilon^'ost was not an exception, and the touching pathos and ehxjuence with which she plead for the life of her atHicted son, are told to this day in the legends 1 \..,,,J, of the Mohawk A'allev, Arnold for a time affected to be firm airainst all her nleadiuirs, butfinallv said that he would 1 life '6"' on on" condition liti Ki iowinritish troojjs, tories, rangers and Greens. These stories had the desired effect; tiie Indians jirepared to leave. St. Leger tried in vain to induce them to remain- The tales started by lion Yost, corroborated by the Oneida, Hew throughout the camp, a })anic arose, and the •vhole body of the Indians Hed. The tories and troops followed, and a rnmor reaching them that ArnoM was just behind them, they threw away their kna])sacks, arms, and whatever would encumber their tiight. IVrhaps Curtis was some- what extravagant in saying that "Arnold, volunteering' to relieve Fort Stanwix, hacrliaps fatally, his own future, the de- feat and capture of Colonel Bauin, near Jjennington, and the change in the command of the army from Schuyler to Gates. Burgoyne, suffering for provisions himself, learned that there had been collected at Ijcnnington a depot of beef, corn and other needed supplies intended for the American array. Bennington was about twenty miles from the Hud- son, and was guarded bv militia onlr, and Burgovne, in need of these very supplies, hoped to siirju'ise Bennington and capture the stores. He ordered Colonel Baum with about five hundred men, to march to Bennington for that purpose, and soon after sent i^t.-Colonel Breyman to Bat- ten-kill to be within supporting distance, as he supposed, of Baum. The approach of the British was discovered by Colonel Stark at Beimington, and he immediately called on Colonel AVarner at Manchester, to hastei to his aid. At the same time he appealed to the militia and yeomanry of the sur- rounding countrv to rally to his assistance, and ho soon found hiniself at the head of a for ?c considerably outnum- bering that of Baum, .and he determined to attack. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 10," On tlie sixteenth of Aiiurgoyne was awakened by the tidings that I'aum was killed, and that his command were all ])risoners, and that Breymau was struggling to make good his retreat to tlie main army. While Arnold had heen absent, Schuyler occupied the islands at the fords of the Mohaw'k, where it empties into the Hudson, lie had been making every effort in his power to gather together the means of successfully rej>elling the menacing enemy. Many of the members of Congress from New England entertained strong prejudice against Schuyler, and were very slow to recognize his noble charac- ter and sterling virtues. On the nineteenth of August Gates arrived iu camp, and by command of Congress (Washington declining to make the ungrateful selection), superseded Schuyler in command of the northern army. Xothing could be more magnani- mous and patriotic than the conduct of Schuyler on the exe- cution of this cruel order. lie had ])re]>ared tlie means of victory, and now when the hour of triuin])h apju'oached, an intriguer, who, Bancroft declares, "had no fitness for command, and wanted ])ersonal courage," ' was placed at the head of this army which Schuyler had contributed so 1. Bancroft, Vol. IX, p. 407. IGG LIFE OP BENEDICT ARNOLD. larf^ely to raise, and ho was now aLont to gather tlic laurels which Schuylor was prepared to win; but such was the patriotism and generosity of Scluiyler, that he manifested no resentment, and did everything in his power to contrib- ute to the success of his nnwo»'tliy rival. It will be rememl)ered tiiai, iii the campaign of 1770. (rates and Arnold hud been very intimate, but the careful reader of the correspondence between them, and between kSchuyler and Arnold, will observe that while tliero is familiarity between Gates and Arnold, there is in the letters of Arnold to Schuyler a tone of respect not to be discerned in the letters to Gates. Still there was as yet no coldness on the part of Arnold towards Gates. So far from it, lie says, writing to Gates from the German Flats, "as soon as the safety of this ])art of the country will permit, 1 will fly to your assigtance." ' Arnold was now with the main body, ready to assist and co-operate with Gates to the utmost. The left wing of the army was at Loudon's Ferry, on the south bank of the Mo- hawk, five miles above its junction with the Hudson. Two briirades and ^ACoriran's famed riflemen were there. Soon after Arnold's arrival in camp the entire army was concen- trated on and near Bomis' Heights, Arnold commanding the left wing, composed of the same troops which had been at Loudon's Ferry. The British were approaching, and Gates was about to throw his army across Burgoyne's path, and intercept his march towards Albany. It was deemed important to select with care the best position to check such advance .and re- ceive the attack. Arnold therefore, says Irving, " recon- noitered the neighborhood in company with Kosciusko, the Polish engineer, in quest of a good camping ground, and 1. living's Life of Washington, Vol. Ill, p. IOC. Ills PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 107 at lcii<5th fixed upon a ridijc of hills called IVmiiIs' Heights, wjiich Kosciusko jtrocceded to fortify."' Duriiii; tiio few (hiys which ])reced('d the battle of the uiuetecuth of 8c])teuil>('r, Ai'uold continually auiioyed the enemy by skinni.shing and attacking the ]>arties engaged ill rej)airing roads and bridges.'' A (ierniati otticer says: "We had to do the enemy the honor of sending ont wliolo i-egiments to protect onr workmen." "It was Ariujld," says Irving, " wlio provoked this honor. At the head of fifteen hundriMl nu'u he skirmished with the superior force sent out against him."'* 1. Irvine's \V(i>him,'t(.ii, Vol. Ill, p. 2:!0. ■J. I,(is.siiit;'s Scliiiylcr, Vol. II, |>. 'i-ll. ■i. IrviiiK'.s WiisliiiiKton. V(il. Ill, p. 2-12. 4. Mauu^c'iipt ktler of \' ol. Vurick to Sohuylor, Sept. 15, 1777, as foUow.s; "IlKAD IK'TS, SlIT. l.Jtll, 1777. " Dk.vr Genehai,;— Yesterday AftiTuoon 1 ha I ilie pleasure iinely expected to have been at Saratoga by this day, but am much di.sappointed, and am now convinced that no Carria^eb can pass the Road in less ^1 -i 1G8 LIFE OF BENKDICT ARNOLD. Mi) was <^oiiorally successful, aud took many prisoners, and thus encourn^ed and animated the troops. At this time tiiere began to apj)ear a coohiess on tlie part of (leneral (Jates towanls (ieneral Arnold, Gates liavinuf succeeded in Ids intrigue aLjiiinst Schuyler, was ah'cadv drciiminn_i;'ress iur his promotion, and for the restoration of his ])roper rank, were well known; and (iates naturally and ri<^ht]y assuimed that .Vriiohl could not he induced t(» become a partisan of his again.-t the Commander-in-Chief.* ]>esides, Arnold was known to be a friend iA' Schuyler, Colonel Henry IJrock- holst I^ivinn^stoii, who had be(Mi on the staff, and Colonel Varick, the Secristary of (ieneral Schuyler, when their chief left for Albany remained in camp, and the former was now acting as aid to General Arnold.' tlmn two or 3 days. As soon as I am happy EiioiiRh to pot there, I shall cheerfully ('i)inply with your roqiicsts, iind prevent niiy injury lieiuK ilmie to your tiuilfrnes and fences as fur as my Influence with the Genl. and other Gentlemen will extend. I hftve no doubt of (ien. Gates eomplyins witli the reipieht. "Gen. Arnold is this day ^one out with a largo party. I don't know liis inten- tions ; prohalily to try the cast side of the river, as lie seemed very desirous to have a prospect of the enemies' camp I'roin the hinh hill on tliat side. If he proceeds on this side, he may lul. in with some of the l':iiemy. " We found no heiKht yesterday lart,'e enouyh for our camp. "Mr. I.unsinj;and Livingston join in their respects to you. Be good cMou','h to make them to Mrs. Scliuyler and Miss I'eggy. I am much obliged to them for their good wi.shes. " I am, with every respectful, "faitliful sentiment, " Your most obliged, " IluiiAUD Varick. " To the lion. M. Genl., "SclIlYI.F.R." The fchuyler pa) ers. This and other letter* quoted from the Pchnyler manu- scripts are now, for the lirst time, printed in full. Tliese Schuyler papers are of great historic value. 1. "lie (Gates) aspired to thechief command of the continental armies, indulged in the egotistical idea that he knew better how to move them tlian did the Virgin- iai\ General, and that the New England delegates would .support him in such pre- posterous claims.' —Lossinn'a ^clmyle'-. Vol. II. p. 1S2. •i. The scheme to supersede Washington by Gates "originated with three men," Conway, Gates and Mifllin, the latter one of the junior lirigadiers, who had been jiromoted over Arnold.— .SVi«(A'.« ]\'riti)ifis a/ Wiifliiit'jtoii, Vul. ]', pp.'.i'J) and Ibi. o. Lossing's Schuyler, Vol. II, p. liH. ins PATRIOTISM AND IMS TKIIASOX. im "^ ,rick vas nUo much of the timo with Aniohl, and these yoiintcoHiccr.s, known to he in the confi(h'iK!o of Sclmy- ler, excited tlie jealousy ot'CJates. Liviiii^'ston writes to ScIimvUt on th(> twcntv-tliinl of Sejiteinljer, after the (jnarrel hetween (Jatesand Arnold had heeonie open and notoritnis, "the reason for the present dis- agreement hetween two old cronien, iti sii/ij)/i/t/n'{i: Arnold /'.y }/out\f/'u7ul." '■ A^arick, writinnj to Schuyler on the 22nd of Septeniher- says: " He (ArnoM) has the full confidence of the troo])S and they Mould tii::ht gallantly under him."" Having stated these circumstanc-es, 1 now proceed to de- tail the events of the nineteenth of September: The army was at I'emis' Heights. Thecamj), which had heen, as before stated, carefully selected by Arnold, and fortified by Kosciusko, was situated on the west bank of the Hudson, and extending from the margin of the stream across a narrow flat, and then across a ridge of liills called l>emis' Heights, and thence on to otluM" hills still farther west. Kosciusko had caused breastworks to be thrown u|t in front three-quarters of a mile long, with a strong bat- tery at each end and one in the center; on the right across the low ground near the river, an entrenchment was thrown up, and on the baid< was a strong battery protecting a Hoaf- imr bridire wliich crossed the river. On the niorniiii;: oi' the eighteenth, ]>urgoyne moved down within two miles of the American camp, and jirepared for battle. He was sur- rounded by a brilliant array of distinguished officers — Ma- jor-General Phili])s, (ienerals Fraser, Hamilton and I'ow- ell, and the German General, Jiiedesel, the Karl of J3alcar- ras, Colonel Breyman, Alajor Ackland — all oflieers of great merit and distinction. 1. LoRsinf?'s Sclniyler, Vol. II, p. 051. 2. Sclniyler papers.— MSS. 170 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. f h^ Gates' lieacl-qu.arters were some distance soutli of the line of breastworks, and behind Beniis' llei<^hts; ArnoUrs were north and west of Gates' quarters, and west of the line of breastworks. Tlie mornini^ of the nineteenth tlie sun rose bri^dit, and the air was clear and bracin^^; a hoar frost whitoned the "•round. The h(jstile armies now confrontinii: each other, were so near that the morninij^ ii^nn and drum-beat of each could be distinctly heard by the other. Each army extended from the bank of the ri/er westward over the hills. The rii^ht winii^ of the Americans, under the iihmediate com- mand of Gates, and composed of Glover's, aSixou's and I*atterson's brigades, occu})ied the hills near the river and the flats on its margin. The left, under the command of Arnold, consisting of Poor's brigade, made up of Cilleys', Scammel's and Hales' New Hampshire troops, and Van Courtland's and James Livingston's New York regime. its, the Connecticut militia, ]\[organ's riflemen and Dearborn's infantry.' These were posted on the hills, three-quarters of a mile west of the river. Tiie center was composed of Learned's brigade, of Massachusetts, and New York troops. The left wing of the British, with the very powerful train of artillery, rested on the flats near the river; the center and riglit wing composed largely of German troops, ex- tended west on the hills, and were commanded by iJurgyone in person, and with them were Fraserand Breyman with the lig',t inlV.ntry. The front and flanks were covered by the Indians, Canadians and Loyalists. rhilij)s and Riedesel were to marcli down tlio road on tlie ba-dc of the river. The Canadians and Indians were to attack the outposts of the Americans, while Bunroyne and Fraser, with the grenadiers and light infantry, were to 1. Irving's Washingloii, Vol. Ill, p. 211. HIS TATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASOX. 171 inarcli throu^li the forests behind the hills, and assault the left flinik and rear of the Americans. As most of the irround was covered with a dense forest, the movements were to be regulated by signal-guns. AVhen IJurgyone and Fraser had effected a junction, three heavy guns were to be iired as a signal for an attack on the flank and rear of the Ameri- can lett, and for a general assault along the whole line. American lookouts were stationed in the to])S of trees on high ground, and the unusual activity in the Uritish cam]) was soon reported to the American otHcers. The glitter of moving arms, the bright scarlet uniforms, and the moving of flags, indicating that the enemy was forming his line of battle, were observeU and reported at the headquarters of Arnold and Gates, and at ten A. M. it was announced that the British were coming, moving down in three divisions. Philips and liiedesel with the artillery, were marching down the river road ; Burgoyne with the center followed the stream now forming AVilbur's Basin, south and west ; aiul Fraser and Breyman started on their circuitous route to reach the flank and rear of the American left. Arnold, watchful and esiger for the flght, to whom these movements were known, Mas anxious to go out and meet the enemy. "Gates," says Lossing, "gave no orders and evinced no disposition to flght." ' llis officers were im])a- tient. Arnold "urged, begged and entreated " '' permission to lead his troop3 to *\o attack, and at length he obtained [jermission to send ]\[organ's riflemen and ].)earborn'ri in- fantry out to meet the enemy. They soon met the Canadians and Indians and dispersed them. Following tlu'ir advantage with too much eagerness, they became scattered, and a sti'ong reinforcement of the enemy coming up, they were obliged to fall back, and the 1. Losslng's Schuyler, Vol. II, ' 341. 2. Colonel Varick. Letter quoted hereafter. \ ■h )- 172 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. ;(. brave partisan, ^Morc^an, for a moment tlionglit his renowned corps was "mined;" Lnt sounding loudly his shrill wood- man's whistle — known to them as the "turkey call" — the riflemen gathered around tlieir chief, and the regiments of Scammel and Cillcy coming up, the fight was kept up with equal fury. ]\[cantime Burgoync and Fraser were moving vapidly to tall on the front and flank of the American left. The center under Burgoyne reached a clearing called Free- man's farm, Mhile Fraser, farther west, marched rapidly south, hoping to turn tlie A'nerican left. Arnold at the same time attempted to cut Fraser off' from his connection with Burgoyne. Arnold and Fraser met ahout sixty yards west of Freeman's cottage,' and a bloody conflict ensued. "Arnold led the van of ' it^ men and fell upon the foe witli the fury and impetuosity . a tiger. By voice and action he encouraged his troojis."" lie was met by overwhelming numbers. Fi-aser rapidly turned and attacked Arnohrs riL''lit. Arnold rallied his troops, and being reinforced, and now leading the regiments of Cilley and Scammel, and Dcarboni, Hale and Brooks, attempted to break through the British lines and separate Fraser from the center. " lie made a ]'a])id counter-march, and his movements being masked by the wood, suddenly attempted to turn Fraser's left.'' Hero ho threw himself upon it with a boldness and impetuosity which threatened to cut the wings of the army asunder. ^ But the grenadiers and Breyman's riflemen hastened to its su])])ort, and Gen- eral Philips, hurrying tlirough the thick woods and over the hills, came hastening up from the extreme left, and just at the moment when victorv seemed to be crowning the etforts of the Americans. 1. Lossing's Field Book, Vol. I, p. ."2. 'J. l.ossiiiH's I'iold iiook, Vol. I, j,-. .Vi. 3. living's Washington, Vol. Ill, p. 244, niS PATRI0TI8.AI AND HIS TREASON. 17;J Xow Burgoyne, Frascr and Pliilips M-cre Icadiiii^j and encouraging their forces, and Sergeant Lanilt, a Jiritish writer, says: "For four hours a constant Ithizo of fire was kept up, aud both armies seemed to he determined on deatli or victory."' Arnold had brought his whole division into action and called for re-enforcements, but they were refused. Lossing says: "Had he (Arnold) been seconded by liis commander, and strengthened by re-enforcements ■•■' ■•• he would doubtless have secured a complete victory." lie adds: " But for Arnohl, on that eventful day, P)urgoyne would doubtless have marched into Albany at the autum- nal equinox, a victor." '' Night put an end to the conflict, which the British themselves declare to have been the most obstinate and hardly fought of any ever experienced in America. Arnold rode a grey horse during the conilict, and near night ("evening," as Wilkitison says), went himself to the camp of Gates for re- enforcements. AVilkinson states the incident as follows:* " Gates and Arnold were together in front of the cam]>. Major Lewis came in from the scene of action, and announced that its progress was undecisive. Arnold imme- diately exclaimed: ']jy G — d! I will soon put an end to it ' — and clapping spurs to liis horse galloped off at full speed. I was instantly dispatched by (jates after Arnold, overtook and ordered him back, lest he might do some 'rash act.'" Arnold having blackened by his treason the fame hith- erto 60 brilliant as a soldier, some historians* and writers have denied that he was on the biittle-tield of Saratoga at all! It {?■ 1. Lrssin<;'s Life of ScliuylcT, Vol. II, p. :'.I0. 2. I.os'inj,''!' I.il'e nf Schuyler, Vol. 11, p. 348. :t. Wilkinson's Moniork's, Vol. I, p. -15. 4. Notubly Uancroft. ' . : ( . 174 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. Let us Inquire wlio led tlic Auierican forces on tliis event- ful (lay; or was the battle foui^lit -without any leader? It is not claimed by any one that Gates was on the field, or tliat he had anytliinfr to do with the battle, except to yield to Arnold's importunity and permit him to send Morijan and Dearborn to the front ; when he saw Soammers battulioii marching out, "lie asked where the troops were going, and on being told, he declared no more troops should go — he M'ould not suffer the camp to be exposed." * Who then did lead ? This battle was full of skillful maneuvers and evolutions, beginning at mid-day and last- ing till night ; and IJurgoyne and Phillips, and Fraser and liiedesel, skillful and able men, were all on the Held skill- fully guiding and directing the I'ritish troops. Was the battle on the American side fought without a leader? Was there no guiding s])irit? Such an improbable statement •would never have apjieared on the ])ages of any respectable M'riter, if the man who ably led and valiantly fought that battle had not afterwards betrayed his country. But let us be just to this man, even though his name be Benedict Arnold. A brilliant and fascinating, but not always accurate, historian, has said : "Arnold was not on the field."' If so, this was the first time he was ever near a battle- field and not at the head of his troops. lie commanded the left wing, and this was the object of Burgoyne's skillfully arranged attack ; his troops fought gallantly, maneuvered skillfully, met and foiled by skill and valor every attempt of Burgoyne for five long hours; and we are told they did so Mithout their leader, without any leader ? The statement is utterly incredible, and can be demonstrated to be untrue. This is Mr. Bancroft's language: 1. Colonel Varlck, Lossing's Schaylcr, Vol. IT, p. 349. 2. Bancroft's History of United States, Vol. IX, p 4H. ■ Wi • HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 175 "On the r)riti8h side three ]\riij(ii'-rienerals eniiie on tlie field; on tlie American side not one, nor a Jh-i^adier till near its close;" and in a note he adds: "Arnold was not on the field. So "witnesses Wilkinson, whom Marshall knew personally and believed. So said the informer of Gordon.'* ' Let ns examine the evidence: AVilkinson was the Adjn- tant-General of (Jates. He was then a vonn": man of twenty, an enemy of Arnold, pert, officious and vain. Gates' hea(l(iuarters were behind ]Jemis' Heights, and from these quarters the battle-i^round conld not be seen.^ More than thirty years (1816) after the battle, "Wilkinson pub- lished his memoirs, and while the just indijj^nation ai^^ainst Arnold fc)r his treason was fresh, and when evervthinir to his j)r('juv 0— d, 1 will soon put an enil to it," and claiipin<,' s]nn-s to his horse, fralloped otf at lull sjieed. Coloni'l Lewis observed to dates, ' You had better order him back ; he may. by some rash act. do mischief.' 1 was instantly dispatched, overtook, and remanded .\rnold to camp."^ This was at "eveninnf.*' It was the first time AVilkinson speaks of seein<:^ Arnold that day. Anicld's intelliirence of lUu'goy lie's approach was received at mid-day. (.'olonel Yarick says, " It is evident to me he (Gates) never intended to fior- tion of the battle-field were visible from Gates' head-quar- ters.' AV^ilkinson's pro]icr position when not executing an order, was near his chief, and Gates, somewhat rudely reminds his stafi'-officer of this; as "Wilkinson says, "about half past twelve o'clock, a report of snniU arms announced Morgan's corps to be engaged in front of our left. Tlie General and his suite were examining the battery, which had been commenced on our left. I asked leave to repair to the scene of action, but was refused, with this observa- tion:" "It is your duty, sir, to await orders." If he had repaired to the scene of action, he would doubtless liave seen Arnold in the fight as usual. Ihit not being permitted to go to the scene of .iction, he did not, and could not see Arnold until the incident at "evening," alrea, saving': '* On tlie nine- teenth, wlieu advice was received that the enemy was approacliini;, I took tlie lilierty to <>-ivo it as my ()j)inion that ice ouglit to march ont and attaci\ them. Yun desired me to send Colonel ^rori^au and the l-i<;]it Tnfaiitry, and Hupportthem j I ohoji'd you)' onI< ik, and Itefore the action was over, /found it necessary to send ont the whole of my division to support the attack. Xo other troo])s were euijii^ed that day except Colonel's Marshall's rei^iment," ' These facts, not denied by Gates, are entirely inconsistent with the statement of Wilkinson, and show that .\rnold obtained leave to "march our. and attack, and that to that end he liad obtained len'" ' jend CVilonel ]\roriran and the Li^iht Infantry, and t^ ^ .ic did "support them;" and that before the action was over, he found it necessary to '' su|>[)urt '' them by "the who!(! of my (his) division."' These statements of Arnold, made three days after the 1)attle, in a letter complaining of (Jates' injustice to his t) s, tf ti'ue, estab]i>h tlie fact that the battle of the n eteenth of September was fouiiht by Arnold's divisi(»n, under his leadership. Is it likely tiiat Arnold, in the camp of CJatcs, and in the ])resence of the whole army, woidd make statements which, if untrue, would be instantlv known to be false, and stamju'd as such ^ And if he had been guilty of such tolly, wouM imt (iates — then .Vrnold's bitter enemy — and his A.d jutaiit-(ieneraK haxc then aiid there contradicted the stateis'.eut^ lint the statenu'iit was not contradicted by (iates; it was not u;-til more than thirtv vears had i>;one bv, that "Wilkinson savs that nut a sinirlt! 1. Arnold to Ga'.cs, WiUdnson's Mi'Uioirs, Vnl. I. \\. 2:>\. 178 LTFi: OF BEXEDICT ATINOLD. I i m\\ m ufciieral ofliecr was on tlie field. As criticisms of Wilkiii- son's statcinents, I*}' various liistoriaiin and writers, will Lc (juoted hereafter, 1 forbear further ooinineiits, and will pro- ceed to present the clear and ]iositive testimony of impar- tial eye-witnesses, showincj that ^Mr. Bancroft's allei;ation — based on AV^ilkinson's — that Arnold was not on the field, is erroneous. "Wilkinson ' a a bitter enemy of Arnold, and a ])artizan of Gates, but there were in the camp at th(.' time of the battle, two ijcntlemen of hi^di ]>ersonal charac- ter, and every w"y entitled to full credence — Colonel llich- anl Yariclv,' wiio had been the secretary, and Colonel J.ivin<::ston, who had been the aid ot General Schuyler. Colonel Livini2;ston was now the aid of General Arnold, and of course, as such, knew perfectly -woll what Arnold was doinij^ on the day of the battle. Three days thereafter, and when Arnold, indignant at Gates' treatment of his division and of himself, threatened to leave, Livingston, in a letter to Schuyler says : " When tlio goncnil otficn-s and soldiers hoard of it, they wore preatly alannod. * * * 'J'lioy had lost conHdcnco in Gates, and had th(; hip:hos; opinion of Arnold.* To induct' hiin (Arnold) to stay. General I'oor {)roiK)sed an address from tin- yi'ni'ral oilietn's and Colonels of his division, leturninf,' him thanks for his services, and partkuJarJij for hifi rondiicf diirliii/ the late action, and re(inestinf,' him to stay. ^ 'J'he address was franad and consented to by I'oor's otlicers. Those of General Learned refused. They acquiesce I in the propriety of the measure, but were afraid "t "rivintr umbra^'"' to General Gab's," ^ — a paltry excuse for officers of rank to alle;j:e for not doing' their duty. Finally a letter was written to Arnold, and sijrned by all the general officers, exeeptintr Lincoln, urtjing him to remain, for another battle seemed inunineiit.^ 1. Afforwnrds on tho staff of Washins^ton, Mayor of t'lO city of Now York, and Altonicv (ioncriil of tlie State. •2. Quoted Irom Schuyler papers, in l.ossing's Life of Scliuyler, Vol. II, p. 301. :'.. Sdiuylcr Papers. 4. Livingston to Schuyler, September 2nd. 0. Lossing's Life of Seliuylcr, Vol. II, p. 3Jl. JStet HIS rATIUOTISM AND HIS THKASOX. 171) Col. Vivricl', writini; from Arnold's camp to Schuyler i>ii tlie 22ik1, throe ihiys after the battle, says: "Gates seeniod to bo piqued tliat Arnold's division had tho honor of licatinj; tlio onciny on tlic I'.ltii. Tiiis I am certain of: Arnold Ikh all the credit of tlie aetion; and this I fiirtlicr know, tiiat tiatcs a>kcd \\licr<' the troops were going when Seanuners battuUion nainlii'd out, and npon Ijeinnr (uld, lie declared no more tmops should ^'o; ho would not suffer the camp to be exposed. Had Gates coniplii'il with Arnold's repeat:?d desires, he would have obtained a general and com{)lete victory over the enemy. IJut it is evident to me he never inti'iided to fight liurgoyne until Arnold urged, begged and entreate(l him to do it." ' Colonel Tarick, in another letter, alludiiiir to the quarrel between Arnold and Gates, says: "I apprehend if Arnold leaves us we shall move, unless the enemy moves up the river. He has the full confidence of the troops, and they would flight i>;allantlv under him." " AVriting to Schuyler, Varick says: "Camp, Wednksday, D o'cLorK A. M., ) '• Sept. 24, 1777. )' "Your very polite favor of the 21st was delivered me yesterday by Maj. Franks. 1 have anticipated the answer in mine of *J'Jd at 11 o'clock r. M., and the 2;h1 in tlie morning, with reference to Arnold and Lincoln. The former will, I believe, remain till the action wo expert this day or to-morrow, is settled, although he had received his permit to go down yesterday morning. * * I am hiippy that Arnold lias decided to stay. I have no doubt of soin3 liot work this day. ]\Iany dischargea have already happened in the woods. "^ In another letter of the 24111, Yarick savs: " General Arnold is so much offended at the treatment Gates has given him, that I make not the least doubt the latter will be called on, as .soon as the service will admit.'' ■* On the 25th Se]>temher, Schuyler, re])lying to Tarick's letter of 21st, says: 1. Schnylor rnpers— ?rss. I roforalsoto Lnssing's T/ifo of Schuyler. VqI. II, p. C4'j. 'J. Scluiylor rapers— MSS. Varick to Seliiiylcr, Sept '21. 1777. .'). Sclniylor Tapers. Varicli to Schuyler, Sept. 24, 1777. 4. Schuyler Tapers— MSS. 180 LIFE OF DKNKDKT AUXOIJ). " A report |)n'V.iils tliir iv s-pcond i'nici;-) liii.s liapiK'ncd hctwi'i-'ii fliifcs mid (iriii'ml Aniolil, and I liopo it U not of Kueh a niituro as to ol)lidi.'i> tliat f,''allaiit olficcrto Icavi^ the army. It' lu' (\i»'^, I sliall be tar, viTy tar from Ijoiuy ao easy as 1 led iiiyscll', in the rellectioii that lie is witii you."> Ami oil the 2.jtli of Si-ptciiibcr, Suliuyk-f, in rc]»ly to Vtirick, says: "lam plaMfd to hear that our fiallant friend, General Arnold, lias deternn'ned to remain until a battle .^iiall have ha|ipened, or (lenerai Ihu- t^oyne retreats. Kverybody that I havi! conversed with on tin; subjeet of the dispute between Gates ami him. tl inks Arnold has i)een extremely ill-ti'e;;ti'd. IhWGates) will probal>ly be indebt.'d to him (.Arnold) for the ylory ho may ai;(iniro by a viitory; bat perhaps he is so very sure of of it "•i success that ho does not wish tho other to como in for a share Such nve tlii^ statt'iiietits of Coh)ncl Varick. Cuhmel Livinirstoir.s !?tateiUL'iitti ai'O not Ivaa ex])lieit ami ccii- fhislve. In a h'ftcr to Schuyler (latc'il " Camp, Beinls' l[oi<^ht.-<.'' Soi)t. 2;](1, 1777, he says:' " T am much distressed at General .Arnold's determination to retire from the army at tliis important crisis. His ])resL>nce was never mon' necessary. He is the life and soul of the troops. rJelievo me, Sir, /'> hhn alone ift (hie llie honor of our hilc rirtonj. Whatever share his superiors may claim, they are entitled to none. He enjoys the coiilidence and affection of otfii'crs and soldiers. They would to a man follow him to conquest or death. His dejiartnre will dishearten them to such a de- gree as to render them of little service." 1. Srhnylcr Parers— MSS. 2. Scliuyler to Vuriuk, Sept. 25, 177". Schuyler MSS. 3. Schuyler MSS. This is tlie text of the letter: "Camp AT HiMrs ITrrnuTS, } '■ f^eiit. J.i, iT7(. / "DkarSir: "1 iim iliis iiiouient honoroil with your fnvor of flie 21st hy Major Franks. Opiionil Lincoln nrrived licrc Inst ninlit, iinil iiiirt of his iufanliy cumcto-ilay; the re- mainder are expected to-uionow. 1 wrote to ymi some lime since ol his havini; detached two parties to Ticoiideriga and l'"ort Independence. Colonel Varick has ^iven yon the particulars of thr' -access. 1 cannot persuade mys<.'lf that the iiionnt will he taken. " 1 am much distressed at General Arnold's determination to retire from tlie Army HIS TATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 181 Tlic next clay, Sept. 2-itli, Aniuld liaviiii^ in consequence itt" the ex])ectiition ut' an tn<^'M<^oiiK'nt, dL'tcTniiued to re- nuiin, Livingston hastens to write to Sclniyler, saying, "as ftt this iinportiiiit crisis, nis prcsciirc was mviT iimro lu-cossnry. Hi' Is lliolifo nml sdul (if Hk' ini(i| r. ]tclii'\L' iiic, Sir. to him iilnnc is (liiu tlio linimr of our liiio Mclory; wliatt'vor ^hll^e Ills siiiitTlurs iiiny claim, tlicy arc ciitilhd to nuiie. Ihi ciijiiys Ihc cniiCKlencc aii-c. 1 have for some time |mst oh^'i vcd the (jreat coolness, nml in many instances, even disresjicct, villi wliieli re>uiniituons. In short, he has pocketed many Insults for tlie sake of hi.s country, which a man of less pride would have resentetl. The reticited indlg- iilties he received at IciiKth nniscd his spirit and determination iiKaiii to remon- strate. He waited on Mr. (.lales in ])crson last evellill^^ Mutters were alienated in n vt'ry hi;!h strain. Itoth were warm— the latter rather pa-sioiuite and very assumlnf; Towards tlie end of the dcliMie .Mr. Ci. told Arnold 'lie did not know of his beinj,' a Maj'ir-mi>liance to his letter, he received a permit l)y the w ay of a letter directed to .Mr, lluneoek. He sent this biu'k, and recpicsted one in jiroiier form, which was complied witli. Tomorrow he will set uut lor Albany. The leason of the present disagreement between two cronies Is simply this: Arnuld in iinurjrinnl. I shall attend ihe (iencral down, chagrining as it may bo for me to leave the army when an oppo'iunity for any young fellow to distinguish him- self. I can no longer submit to the command of a man whom 1 abhor from my very soul. His conduct is disg\istiiig to cveiy one, except his flatterers ami de- \ endants, among whom are some who profess to be your friends, A cloud is gath- ering, and may crelongburst on hisbcad. * • 1-t. Arden is just returned with eight Tory i)riso!icrs. He made a tour as far as Suratoga— was in your house, which he found is much damaged. The glasses arc entirely gone, the pajier ruined and frame much Injured. The barn and other out-buiidings are safe. Two letters were taken from one of the Tories are from linryoyne to Urig. Fond, in which he says- ' \Vc left ,")(K) dead on the field,' He is silent as to his own loss. He begs that St. I.eger may bo hastened on. 'I'he Indiims yon have sent us are of great service; not a day passes without their taking some prisoners. Make my best respc "s to Mrs. .^chnylcr and family. " I am, dear (icneral, Ac, " Henhy B. Livingston. " General Philip Schuyler." i % .^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 m Hf I- 2.0 1.8 1 '-^ 1.6 6" - ► V] 1 ^ w. l^< ■^AS iV 182 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. the enemy are hourly expected, General Arnold cannot think of leaving camp." ' On the 2Gth of September, Livingston wrote again to Schuyler, saying: " It ffivps mo pleasure to inform you that Gonoral Amild intends to stay. AVlicn tho general officers found him dobMininod to go, they thought it necessary to take Pome measures to induce him to continue in the army. They have accordingly written him a letter (signed by all but Lincoln), requesting him not to quit the sei-vice at this critical time. Ho has consented, though no accommodation has taken place." In the same letter he speaks of an attempt being made to have the writer turned from Gen. Arnold's familv. 1. Schuyler MSS. The following is the text of the letter of 24th Sept : " Camp at Hemis' Heights, ) " Sept. -.ii, 1777. / "Dear Sin: " I wrote yon last evening and was in hoi cs to have had the pleasure of seeini? you to-day, but as the enemy aie )iiiuily txix-dcd, General Arnuld cannot think 'f Icavimi camp. Three deserters came in this niurninK, and it was rumored in the cauip when they came otT, that we were to be attacked this day. 13urgoyne yesterday harranpued the soldiers, and to'.d them he was determined to leave hisljonesoii tlie field or force his way to Albany. He has about one month's salt provisions iu his camp. Three Toric. were just now brought iu by tlie Oneidas; they conlirm the report of the deserters, and add tliut the enemy acljnowledL!ed"i)Ul>liely to have lo^t 700 killed and wounded in the late battle, and plume themselves with a coufldeueo that our loss might have been at least double. " General Arnold's intention to quit this department is made public, and has caused great unensiness among tlie soldiers, 'io induce him to stay, General Poor pnjposed an address from the geneial oflleers and colonels of his division, return- ing him thanks fur his past services, and particularly for his conduct during the late action, and requesting him to stay. The address wiis framed and consented to by Poor's otlieers. Those of General Learned refused. They acquiesced in the propriety of tho measure, but were afraid of giving umbrage to General Gates— a paltry excuse for oilicers of rank to allege iu excuse fur not doing their duty. As this method has failed, I sec no other way left to bring about a reconciliation but by the interposition of the General oilicers. This has been proposed to Lincoh\. He is now anxious fur Arnold's stay, and will push the matter. I hope he may succeed, as I think he isan otlicerof too much moment to be neglected— thoui;h it may be a mortifying situation for any Gentleman of spirit to submit to the petuleut humors of any man, be his rank ever so high. " I am with due respect and esteem. Sir, " Your friend. " llESHY B. LlVI.NGSTO.N. " Major General Schuyler." HIS PATKIOTISM AND HIS TKKASOX. 183 *' Maj. Chester," ' says ho, "atti'inpto 1 to hrin? about a reconciliation. For this purpose he coiisulteil with the Deputy AdjutantUenerul, anil in tlie course of their conveivation was told that souie overtures were necessary on Arnold's side ; that (len (iates was jealous ot nie, and that 1 hud iiilluenced Arnold's conduct, and that ofcoursf it was necessary to j^et rid of nie to open a way for acconmioilation. AViien this was told to Arnold, ho could not contain himself, and desired Chester to return for answer: ' that his judgment had never been intliuMicecl Ity any one, and that he would not sacri/icc a Jikud for (he 'J'mt of cUii/.'' " * 1. The snmc Mnj. Chester with wlunn LiviuKinii fnuKht ii dut'l in (Icfciisc of Amokl, or alioiit a mattor growing out of the quurrel between Gates ami Arnold. 2. Tliej following is tlio text of l-ivingstou"* letter (letter of Sei>t ■^('>). "CAMI- at IlllMIS IIKKIUTS, ) "feiit. J)). 1777. j" " Dear Sir : " I am lavorod with yours of the 25th, ami am niueh oMiKcd for the iiitellij;en<'e you gave nie ; lam partieuliirly happy tu hear that the eiieiuy have letl New .leisey. 'that .'■tute has had its frhare of the calamities of war, and needs some respite to reeover its-elf. " It gives me pleasure to inform you that (Jeneral Arnold intends to stay. When tlie General OilUers found him determiued to go, they thiiusrht it necessary to take some measures til induce his eontinuance in the arniy. Tliey liave, aeeordingly, wrote him a letter (sij^ned by all but Lincoln) reiiuesting him not to quit the ."^erviee lit this eritieal moment, lie has consented, though uo aeeommodation has taken place. * • " 1 find myself under the necessity of returning to Albany, merely to satisfy the caprice and jealousy of a certain treat jier.son. It las b.en several times insinu- ated by the Commander in-Chief to Ueneral Arnold, that his mind has In en poi.soned and prejudiced by some of his family, and 1 have been )>ointed out as the P«Tson who had this undue inllueme over him. Arnold hud always m ide proper replies on these occasions, and despised the reflection. Itut since the last rupture, another attempt has been ma>e of their conversation was told that .some overtures were neees.'.ary on ArnoM's side; that tJeneral Gates was jealous of me, and thought I had inllueneed Arnold's condiu't, ami that of course it was nccesttry to get rid of me to open a way lor acconi:nodalion. When this trail told to Arnold lie could ncarci'i/ cotilniu >iiiiii"'j, nwd desired Chester to return for answer: that his judynunt had never been inllueneed by any man, and that he would tiulyiu'iijlce (tj'iit ml to please the 'I""aee of clay,' "Arnold tohl me what had pa.sseil, and insisteil on my remaining with him. As I find tliis cannot be done consistently with the harnu)ny of the.se two gentlemen, 1 shall leave camp to-morrow. I purposed to have set oil' to day, but .\rnold in- sisted on my staying at least this day, lest it should appear like a concession on his part. 1 have taken no pains to cure any one of the^e jealou-sies but let their own feelings prompt them. " Two deserters have come in this morning; they sny, this is tho day fixed to at- t.'.ck us. I believe Iheze \vill be (pajier toiu). General .\rnold scndi^i his best w ishes 184 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. The statements of Yarick and Livingston, tliat Arnold leus on the field and led his troops, settle beyond contro- versy the facts in relation to Arnold's conduct on the 19th of Septeinher, and show the estimation in Avhich he ^vas held by his fellow soldiers. One cannot read the i^hjwiniij testimony of Judge Livingston in regard to Arnold's to you. Ho would write, but is prevented by business. Minewniton Mrs. -ehuy" ler uiid lumily. 1 uui \s.\\\ great e^iituuiu. " Yuur utTeclinimte liumlile servant, " llENUV U. LiVlNGSTUN. " Major General Sohuyler." —Sliiii/Ur MSS. ; : Also letter of Colonel Vurick, as follows: " CAMr. fF.rr. Cl.")Tir, 1777, > '" 7o' eloek, 1'. M. / " Dear Gen'i,: " This arternonn I was Iionfirod with your very prilite favor of this Date. "As to tlie .>>nlpjc'ct (if I)ispute tietwecu tlie tientlenien mentioned in Yours, the en('lii>eil from .Majnr Livinsston will inform yo\i furtlicr. It seems that it is a heart- sore to yuur succes-', or that our Miijl Victory, A Victory 1 will not call it when we drove them from the field of battle, whieli was of no fur- ther use to us when nitiht came on, and we retire<'e\v York, ami then Justice of the Suj)reme Court of the United States. I cite also the testimony of Charles Neilson.' lie gives as his authority his father, who was in the engngement as a guide, and had occupied a portion of the battle-rteld as a farm, and this statement of an eye witness is as !Neilson says, corroborirted by many olHcers and soldiers who were ])resent. Neilson says: "About the time General Philij s arrived on the field with the artillery. General Arnold, on a gray horse and under full speed froni the scene of action, rode up to Gen- eral Gates," * * and t-aid: " (ieneral, the Ih-itish are reinforced — we must have more men." General (iates re- "I beUeve you arc not nnicl) in tlic wrong in yonr ronjrctnres tliat (iaios was Mire of siiO( ess, nnd wi^lieil to nsciibe all the honor to himself, ns no other ollicer lexcept Arnolil) hail eniin«h of a Gentleman's spirit to ilispute it with him. " This morning the ( neniy's jiiekei of (iernian's in tlie rear were attacked nnd would have heeii nil secured had nut the Fopg (which was very intense) prevented it : six were killed aud one firisoiier; the rest escnjied. The prisoner hail a ral and the end of his title, but he did not know whether he was a Gene/a/ or a Cnrponi;. '• (ieneral Gales said this afternoon that his army was at least 3,000 stronger than Ij days since; that Lincoln liad l.OitO Hank and tile. ■■ As this is like to be a rainy ni^ht, liurfjoyne inny possibly Ic fool enough to make a tryal to push on, or try our pickets. (Taper torn— illetiihle.) "I am exeeedinRly hapi)y in the GikhI Wishes of your family. I need not assure you that they have ever hud mine. I wisli my best re-peels to Mrs. Schuyler, wiili I hunks for tlie Butter she has lieeu so Rood as to semi me. Miss Pe^'gy and the Young Gentleman also claim my best rei;nrds. " i am. dear sir, " Very sincerely nnd alfcctlonnte'y Yours, " iCKu'u Vauk K. "To Iloti. Cen'l Schuyler." —.sriniylr .V.*."?. 1. Turgoyne's Campaign, by Charles Neilson, published by Muntell, lf=-i4, p. 14R. 18G LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. t ti ])liet!, "Yon sliall have them," and immctliiitoly onlcivd Learncd's brigade, when Arnold hurried haek on a lull •gal- lop, and the men after him in a double-(|uit'k time. lie adt's: " These incidents were well known at the time, and often sjiokcn of afterwanls to this day, and the author relates them in contradiction to what was said by AV'ilkin- son respecting Arnold." ' If any further proof is desired, it may be found in the .account of the battle, sent by e.xjtrctJS from (Jeneral (Jates' ]iead(|Uarters, on the afterimon «»f Se])teinber tilst, by^^fajor Cochran to the Council of JSafety, at Uemiington, A'ernioiit, as follows : "General Arnold with his division, attacked a division of Biirifoyne. in which General Arnold gained the fjruiind ; wIkmi tlie enemy were reinforced by the main body, when General Arnold was oltli^'iil to retreat; l)ut beinj,' reinfoiced, recovered iiis own, so that the f,'ronnd remained at eight o'clock yesterday divided between them. Tiiis account came by express from General Gates' head-quarters yesterday attemoon by .Major Cochran." ».» The English commander and his officers do not mention any other general officer on the lield in the battle of the lOth September, except Arnold. General liurgoym^, in his account of the campaign, before the House of Commons, in 1770, says : "Mr. Gates had determined to receive the attack in his lines. Mr. Arnold, wlio commanded on the lelt, for.seeing the dan;,'er of being turned, advanced without consultation with his gonf.'rai, and gave eiistead of receiving battle. The stroke might have been fatal on his part had he tailed. But confident I am, upon a minute examination of 1. Burgoync's Campaign, by C harlcs NcUson, pp. 148-9—150-101. See rrefncc, p. 8. Ditto p, 15;i. "The fact of Arnold's being present on tlie lield during tlie ac- tion of tlie I'JtIi, nnd actually liciuliiiff the troi)i)s that eiisaged Fraxer's division, is also conlinuel by a number who were present and wlio were engaged iu tlio battle." i. Vermont Historical Society I'ollections, Vol. I, p. 2:19. ;i. See, also, Maiiiizine of Am. History, Vay, 1878, p. 'JTS : " Col. Philip Van Court- hindt, who commanded a New Yorlc regiment engaged In the fight, says that alter lie had lelt his parade and was marching towards tlie enemy, ho received his orders from Gen. Arnold." IirS rATUIOTiSM AND HIS TUEASOX. 187 the pround since, tliat liad the otlicr idea been pursued, I should in a ti'w iioiu-H pained a position, that in spite ol' the Enneniy's lumbers wouKl have put them in my i>()wt'r." ' It wouUl 1)C clifliciilt to find any account of tlio battle, written before iiis treason, in which Arnold is not men- tioned as leading the American troops, for no man ever dis- covered that he was not on the field until after his con- si >i racy. The testimony now to be cited of historians and writers, is important oidy as showint clearly or uniformly iletined l)y historians. That contempnriineotts history gnvo his division credit is iiowliere questioned; and ihat he was a listless (■hserver, or renminc(l in camp re- jjardless of the fact tliat ho was responsible for the entire left win;,', w liich was then assaileawson, vho htm/rvt ii»/)f»i'o?'s in (lie can fid exumniiitmn of Amiricnn history, and I.ossing, who has devoted hislifc to this class of specialties, and 'lomes, concur with Marshall; while Colonel Varick,w riting immediately from the camp, and Xellson and Hall, and many other writers, give to Arnold not merely the credit of superintending the Held operations of his division, but of leading them in person. It is diflicult to umlcrstaud how the nitlulrawal of troops from 1- "racer's front, and their transfer to the Hritish centre, with the eonsc(iucnt movements descril)ed by deiicral Burgoyne, which required such rapid and exhausiivc employment of the whf)le force which hebro\ight into action, ciaild have taken place uu(lirected, and with nostrong will to hold the troojis to the attack and ili'leiise. "It is material that other tacts be considered in order to appreciate the value of Wilkinson's statement. He was a young man about twiuty years of age, restles.s migratory in the camp, and liki boy in his eagerness to see everything every- where. Ih," exercised his function, us Assistant Ad|nlaut fieneral. as if he were the duplicate of his thief, and repeatedly gave ordeis as if ihe Uvo pen jus made the 190 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. Pcrliaps too 'iitidi space has been fi^ivcn to a question Mliich would never liave boon raised at all but for Arnold's treason, and would pcarcely have deserve(l serious consid- eration, but that ISIr. ]>ancrot't luis, without careful investi- •jjation, never liavinc^ seen, as I am comiicllcd to believe, the letters of Yarick and Livinfrston, permitted himself to be misled by the dictum of AVilkinson. The wh(»le army, as is clearly shown by the letters of Yarick and Li vini,'ston, j^ave to Arnold the glory of bravely and skill- fully fi2;htinoys,' 't'want 'go boys.' He was as brave a man as ever lived. They didn't treat him right. JIc ouglit to have had Jbirgovne's swonh Ihit he ou^jht to luive been true;" and the old soldier seemed to grieve over the defection of liis commander, as a father mourns over the dishonor of a son. Rcncral conimai.diiiK. •••••• ArnoM also, In li!s o1>Jcctlons to tlio trnnsfcr (pf MorRiiii I'niiii liis coinniaiid, ninl neither rjutrs luir Wilkinson dissent from his vtntenicnt, tlms 'nUln sses Oenernl (intcs: "On the I'.iih inst., wlicn mlvicc wns re- ceived that the enemy were npiiroaehinsr. 1 t()<)l< the lilierty to j,'ive it as my opinion that we oniilit to march out and attacic tlu'ni, Y'li desired me to send <'oU)nel Morpan and llic I-iglit Artillery tosn|ip(>rt tliem. I ol)cyed your orders, and before tlie action wns over I found it necessary to send out tlie whole of my division to sup- port the attack.' •>!••* '• It is a fart that General Gates did not pass under fire, ncithor was It necessary for him to do so; but the whole conduct of tliat olliccr. and of his Adjutant General, savors of the disgust with which in an earlier war. King .-aul heard the shouts thiit '."^aul had slain his thousands, but Jiavid his tens of thou-^ands.' Arnold must stantl credited with persoMl valor, and a gallant defense of the left wing of the American army on the nine.eenth day of September, 1777. "There is no method of determining the details of Ills conduct, and the student of history must unite witli Sparks and Irving and Marshall, in the general .senti- ment that Morgan only, of American oirieers, can compete with Arnold for the brightest laurels of the Saratoga campaign." 1. Samuel Downing, heretofore quoted. f CHAPTER X. SECOND BATTLE OF SARATOGA. "Gales will be indelitod to liiiu (Ariiulil) for tlie glory lie iiiny m fiiiiio by a vic- tory,"— Genera/ J'/iUii) Si'hnylei: QUARREL BETWEEN GATES ANT) ARNOLD — ACTION OP OCTOBER 7TII — IlKllolsn OF Arnold— Gaves Tries in vain to Recall him from tiie Field— Mordan, by Direction op Aunold. f>r:i)Ei:3 iiis Kii'lemen to Fire at Fraser— Fiiaseu Shot— Senator Foster's Accovnt of Arnolk's Charge, as Witnessed by his FATHEn— Arnold Shot— Savks the Life of the Soldier wiio Shot him— CoNGRF.ss Votf.s him Tiianks and the Rank hitherto Refised— Washino ton sends him his New, Ante-datid ('o.mmis.«ion, and DixLARFii HE is Re- stored "TO A Violated Rkjiit." It is (lilKciilt to conceive a more painful position than tliat of (ieneral Arnold after the battle of the ll»th of Sep- tember. If his subsequent crime could be forgotten, it would not be jiossible to withhold from him the sympathy and admiration which is always felt for a mnn of ability sufferini^ from undeserved misfortune. Thus iar liis mili- tary career had been brilliant — almost without a parallel. lie had seen as much or more hard service — had done as much downrifj;ht hard fightiiii^' — as any man, Arashinr(iachiii^ from the nortli, he called for Arnold, and Wasliinijt(»n iirged Conirress to send liim without "one moment's dithiv," he- cause, to use Washiniftoii's own words, he was "active, ju- dicious and l)rave," ami hecause "his zeal and activity will animate 'he n)ilitia^re 'y." Leaving his unsettled accounts, ofVi'rini^ lo serve umler luniors, who had heen ])romoted over him, some of them without a military record, he liad hastene. Wu, "Arnold, wlio (i.s.-iimcd tluj part of Schuyler's friend, WHS (luarrelsonie and in.subordliiiite," let us ^ce what his ' wititii'iilidii" WHS. We lia\o already shown that ( Ol. I,ivinf.'ston, late on Selinyh r's St ill', in a eonfidcntial letter to Schuyler, says : ''The roasun of the disa- ureeiuent lietwcon two cronun is sinijily tliis— .liH-jAi is your Jrimd." Sclinyler speaks of "our gallant /)•/(•^'(^ Oen. Arnold." The truth is, tliat .\riiold and selniy- ler were warm and faithful Jrirndu all throut'li the camiiaiuns of 177il and 1777, anil afterwards. If Arnold had not heen faiiliful to sChuyler, he mi(.'lit have eontlnned tlie favorit'' of Gates, and then he would have been the acknowlctU'ed htro of Hur- otoaa. l!nt he was independent euouRh to bo Sehnylrr's (riend. In the ramp of dates, and dales punished him I'lirit. and yet Mr. ISincrolt says that hi}" icwmnl " to be Schuyler s friend. The treatnicnt of Aruold by sinne hi-loiiaiis suggests ihe spirit of one \v lio, when a friemlle^s and obimxious man was struck, iUt " hit him again, he has no friends here ! " Yet to slate or sUKgest n fal-ehood niriiiust Arnold, wliile it may plea.se popular feelii tMHi 1 "dd tu popular lii.trt.d, has neilher chivalry nor Christianity to excuse it. ins I'ATKIOTISM AND HIS TKEASON. 11)3 The coolness, or more tliati oo(»ltics8 of Gntoa ami his A(ljiitaiit-(iL'iu'i*al towards the st'cond in coimnand, had 1)0- cmiie an opt'ii (jiiarrcl \\\\vu ^Ictr^'an's {'or])S, whicli Iiad hceii attached to the left wiiii^ under the ("inunand of Arnold ever sinee his return from Fort SelniyK'r, was now, without eonsultati(»n (tr even notice, w itlidrawn from his division l»y general orders. ''This," says Sparks, " was sup|)osed to liavo heen owin^ to the otlioious interference of AV ilk iiison." ' In liis oHieial report to Con^resa of the late hattle, Gates was so unjust that he diil not mention, or even allude to Ariudd, nor to his division, hut merely said the hattle was fought hy " ta('hments troui the army." This was un- manly, unsoldier-like and uni,'enerous, and as unjust to Ar- nold's <;allant troops as to their commander. Arnold nat\irally complained and ex})ressed in strong language his sense of the injustice done to his soldiers.' Gates, knowing Arnold's temper, and ohviously seeking to ])rovuke and drive him from the service, went so far as to say sneeringly, he thought Arnold of little consequence in the army; that when (ieneral Linc(tln arrived he would take away his command; and that lie would with all his heart give him a pass to leave the army — very diftercnt language from that I'ti i.sed Se])t. 2d, 1770, when he was urged to put Arnold in arrest, and replied: "The United States must not ho de{)rived of that excellent officer's ser- vices at this iniportant moment."' ]jut as Gen. Schuyler suggests, Gates was now "so verv sure of success that ho did not wish the othei- (Arnold) to come in for a share of the glory he may acquire" from a \ictory.* Then followed an angry correspondence. Arnold 1. sparks' Life of Arnold, p. lU. ■J. ArnoUVs lotter to Gates, Sept. 22, 1777; Wilkinson's Memoirs, Vol. I, pp. ■i. Ciatosto the President of Coiiprress, Am. Archives, 5th S., Vol. I, p. 12C8. 4. Schuyler to Varick, Sept. 25, 1777. 13 i 191 LIFL OF BI;XI:DICT ARNOLD. wrote the letter of Sept. 22m\ Lefore iiiciitioiied. Gates was irritatiiii;, arrogant {\n(l vulgar; Arnold indiscreet, luuiglity and ])assi()nate. (Jates succeeded in ]>rovoking Ai'ny personal entreaty, annss to Washington in the heat of passion, and he was willingly pers\iaded to remain. On the iirst of October he had addresst'd a letter t.> (iates, in which he says: "Gonscions of my own imiocency and and integrity, I am determined to sacrifice my feel- ings and continue in the army at this critical junct- ure."' IJut Gates was inexorahle: his rival was now with- out a conunand, and Gates meant to keep hin» in that con- dition, anil therefore he had not the grace to restore him t(» his former ])osition, hut took the division under his own chai'ge, ]dacing Lincoln in command of the right wing. A (lay or two after Lincoln's arrival, Arnold still claiming to commaiul his old division, observing Tj'ncoln giving some • liivctions in regard to it, inquired if he was doing so by order of General Gates, and IJncoln replying in the nega- ative, Arnold observed that the left division belonged to him (Arnold) and that he believed that Lincoln's ])roj)er 1. I.ossing's Llfeof Schuyler, Vol. II, j\. a,"l. 2. l.ossiiin's Life of SchuyU'r, Vol. 11. y. M.'.l. a. Letter to Gales, Oct. l, 1777. Wilkinson's Memoirs, Vol. 1, pp. 203 2C0. s^ HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 195 Btatioii was on the riijjlit, and tliat of Gates oviglit to be the center.' " Arnold reipiested Lincoln to vientior this to Gates and have it adjnsted." Lincohi wisely ponijht to reconcile their ditlerences, but withont sncce^s. "Arnold is detenu ini'd,'' says A'arick. "not tosntVer any man t(» in- terfere in his division, anti says it will he death to any otKcer in actit»n." '' He renniined in eanip, reccivins^ the syni]>athy of his brother officers, but never consulted. Gates did not issue a tbrnial order, deprivini; hiiu of conunanurgoyne. lie looked anxiously towards Xew York for a diversion in his favor by Sir Henry Clinton. Provisions were growing scarce, and his troops, constantly luirrassed by skirmishes, were now ]iui on short ullowance. Burgoyne fortitied his camp, and the American militia came llocking in to take a luuul in the capture of the Jb'itish army, now regarded as morally certain. Its Irader realized that he must light or fly, and that without delay. In the early days of October the question of a ra])id retreat, oi- a via-orous attack, was mucli considered and discussed by the Jiritisli officers. Burirovne, in the bcifinnino: of the cam- paign, proud and sanguine of success, had in his proclama- tion said: "This army must never retreat I" Xow an escape by retreat would have been a relief to his anxiety. J'hilips i)roposed to malce a rapid, circuitous march and fall upon the American left. Jiiedesel advised a retreat to Fort Edward. Fraser was readv and williuir to liirlit. On the morning of the 7th of October, it was decided to 1. Ii'ving's Life of Wft.shinjtfnn Vdl, III. ip. JIO. •J. Vuric'k to Schuyler. Sclniylor luipurs, 19G LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. inalvC proparations fur battle, and that a reconnolssancc in force slioulil be executed, and if there slionld be found an opj)ortunity for an attack, ^vith reasonable prospects of success, it should be given; if otherwise, preparations to retreat should be made. At 10 A. ]\[., ]}ur Ih'itish still held their irround. And now Arnold on his black horse was seen aj)})roaching at full speed. Chaflng in his tent, he had early heard the sounds of the conflict, and no stag-hound chained in liis h li 198 LIFE or BENEDICT ARNOLD. kennel, when he liears the music of the pursuit, was ever more eager to join the chase than was Arnold to join his comrades in the field. " Xo nuvn," exclaimed he to his aids, ''shall keep me in mj tent tu-dav. If I am without com- mand, I will fiy^lit in the ranks: but the soldiers, (iod bless them, will follow my lead. Come on," said he, " victory or death!" and leaping into his saddle he plunged into the thickest of the fight, and the S(jldicrs welcomed their old and beloved connnander with shouts and cheers, which rose above the din and roar of the conliict,' His gallant, thor- ough-bred horse bounded over the field with a motion as elastic and nearly as ra[)id as the deer springs from the hound-^. Arnold was a splendid rider, and the martial spirit which animated him, and the magnetism of the rush- ing, powerful animal beneath him, thrilled his whole frame almost to frenzy as he dashed through the storm of smoke and fire and lead." "Fast, fast, with liools' wild spurniiipr, Thi^ (lark brown cliarycr sped; lie burst tlirouj,''h ranks of fig^hting men; He sprang o'er heaps of dead." "Gpnoral Arnold," says Lossing, "had watched with enger eye and excited spirit the course of the battle thus far. Deprived of all command, he had no authority even to fnht, much less to order. Smarting imder the indignity heaped upon hiiu by his commander, tliirsting for that glory which beckoned him to the tield, burning with a patriotic desire to serve his coimtry, now bleeding at every pore, and stirred by the din of battle around him, 1. He enjoys Uio confidence and affection of officers and soldiers. Tlieywoul.l to a man follow him to victory or death. '—Livingston L'Jtcr quoted. 2. lUs conduct recalls Scott's fine description of Marmion, in tlie battle of Fiod- den Field: " Like a thunderbolt, "First in the vauKuard made a halt, When such a shout there rose Of ' Marmion ! Marmion ! ' Miat tlie cry Up Fiodden mountains shrilling liigli, Startled the Scotish foes." —Can'o VI. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 190 tlie brave soldier became fairly maiMened by liis emntioiis, anil leapinjr upon his lar^je brown horse, ho started oti' on a full <,n!Uop for the field of confliot. Gates immediately sent Major Armstroii},' alter him to order liini ba<'k. Arnold saw him apviroaehinj^, and aiitieiiiatiiiy his errand, spurred his horse and left his pursuer far behind, while he i>laocd him- self at the head of the regiments of Learned's brifjade, who received their former commander with loud huzzas.. IIo imniedia ely led them against tlie British center, iind with the desperation of a mndman, rushed into the thickest of the fiffht, or rode along the lines in rapid and erratic movements, brandishiii;,' his broad -swcrd above his head, and deliveriuf,' his orders everywhere in person. Arnistroiij^ ki'pt u[) tiie ciiase fia* halt an hour, but Arnold's course was so varied and perilous that ho gave it u)). " Tlie Hessians received the fir^t as;^ault of Arnold's tro' i)s upon the Ihitish center with a brave resistance; but when, upon a second chnrge. he dashed furiously among them at tin; head of his men, they broke and tied in dismay. And now the battle liecamo geneial along the whole lines. Arnold and Morgan were the ruling spirits that controlled the storm on the part of the Americans, and the gallant (iem'ral Fraser was the directing soul of the British troops in action. His skill and courage were everywhere conspicuous. When the lines gave way, he brought order out of confusion; when regiments began to waver, he infused courage into them by voice and example. He was momifed upon a si)lendid iron-gray gelding, and, dressed in the lull uniform of a field otKcer, he was a conspicuous object for the Americans. It was evident that the fate of the battle rested upon him, and this the keen eye and sure judgment of Morgan perceived. In an instant his purpose was con- ceived, and calling a file of his best m n around him, he said, as he pointed toward the British right, /I'liat gallant oHic^r is General Fraser. I admire and honor hini, but it is necess.iry he shoulil die; victory for the enemy depends upon him. Take your stations in that clump of bushes, and do your duty.' ' ) Within tivo minutes Fraser fell mortally wounded, ami was carried to the camp by two gn'uadiers. Just jirevious to being hit by the fatal bullet, the crupper of his !:ornulent for you to retire from this placed ' Fraser replied. ' .My duty forbids me to fly irom dan- ger,' and the next moment he fell." 1. Lossinp's Field Book of tlie Itevolutioii, Vol. I. \>\^. Gl-2; also Life of Sclnijler. Vol.11, p. aco. I 200 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. In regard to tlio death of Gen. Fraser, it 5s proper t<> state that Samuel "Woodruff, of Windsor, Connecticut, a sar- geant in the American arm}-, and a ]tarti('i|»at()r in the battle, gives the following accuunt of the death of that gal- lant othcer : " Soon after the coniiiioncomcnt of tlic action, Gon. Aniold, knowinjr the military character and efficiency of Gen. Fraser, and observing his motions in leading and conducling' the attiici<, said to Colonel ^forfjiin, 'that officer npon the i?ray liorse is of himself a host, and must be dis- josed of ; direct the attention of some of the sliarpshooters among your riflemen, to him." Morgan nodded his assent, repaired to his riflemen, and made known to them the hint given by ArnoKl. Immediately upon this the crupper of the gray horse wixs cut by a riflo ball,' and soon Fraser received his mortal wound." This statement is corroborated by Neilson.' This account does not, it will be observed, conflict with the statement in regard to jVI organ, but only adds, that the cruel, but ])erhaps in a military ]X)int of view, important suiTirt'stion, originated with Arnold. It is difficiilt not to condemn this order. The impulse of every generous heart is, that the gallant scddier should have the chance of escape willi »ut being singled out for death. But the American officers were lighting for tlieir country. Arnold and Mor- gan believed the death of Fraser was necessary, and there- fore gave the iatal order. "When Fraser fell, a panic seized tlie Uritish, and the wliole line gave way and fled behind their entrenchments. The Americans followed, and, I again (^uote from the Field Book of the lievolution: "The conflict was now terrible indeed, and in the midst of the flame, and smoke, and metal hail, Arnold was conspicuous. His voice, clear as a trumpet, animated the soldiers, and as if ubiquitous, h(! seemed to be everywhere amid the perils at the same moment. With a part of the brigades of I'atterson and Glover, he assaulted the works occuiiied by the light infantry under Earl Balcarras, and at the point of the 1. Stone's Cnmpaign of General Burgnyne, pp. 324 Sir.. 2. " Morgan, n< thr svfjprstion of Aniolil^Umk a few of his riflomon nsidc," nml piivc tliem the order to jiick off Fruter as st.Ueil.— iyH/v/oiii. > t'ump(i/(/;,s, by CharUs Acitson. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 201 bfiyonot drove the enemy from a strong ahntis, through which he at- temptf'd to force his way into the camp. He was obliged to abandon the ott'ort, and dashing forward toward the riglit flank of the enemy, ex- posed to the cro.-8-fire of tlie contending armies,' lie met Learned's brig- ade advancing to make an assault up m the British works at an open- ing in the ahotis, between Halearras' light infantry and the German right fliink defense iimler Colonel Breyman. Canadians and loyaliatft defended this part of tlie line, and were flanked by a stockade redoubt on cacii side. "Arnold placed himself at the head of tlie brigade, and moved rap- idly on to the attack. He directed Colonel Brooks to assault the re'aving lireyman and his (ieruians completely exposed. At this moment Arn Jd galloped to the left and ordered the regiments of Wesson and Livingston and Morgan's cori^s of riflemen to advanct! and make a general assault. At the head of Brooks' regiment, he attacked the Ciernian works. Having found the sally-port, he rushed within the enemy's intrenchments. The tiermans, who had seen him upon his steed in the thickest of the tight for more than two hours, terrified at his approach, fled in dismay, delivering a volley in their retreat which killed Arnold's horse under him and wounded the General himself very severely in the same leg which had been badly lacerated by a musket ball at the storming of Quebec, two years before. "Here, wounded and disabled, at the head of conquering troops led on by his valor to the threshold ot victory, Arnold was overtaken by Ma- jor Armstrong, who delivered to him Gates' order to return to camp, fearing he ' miyht do some rash thing! ' He indeed did a rash thing in the eye of military discipline. He led troo])s to victory without an order from his commander. His conduct was rash, indeed, compared with the stately method of General Gates, who directed by orders from his camp what his presence should have sanctioned. While Arnold was wielding the fierce sickle of war without, and reaping golden sheaves for Gates' garner, the latter (according to Wilkinson) was within his camp, more intent upon discussing the merits of the Revolution with Sir Francis Clark, Burgoyne's aid-de-camp, who had l)een wounded and taken pris- (iner, and was lying upon the commander's bed at his quarters, than upon winning a battle all-important to the ultimate triumph of those princi- ples for which he professed so warm an attachment. When one of Gates' aids came up from the field of battle for orders, he found the General very 1. Wilkinson snys : "Tills would have been deomed inoredible if Gcu. Scott had not perl'onuud the same 'mad prank' at Luudy's Lane." ;p; 202 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. ' annrry because Sir Frjincis would not allow the forco of his arffuments. He left the room, and, calling; his aid after him, asked as they went out, 'Did you ever hear so ynpudent a son of a b — h?' Poor Sir Francis died that ni^'ht upon Gates' bed. " It is a curious fact," says Sparks, "that an officer who really had not command in the army, was 1 he leader of one of the most spirited and important battles of the Revolution. His madne.ws or rashness, or whatever it may lie called, resulted most fortunately for hiius(;lf. The wound he received at the moment of rushintj into the arms of dnufrer and of death, added fresh lustre to his military glory, and was a new claim to public favor and applause." ' The following is the account of Arnold's conduct in the action, given by General Carriugton in his " JjuLtles of the American Ilevolution." " At this stage of the battle, Arnold, no longer under self-control, burst from the camp, and, like a meteor, rode to the front of Learned's brigade, which had been so recently imder his conimiiTul, and dashed into the fight. He was cheered as he rode past, and like a whirlwind the regiments went with him upon the broken British lines Fraser fell mortally wounded in this assault, and swiftly behind ihe half crazy vol- unteer came Tenbroeck with a force nearly double that of the whole British line. That line was now in full retreat. I'hillips and Kiedesel, as well as Burgoyn", who took command in person, exhibited marvelous courage in an ho\u- so jicrilous. and withdrew the troops with creditable self-possession and skill, but nothing could stop Arnold. Wherever he found troops he assumed command, and by the magnetism of his will and passion, he became supreme in daring endeavor. With a part of the brigades of Patterson and (Jlover, he assaulted the intrenihments of Earl Balcarras, but was repulsed. To the right of Karl Halearras, the Canadians and Koyalists were posted under cover of two stockade re- doubts. Arnold here again met Learned's brigade, took the lead, and with a single charge cleared these works, leaving the h^ft of Breyman's position entirely exposed. Without waiting for the result of the further attack at this point, he lode directly in front of Breyman's intrench- mens under fire, and meeting the regiments of Wesson and Livingston and Morgan's rifle corps, which had made the entire compass of the British right, he ordered them forward, and then riding on with a jior- tion of Brooks' regiment which joined at that moment, he turned the in- trenchments of Breyman, entered the sally-port and was shot, with his horse, as the victory was achieved." ^ 1. Lossinu 3 Field Book of the Rcvolntif.n, Vol. I, p. C>^. 2. Carrinatou's Battles of the Ameiicnn Kevoluiidii, p. :i-l8. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 203 Sparks, ])erl»ai)8 the most careful of all writers uixm Itevolutioiiary history, and wlio is never extravagant in his language, says: "The brilliimt mauoeuvit' with which Iho cnpngi'iiu'rit w.ts flosod, the assault of the enemy 'm works, and drivinj,' the Hessians from their er- eanipnient, was uniloiihteiUy owiny in the Hist ease to Aiiiold. lie j^ave the order, and by his pentotial bravery set an example to tlie trooj^s which inspired them with ardor, anloody field of Oriskany to relieve Fort Schuyler, expecting to meet a superior force, he says : " You will liear of my being victorious, or — )io itiore!^ His conduct on the field the seventh of October, sliows that his excitement amounted almost to frenzy. During the progress of the battle, M-ishing to pass ra])idly from the right to the left, "he dashed through the lire of the two lines, and escaped niduirt."^ It is said by AV^ilkinson, that while encoui'aging his troops, Arnold, in a state of furious distraction, struck an ofHcer with his sword, "believed to be Captain La 11, of Dearborn's infantr}'." Sparks, alluding to the incident, says when the 1. Sparks' Life of Arnold, p. lis, 2. Spnrks' Life of Arnold, p. ll'.>. ;i. Gates' Tapers. Letter from Arnold to Gates, Aug. 21, 1777. MSS. 1. Wilkinson's Memoirs, Vol. L P- '-7.!. 204 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. !l officer, on the following day, "demanded redress, Arnold declared liis entire ignorance of tlie act and expressed his regret." ' Foster, of New London, late a Senator of the United States from Connecticut, at the Centennial celebration of this battle, on the 7th of October, 1877, relates an interest- ing incident in relation to Arnold. Senator Foster's father was adjutant of a Connecticut regiment made up in part of recruits from New London and Norwich, Arnold's birth- ])lace. lie says: "The earliest recollection of my boyhood was sitting on my father's knee and listening to the stories of the march, the camj) and the battle-Held. I well recol- lect hearing my father say that Arnold came dashing along the line, the speed at which he rode leaving his aid far behind him, and as he came up to my father's regiment he called out, 'Whose regiment is this?' My father replied: 'Colonel Latimer's, sir.' 'Ah!' said Arnold, 'my old Norwich and New London friends. God bless you! I am glad to see you. Now come on, boys; if the day is long enough, we'll have them all in hell before night.' General Arnold was a native of Norwich, and was born within fifty yards of my house in that town."' As Arnold's horse fell under him, and he received a shot through his thigh, breaking the bone, he cried to his sol- 1. Life of Arnold, p. 118. It hns been sugRCStcd Uiat in tlic fury and frenzy of his ck'spcriite eliarge, that tliis blow mny have been accidental. 2 Manuscript letters from Senator Foster (o the authur, dated Oct. 27th, 1777: " The Daily Saratoffiuu, which I enclose, contains a pretty full statement of what I have heard my father say of General Arnold's conduct on the battle-field. I recol- lect further hearing my father speak of Arnold's impatience and fretfulness with the surgeon, who on looking hastily at his wounded leg, cxpres ed .'iome appre- liension that amputation might be necessary. * * • He led the party that .stormed Burgoyne's camp, after his men fell buck to it ; although it was not taken. He certainly inspired the men with a large jiorlion of his own inipctuousity, for they rushed on to the assault with shouts and cheers and yells ; so 1 have heard my father and uncle both say. " Very truly your friend, etc., " L. F. S. Foster." ins PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 205 (licrs, "linsh on, my brave boys, riisb on!"* Accord iii^ to a statement of Nicbohis Stoner, Arnold was shot bv a wounded German private. An American soldier, seeing bis General fall, rus-'lied forwai'd and was about to run tbe wounded German tliroui,di witb bis bayonet, but Arnold, tbougb prostrate and blcediuir, seeiniut now wns tlie prop- erty of ('i)l. I.owls, niicl liorriiwt'il for tlio (iccnsloii. Wilkinson ^nys ]w saw the liorsi' tli(^ next duy dcud, iind Is ]irf)*>nl)ly currect. How Arnold cainc to rldo a l)or rowed liorse is exjilulncMl in tlie foDowini? note from Arnold to Colonel I.nnib: " My sister writes me she sent one of my lior^es to I'eekskill, aljout J'ltli of July, to lip forwanled to mc, and that she intended seiulliiK another the last of July. I have rei'eived neither, and hoR flie favor of ("ol. Oswald to make iiKiulries for tliem. nn lie knows the horses,— tlie one a sorrel stallion, anil the other a sorrel mare. I wish Idm, 'f they can he found, to send them to Albany, to the Oept. Quartermaster- General. — *e Li/e of Lamb p. 1"'.». " Yours, B. A." Arnold, it is said, pnvo an order to T.owis on the Quarternnister for the mare. In place of the one shot, and it is said none was there. Ii is not iiii|irohalile the above note will ex|>lain this order consisteMlly wiili his inteu'riiy, aiul if so, show liow liahle all iiersoiis are to do injustice wlio hear only one side of a case, without ex- planation. It is quite clear that previous to his treason, while Arnold had enemies, hl.s friends were as warm and devoted as his enemies were hitter. Amonj? the former vva.s (iencral I.nmh, who afterwards, while eondemnin'.,' liis treason with the nlinost severity, woiilti never suHer the reputation of Arnold as a soldier to be li, dismayed, bewildered, ovcrwliciiiied, were •scarcely within tlieir re- donht-, when Itehcdiet Arnohl, to wlioni the jealo\is < iaies, who did not come upon Uie Held dnrinK tlie day, had rel'nscd a ronimand, ontriilinnan aid whom fiatos liad sent to recall liim, came spurriiij.; up; Henedict Arnold— whose name America does not love, wliose ruihlcsswill linddra'/fjed tlic doomed Canadian e.xpediiion through tlie str.rvlns; wilderness of Maine, wlio voluntceriuK lo relieve Fort stanwix had, liy the mere terror of hiseoniin;.', lilown St, hcfjer away, and wlio nn tlie Ptili of Sep- tember had saved tlie American left, licnedict Arn(jld, wliom hattle stum; to fury, now whirled from end to end of the American line, hurled it iiK'ain^t the Kreat redoubt, driving tlieeneniy at (he point of the bayonet: tlieti (linginK liinT-elf to the extreme right, ar. " inding there tlie Massachu.sctts briRade, swept it with him to the assault, and aniingover the breastworks, scattered the Brunswick- ers, who defended them, killed tlu'ir t.'oloncl, gained and held the point which commanded tlie entire nrilish iiosition, while at tlic same moment liis horse was shot under him, and he sank to the ground wonndeil in the leg that liad been wounded nt Quebec. Hereupon tiie IIu [ 208 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. \vliicli liad been l)uilt on the top of a, liill near the hattle- ^round. At sunset, folk)wed hy General Burgoyne and the staff officers, his body was borne l)y the grenadiers of his division to the grave.' The Americans, seeing indistinctly through the twilight a movement of soldiers, and not know- ing what it meant, pointed their artillery upon the funeral cortege, and as it proceeded up the hill balls struck the ground near the new-made grave. Undisturbed and for- getful of all but the duties of his sacred office, the chaj)lain, with "unaltered" voice read the sublime service, "])ust to dust; ashes to ashes," though often himself covered with the dust thrown up by the shot which fell around him.' Amidst the cheers and shouts of the trium])h to which he had so gallantly led liis troops, Arnold was borne bleed- ing and helpless to his quarters. The victory was m'ou, and P)Urgoyne's surrender was now a (piestion only of time. Arnold was soon made to realize that the words of Schuyler 1. " Slowly and sadly we liiid liim dnwn, rnim the field of liis fiiiiie Ircsli mid Rory; We carved not a line, we niisi'd not a stone, liut we leit him alone in hi.s glory." 2. Burpnyno has himself very eloquently and feelingly described the srcne- "The incessant cannonade during the ceremony; the steady attitude and unal- tered voice w:th which the chaplain otliciated, though Irequently covered with dust which the shot threw up on all sides of him ; the mute, hut expressive mix- ture of sensibility and indi(,'nntion upon every countenance; these ohjects will remain to the last of life ui)on the mind of evory r.ian who was present. 'J he grow, ing darkness added to the scenery, and the whole marked a character of that juncture which would make one of the finest subjects for the pencil of a mas'' tliat the field ever exhibited. To the canvas and to the faithful page of a moi'e impor:aut historian, gallant friend! I consign thy memory. Tlioie may thy talents, thy manly virtues, thoir progress and their jieiiod, tind due distinction and long may they survive ; long after the frail record of my pen shall be forgotten."— Ining's Life of lVn:^liiiiritim, Vol. Ill, p. 277 The following is the tribute from the poetic pen of Bancroft to the memory of Fraser, and is scarcely surpassed by anytning in Ossian? " Never more shall he chase the red deer through the heather of f-'trath Frrick.or guide the skiff across the fathomless lake of central Scotland, or muse over the ruins of the Stuarts on the moor ot Drum Mossie, or dream of glory beside the crystal waters of the Ness. Death in itself is not terrible ; but he came to America for selfish advancement, and though bravely true as a soldier, he died uneon. soled."— Z>uiicn/r« Jlistuiy uj the Uiiilcd UkUcs, Vut. IX, p. 41i>. I HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON . 200 were true. ''Gates will be intlebteJ to liiin for tlic glory lie lujiy acquire by the victory." * Arnold's blood watered the laurels which new encircled the brow of Gates. There is, savB De Quincy, a Nemesis which haunts the steps of those who become illustrious by appropriating the trophies of their brothers. Gates ungenerously a])j)i'"|>riated the honors due to Arnold and to Schuyler, and has passed into merited disgrace. I)Urgoyne abandoning his sick and wounded, attempted to retreat to Saratoga. Here he found himself completely surrounded. Staik, with two thousand men, h(dd the river at Fort Edward, and his whole camp was exposed to cannon and rifle shot, and the firing upon him was constant. On the 17th the terms of ca])itu]ation were signed, and his ■whole army surrendered, the Americans obtaining forty-two ])ieces of the best brass ordnance then existing, a large (quantity of ammunition, and 4,600 muskets. The British loss in this campaign is estimated at ten thousand men." On ^fonday, Nov^ 4th, Colonel Wilkinson laid before Congress the papers in relation to the surrender of 15 ur- goyne.' 1. Lotter from Sclniylor to Vnriok, before quotcil. 'i. In a letter to (ienenil Scliuyler from Col.Viiriuk, diited "Albany, October 30th. 1777,'' (Scliuyler I'apcrs'lie say.s; " General Arnolil is Krowinp better very fast. He requests his eomplinicnis to you He is in exipcctation iif accKnijittuyinf; you to €onr;revs. JIc hvtt satislietl with Gdles' convention (with llurgoyne). He thinks we ini.nht have caught them on more advantageous teinis than we liavo." * * (lUirRoyiie and his army did not l)econie absdlute prisoners to he exeluuitjed, only agreein,' not to mtvc ajjaiii during the war ) "Great part of Gates' army is still here. They have (lestroye in and about this \t\m'e."—S'cUiiiilir P.iperK. o. "Colonel Wilkinson, Adjutant (ieiieral in (iates' army, was made by him ttie bearer of disi)atches to Congre.fs, communicating the (Iheial intelligence of the surrender of Burtjoyue, aud the articles of cai>itu'ation. Wilkinson arrived ut 14 210 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. On Tuesday Congress passed a vote of tliaiiks to Generals Gates, Lincoln and Arnold, and " the otlier officers and sol- diers," for "their brave and successful efforts."' On the 29tli General Washington was directed to issue a new commission to General Arnold, of such a date as to give him the precedence to which he was entitled." It will be remembered that his iirst promotion, from Col- onel to Brigadier-General, was given as a reward for his efforts in leading the army through the wilderness to Can- ada, and for his gallantry in the assault on Quebec. lie was made a Major-General for his heroism at Ridgetield, where one horse was killed under liim and another wonnded, and when he escaped as by a miracle, l)ut his proper rank had been hitherto refused l)y Congress. The victory at Saratoga, where, at each of the battles, he was the only ]\[ajor-General on the field, his last brilliant and triumphant charge and his severe wound, brought to him the rank he had long before won, and now, at last, AVash- ington enclosed his commission, saying: ''You are re- stored to the rank you claim in the line of the army. This (the commission) I transmit by direction of Congress."^ Writing to Lincoln, a jnnior who had been promoted over Arnold, he says : " General Arnold is restored to a violated Tigkt^ and the restitution I hope will be consi'nibers made a motion in Congress that they should compli- ment Colonel Wilkinson with the gift of a pair of spure."— iVe Sparks' Writings of W'ashirigton, Vut. V, p. 114. I. .lournals of Congress, Vol. Ill, p. 400, 177V. ;:. Journals of Congress, Vol. Ill, p. MS, 1777. a. Sinirks' Writiuijs of Washiuijtjn, Vol. V, i>. 213. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASOX. 211 gentleman concerned, a? I am sure it will by you, as an act of necessary justice." ' Thus ended these battles near Saratoga, and the campaign which secured American independence. It was decisive; it disheartened the enemy, it fixed the wavering, and filled the patriots with new hope and energy, and it brought act- ive aid from France and Spain to the patriot cause. It was a brilliant success, and some one is fairly entitled to the honor of achieving it. AVho'^ Schuyler's wise prej)- aration and magnanimity cannot be too highly honored. J>ut who fought the battles? Gates did not see the face of the enemy dm-ing the campaign. To what extent did Arnold contribute to the trium])h of the Americans? AV^ashington sent him North to rally the militia and lead them. They flocked to his standard, and he led them to victory. His exjiedition up the ^^fohawk was a jierfect suc- cess, and if Stanwix had not been relieved, and St. Leger had come down to Albany and formed a junction with Burirovne, the result wouhl r>robab]v have been chauffed. Jieturning from Fort Stanwix, Arnold skirmished success- fully, and restored the spirits of the army, dej>ressed by the retreat from Ticonderofja. He selected IJemis Ueiirhts for the battle-ground, and fought the battles of the lltth of September and the Tth of October. If this is, indeed, true, and if the conflict at Saratoga was one of the great battles which have influenced the fate of nations; if this was the decisive contest of the lie volution; if it was fought by Arnold, and his blood contributed to the victory, should he not have the credit, so dearly earned? Give all honor to Schuyler; give to JNIorgan, Stark, Dearborn, ami (jthers, all ])raise as brave partisans, but let historj' be just and trutht'ul, and record that Bene- dict Arnold was, the hero of the campaign of 1777, and of the battles of Saratoga. 1. Sparks' Wrltini?s of Washington, Vol. V, p. 217. CHAPTER XI. WASHINGTON'S FRIENDSHIP-ARNOLD'S GENEROSITY. "I take the liberty of presenting these (epaulettes and sword-knotts) as a testi- mony of my sincere regard and approbation of your conduct."— yi'ashii)gton, to Arnold. 1 AnNOLD's WorND— ITr is CAr.RiF.D TO Albany, thence to Connecticut— Recep- tion AT New Haven— Receives Pistols, Epaulettes and Swoud Knots Aiosi Washington— II E Supplies Money for the Education and Maintenance of THE Orphans OF General Warren— Goes to Valley Forge— Washington Assigns him to Command of ruiLADELPHiA. The wound of Genoral Arnold received at the battle of the 7th of Octohcr, wHkS very severe and painful. In a letter written from Albany on the evening of October 8th, it is said: "The brave General Arnold is badly wounded in his left leg, having received a compound fracture, which endangers the loss of the limb." " Ex-Senator Foster savs: "I recollect, further, hearing mv father speak of Arnold's impatience and IVetfulness with the surgeon, who, on looking hastily at his wounded leg, expressed some apprehension that amputation might bo necessary. This, according to my recollection, was on the field. Arnold thought he should stand "no such d d nonsense, and that if that was all the surgeon had to say, the men should lift him upon his horse, and he would see the action through." ^ 1. Sparks' Writings of Washington, Vol. V, p. 301. 2. Connecticut Couranl of Oct. luth, 1777. 3. MSS. letter of Hon. L. F. S. Foster, to the author, Oct. 29th, 1877. (212) HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 213 Arnold's im]iatieiiecixn(l cliat;riii must have been increased by the unmerited honors lavished by Con at Saratoga to Albany, and remained there, completely disabled, during the autumn and much of the winter of 1777-8. On the 'J-ith of December, 1777, Dr. J. l>rown, a surgeon in the Continental Army, writing of a visit to the hospital, says: " General Lincoln is in a fair way of recovery. * * lie is the patient Christian, etc. * * Xot so the gallant General Arnold, for his wound, though less dangerous in the beginning than Lincoln's, is not in so faira way of heal- ing, lie abuses us for a set of ignorant pretenders.'' Late in the winter or early spring, he was able to be moved to Connecticut, and it is said that on his way, in passing through Ivinderhook, New York, his wound was still in such a condition that a door ]wst had to be removed to make room for his litter to enter the house where he was to pass the night.' lie spent some time in Middletown, Connecticut, and on 1. "General Gaies was to be cxaltcfl upon tlic ruins of my roputation and indu- c\\cc."—Wn!ur- goyne, the name of Arnold became a familiar word at many a home and beside the fireside of many a log cabin on the banks of the Hudson, the jMohawk, and the New York lakes, as %vell as in New England, and was honored and cherished until he himself brought disgrace upon it. I have spoken of the cold recognition of Arnold's ser- vices by Congress, but it w^as otherwise with the Com- mander-in-Chief. Thatcher, in his " American lievolution," says: " It is but justice to confess that by his military phrcnsy, or romantic heroism, Arnold contribut{?(l to the honor and success of that day i battle of Oct. 7th). General Washington had a high sense of his gallantry, and presented him with a pair of elegant pistols." - And on the 20th of January, when transmitting the 1. Connecticut Journal, May Ctli, 1778. 2. Ai)peudix to Thatcher's Ainericau Revolution, p. 4G8. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 2Lj ante-dated commission, so loni^ witldiold by Confjress, con- ierriii;reat consideration in jndo-ing of Arnold's character and conduct previous to his treason, I now come to other incidents in the life of Arnold which show that, with all his faults, his heart was warm with gratitude and generosity; and that he had formed a friendship for General AVarren, M'hich survived the death of that heroic man, and was manifested in a most liberal manner towards his children. 11. 1. Sparks' Writings of WasliinRton. Vol. V, p. 210. 2. Sparks' Writings of Wushington, Vol. V, p. 'Ml. 21(3 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. It will be remembered that General AVarrcii, at the time of Arnold's visit to Cambridge, in 1775, was diairnian of the Committee of Safety, and wa§ an active friend of Ar- nold's in his expedition to Ticondero<:;a and St. Jolnis. The friendship then formed, and Arnold's s^rateful recollections of Warren's kindness, were not obliterated by time nor by the vieissitndes of a soldier's life. Warren, when killi-d at ]>unker Hill, left four children, Elizai)eth, Joseph, Mary and liichard, all of them under twelve years of ai^-e, and their oidy inheritance was the name made so illustrious by the patriotism and death of their father.' In the sprin<; of 1778, Arnold learned that these children of his friend were in want, and that no one had as yet made any pro- vision for thorn, lie was not at this time a rich man; he had expended lar to beg your continning your care of the daugh- ter, and that you will at jn-e^ient take charge of the education of the son. 1 make no doubt that his relations will consent that he shall be under your care. ^ly intention is to use my interest with Congress to provide for the family. If they decline it, I make no doubt of a handsome col- lection by private subscription. At all events, / will provide for them in a manner suitable to their birth, and the grateful sentiments I shall ever feel for the memory of my friend. I have sent to you by Mr. Hancock five hundred dollars for the present. I wish you to have Richard clothed handsomely, an I sent to the best school in IJoston. Any expense you are at, please call on me for, and it shall be paid with thanks " * The above letter was written July 15th, 1778. In the following letter to Dr. Townsend, dated Aug. Gth, 1778, there are interesting details on the same subject. 1. I.ifo of .Toseph Warren, by Frothiughnm. pp. 542-43. 2. Sparks' Lit^^of Aniolil, p. 127. ins PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 217 " I wroto you somo time since, respecting the children of my late worthy friend, and requested the favor of your puttins^ Richard to a school, and sohciting Miss Scollay to keep Betsey. Soon after I was in- formed you had left Boston, and as it was uncertain if you would rece' vo niy letter, I wrote Miss Scollay by Mr. Hancock, and sent her five hundrcil dollars, requesting her to take particular care of the education of Betsey, and prevail, if possible, with the relations to have Richard sent to the best school in Boston at my expense. Mr. Hancock has promised to me his interest to have the children taken care of. I shall apply to Congress soon. U they decline, make no doubt of a handsome collection by private subi^eriptions. At all events, am determined they shall be pro- vided for, Ns iiich fortune has put in my power to etl'ect. I shall be glad to hear from you at all times and am. Dr. Townsend, " Your i-'riend and Humble Servant, "B. AllKOLD."' From a letter written by Samuel Adams to Elbriclc!i hundred dollars, makint,' the sum due nearly seven thousaixl dollars, besides the future stijtend. In the con^'ratulatory letter which Arnold wrote to Miss HcoUay on tliis event, on'y six weeks before tlie consnnunation of liis treacjiery, he reit- erated his ardent concern for the welfare of the children, but complained that his a])plication to ('onj,''sess had been 0))posed from tlie bejiinninf,''by all th(> Massachux'tts deiefj'ates except one. 'J'hey looked u])on the case as api)ertainini,' only to the f^tate of Massachusetts, and as not coniinjf within the .iiirisdiction of Con.yress. Others had tlie same o])inion. The success of tlie measure, which every bcnevoU'nt mind must heartily approve, may be fairly ascribed to the zeal and perseverance of Arnold. " ' The letter of Geiierfil Arnokl to Miss Scollivv, referred to l)y Sparks in tlie preoediiif^ quotation, is as follows: " Peaks Hill, Augt. 3rd, 1780. " Dr. Madam: — " 1 must ask pardon for not answering your several letters before, in particular tht> one of the 7th iiist. I di' assuro you it was not inatten- tion, Imt a hope (deferred from time to tim:-) of giving you an accot. of the success of my application to Congress in favor of the orphans ot tiie late (leneral Warren, whic'h 1 hope yon will admit as an ai)ology I now have the pleasure to iiitbrm you that my application has so far sic- ceeded (notwithstanding it has been opposed from the beginning liy the Delegates of the State of Massachusetts Bay, except by Mr. Holton. Mr. Gerry, in particular, did everything in his power to preytMit the Success of the Appli'n), that Congress have at last Resolved that the three youngest children (the oldest being provided for) shall receive the Half pay of a ^lajor-General from the Death of the Geneial until! they ,ire of age. which will amount to three hundred jioimds ])r. annum, ('. (Continental) money, in Specie or an equivalent, so that there is five 1. Spark's Life of Arnokl, p. 128. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 219 yours' pay tluo, aintjf. to the Sum of £1")00 in Specif, wiiich tlio Statos ir* i»y tlio KcsoliitiDu of Conj,'n'SH ri'(|U('stcd to pay, and to jirnvido tiiu Edu- (■atioii and clotliin^,', Art;., of tin,' (Jliildrcn. When application was niado to t'onj,'ros8, Mx*. Gerry opposed it as dis- iif,'reeul)l(; to tho Sontliern States, and a provision wliicii ouylit to lie made by the Htato of Massachusetts Hay; when a iirivate suhscription was handed about, he opposed it aa dislionorablo to the State and the liarticuhir friends and rehitions of tlie hitc General, so th.it a trifle was subscribed and nothing? collected. Jt has not been want of Inclinutwjn, but want of ability which has prevented ray remitting you the ballance lor the expense of the children. Tiie Public are indebted to me for a con- siderable Sum which I advanced for them in Canada, and for four years pay which I cannot obtain. I must request you will jirosent the Acco't of expenses incurred to tho I'resid't and Council of Massachusetts Bay without any mention of my name, and rcfpiest payment, which 1 make not the least doubt, they will not oidy Comply with but reimburse tlie Sum advanced. In a hurry I forgot tin.' Hesolution of Congress; I have this day wrote to Philadelphia for it. When it arrives I will Inclose it to you. If the State refuses to ])ay the Acco't., I shall (>steem myself obliged to. I3ut as the Resolution of Congress makes ample provision for them, they will not stand in need of the assistance of Individuals in future. The (Jen- oral Officers of tho Army have within a few days presented a Spirited ^lemorial to Congress in behalf of the Widows and orphans of all those who have fell in the Service of their Country since the Commencement of the war, and I am not without hopes of our Succeeding in it. Your ob- servations on tho Charitable disposition of People of oppulence is very Just. Charity, urbanity, and the Social Virtues Seem swallowed up in the tu- mult and Confusion of the times, and self wholly engrosses the nabobs of the present day. I am much obliged to you for your tender of services, and shall be happy at any time to receive a letter from you, and to hear of the welfare of your charge, as T fo('. myself greatly interested in their happiness, and hope you will be enabled to resume the charge of them soon. Please to present my love to them, and believe me, with great regard and esteem, Madam, " Your Obed., Hble. Svt., "B. Aknold." " T wish you would be good enough to consult with your Friends, as a proper method of obtaining the Ballance due you of tho State; which I lliiiik they cannot, with any Face of .lustice, refuse when they have the Resolution of Congress. But if that should be the Case, you will please to ma'vO out a particular acco't in Specie of the whole Sum you have ail- vanced, and credit the Sum you have received, that the Ballance may 220 LIFi: OF BENEDICT AUXOI-D. apponr. For which I may possibly honor an order of Congress for pay- ment. "B. A.» "Miss Scou.AY." The action of Congress referred to wns as follows: on the first of July, 17S0. "On motion of Mr. Livingstone, seconded by Mr. Adams, Congress came to ♦he following resolutions: "WnKHEAS, ('(inyrcss have thought proper to erect a monument to the memory of Major-Ooneral Warren, in consideration of his distin- giiisiied mont and bnivi'i-y, and to make provision for the education of his eldest son; and wiiereius, it appi'ars no adequate ]irovision can bo made out of his private fortune for the education and maintenance of his three younger children: therefore, licsolred. That it be recommended to the Executive of Massachusetts l?ay to make provision for the maintenance and education of the said three children of the late Major-general Warren. licsoUed, 'I'liat Congress will defray tho expense thereof, to the amount of the half-pay of a major-general, to commence at the time of liis death, and conlinuo until the youngest of the said children shall be of age " a 1. Ccrtinod from Dcrirtmcnt of State at Washington. 2. Frothiiiglnun's Life of Joseph Warren, p 644. The following is a statement of monies ndvaneed and paid to Mi^s Merry Scollay, copied I'rnm tlie day-book of General Benedict Arnold, in liisown haiid- writing, now in the ofllce of the Secretary of tlio Coiuinonweallh of I'unuisylvania, at Ilarrisburg, p. 3. "1778. Miss Merey Scollay to cash Dr. July 15. To 5(J0 dollars fur expenses on neet. of the late Gcnl. Warren's children, JEl.W (This appears by Arnold's letter to Miss Scollay to have been sent by Ilancock.) [Pago IG.] " Feb. W, 1779. Miss Mercy Scollay, Dr. " To cash 500 dollars for the use of the late Gen. Warren's children, sent by Lieut. Peter Richards." There ore several accounts of curious Interest in this book; among others, one with Gen. Washington. There are accounts with ships "Mars" and "Jonathan," the sloop " Active," the " Charming Nancy," and schooner " General Arnold." Among the charf are items for arms furnished. There are large tiansactions with his sister, Hannah Arnold, showing that she was entrusted with Important business alfairs for him." There are accounts with "Ilcn. Silas Peanc," and items with him about the time, or soon after, his marriage, for broca, at " ]\rari.mtc, KM<^hind," is written: "I met (General Arnold, the "traitor," so called. lie was tliero with Ids family; 1 recollect a son, very handsom- and a daui^hter. j\riiold was rather a stont man, i)road shonldere(l, lar^e hlaek eyes. He walked lame from a wonnd received at the attack on Qi ;bec, I think." ^n May, Arnold arrived at the camp of AVashinjifton, at Valley Forge. His wound still rendered him unlit for active service in the field, and as it was exjK'cted that the JJritish Would very soon evacuate ]*hiladel[)hia, the Comnninder-in-Chief determined toi^ive him the command of that city. This would he a new and untried theatre for one whose true place was on the battle-iield. Jrap])y would it havt been for him if he could have remained with Wash- ington, and shared with his chief the perils and the glory of the war until the contest closed at Yorktown. The drama which now opened in the city of Penn, then the metropolis of the Union, presenting this brave soldier in the character of an ardent lover and successful suitor of the belle of Philadelphia, the young, fascinating and beau- tiful Pegi^y Shippen, and wliich ended so darkly at West Point, I will not enter upon until the next chapter. "April 2, 1779, Rev. Mr. Barth'w Booth, Dr. "To cash £()00 lawful money, for schooling and boarding Bon and Richard two and a luUf years. To £300 for their expenses." These were his two childreu by his first wife. !B3 f i , CHAPTER XII. ARNOLD'S COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE. " She loved me for the dangers I hpd passed, And I loved her that sho did pily them." PniLADEi.rniA during the Revolvtion—Arnold Assumes Command and Succeeds PlU AViLLIAM IIOWK IN OCCUPVIN'O THE PENN IIOUSE— TlIE SlIIPPEN FAMILY — MAjiiR JuHN Andre— The " Mischienza"— Pegoy Shippen, the Beli.e op PiiiLADELPinA— Arnold as hee Suitor— IIis Courtship—Settles upon hfh Mt. I'levsant— Ills Marriage and Domestic Life— Letter op Hannah Arnold to Mrs. Arnold at West Point. On the 18th of June, 1778, the British army retired from Pliihidelphia, and on the 19th General Arnold, by direction of Washington, assumed command of tiiat city. During tlie IJritisli occupation, the headquarters of Sir William Howe, commanding the British force, liad been the mansion which was once tlie home of Governor Ilichard Penn, the grandson of "William Penn. This Jiouse was afterwards repaired hy llobert Morris, and occupied by President AVashington, wliile the seat of government was at Philadelphia, and thns it became known as the " Wasli- iuicton ]\[ansion." The British army had taken possession of Pliiladelpliia on the twenty-sixth of September, ]777, and for the liead quarters of tlie commander they had selected Mdiat was then regarded as tlie finest house in the city. It was built of brick, and stood on the south-east corner of Front and Market streets, "a large, double house, and M'hich Mith its (222) HIS TATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASOX. 22:] offices extended bacl: one liundred and twcntv-one feet,"' and llusli, in liis reminiscences says of it, that in ITUO few, if any, eqnaled it in Philadelphia.' Here (ieneral llowu and his hrilliant staff of officers and associates, passed a gay winter in 1777-'S. To sncli an extent were the gayeties and dissipations car- ried in tills old (^)naker city durini^ that time, that Dr. Franklin said: "(Jeneral Howe lias not taken Philadelpliia; Pliilahia, p. :2iO. Rush's Reminiscences. 221 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. graceful, and of purer morals and a more refined taste than many of his associates. He was a welcome guest in the house of Edward Shippen, a gentleman of rank, character and fortune, and of one of the most respected families in l*hiladeli)liia, and who, although he took no very decided part on either side during the war, and was generally regarded as a loyalist, yet such was his high personal character, that he was, after its termination, elected Chief Justice of Pennsylvania. Andre, though a hravo and efficient soldier, was still more distinguished as a favorite in societv, and was ever readv, Loth with his pen and pencil, to contribute to its amuse- ments. He wrote graceful verses, arranged plays for exhi- bition, painted scenery and drop-curtains, and was himself an accomplished actor. Among the amusements aixl gayeties of the winter of 1778, was the celebrated JllseJi'wnsn, a pageant, jilay and mock tournament, gotten up in honor of General Howe. It was a novel and splendid entertainment, and in conse- (juence, perhaps, of the very prominent ])art taken in its preparation and perfoi'mance by the uiilbrtunate Major Andre, and the appearance in it of Miss Peggy Shippen, afterwards the wife of General Arnold, it has always been regarded with historic interest. The scene of this brilliant ])ageant, which took place on the eighteenth of ]\[ay, 1778, was at Walnut Grove, the country seat of Joseph AVharton,* a fine old country house, surrounded by a noble park of venerable trees, the grounds extending to the banks of the Delaware. The Queen of the Mischiensa has represented Andre as " the charm of the company." lie seems to have l)een the leader of the whole affair, and his costumes, verses, etc.. were all very clever. The knights and ladies who a])])eared were divided into two parties; one designated as that of 1. Historic Munsions of Philadelphia, p. 4G(3. ins PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASOX. 90a the '* T»uvning Mountahi,'' and the other as the '* IjlendeJ Kose." Ainoiii^ theotlier incidents of tlie s])cctaclc was a tourna- ment, arranged and conducted in accordance with the cus- toms and usai^es of ancient chivahy. Knights, mounted on trained liorses and armed as in the ohlen time; hidies i)en; device, a heart and sword; motto. Honor, and the Juiir. Captain AV^atson, of the guards, was the chief of the ]>arty, designated as " The Knights of the Burning ]\roun- tain," supported by six knights, each attended by his squire, and each to contend in honor of the hvly of his choice. The second knight of those making up the party of "The Iiurning ^[ountain" was Lieutenant AVinyard, in honor of Miss Peggy Shippen; device, a bay-leaf; motto, " unchanfje- dhh..'''' ' These two parties, superldy mounted — those of the IJlended Pose on gray, and those of the lUiniing ]\foun- tain on black horses — now contended in the lists, accord- ing to the rules of chivalry, with lance smd shield and sword, for the honor of their several ladies, "as supe- rior in wit, beauty and accom])lislunent to those of the whole world." After the tournament followed the bestowal (»f favors, a brilh'ant ball, splendid fireworks and illuinina- 1. Sargent's Life of Andre, p. 172, etc. 15 R !• 220 LIFE OF BFNEDICT ARNOLD. iHj ) ' I \ tions. Among these gay and brilliant actors Andre and Miss Shii)pen, afterwards IVFrs. Arnold, were conspicnoiis. This gay yonng .MtUlicr, and this lovely maiden, then only eighteen years of age, hright and joyous, mingling in scenes of romance and mimic chivalry, happy in the present, and hope lighting up all the future; happy that the veil ■was drawn, shutting out from the one liis ti'agic death ui)()n the scaffold, and from the other her clouded life, her exile from home and fi-iends — yet a life devoted to duty in sooth- ing the perturhed S])irit of a bitterly dit^aj^pointed man, a life which opened so hrilliantly to go out in rovoked much ridicule, and the inquiry Mas often made what had. (Jeneral Howe done, during liis uku-c than half- year's indolent and luxurious occupation of the city, to merit such an ovation ? As the British retired from the city, Arnold entered and as>unuKl command, aiul took possession, as his head(]uarters, of the same Penu House which Jlowe had so lately occu- })ied. Whatever may have been the character of those Avho pre- ceded him, and hov.'ever effeminate their amusements, lie was no " carpet-knight." Kot in the tilting yard, nor at the tournament, nor in any form of mimic war, had his laurels been won. In the wilderness, by the severest hardshi])s and sufferings, beneath the walls of Quebec, un the Lake, against the most decisive odds, on thetield, in the midst of cariKige and blood, had he earned the character which induced Washington to express a desire to have "his ser- vices the ensuing campaign,'' ' ami to ask him to join the main army, as soon as his wounds would permit active field service. 1. Washington to Arnold, January 20th, 1778, Sparks' Writings of Washington Vol. V, p. 210. HIS TATIUOTISM AND HIS TRKASOX. 227 It liaf alrciuly been stated that the Shipjien family M'as, at the time ot'thv lievolution, one of tlie inostdistincjuished and respected in I'hihidelphia. Edward IShi]>])eu had tliree daugliters mIio took part in tlic JMhcMenza — ]\Iiss 8. Ship- ])en, Miss ^[. Shippen, and ]\riss l*e<]ff]^y Shippen, who hecame Airs. Arnold.^ The latter was the " darling of the family cir- cle." Young, extremely beautiful and gracefid, and with a magnetism of person and manner which drew to her in love and admiration, everv one who came within her inlluence, Washington said to Lafayette, "Ah, Marquis, you young men are all in love with Mrs, Arnold.'" Tarltou and other return- ing officers, after she went to London, reported that " she was the handsomest woman in England." The enthusiasm M-ith which IFamilton, in his letter to Miss Schuyler, de- scribes her will not be foi-gottcn. I have read her letters to her father, husband and fainily, from the time of her mar- riace to her death, and there is throu<;hout an exhibition of filial tenderness and respect; a conjugal devotion, ]»urity, elevation and dignity, which indicate a Wiirni and affectionate heart, a (Miristian fortitude, and a cultivated intellect, rare as beautiful. While Philadelphia was held by the British, as has been stated, courtesies were reciprocated l»etween the families of wealth and social position and the British otHcers, and the brilliant INfajor Andre was a frequent and welcome visitor at the Shippen's; and there is yet preserved among them as an heir-loom, a pin-and-ink sketch of Miss Peggy Shij)- ])en, in the costume of the Mlschienza., drawn by Andre. When Arnold took command in I*hiladelphia. crippled with honorable wounds in the service of his country, few soldiers in the American army had a higher reputation for skill, and none were more distinguished for personal cour- if;!' ii 1. Sargc!it's Life of Andre, pp. 171-2. 2. Irviiig's Washington, Vol. IV, p. 1q7. ngn 228 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. IHil i; i i * age. These are qualities wliicli the people always appre- ciate, and those possessing them have in all ages been the especial admiration of women. Arnold was still young, (»nly thirty-six, of manly bearing, s])lendid ])liysi(|ue, and yet l>ore visible marks, both in his ap])earancc and his move- ments, of the wounds he had received. It is not surprising that lie should have captivated the foncy and won the heart of the beautiful and fascinating Miss Shippen. A member of the Shipjien family says " there can be no doubt the imagination of ]\[iss Shippen was excited, and licr heart captivated by the oft repeated stories of his gallant deeds, his feats of brilliant courage, and traits of generosity and kindness, such as his contributions towards the educa- tion of the or])han children of General AVarren." ^ It was not long before he was the declared suitor lor the hand of JSIiss Shippen. In a note to her father, asking his permission to address his daughter, Arnold says, among other things: " My fortune is not larjjo, tliongh sufficifnt (not to Jepond upon my expectations) to make us both happy. I neither expect nor wish one with Miss Shippen. * * My public character is well known; my private one is, 1 hope, irreproachable. If I am happy in your approba- tion of my proposa's of an alliance, I shall most willingly accede to any you may please to make consistent with the duty I owe to three lovely children. Our ditt'ercnco in political sentiments, will, I hope, bo no bar to my happiness. 1 flatter myself the time is at hand when our unhappy contests will be at an end, and peace and domestic happiness be restored to every one.'' * * On the 2r)th of September, he made to her the following formal declaration of his love and offer of his hand: " Deau Madam:— " Twenty times have T taken up my pen to write to you, and as often has my trembling hand refused to oljey the dictates of my heart — a heart which, though calm and serene amidst tlio clashing of arms ami all the din and horrors of war, trembles with diffidence and the fear of 1. Shippen Tapers. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 229 givinpr offence when it attempts to address you on a subject 80 important to its happiness. Dear madam, your charms have lighted up a tlame in my bosom v hich can never be extinguished; your heavenly image is too deeply impressed ever to be effaced. " My passion is not founded on personal charms only: that sweetness of disposition and goodness of heart, that sentiment and sensibility which so strongly mark the character of the lovely Miss P. Shippen, renders her aimiable beyond expression, and will ever retain the heart she has once captivated. On you alone my happiness depends, and will you doom me to languish in despair? 8hall I expect no return to the most sincere, ardent and disinterested passion? Do you feel no pity in your gentle bosom for the man who would die to make you happy? May 1 jiresume to hope it is not impossible 1 may make a favorable impression on your he.irt? Friendship and esteem you acknowledge. Dear Peggy, suffer that heavenly bosom (which cannot know itself the cause of pain without a sympathetic pang) to expand with a sensation more soft, more tender than friendship. A union of hearts is undoubtedly necessary to happiness; but give me leave to observe that true and permanent hap- piness is seldom the effect of an alliance founded on a romantic passion ; where fancy governs more than judgment. Friendship and esteem, found- ed on the merit of the object, is the most certain basis to build a lasting happiness upon; and when there is a tender and ardent passion on one side, and friendship and esteem on the other, the heart (unlike yours) must be callous to every tender sentiment if the ta^ier of love is not lighted up at the flame. "I am sensible your prudence and the affection you bear your amiable and tender parents forbids your giving encouragement to the addresses of any one without their approbation. Pardon me. Dear ^ladame, for ictnre of the affection and hajipiness of this familv, and shows how devotedly attached to each other were all its members. "Monday, September 10, 1780. " 1 address yon, my dear Mrs. Arnold, from the re<,'ions of gloom and solitude; but when this splunatic scrawl will reach you, know not, for at present have not the shadow of a conveyance for it. " This is Monday, the fourth day since your departure, and I have not once in tlit whole time step'cl my foot over the threshold of onr own door, and have scarcely been otf the bed two hours together; have had the slight but troublesome fever that has so indiscriminately attact'd all orders of people (old maids not exempted.) Mrs. Burd has been in the j^iune situation with myself, so that we have as yet not seen each other. Mr. Uurd has kindly called once or twice; if you could conceive how we miss you and the dear little bantling, you would pity us. Harry was incon- solable the whole day you left us, and had, I believe, not less than twenty the most violent bursts of grief; his little brother Edward seems to be the principal theme of the mournful song — not one day has escaped without his sheding tears at his absence; he liiments tliat just as he began to know and love his brother, lie must be rcninved so iar from him that he cannot even hear how he do3s ; this day with a falling tear, he observ'd to mo that he thought it very hard when he had so few relations, that they shoul I all be at such a distance from hiui; must own the observation call'd forth a sympathetic drop from my eyes. Am extremely anxious to know how you perform your journey; am very ■-I 1 1. Court-marshal Trial of General Arnold, p. 132. . ii 234 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. fi-arfiil for the poor little sorc-lioaded boy, and am tiirpriz'd tliat I liavo not heard a syllable from yon, bnt coniloit niy.sc'.t' with tliM thoii^^ht that no news is pood news, as I rannot imagine lait 1 shoidd havi* heard it, if any miitcrial accidi-nthad bdalli'n you. Ye.Htcrdny j;()t a letter fr.iiii yonr anxions hnsbaud, who, lover-liiu', is turnn-ntinj,' hiniHelC witii a thousand fancied disasters which have happened to you iiiid the family; however hnjie by the day after tomorrow you will be able to n.'niove all his distres.sinsr fears. Heaven guard you safely to hiui, for in your lile and happiness his consists. "Your papa was in yesterday; the fnniily at the rotlaf;e were all well, and had junt heard your niamuia was pone down to yonr aunt I'ierce's — my head aches, and as i am sleepy, will close my letter lor to-night; sweet re. ose to you and yours. — "Mondiiy Morning — Had wrote the above, hoiiinpr some opportunity •would [iresent for sending it; and iol't it unseal'd to make wliatever aildi- tions I found proper; but none presenting, had left it in statu quo; was just dressing myself, with an intent to creep out and make Mrs. Hunt- ington a mori\inpr visit, when Punch' came tripping up stairs (showing his teeth), witli a letter in his liand from misli-ess: 1 broke the seal with eager solicitude, and am more than hapyy to tind you ptn-formed your journey as far as Brunswick with .'■o much ease and pleasure; may they both attend in your train to the end of it; — am njoic'd at the aeeount you give me of Edward; hope the little rogua holds out as well as he be- gan; reckon he will this night finish his first grand tour. — "Sent just now to see how jMrs. Burd was; have for answer tliat she is much better; if my morning's visiting don't make me sick, design see- ing her in the evening. — " ThufxiJit'j — Nothing now to-diiy. Saw Mrs. Burd last night, and wj have made an appointment to Mrs. Morris's to-mnrrow.'— family affairs f'O on smooth; find I have got a steady, clever, industrious old cook; she ' ""11 out only once to church, and seems to have no inelination for ig; your papa keeps Mrs. Allen's house for you, or himself; which .■sit will be determined soon; he thinks Mrs. Allen's, on soma ac- counts, most convenient for him, and knows tlie one we are now in, most so for you; for my part, wish he may find it most conven.jiit to takr! Mrs. Allen's himself. ''Friday Eveninrj — Am just returned from Afrs. Morris's whore T drank tea with Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Cope, two Miss Marshalls, Miss Nellie 1. A Negro servant. 2. Mrs. Robert Morris, wife of the financier. HIS PATRIOTISM AND IIIS TREASON. 235 MiCall,' MiH. IfiuTison,' Mrs. Uiird,' Miss Sally Morris.* of Now Jersey, ami iiiinflicr Miss — iiiiiiir unknown, tlit? two Mr. Coxoh,* all tlio b 'aux wo liatl to hi'lp onrsi'lvcs with. Hear nutliiny from tliu littlo boys at Mary- land.* Mr. and Mrn. Mead are just annonc'd; adioii for to-niyht. SntunJaij Evening — Tiie day has passed off without hearing? one lisp from you; I cannot acccjunt for it, unless by delays on tlio road; proniist* niysolf you are now happy with my brother; hope you have by this rpach'd, and Edward quite well of bis sore head. Your papa has been unwell for a few days, but is better; lu; went from here two hours since; all well at tiie cottaye. Your mamma ib not yet return'd. Harry de- sires his duty to papa and mamma, his love to Edward and IJotsy; hcsays lie wishes mamma would please to kiss Edward one hundred times for him, and when her hand is in, she may, if she pleases, give him tifty for liis aunt; make my love to my brother, if you please. I shall expect letters the first and all opportunities, and am with sincere esteem and regard. Yours, H. Aiinom). " 1 have nothing to say in excuse for this ill pen'd scrawl, but tliat wri- ting is not my talent. H. A."' 1. Daughter of Samuel SlnCall. 2 Mrs. IIiMiry llarrismi. Her iinslminl was mayor of Pliilai1cl|iliia in 17(V2. Rlic was the iliuiKliter of Muihias Asinliii. Her liall-brotliLT, Malliiaa Aspiicn, was a loyalist. His dauRliter was tlic wifo of Bishop White. >. Elisabeth, eltkst dau'Jilitcr of t'hicf Justice Shippcii, wife of Kilwanl liiird, 4. .'^istcr of Cioverneur Morris, and who was jjfjbal^ly iu cliar^u of her broilier's household, ns he was then unmarried. 0. Tlie two Messrs. ('(ixe must have l)een John D. Coxo, and his brother Tenth Coxe. VWci^abinc's Loyalists. HildelMirn, of I'hilad. 0. Gen. Arnold's sons. Ken and Kicliard. 7 Autograph letter from State Department at WashinRton. As an illustration of the eaic and tendernes.s of General Arnold tf^wards liis wife and child, I copy from a j)aper in the ofliee of the Secretary of State at Wasli- Inston, in Arnold's own hanU-writint,' : " drections for Mrs. Arnold on Her way to West Point: " You must by all means get out of the Carriage, Crossing all Ferries, and going overlarfie Ilridges to prevent accidi^nts. " \'our llrst nifjht's stage will be at ijristol, Mr. Coxe'.s, 20 miles. "The second at Trenton, lianagers, unless you tgo) to G. iJickinson's or Col. Cailuo., 10 miles'. "The third nif^ht to Brunswick, Mrs. MaT^Miers, a good house, i8 miles. If tlie weather is warm, and this stage too lon^, jou can lodge at Princeton, 12 miles from Trenton. " Tlio fourth niKlit at Newark, 2C miles. If this stage is too long you can slop fi miles sliort, at Elizal)elhtown, or if any danger is apprehended from the enemy, you will be very sale riding a few mile-J out of the common road. "The fifth night at Paramas. 12 miles. " The sixth night, Judge Coe's, 11 miles; and. If not fatigued, to John Smith, Esqr., 1 i ■■ ; h; I ,i , 230 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. Thus I have cjivcn a pliase of General Arnold's domestic life in ]'hiladelpliia — liis courtship and niarriai]je. This has been done without uiinerous settlement, was to him very attractive, and such was his power over men, that he would most probably have been successful. In a lett.'t ^o Schuyler he declares his ambi- tion is to be ''a good citizen rather than shining in history." The enterprise was submitted to the delegation in Con- gress from Xew York, and to the pure-minded John Jay, its President, by all of whom it was cordially approved. The delegation wrote a joint letter to Governor Clinton, requesting his aid and council in obtaining the favorable action of the Legislature. '-To you. Sir,'' they say, "and to our State, General Arnold can recjuire no recommenda- tion; a series of distinguished services entitle him to re- spect and favor." ' President Jay, writing to Governor Clinton, said: " I wish that in ti-eatins- wilh liiin f Arnokl), they (the LejarisUiturc) may recolU'ct the sin-viecs lie has rciidered to liis country, and tlie vahie of such a citizi'n to any 8tato that may pain him. Several otlier ^'eneral otticers have thouffhts of settling in our State, and the prevailing reason they assign for it is, the preference for our Constitution to tliat of other States. They consider it as having the principles of stability and vigor as well as of liberty; advantages which tlii; loose and less guarded kinds of government cannot i)romise. 1 have no doubt buL that generosity to' CLnieral Arnold will be justice to the Slate." ^ 1. Spark's Life of Arnold, p. i:i5. 2. Sjinrks' Lil'e of Arnold, p. 135. 16 a { ' 242 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. Alas! who will not join in the regret that this enter- prise was not successful, and this man, who then numbered among his warm and devoted friends, some of the purest and best patriots of the Ilevolution, have been diverted from the dark crime which lay in the future. But it was not so to be; while on his way to New York, in furtherance of this enterprise, he stop])ed at the camp of AVashington on the Raritan, and there rectMved i!itelligence of the attack made upon him by General Heed and the Council of Pennsylvania, aiul of the charges they had printed and circulated .'igainst him, and he hastily returned to meet these charges, and became involved in a long and irritating controvers}', which led to his ruin. From the camp of AVashington he wrote the impassioned letter to Aliss Shipjien, of February Sth, 1779, set forth in the pre- ceding chapter. Almost immediately after his departure from Phila- delphia on this trip, the Fxecutive Council of Pennsylvania sent to Congress their complaints ami grievances, embodied in eight charges of misconduct and cul])ability on the part of General Arnold, Printed copies of these charges were widely circulated, one of which reached him in the camp of Washington, They were published in the newspapers of Pennsylvania and Maryland, In the absence of (xeneral Arnold, Major Clarkson, his aid, immediately on the Sth of February, published a card to the public, asking them to suspend their judgment, " and complaining of the injustice of condemning an absent man nnheard," and of the cruelty of those who, having made the charges, ordered them to be published and circulated before trial." General Arnold's first solicitude was to pre- vent any stain upon his honor in the mind of Miss Shippen, to whom he wrote as before stated. On the day following his letter to her, from the camp at Pari tan, he sent a card 1 HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 243 to the pul>lic, in whicli, after referring to his services in the cause of liis country for nearly four years, he complains of the " cruel and malicious charges " which the osident and Council of Pennsylvania had preferred against him to Congress; and also of their having ordered cojiies of the charges to he printed, and dispersed through the several States, for the purpose of prejudicing the minds of the puh- lic, while the nuitter is in suspense.' The personal liostility in which these charges originated may be inferred from the circular signed by Joseph Heed, addressed to the Governor of each of the States, enclosing the charges, and asking that thev be communicated to the Legislature of each State. It is not surprising, I thiiik, in view of this action, that Irving should call attention to the hostility manifested by the Council of Pennsylvania, and "their extraordinary measure to prepossess the public mind against him.' "Many thought, dispassionately, that the State authorities had acted with extreme harshness towards a meritorious officer in widely spreading these charges against him thus in an unprecedented way, putting a public brand upon him." Arnold promptly requested Congress to direct a court- martial to inquire into his conduct. The following are the charges preferred against General Arnold : ' "First — Tliat while in the cainp of General Washinf?ton at Valley Forge, last Spi-ing, he f,'avo permission to a vessel belonf^iiif,' to persons then voluntarily residing in this city with the enemy, and of di>atfected character, to come into a port of the United States without tiic knowl- edge of the authority of the State, or of the Commander-in-Chief, though then present. "Second — In having shut up the shops and stores on his arrrival in the 1. See Trial of Arnold, for cards of Major Clarkson and General Arnold in full, pp. 153-l.St. 2. Irving s Life of Wasliington, Vol. IV, p. 17. 3. Trialof Arnold, pp. 5, 6, 7, etc. "li -' ^\: "1 iif ■ 244 LIFE or BENEDICT ARNOLD. city, RO as even to prevent officers of the army from purchasingr. while he privatfly niaile considerable purchases for his own benefit, as is alleged and believed. "IViirrf, — In imposing menial offices upon the sons of freemen of this State, when called ibrth by the desire of Congress to perform militia duty, and when remonstrated to, hereupon, justifying himself in writing, upon the ground of having power so to do ; for that, "when a citizen assumed" the character of a soldier, the former was entirely lost in "the latter; and that it was the duty of the militia to obey "every order of his aids (not a breach of the laws ^nd Constitution), as his i^tje General's), without judging of the 'propriety of them.' " Fourth. — For that, when a prize was brought into this port by the Convention brig, of this State, whereupon a dispute arose respecting the capture, which would otherwise, in great probability, have been amica- bly adjusted between the claimants. General Arnold interposed, by an illegal and unworthy purchase of the suit, at a low and inadequate price, as has been publicly charged by a reputable citizen; to which may, in some degree, be ascribed the delay of justice in the courts of Appeal, and tiie dispute in which the State may probably be involved with Con- gress hereupon. Fifth. — The appropriating the wagons of this State, when called forth upon a speciid emergency last autumn, to the transportation of private property, and that of persons wlio voluntarily remained with the enemy last winter, and were deemed dis.itlected to the interests and independence of America. ",Su7/t— In that Congress, by a resolve of the 21st of August last, having given to the executive powers of every State an exclusive power to recommend persons desirous of going within the enemy's lines, to tho officer there cnnnnanding. General Arnold in order, as may reasonably be inferred, to elude the said resolve, wrote a letter, as apiwars by compari- son of hands and the declaration of the intended bearer, n commendatory for the above purpose, and caused his aide-de-camp, Major Clarkson, to sign the same. But the said device not taking < ilVct, through the vigi- lance of the officers at Elizabethtown, General Arnold, without disclosing any of the above circumstances, applied to Council for thcT permission, which was instantly refused, the connection, character and situation of the party being well known and deemed utterly improper to be indulged with such permission, thereby violating the resolve of Congress, and usurping the authority of this Hoard. " Seventh — This Board having upon the complaint of several inhabitants of Chester county, through the late Wagon-Master General, requested of the said General Arnold to state the said transaction respecting the HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 24.J wagons, in order that thoy miijrht satisfy the complainants, or explain tin- name without farther trouble, received in return an indecent and disre- specttul refusal of any satisfaction whatsoever. " hlijlith — The diseoura^'i-ment and nejjlect manifested by General Ar- nold duriiiy his command to civil, military and other charactei-s who have aiUiercd to the cause of thi'ir country — with an entire ditterent conduct towards those of another character, are too notorious to need proof or illustration. And if this connnand lias been, as is generally believed, supported by an expense of ft'Uror live thousand pounds j)er aiinuiu to the United States, wo freely declare wo shall very unwillingly pay any share of expenses thus incurred." On the IGtli of Fctbniary (tlie coininnnication from President lieed, and the ehari^es havitii^ lieen referred to a connnittee) the letter of ( ieneral Arnold, aisking an investiga- tion, was referred to the same committee. This committee having been instrncted to inquire into the grounds of said charges, about the middle of ^Nfarch made a report exeul- jiating him from all criminality in the matter charged siirainst him.' 1. The f()ll()\vini; Is a rcfort of the rommittce in full : "Ki'poit I f till! committi^e of Coiij^tcss on the charges exhibited ogninst General Ariiol'l Ijy tlie I'rt'sidoiit and t'oiiiifil of I'ennsylviinia : "The first, secnud, third and fifth char^'os are ofTeucos triable only in a court- jnnrtial : tliat tlie fourth charRc is an otlenee only of a civil nature, and trialile finly in a c.mrt of common law ; tliat the sixlli. seventh and eii;hth eharKes are otl'ences not triable l)y a court-niartiMl or eimnnon law court, or subject to any otlier i)unisli nieiit than the displeasure of Congress and the coiisefiuences of it'; that the roni- niittes are fninished with eviden<'e by the supreme executive council on the liltli and .sevcnili charjj s, to which they bes have to refer^ that the conimittL'e of the >aid executive council, thon.!,'li rfjieatedly applied to, declined to give any evi- dence on tlie rest of the eliarges, altor fruitless application for tlirce weelcs, during which time several letters passed Ijetween tlie said executive council and commit (ee, ill wliich letters iho su[>reme executive council even threaten the committee and charge them with partiality. •'Jicsnlvcd, That as to tlie first and second charges, no evidence appears tending to prove llie same; that the .said char;:es are fully explained, and the appearances tliey carry of cnminalty fully obviated by clear, uiKinestionable evidence. The third charge, admitted by Ueneral Arnold in one instance, to be transmitted to the eommander-in-( hief. The fourth charge, there appears no evidence to prove the same, and that it is triable only in a eoiiinnjii law court. The lilth charge be transmitted to the Commander-in-Chief. "licsolvcd, That the recommendatory letter in the sixth charge is not within the (i)lied to, declined to give any evidence, after fruitless aj)- |»lieation for three weeks. They therefore resolved, that in I'egard to the first and second charges (those relating to the pass and the use ( f the wagons,) no evidence ajipears tend- ing to prove the same; that the said charges are fully ex- ]>lained, and the appearances they carry of criminality are fully obviated by clear and uncpiestionable evidence. In regard to the fourth charge (in relation to the prize), they say there a])]iears no evidence to prove the same, and it is triable only in a common law court. That the fifth cliarge be transmitted to the Commander-in-Chief, and they " liesolved, that the letter in the seventh charj^e (claimed to be dis- respectful), though not in terms of perfect civility, j'et it is not expressed in terms of indifj^nity ; and that after the conduct of the said supreme exec- utive council towards General Arnold, and the unexampled measures they took to obtain satisfaction, totally and absolutely preclude all right to concessions or acknowledgment." * of the said supreme! executive council towards the said General Arnold, and the unexampled meas\ires they took to obtain satisfaction, totally and absdutely preclude all right to concessions or aclcnowledgment. ' liesoUrd, On the eishtli cliarge, that there is no evidence to prove the same."— Arnold's Trial by Court Mwtiat. pp. V33A-5. 1. Trial of Arnold, p. 13o. See also Sparl£s' Writings of Washington, Vol. VI, pp. 516-517. HIS PATUIOTISM AND HIS TKEASOX. 21: Arnold, as soon as tliis re])ort was l)n»u<;lit in, considered his name viiulicated, and resi^^n d the conunand of Phihv- (lel})hia, for whicli he had ah'oady obtained permission from Washington. On the 17th of ^larch he aihh-es.sed a letter to Coni^ress, begf,'inrso tliim (Icutli, ami wlion it, is ( otisidt'i-pd tliat tlio Presi- dent and council Inivc luul three months to prochice the evidence, 1 can- not suppose the ordering a conrt-niartial to doterniino the matter immediately, is the least precipilatiiiiness to hear that tlie court had been fixed for the the first of June, he calls at- tention to the "cruel situation he was in, as his character was sufl^ering," and he was prevented by it from joining the army, " which I wish to do," says he, " as soon as my wounds will permit."' "Washington writes to Reed on the fifteenth of J^fay, say- ing he had received another letter from Arnohl, " j)ressing for a speedy trial," and adding that "that gentleman has a right to expect from me, as a piece of justice, that his fate may be decided, as soon as it can be done consistently with a full and fair investigation." " On the same day he wrote to Arnold: " I feel my situation truly delicate and emhariassintr," " Your anxiety — natural under the circumstances — stronjjrly urH:esme to bring the att'air to a speedy conclusion: on the other side, the pointed representations of the State, on the subject of witnesses, seem to leave me no choice."* 1. Spnrks' WritlnRS of WashinRtcn, Vol. VI, p. 523. •2. Sparks' Writinssof Wusliin^ftoii, Vol. VI, p ri2:l. ;1. Sparks' WritiiiKs of Washiii^'tuii, Vnl. VI, p. &24. 4. Sparks' Writlnt's of VVuahiiigtou, Vol, VI, p. 024. HIS PATRIOTISM AXD IIIH TREASON. 249 To tills letter Arnold i)roiiij)tly rc'])lieJ on the IStli, eny- ing: " I liavo nnt tho lonst doulit of ymir oxrollotiry's wishing to Itrinp my iitTair to a Hpccdy concliisioii, ami ofdoiny luo aiiiplo jiistii't(. I am cx- ticmcly sorry my cruel situation thoukl cause your cxcelleiicy tlic It-aat rmbarrassmciit." ' lie tlu'H ('fills jitteiition to the fact tlmt his prosecutors had had nearly four months to i)roeure tlieir testimony, ete. The movements of the enemy ])revented the meeting of the court in June, and on the 13tli of Julv, Arnold airain addressed Washingt(»n, asking whether the situation of the army would not admit tho court-martial to proceed with the trial, and again begging hiuj to appoint as early a day as possible." At length, and not until the 19th of December, 1TT[), the ('(Uii't WHS convened at j\rorristown, Xew Jersey, and con- tiniu'(l in session until its llnal judgment was rendered on the ti(!th of January, 1780, after nearly a year of most irri- tating and vexntious delay, during every period of which Arnold had begged and imjtlored ])rompt action; he had now tli(! satisfaction of meeting before a court of brother ofhcers his accusers face to face. The position of Washing- ton had been "delicate and embarrassing," but with his usual discretion, he so conducted as to satisfy both parties of his impartiality. The court was composed of JMajor (xeneral liobert llowe, of North Carolina, President, and Brigadier Generals Knox, Maxwell and Gest, and eight Colonels." The evidence is published in full in the trial, to which I have already referred, and occuj)ies nearly one hundred ])ages. 1. Spnrks' Writin.cs of Wasbinston, Vol. VI, p. Me. 2. Sparks' Writing- of Washington, Vol. VI, p. 527. a. Trial of Arnokl, p. 2. CHAPTER XIV. ARNOLD'S TRIAL-WASHINGTON'S REPRIMAND. "Exliibit anew those noble qualities which liiive pine d yon on the list of OTir most valued eoniiiuuKler.s. 1 will, luyself, luruisli yuu us I'ar as it may be in my jiiAver, witli the opportunities of regaining the esteem of your country." — Washing- ton to Anwlil. : Abnoi.d's Triai, CoNTiNTKn— ITis Dffense— Judgemknt of thf. Court— Washino- ToN'a Kki'kima.nu and j:uuxiY. General Arnold a])peai'ed before tlie court without couuseL lie conducted liis own detenso, e.\iiiniiiinresentcd to him as among " the bravest of the brave " of his generals, and which he had received as a testimony of AVashington's "sincere regard and a]>]»robation of his conduct." (250) HIS TATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 251 Though still younf^, not having reached the meridian of life, his face bronzed and darkened by lati<;ue and c.\])osiire, indicated that he had seen the severest hardships of a soldier's life. ]^o one could look npon his weather-beaten features and his still crip])led condition without thiukin_'as being tried, but took U]) each of the eight which haresented to Congress, and attemjjted to make a full answer to av^ry one of them, lie began : II ll LIFE OF BENEDICT AKXOLD. " Mr. rrcsidenf, and gentlemen of this hoiiourahle eourt: " I ajipoar before yon, to a?iswcr charges brought against me by the late supreme executive council of the common wealth of Pennsylvania. It is disagieoable to be aocnscil; but when an accusation is nuule, I feel it a great source of con^^olation, to have an opportunity of being tricil Ijy gentlemen whose delicate and refined sensations of honour will lead them to entertain similar sentiments concerning those who accuse un- justly, and those who are justly accused. In the iornn'r case, your feel- ings revolt against tlie conduct of the prosecutors; in the latter, against those who are deserved objects of a jirosecution. Whether those feel- ings will be directed against me, or against those, whose charges have brought me l)ctor(! you, will be known by your just and impartial deter- mination of this cause. "When the ])res(Mit necessary war against Dreat Britai i commenced, I was in easy cin:unistances, and enjoyed a tair , prospect of improving them. I was happy in domestic connections, and blessed with a rising family, who claimed my care and attention. The litjerties of my coun- try were in danger. The voii'e of my country called upon all her faithfnl sons to join in her defence. AVith cln'crfulness I olx'ved the call. I sac- rificed domestic ease and happiness to the service of .ny country, and in her service have I sacrificed a great part of a handsome fortune. I was oni^ of the first that appeared in the field, ami Irom that time, to the present hour, have not abandoned her service. ■' \\ hen niic is charged with practices which his soul abhors, and which conscious innocence tells him he has never committed, an honest indig- nation will draw trom him expressions in his own lavour, which, on other occasions, might be ascribed to an ostentatious turn of mind. The part which I have acted in the American cause, has been acknowh^dged by our friends, and by our enemies, to have been far from an indifferent one. My time, my fortune, and my person have been devoted to my country, in this war; and if the sentiments of those who are supreme in the Tni- ted States, in civil and military affairs, are allowed to have any weight, my time, my fortune, and my person have not been devoted in vain. You will indulge me, gentlemen, while I lay before you some honoralile testimonies, which congress, and the commander in chief of the armies of the United States, have been pleased to give of my conduct. The place where I now stand justifies me in producing them." He then read to the court some of the complimentary letters of Washin<;ton, and anionic others, the one present- inej him with epaulets and sword-knots "as a testimony of his sincere regard and approbation;" also Washington's 'i HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 2o^ o letters to Congress, requesting that body to send liiin to the Xorthern Dejiartnient to repel ]jiirgoyne, because ho "wasi "active, judicious and brave," and an " officer in whom the militia had great confidence." He also read the proceedings of Congress, directing that he be presented with " a horse properly caparisoned." etc., for "his gallant conduct at Hidgelield;" also the resolu- tion of thanks passed by Congress for his brave and success- ful efforts in the capture of Burgoync. After this review of his military career, he asked whether it was ])r()bable, after having gained these favorable opinions, he should all at once sink into a course of conduct "e(|ually unworthy of a patriot and a soldier?" After alhuling to the lu!ig and cruel delays in obtaining a trial, caused l>y his persecut -s, he expressed his sanguine hopes of being able to satisfy the court, and through its judgment, the world, that the charges against him were " false, malicious and scandalous." lie then took up and examined the charges, one by one. Tlic first, in regard to granting ]irotection tor a vessel to sail into the ports of the United States, it is stated, as a ])art of the charge, that it was given "without the know- ledge of the Commander-in-Chief." After justifying the giving the pass, adverting to that ])art of the charge relative to Washington, he says : " I think it peculiarly unfortunate that the armies of tlie United F.'tates have a gentleman at tlieir head who knows so little about his own hon- our, or reijfards it so little, as to lay the president and counei! of Pennsyl- vania under the necessity of stepping forth in its defence, perhaps it may he of use to hint, "Xon tali auxilio egct, nee drfensoribus intis. " TI.e general is invested with power, and he possesses spirit to cheek and to punish every instance of disrespect shewn to his authority; Imt he will not ]irostitutc his power by exerting it upon a trifling occasion; lar less will he pervert it when no occasion is given at all." In regard to tliat ])art of the second charge, which alleges that while he prohibited others from ])urchasing :' .hie) 254 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. ■ I! ^ocxls, lie liiniself privately made purcliases for his own benefit, " as is allei^ed and believed," he says : "If this is true, I stand confessod in the presence of this Honor- able Court the vilest of men; I stand stipuiatiz:'d with indelible disf^i-aee, the disgrace of having? abused an appointment of hi{?h trust and impor- tance, to accomplish the meanest and most unworthy purposes: the blood I have spent in defence of my country, will be insutti('ieut to oblitjrate the stain. "But if this part of the case is void of truth; if it has not even the semblance of trutii, what shall I say of my accusers? what epithets will chara<;terize their conduct, the sentence of this honourable court will soon determine. "* * Who ' alledffe and heJicre' this accusation? None, I trust, but the president and council of Pennsylvania; because, I trust, none else would alledfye and believe anything^ teiidinfj to ruin a character, without sufficient evidence. Where is the evidence of this accusation? I call upon my accusers to produce it: I call upon them to produce it, under the pain of being held forth to the world, and to posterity, upon the proceedings of this court, as public defamers and murderers of reputa- tion." After examining the proof against him on this charge, he says : " On the honor of a gentleman and a soldier, I dechu'o to gentlemen and soldiers, it is false." He adds : " Tf I made considerable purchases, consi(l(M'able sales must have been made to mo by some jierson in t'liiladclpiiia. Why arc. not these persons produced? Have my prosecutors so little power and influence in that city, as to be unable to furnish evidence of the truth ?" * * * * " I flatter myself the time is not far off, when, by the glorious estaldishment of our independence, I shall again return into the mass of citizens: 'tis a period I look forAvard to with anxiety; I shall then cheerfully submit ly to Jlcal, i>. I i:i. » ?aiS PATRIOTISM AND IIIS TREASON. 257 every somblancc of a foundation in fact? and yet baseless as tliey them- selves are, they were intended to support a fabric with the weif,'ht of which attempts were made to crush my reputation and fortunes: I al- lude to the preliminary resolution of the council, containing severe but fj^eneral strictures upon my character and conduct; strictures of such a serious and important nature, that they themselves were sensible the public would not think them justified in makinjr them, nidess upon the most unquestionable grounds. Let them now be measured by their own standard. Had they unquestionable grounds to go upon? Why then, in opposition to every principle of candour and justice, in opposition to their own ideasof candour and justice, did they make and publish resolu- tions, containing censures of such a high import against me? "An artful appearance of tenderness, and regard for my services, l)y which the council are pleased to say, I formcylij distinguished myself, is held forth in the introduction to their charges. Did they mean Ijy this to pour balsam, or to pour poison into my wounds? I leave it to this court, and to the world to judge, whether they intended it to balance the demerits they then urged a.',Minst me, by my former good conduct, as far as it would go; or whether they designed it as a sting to their charges, by persuading the pulilic, that my demerits were so enormous, that even the greatest and most unalfectod tenderness for my character, would not excuse them in continuing silent any longer. " If, in the course of my defence, I have taken up the time of the court longer than they expected, they will, I trust, impute it to the nature of the accusations against me; many of which, though not immediately be- fore you as charges, were alledged as facts, and were of such a complex- ion as to render it necessary to make some observations upon them; be- cause they were evidently calculated to raise a prejudice against me, not only among the people at large, but in the minds of those who were to be my judges. " I have looked forward with pleasing anxiety to the present day, when, by the judgment of my fellow soldiers, I shall (I doubt not) stand honourably acquitted of all the charges brought against me, and again share with them the glory and danger of this just war." On the 22nd of January, 1798, tlie Judge Advocate, in reply to General Arnold's address, stated the evidence in. rehition to every charge, and submitted the case. On the 26th the court met and announced their final judgment. After stating that they had caref.lly considered the several charges, the evidence, and the defense, they decided, first: 17 M ti!:'?; 258 LIFE OF BENEDICT AIIXOLD. that tlic permission Arnold hud given for a vessel to k-ave a port in the possession of the enemy, to enter a port in the United States, was illegal. In regard to the second charge, that of the order closing the shops and stores of riiiladel- phia, the court decided that lie was justified in doing so l»y the resolution of Congress and by the instructions of Gen- eral AVashington; and in regard to the latter part of the same charge, that of making ])urchase3 for his own benefit, they say they "are clearly of opinion that it is ffnst/j>- ported^ and they dofidhj acquit General ArnoldP They also acquit of the third charge (that of imposing menial offices on the military). Resiiecting the fourth (Hiarge (relating to the use of the wagons) the court say, " It appears that General Arnold made apjdication to the (Quartermaster-General, to supply him with wagons to iv- inove property in imminent danger from the enemy; tiiat the wagons were su])plied on this a]>plication, which had been drawn from the State of l*ennsylvaiiia for the public servM'ce, and that General Arnold intended this a|)])li('ation as a ])rivatc request, and had no design of em])loylng the wagons otherwise than at his own ]»rivate exj)ense, nor of defrauding the public, nor of injuring or impeding the puhlic service: hut considering the di'licacy attending the high station in which he acted, and that requests from him might operate as commands, the court were of opinion the rcipiest was imprudent aiul improper, and therefore ought not to have been made." The com't sentenced him to le- ceive a reprimand from the Commander-in-Chief.' It M'ill be observed that the court exonerate and acquit General Arnold of all intentional wrong, expressly declaring that the charge of making ])urchases for his own benefit was entirely unsupported, and they therefore " fully acquit him ;" and that, in tlie nse of the wagons, that it was don.e 1. Sec jiulgment iu fuU, Arnold's Trial, pp. lll-O. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TIIEASOX. 201) "without any desi<^n ofdetriiiidiiig the public or iinpediuf^ tlie public service." The charf^e of malciu"^ purchases for liis own benefit, notwithstandiiifij the declaration of the court that it was " clearly their oi)inion that it was entirelj'unsnpjxirtctl, iuul their full acquittal," has been repeated and reiterated in most of the histories of the war of the lievolution. 1 submit that the judu^ment of the court after a month's most thorouij^h investigation, with a prosecution zealous, active, and bitter, and with the whole power and influence of tlu^ State authorities to aid, that the juilij^inent of the court, after an imestiiration so searchinir anosition of second in command, soon to be olVered him, and shared with his great chief in the "danger and the glory of the war." I say this, not unmindfid that he had probably before this time listened to secret overtures from the ene- my — j)erhapsheld secret correspondence with him; butwhilc he was already guilty of having listened to and encouraged their overtures, he was not yet irretrievably lost.' No alternative o?i the part of Washington was left but ]»ublicly to reprinuxnd and disgrace a favorite ofheer. Nothing; can be conceived more honorable to the generous feelings of Washington, more delicate towards the wounded ])ride of Arnold, than the reprimand. " Our profession is the chastest of all ; even the shadow of a fault tarnishes the Instre of our finest achievements. The least inadvertence may rob us of the ])ublic favor, so hard to be acquired. I reprimand you for having forgotten that in proportion as you have rendered yourself formidable to our enemies, you should have been guarded and tem- perate in your deportment t a'ds your fellow-citizens. Exhibit anew those noble rpialities which have placed you on the list of our most valued commanders, I will myself furnish you, as far as it may be in my jxjwer, with oppor- tunities of regaining the esteem of your country." " 1. In the manuscript copy of (iencral Clinton's report to Lord Geo. Germnin. flatcd Oct. 11, 1'SO, he says: "About eiKlitecn months since, I hail some reason to <'onchule that the American Major General Arnold was desirous of quitting tlic rebel service and joininK the eau.se of Great Hritain." Tliis is, .so far as I know, tlio most direct evidence, tending to show the date of the beginingof the criminal negotiations. 2. " Nor is there an opr>or'unily of acquiring honor, which I can shai)c for you, to which as it (jccurs I will not gladly prefer you.— .Vco«'s Cuunt liobert, uj J'u.ris, to Jlenward, p. aoi. !0 1 2G2 LIFE OF UENEDICT AllNOLD. I I This reprimand has been luuch julmired in Enrope, as well !i8 in Aiiicrica, Certiiinlv notliin}' in the writin":H of AVurihiii:,'ton id more beuutit'iil in l;iii;;uii<^e, more generoU8 and nublo in Bentinient. J lis words are those of one brotlier-soldier to another, conij)elled to inllict ])ain which lio obvionsly thinks undeserved. In readini^ it, it is somewhat difhcnlt to say for what of- fence AV^ashin^^ton rei)rimands Arnold. Was it for "the shadow of a fault ?" or ''an inadvertence ?" Literally be- cause, "as you have rendered yourself formidable to our enemies, you should have been laced you on the list of our most valued comnuind- ers; I will myself furnish you the o])portunities." If AVash- ington could liave sent him at once into some terrible bat- tle, to lead some "forlorn hoi)e," or on any desperate enter- ])rise, where death or victory could have been sought, Arnold might have been saved; might have again shared with Ins comrades " the glory and the danger of a just war." AVhat the public opinion of the peo])le and of the army was- in regard to this sentence of the court, may be in- ferred from the proceedings of the Executive Council of Pennsylvania. On the 3d of February, 1780, the follow- ing action seems to have been extorted from his prosecu- tors by the indignation of the army and the people at the sentence. " AVe do not" say they " think it proper to uflec . ignorance of what is the subject of public conversation, and the sentence of the court-martial tending to impose a mark of reprehension upon General Arnold. AVe find his sulfer- ings for, and services to, his country so deeply impressed upon our minds as to obliterate every opposing sentiment, HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 2g;] :uh1 tlieivtiiro l)Og leave to re(iiio?t that (.\)n«;ress will be j>leased to dispense with tin- part of the sentence which ini- l»Kse9 a ])ublic censure, and may most alFect the feelings vt' a Itr.ivo and gallant (»tHc'er.'" JJut Ci»ngi'e.ss did not nio'lify the sentence, and Arnold was ])nl>licly disgracrd. The feelings of Washington towards him are described in a letter from Schuyler to Arnold, dated June 2nd, 17S(>. "He (^Washington) says Schuyler, " e.\j)ressed a desire to do whatever was agreea- ble to you; dwelt on your abilities, your merits, your sntler- ings, and on the well earned claims you have on your co\in- try. * * * Jle expressed hims If with regard to you in terms such as the triends who love vou could wish.'''' "MOIlUI-TdWN, Juiio 2, 17SI'. 1. Trial of Arnold p. 1C8. 2, Tlio following is llie letter in full : " My di'ak Sir : "The letter which I did myself the plcnsurc to write you on tlie llth of May, you liiiil not rc'C'oivo'l wlien yours of tlus J"'!!! u'lis written. In tlmt I a lvi^('ll you tliiil I liiiil ('(puvcrsoii Willi tlie (ieiicral on the >ul)j('it whicli ])ns-o(l hfiwccn ns IxMorc 1 left riiiliulclpliiii ; tlmt lie iijipeiiroil nnileciileil on the oeeasion, I lielieve Ijeettuse no iirningenient was nuidc, for he expressed himself with rej,'ard to ynu in term* such as the friends who love you could wish. Wlien I received yours of tlie 2')th May, I read it to hiiu ; he was rimch ingaKed ; next day he reiiuested to know the contents again. I put it into his liands ; lie expresserd to him, and makes some qualificatious of tlie language |i i!i 264 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD, But tins pul)lic disf^racG left a wound wliicli no kind words, no sympathy from AV^asliington or Schuyler, or other friends, could ever heal. Proud, high spirited, a sense of injustice and wrong rankled and irritated, until it poisoned and prepared the way for tlie consumnuition of his O'ime. nttribnted tohim byPchuyler. But in the snme letter, Washington says the con- versation dutnilod by Sclmylur miide very little impression upon him, nnt Point— Meets \Vashin(.ton at King's Kerry, who Offers him the Command of the Lkft Wino of his Army— Tradition that Arnold said his Defkction was to Prevent more BLOODSIlr.D-MEETINO OF ARNOLD AND ANDRK— SUl'POSED CONVERSATION BE- TWEEN THEM— Andre's Capture— His Letter to Washington. The rifing sun is briglit, warm and genial: tlie eclipse, dark, cold, dreary and repulsive. "We have followed the rising glory of Arnold s fame, and now approach its ecli|»se; an eclipse from which he never emerged. Let us try nnd analyze the causes which led to his fall, a melancholy fall, a fall which Irving said will make his name " sadly conspicuous to the end of time." Let us try to ascertain, if ])ossible, what motives controlled, what temptations seduced him. The reader of the ])revious pages will not need to have recalled the strange, mysterious, almost inexjdicable acts of cruel injustice with which Congress had treated liim: (205) 2GG Lll'Ji OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. acts which no remonstrance ofWashington could prevent, no exporitnlation or enti'oaty of his could induce tlieni to correct; actswliich iiulicated a hostility -which no service of Arnold could entirely overcf»nie or conciliate. Le^innini;' early in his military life and continuing down to their approval of the severe sentence by the court-martial, of a "reprimand"— a public disifrace which even his bitter ene- mies of the Pennsvlvania Council asked Confrress to dis- pense with. Either from magnanimity or a less worthy motive, they sent a letter to Congress, in which they "beg leave to recpicst that Congress will be pleased to disj)enfe with that part of the sentence Avhich imposes a pul)lic censure, and may most aft'ect the feelings of a brave and gallant officer." ' I^either his crippled condition, the blood he had shed in the service of his country, the finding of the court exoneratinc: him from all intentional wronsx, nor even the request his prosecutors, could overcome the hostility of his enemies in Congress, and that body apju'oved the sentence, and left him to be disgraced by a " ])ublic censure." Tiie numerous letters of General Washington, quoted on these pages, the letter of General Schuyler, mentioned in the last chapter, and the so-called reprimand, clearly in- dicate the opinion of Washington as between Arnold and his enemies. Indeed, it is very probable that a portion of the hostility on the part of some members of Congress to- wai'ds Arnold, may be attributed to AVashington's known friendship for him. It was safer to strike one of ^ya^hing- ton's favorite officers, who had faults, and was often iiulis- creet, than to strike the Commander-in-Chief. The action of Congress, and the public disgrace of a re])rimand, drove him to desperation; and from that time he inclined to the temptations which, since his residence in Philadelphia. haeverly Bobinson, and the loyalists of Philadelphia.' And then these emissaries, d isguising, or perhaps not fully realizing the baseness of the treachery they were tempting 1. Soolctter found ammif? ArimbVs papers at We«t Point, attribntod to Uoliiiison by Miirbois, quoted lieruiifter. Sec, also. Life of Andre by Sargent. Appendix, p. •117; also Mnrbuis' Conspiracy of Arnold. Colonel ISevcrly Koliin.son, tlic son cf President Robinson, bom in Virtiinia, and nnlil sti)iir:ited by political eveni.s, tho friend of Washington. lie died in Kngland after the war, and his liir;,'e estate in New York was conli.scatod. He was a correspondent of Arnold before Arnold went to West I'oint. lie accompanied Andre up the Umlson, on the Vnlture. It is stateil in a note by the translaior of Chastellnx' Travels, published in London, 1787, that a Lieutenant Uelc was an active si)\- in I'liiladeliiliia, in 1778, and it has been suggested that he was the lirst to make treasonable suggestions tj Arnold. I^Ki .1 r S f ! I i ! 272 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. liiin to practice, pointed out to lilin the glory lie would achieve. " Yoii," said they, ^ can end the war. You can secure tlie liberties of your country. You can he her bene- factor. You will receive tlie gratitude of both Uritain and America by re-uniting both in one great coininonwealth; and tiiis accomplished, wliat title among England's proud nobility will be too liigii a reward for such a service? "We a])]ieal to you to restore the union between your native land a* . 'he land of your forefathers. Great Britain is not like France, a ''>reii;n countrv. Your ancestors for many generations si. ,,> in the soil of Old England, and now with an offer to redress every grievance for which you drew yo.ir sword, she asks you to gi\e both countries. Old Eng- land, your fatherland, and New England, your native land, peace and harmony." And then ])ointing to the disordered finances, tlie feeble and starving army of Washington, the factions and corruptions so generally prevailing, they tried to show him that to fight longer was hoi)eless as well as unnec- essar3% The careful student of the history of tliose days will find much to justify grave doubts of final success. These depressing facts, S(jme of which I will enumerate, only make the constancy and fortitude of Washington and his faithful associates more conspicuous. In a letter to Schuyler, AYashington says, " I hardly thought it possible atone period to keep the army together.'" "At one time the soldiers eat every kind of horse food but hay.'' " Un- less," says lie, " Congress and the States act with more en- ergy than they have hitlierto done, our cause is lost."'' Lafayette writing to Washington, says, "There are open dissensions in Congress — parties who hate one another as much as the common enemy." 55 3 1. Mnrsliall's Life of Washington, Vol. IV, p. lOG. 2. Miirsliairs Life of Wnsliington, p. 214. 3. Sparks' Writings of Washington, Vol. V, p. 4S8. HIS rATlUOTISM AND HIS TKEASOX. 273 AVliile tlie army was nearly starvinr^, rair,^ccl and almost nakod, the treasury without nionoy, the States and Congress rent by factions, and aflairs generally in the most gloomy condition, AVashington's effective force was rediieod to little more than 3,000 men, ane.''^^ It was when everything looked so dark and discouraging tliat the emissaries of Jh-itaiu and the tories made their most determined efforts to win over Arnold to the roya! cause. I have endeavored to recall some of the armiments and sophistries they breathed into his ears at a moment when he Avas desjierate and chafing with real injuries. The English view of his coiuluct appears by the ]»re.ss of that day. His desertion is com])art'd to that of Churchill (Alarlborough) who deserted James, Lord Cornbury at lloniton, the great Montrose and others.* There is a 1. >rarslian's Life of WashinRton, Vol. IV, pp. '.SS-S. 'J. sparks' Writiiics of Washington, Vol. V. p. 50S. •i. Sparks' Writings of Washington, Vol. VII, p. 58. •1. The (ollowing lutter, quoted from the London Clironic'e, of Pec Hth, 1780, p. f>".', wiU verify the te.vt: "CHARACTER OF BENKDICT ARNOLD. "Sir : We in the country have been locking up to your town writers, to see whether 18 ii II! 274 LIFK OF BENEDICT AIIXOLD. triuliticiii {inioiis|iokoii of. llisjoinliij? tho KIiik'.s troo|.s Ik a miittcrof iinporiiuirc. llo is not only ii hciivon t>orn hoMUt, iis ('livi- was cnllfil, anil a proof how soon a iniiii of spirit mtiy boconic an cxci'llcnt olliccr. 1111(1 may step from a shop and a (iouiuiii>;lioiiso hito the first military ranks, and there (listiiiKUisli liiinsclf; l)Ut lie seoins to liave acted ihr iiiuhont from a spirit which would have adorned iioliility. Wlicn lie iinnnined his country was wronu'cd, he rushed Ibrlli into arms; ami liis Camida ( xpedition. so well wrote in tlie Annu- al K('L;jstcrnf ITTI), shows liini not si'c.nd to the hnive Mont^'omery. '■ Wlierever you find Ariiolii in(Mition('(i m nctjon dnrltii,' this war. lie sljines ahove all his comiietrs. We luivi; loolhold the ^ niii/i.v of the itKutpcis in America, trhn nimiiui/l!/ inatmcl tlivwiirjionk siiiii'lrr vicns a' the rx rni'eofl!irpiihliri>iliri!'l,bi/aili/lj)o.sed to liuve been addressed to him, urging his defection. ' 1. In SnrRcnts Life of Amlri', p. 117, it is said : " U is iinihiihlc tlmt llio lettiT wfiicli Miirbois says was fotiiid uiikjiik Ills ] ai'iTs, was wriltcti l>y Itubiiisnii." ('iniiit Harljc .Marljois, Socrotary oltlio Kivicli l-i'i,'atioiiatttie time nf tlu! c!()iis|iiracy, In lils " Coni])!ol D'Arniililtl Dc Mr Jleiiry V/intim, contrc I.m J':tnt>i-J'iiia D'A>nrriart Ijy less si'jtisli ami less criniinal motives tlian tliose nsually atti'iljiitcil tu liim; but Mailmis sliows nn ilisi" sition to ixtcnimte his Biiilt. Sal)inc in his Loijaliuls, declares it certain that Jlobinson was in commiinicatidn with Arnold, and this is cornjborated l)y Joshua II. Sniilli. The follow inft is the text of the letter, as translated from Marbois by Sar^'ont : " Amonir the Anierieuns who have j(jined the rebel standard, there are very niaiiy K !(id citizens w'luis(\ only object has been the hapiiines.s of their country. Sucli men will iiiit be intliicnced by motives of private interest to aliandoii llie cause they have esjioused. '1 hey arc now oflered everythinji whicli can render the colonies really hapi)y ; and this is the only compensation 'i-orthy of their \ irtue. " Tlie American colon ic» shall have their J'luliiimcnt, compnsfd nf tun t^halnh)l•.^. with alt it-i members of American birth. Those oflhenpper house shall have titles andrank simi'ar to those of the house of peers in Kngland. All their laws, and particularly such as relate to money matters, shall be tlio production oi iliis assembly, with the conenrrence of a viceroy. Commerce, in every part of the filobe snbject to British sway, shall be as free to the people of the thirteen coloiiies as to the Knulish of Knrope. They will enj(iy, in every sense of tlie plirasi^ tlie blessings of good government. They sluill be sustained. In time of need, by all the power ncres.sary to uphold them, without being tliomselves expo.sed to the dangers or subjected to the expen.scs that are always iii.separablc from the con- dition of a ^tate. " Such arc the terms proffered by England ut the very moment when she is dis- playing extraordinary ell'orts to conquer the obedience of her colonies. "Shall America remain, w ithoiit limitation of time, a seete of desolation,— or are you desirous of enjoying I'eaee and .ill the blessings other tiain? shall your Provinces, as in ibrmer days, flourish under the protection of the most puissant nation of the world? Or will yen forever puisne tliat shadow of liberty which still escapes from your hand, even when in tlie act of grasping it? And how soon would that very liberty, once obtained, turn int > liceiitiousi i ss, if it be imt under the safeguard of a great Knropean power? Will you rely upon the guaranty of Trance? They among you whom she has seduced may assure you that her assistance will begencrotis anil disii.terested. and that she will never exact from you a servile obedience. They are frantic witlijoyat tlie alliance already estab- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. y 1.0 I.I 1.25 ^^' IIIM V ;ili32 12.5 i4£ 2.0 i.8 1.4 il.6 V] % ; ^a ^ / Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 % c^ w- i 276 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. Sabine is autliority, as before stated, that Robinson and Arnold were in commnnication before Arnold went to "West Point. Smith declares that while Arnold occupied the Robinson House, in 1780, he often dined with him, and lishcd, and promise you that Spain will immoiliatcly follow the examide of France. Are thoy ignorant that each of thenc States has an cquol interest In keeping you under, and will romhine to accomplish their end? Thousands of men have perished; immense resource:; have been exhausted ; and yet, since that fatal nlliance the dispute has become more emhittercd than ever. Everything urges us lo put a conclusion to dissensions not Iwa defimental to the victors than to the vanquished: but dcsiralile as peace Is, it cannot be negot ated and agreed upon between us as between two independent powers; it Is uccssary that a decisive advantage should put Hritain in e condition to dictate tlie terms of reconciliation. It Is her interest as well aa her policy to make these as advan- tageous to one side as the other; but it is at the same time advisable to arrive at it without any unnecessary waste of that blood of which wo are already as sparing as though it were again our own. " There is no one but Gen. Arnold who can surmount obstacles so great as these. A man of so much courage will never despair of the republic, even when every door to a reconciliation seems sealed. ' Render then, brave Generol, tliis important service to your coiuitry. The colo- nics cannot sustain much longer the uneauds from their rustic pursuits or useful employments, are mown down by war. Sucb as survive have lost the vipor of their prime, or are maimed in battle; the greater part bring back to ilieir families the idleness and the corrupt manners of the camp. Let us put an end to so many calomities; you and ourselves have the same origin, the same lan- guage, the same laws. We are inaccessible in our islaml ; aiul ynu, the masters of avast and ferUle territory, have no other neighbors than the peri)le of our loyal colo- nies. We possess rich establishments in every quarter of the Klobe, and reign over the (airest portions of Ilindostan. The ocean is our home, and we pass across It as a monarch traversing his dominions. From the northern to the southern pole, Irom the east to the west, our vessels find every wheie a neighl)oring harbor belong- ing to Great Britain. So many Islands, so many countries acknowledging our bway, are a;l ruled by a uniform system that bears on every Ceatiire the stamp ot liberty, yet is as well adapted to the genius of ditl'ereiit notions and of various climes. '• While the Continental powers ruin themselves by war, and are exhausted in erecting the ramparts that separate them from each other, our bulwarks are otir ships. They enrich us ; they protect us ; they provide us as readily with the means of invading our enemies us of succoring our friends. " Beware, then, of breaking forever the links and ties of a friendship whose bene- fits are proven by the experience of a hundred and fifty years. Time gives to hu- man institutions a strength which what is new can only attain. In Its turn, by the !a|)sc of ages. Royalty itself experiences the need of this useful prestige, and the race that has reigued over us for sixty year^ has beeu illustrious for ten centuries. li HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 277 tliat he told liiin that Kohinson anxiously sought an inter- view to explain ])ropositions which, if acceded to, would terminate the war.' It is not improbable that an interview between Arnold and Robinson had l)een had, at Smith's or elsewhere, before Itobinson came up in the Vulture. The tradition before mentioned is that at at such meetinijj Robinson pressed and uri,'ed upon Arnold the considerations contained in the AVest Point letter. If this interview really took ])lace — and it is probable — aided by tlie letter, the discU)sures of Smith, and Arnold's address to his countrymen, giving the reasons for his desertion, we can readily imagine the to]>ics *t and must gentle bonds tliat Immnn kiinl can wear." — Sitri/fiil's Life of Awire. ;>/>. 447, 8-9. .l()^hlla II. Miiiih, ill his narrative, eorrobiirates to MHiie e.xteiit the statement ot IMiiibois. He speaks of .XnioUl's oltcn clinin;; ut his house, and at dinner express- ing' sentiments similar to Iliose contained in the letteratlributed toKoliinson. (See narrative of Smith !.• iidon edition, iij) V!l, '-"2, ;)!.» Anioiiu other tilings he says : •■ Gen. Arnold then suid he hak jmicc. This event he saicl he luo.st cordially wished, beiiiff heartily tired of the war." " And he then complained of h;s personal wrinjjs." (See thisou iiy letters or jiersoiial interview, and i)erhups botli, held out these inducements to Arnold. 1. Smith's uarratlve of the death of Andre (London Ed.), pp. '21 to 37. ii II 278 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. «!■ %: "No," replied Robinson; "I have not forgotten my old Rchoolinate; I love and honor AV^ashington, and I regret he is not now, as he was in early lite, fighting for the Crown." "l>ut," continued he, "G.iieral Arnold, wh}' do you still hesitate ? You adnjit that the attainment of absolute inde- j)endence by the colonies is very doubtful, and even if buc- eessful they will become the wai'ds of France, in place of being the sons of England. AVliy hesitate when we now oli'er all that the colonies can iustlv demand ? You admit that even AV^ashington almost despairs of success. To-day Great J>ritain is ready to grant everything except inde- ])en(k'nee. Is it "wise to delay until she may impose upon our country the terms of a conijueror ?" " Itobinson," was the rej)ly, '' I know the terrible suffer- ings of my country, and I deeply feel my own wrongs, but you know my name is to-day honored by soldiers in both armies, and is not unknown among the ])eople. You urge me to betray a sacred trust — to be treacherous to my com- rades, to abandon the cause for which 1 have often bled, to break faith with my comrades and my noble chief ; in a word, to become a traitor. ^^ "If I yield to vour views, and Britain finallv fails, I shall be doomed to everlasting infamy, and my own chil- re- tendiiig the deepest remorse, broke faith with ^Villiam ; acted as a 8j)y in his court and caujp, and oll'ered to cor- rupt the troo|)s and lead them over to James ; and yet all this was forgotten in the real service he rendered his coun- try, and his name has gone into history among the proud- est on her records. Here you liave a precedent and an exam])le ; tramjile your scruples under foot. In great national affairs the end must si'inetimes justify the means. Do this great deed ; end the war, and history will write your justification, and England will reward you as gener- ously in titles and in honors, and in wealth, as she did Churchill." ' Such were the appeals to which Arn(»ld finally \'ielded. AVhether the letter which Marlwjis alleges was found in Arnold's cpiarters after his flight, and which has been attributed to Ueverly llobinson, is genuine, is a question 1. If thisc appeals seem cxtr\vas:niit, lot the reader remember that Arnold was vain, and intensely ambitious. Lit him reeollect for what purpose they were used, and that they were suceesslul. Lord Macuulay, spealcin^ of Churchill's deser tioii of James, says: " He was bound to James not only by the cornmou obligation of allegiance, but by military honor, by personal gratitmle." • "There was no guilt, no disgrace he was nut ready to lueur." See Macaulay's History of England. Vol. Ill, p. 82. Again: Churchill, when holding King James' conimi.ssion, writing trcacherou.sly to the Prince of Orange, says: '' He puts his honor absolutely into his hands." Macaulay says: "William read those words with one of his Mtter and cynical sneers." " It wasnot his busi- ness to take caro of the honor of other men, nor had the most rigid ca.sulst pro- noumed it unlawful in a (ieneral to invite, use and reward the services of deserters, uhom he could not but despise. History fif Kngland, Vol. Ill, p. 2'i(). And wlien Marlborough subsequently deserted and betrayed William, Macaulay calls hlin "the Arch Traitor." Vol. VI, p. 17:!. Those who wish to compare or c'ontrast this great Knglish with the American traitor, may consult Macaulay. 280 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. i } wliicli pcrliaps cannot be determined with absolute cer- tainty. That inducements and arguments similar to tliose in the letter, and which Ilobinson pressed u]>on Arnold in their supposed interview, were addressed to him by l^ritish agents, there can be no reasonable duubt. The liritish authorities were advised by the loyalists of Philadelphia that Arnold was dissatisfied, and that he felt deej)ly wrouijed. To secure his defection, and throuirh him briii.'' about peace, was deemed a matter of the highest iujpor- tance. Such temptations were presented to him personally, and such considerations in regard, to his country as it was supposed would be most likely to influence him. If the letter is not genuine, it was ingeniously and .ably written, and ])resents just the considerations to which Arnold would be m»jst likely to yield, and tt^ which he himself declares in his address tu his countrymen, and to his old comrades, he did yield.' Now, let us suppose Andre had not l)een taken prisoner, and that the plot had succeeded: that AV^est Point had been ca|)tured without bloodshed, and then, Arnold clothed by (ireat IJritain M'ith full credentials, had ofl'ered to the Uni- ted States everything but indejjendence, and that through his instrumentality the war had been closed, and liberty secured, an American i)arliament to make the laws for the confederated colonies, with a nominal recognition of the British crown — what would have been the judgment of the world upon his conduct ? Thousands who have cried, and justly, "crucify him I crucify him!" would h.ave said with equal zeal, "crown him with honor." Such is the influence 1. Dining nttho tabic of Smith, ashort timcljcforo Andre's visit, Arnold saiil ;"n.v ■\vhftt lie could leurn fr m ('f)lonel Kobinson, the present terms held out wont much furthei' than the propositions of 1780, and he miide no doubt they would bo the basis of an honorable vi'ki'- T'is event he nio^t eordially wished."— i^mith's^i'arrutivc, p. '21. i^a Uaurixl AriiM a Addiaa tu His Cuuntiumcn. HIS r\TiuoTisM and his treason. 281 of success or failure.' But success would not havecliangccl the character of his acts. Is it iucrciliblo that a desperate man, trodden upon by his enemies, " Within whosi boated bosom thronys The UKMiiory of a thousuiul wrongs," as he re^^arded them, may ])erhaps, for some brief moments, carried away by the violence of his jtassions, have deceived liiinself, or j)erniitted himself to be dcccivod by these soph- istries, and for one moment excused himself to himself for his crime? If he did, it was a fatal error, and terribly and justly did he suffer for it. llepentance, however, after the first overt act was too late; the fault was fatal, irrevocable, without remedv, and for which nothinjr could condone. For con- cediui^ all, admitting that his passions so misled his judg- ment as to make him believe that he could by betraying his post really benefit his country, this is no excuse for his treachery; if honestly satisfied that the war should be no further prosecuted, he should have resigned and left liis comrades — not sought to betray them. In March, 1780, while not yet fully committed to the Eng- lish emissaries, and it may be, hesitating on the britdc of the precipice of his crime, his restless s])irit devised an enterprise against the enemy upon the sea, which in its execution would require several shijts of war, and three or four hundred troops, of which exi)edition he oilV'ied to take cumniand ; his wound still rendering him unfit fur active duty in the field. Washington favored the project, but the exigencies of the service rendered it im])ossil)le to spare the troops, and it was finally abandoned. At another time he seems to have 1. " Tronson doth never prosper. What's the reason? Why, if it iirosper, none dure caU it trenson." It i* conceivable that if Washington had fuik-d, the English would have called him the tr&itcir. m RC: 282 LIFE OF DEXKDICT ARNOLD. eiitertiiined the idea of resigniiii:^ liis post in tlie nniij and retirin*; into the t'orestP, and j»uttin^ himself like the J< linsons, on the Mohawk, at the head of an 1 Julian trilie. His eonduet and |)lans, after his disgrace in the 8prin<; and summer «tf IT-SU, are involved in an obsciirity which will prohahly never he dispelled; yet it is evident that he liad no fixed piir|>ose, and was nndeterniined what to do; now he was brooding over the past, and then ])ondering the fnture, and sometimes almost in despair; vai-ious and wild schenies were presented, considered and rejected, lie had listened to the temjiter, and t»» hesitate and deliberate over a crime so desj)erate, was to fall. Like a rndderless ship in the violence of a wild ocean temjiest, nncontrolled by ])rin cii)le, he was dril'ting hither and thither, wherever the storm of ])assiun might carry him. At abont this time, while pecnniarily embarrass(d, and tossing on the snrges of ])assion, it is alledged by JMarbois, he songht with corrnpt motives, a loan from the envoy of France, tlie Chevalier de LaLuzerne. ^ The acconnt (»f the interview between Arnold and Lnzerne, given by ^larbois, is evidently embellished, and no one can draw the line b^'tween fact and fiincv. Marbois wrott^ history with jKtetic license, taking the liberty of put- ting such speeches into the mouths of the persons he intro- duced as he imagined they might have made, and such as would make his narrative lively and picturesque." The speeches i)etween Ai'uold and Luzerne, as given by him, are to be taken, therefore, not ns literal truth, but sim])ly as what lie imagined might have passed, lie does not claim to have been present, or even to give the language as 1. Tlic oonspiraoy of Arnold and Sir Henry Clinton by Mnrbois.— ^menVnJt Jlrrjietir, Vnl II. p. 'Jti. 2. Sarsi'iit, ill his liifo of Andre, cautions the r- ndcr npaiiist Marbois, even ('oin|>iirinK liini with Josliua Hott Smith, saying, "Suiitli, like Muibuia, mu.>tt always bo received di8trui<{fu!ly."—p. M'. Btear HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 283 reporteleasure in testifying a particular ])redilection f(»r hlni. lie thought that if it were wished to rechiini this man, it would be indis]iensable to recollect only the <'lorious circum- stances of his life." "He continued the same dejiortment towards liiiu as before his disgrace, and this generosity won the respect and confidence of the general."' ' Having thus won Arnold's confidence, the latter in his distress oi)ened his heart to Luzerne, detailed liis inisfortnnes and emharras- ments and sought a loan from the French Envoy. Luzerne declined the loan, but gave him some very good advice instead, but this not being what Arnold sought, he received with a very ill grace. Washington Irving expressed the opinion that " the first idea of proving recreant to the cause he liad so bravely vindicated, appears to have en- tered his mind when the charges preferred against him bv the Council of Pennsylvania were referred by Congiess to a court-martial." ' It will be remend)ered tliat his accounts for back ])ay, and disbursements in Cana. 27. 2. Life of Wnsliinston. Vol. IV, p. 111. o. Spiirks' Writings of Washington, Vol. VI, p. 530. 4. Life of Arnold, p. 151. TH 284 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. incnts of his tempters, and iirf^cd to desperation by despair, lie seems now to have adopted the fatal resohition of be- traying liis countr}', and of making his desertion as useful and etiective to the enemy as ])Ossible. On the 28th of March, 1780, AVashington gave him leave of absence from the army to regain his health, but cx])rcsfied the hope that he might soon be in a condition for "active service," and for himself and Lady Washington, congratulates him on the birth of his son, Edward Shippen, born March 10th, at Philadelphia. It is not my purpose to go minutely into the details of the treasonable correspondence and c()nsj)iracy of Arnold and Sir Henry Clinton. The life of Arnold, by Sparks, goes over this ground very fully, and little could be said in addition to the narrative there given. The correspondence began under assumed names, the letters of Arnold being signed ^^ Gustavus," and those of ]^!!ajor Aiulre, who carried on the correspondence on the part of the British, were signed ^^Anderson." Through the influence of his friends, General Schuyler and Robert R. Livingston,' Arnold sought and obtained the command of "West Point, regai'ded as the most important military position in the colonies ; and here were stored, as in the safest jdace on the conti- nent, a large quantity of supplies and material of war. On the last day of July, 1780, Arnold, who had been on a visit to Connecticut, now on his way back to Philadelphia, reached the camp of "Washington while tie army was crossing the Hudson at King's Ferry. He met Wash- ington, on horseback, riding to see the last division cross the river, and asked if any place had been assigned to him? Washington replied, " Yes, you are to comnumd the left 1. Livingston to Washington, June 22,1780, speaking of Aniold, says: "Ills courage Is undoubted. He is the favorite of the Militin, ami wlio wiU agree perfectly with our Goveruor."— ^Sparfcs" Writings qf Wushitigt^n, Vol. VJl, p. 05. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 285 wing, the post of honor." At those words his countcimnco chunked, but he made no reply.' 'VV^ashiii<^ton invited him to go to lieadquarters, where in a short time the Commander- in-Chief arrived, and k^arned with some surprise tliat Ar- nold still complained of liis wound, and of liis inability in eonsecjuence, of doing "projter service" in the field, and that he still desired the command of "West Point. "Wash- ington had hoped to have had liis services in the field in the stirring campaign now at liand, and had given him command of the left wing because of its importance, and because he wished it led by an able and etlicient oflicer, as there was a i)rospect of fighting, and for such work no one could fill the place better, for as a fighting CJeneral, "Ar- nold stood })re-eminent for courage, skill, and good con- duct." " Wlien, therefore, Arnold changed countenance, as "Wash- ington, notwithstanurka' LifuofAiuijld, p. 15U. 280 LIFE OF DENKDK'T ARNOLD. i 1! tlie full confidonco of Sir TTcnry Clinton, llis piotnrcpque mansion stood a short distance lu'low West Point, on the eafltorn side of tlie Ilndson, in a lonely part of the far-famed Highlands, hii^h up from tlie river, and yet at the footot a moimtain covered with woodH.' From this seclusion Arnold carr'-^d on his secri 'orrcspon- dence with Andre. Here, some\viiat secluded lium the otti- cers of the ])ost, lie lived, and was often seen walkinijf alone on the banks of the Hudson, liis face stern and sorrowful, brooding over liis fancied wronpjs. Here, in September, came Mrs. Arnold, bringini^ with her their infant son, Edward Shij>pen; and to her while liere, was addressed the tonchin wrote a long letter to General Washing- ton, replying to questions which the Commander-in-Chief luul ])ro])ounded to the council of general officers, as to the conduct of the campaign. Here, on the 12tli of Septem- ber, he addressed a letter to General Greene, "with senti- ments of the most sincere regard and atlection," criticising his early friend and later enemy, (Jeneral Gates, who liad lately been terribly defeated in South Carolina, and among oilier things, saving: " It is a most unfortunate piece of business for that Itcro^ and may2)ossibly blot his escutcheon with indelible infamy."* It was his own " escutcheon " that he was now blottinsr with "indelible infamy." In a letter to Washington, September 5th, he says: "I had the pleasure of General Schuyler's company last night." It was thus, while in daily intercourse and correspond- ence with his fellow soldiers, in the full enjoyment of their friendship and sympathy, and in the unshaken confidence \. Irving's Washlnj^ton, Vol. IV, p. 112. 2. Mnnuscript letter in the State Deiiiirtmcntat Washington. HIS rATlUOTISM AND HIS TUKASOX. 287 of his cliiof, Ilia home liallowcd l>y tlu' dovotod ufl'cf'tion of liifl youiii,' jithI bcantit'iil wile, and liri;,ditt'ii('d l\v the ]»hiy- l'uhit'88 of his child, the ichjl of his sister, th«> ])ride of Ids elder boys at seliool, ho was consj)iriiii; with the erietnv to betray the cause for which ho aiul Ids cftiurades had so often foiii^lit. I liave heard from a «h'S('endaiit of Arnold the existence of a tradition that he often said, and repeated over and over again, to his dyiniiMons. Imw intinitcly more noble would it have been to stand or fall, live or die with his coniradoB. IFow ine\cnsal»le to betray them I The im)M>rlance of West I'oint with its ndlitary stores, was fidly realized by Sir Henry Clinton. Its ]i(isses>ion would secure the Hudson, cut olf New Kni^dand, facilitate intercourse with Caiuida by the lakes, and, in fact, accomp- lish nearly all which l?uri^oyne and 8t. Letter's expeditions, with their ten tliousand men, had soui^lit to effect. The conspiracy had been carriecl forward by correspon- dence under fictitious names, by .\riiold and Andre, and its consummation now required a ju-rsonal meetini^; and at Arnold's request, Aiulre, then holdiiii; the position of Ad- jutant-dieneral in the Ih'itish Army, was detailed to meet the American iijeneial and settle all details. On the 20th of Septem])cr Andre went on board the Ih'itish sloop of war, Vulture, with ('oloiicl ]*everly liobinson," and j)ro- ceeded up the Ilud.-ou. with a view of holdiufif an inter- view with Arnold. On the night of the 21st, a boat was sent by Arnold to the Vulture, which brought Andre to the shore about six miles below Stoney Point; and there 1. I think U»c ciroumstantial evidence is very strong, that Robinson had Vjccn one of the agents to .^cduue Arnold. 288 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. under the sliadow of tlie mountains, after niidni^lit, the conspirators met. As the dawn of day drew near, the con- ference not being concluded, Andre was induced to accom- pany Arnohi to the liouse of Joshua IFett Smith, about two miles below Stoney Point. Soon after they reached the house the Ixioming of cannon was heard, and directly they saw the Vulture weipled leg." '• But," broke in Andre, interrupting him, "what cares Con- gress for your services, your wounds, and your losses ? Vour etieniies in C(»ngress do not thank you. I have even been told that in your last fight with Burgoyne, when you so crippled him as to compel his surrender, you fought as a volunteer, and without a command; and that while you were leading the troops Gates was in his tent, not even go- ing upon the field at all: yet he received Burgoyne's swords a medal from Congress, all the honors of the victory, and /le, forsooth, is the /lO'o of Saratoga, while you were tried by court-nuirtial and disgraced." "Ves," replied Arnold, "all this and more, is true; and this, in part, has driven me to my present conduct. Inde- pendence must be post]ioned. Half a century hence it will come, and without war." "Yes, General Arnold," said Andre, "we will restore peace and reconciliation; and for you there shall be honor, appreciation, and an English peerage, in place of in- ':,ratitude, neglect, disgrace, and a j)ublic 'reprimand.'" " And for my country," said Arnold, " ])eace and reconcili- ation will, I hope, be better than blood and suffering, and a French vassalage; but, Anemis lleigbts. * * * * " Tbej^ bave driven me to tbis," exclaimed be, bitterly, " tbey bave made me tbe villain, all tbe world will call me, if we fail!" " But we must not, will not fail! Go, Andre, basten back to Sir llenry Clinton, bring up your trooj)s, and "Wes^t Point is yours I" ' Tbns ended tbe interview, and Arnold returned to his quarters. Andre passed tbe day at Smitirs bouse, expecting to be ])ut on board tbe Vulture at nigbt. As evening approacbed, Smitb refused to ])ut him on board, fearing for bis o\\ n safety; but proposed to cross tbe river witb bim, and put bimin tbe way of returning to New York by land. Andre was disappointed, but was tinally induced to put Smitb's overcoat on over bis uniform, and about sunset tbey started, crossing at King's Ferry. After proceeding about eigbt miles tbey were sto]iped by an American patrol. Arnold's pass satisfied tbe officer in command, but be warned tbem against proceeding furtber at niglit. Tbey stopped and passed tbe nigbt. Tbe next morning at day-break tbey started again. anr them. "Ah, Miirquis," replied Washiii^tun, "you y(iiin<^ men are all in love with Mrs. Arnold. I see you are ea_<^er to be with her as soon as possible. Go and break- last with her, and tell her not to wait for me. I must ride down and examine the redoubts on this side the river, but will be with you shortly." Lafayette and Kn(,»x, however, accompanied "VVashin<;ton, but Col. Ilamiltoti and others of the start' went directly to Arnold's head(juarters, bearing Washinifton's message to Mrs. Arnold. In acct>rdance with his request, they all sat down to breakfast. Mrs. Arnold with her child had arrived from J^hiladelphia a few days previous. She, it is said, received her guests cordially, and was as usual, bright, happy, gay and fascinating. Arnold was grave and thoughtful. Well he might be. AV'ashington had arrived two days sooner than ho had been exjtected, and this was the eventful day on which the treason was to be consummated. He had arranged with Andre that the garrison should be scattered through the passes and defiles of the highlands, and the enemy's ships, with the British troops on board, were on this very day to ascend the river and take possession of the post; and now came AVashington unexi)ectedlv to disconcert evervthinir. In the midst of the breakfast a horseman galloped to the door. It was Lieutenant Allen, M'itli Jameson's letter to Arnold, containing the startling statement that Andre is a prisoner, and the papers found in his boots have been forwarded to "Washington. It was a terrible crisis in the life of Arnold. " Yet," ?ays Irving, " in this awful mo- ment he gave evidence of that quickness of mind which had won laurels for him when in the jtath of duty."' With a self-control that was amazing, ho excused him- self to his guests, retired, ordered a horse, and then going 1. Irving's Wusbington, Vul. IV, p. 1C8. 20G LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. to Mrs. Arnold's room, sent for lier, and disclosed his per- ilous position, Si\yinrepare for the reception of the General; and then springing upon his horse, ready saddled at the door, he gallojied down a steep, along what is still called "Arnold's }>ath," towards the landing place, where his six-oared barjre was moored. How terrible must have been his feelings as he dashed down the hill, leaving behind him his wife and child, countr}^, friends, honor and faith! iSot now could he exclaim, as in other days: "I am in the discharge of duty, and know no fear!" Like guilty Macbeth, ho could not respond* "Amen" to "God bless our patriot cause." "Nfvcr had shaken his nerves in fight.'" But as his horse's hoofs struck lire from the rocks in his headlong speed, the very echo seemed the voice of the avenger. Danger and death were behind him, and what was infinitely worse, dishonor was before him and around him. From death he might esca])e by flight, but from dis- lionor — this man who so loved glory — from dishonor for him there was from henceforth forever no escape ! Seizing his pistols from his holsters, he sprang into the barge and directed the oarsmen to pull into the middle of 1. " Pr. Eustis, who had charge of the hospital in the vicinity, was calkd to the assistance of Mrs. Arnold, whose situation was ahirniiiig. He found her at (he head of the staircase, in great dishabille, her hair dischcvelod, knowing no one, and frantic, in the arms of her maid and Arnold's two aids, struggling to liberate herself frnm them. She was carried back to her chamber, and fell into convulsions, which lasted several hours. '—T/massed Verplank's Point, Arnold raised a white handkercihief and ordered the boat- men to row directly to the Vulture, which was in sifj^ht. All the way he sat in the prow, his pistols either in his hand or within his reach. lie would not have been captured alive. The boat reached the schooner, and the fugitive springinj!^ on deck, was safe from ])ursuit. After Arnold had had an interview with the commander of the Vulture, he came on deck, and is reported to have said to the bargemen, who had taken him to the schooner : " My lads, I have quitted the rchcl army and joined the standard of his Brittanic !Majosty. If yoii will join me I will make sergeants and corporals of you all, and for yon, Larvey, (who was c ixswain), I will do sonie- tliing more." Larvey indignantly rej)lied, " Xo, sir, one coat is enough for me to wear at a time."* General Heath, in his memoirs, gives the following account of the incident : '* When Arnold had yot under tho guns of the Vulture, he told Cor- poral Larvey, who was cockswain of the bariii.ers heing presented to (yolonel lliiiniltun, WHslMni^ton's contidential aid, were opened and read by liim. Hasten in*^ to find Washington, he met the (ieneral and party coming up from the river. Hamilton addressed a few words to him in a low tone, and they retired into the house. The ]>apers told their own too sad story — the leader of the daring expedition through the wilderness, wounded at Queltec, the hero of Saratoga, he who, with the militia had driven Tryon from his native State, was a traitor, and had fled to the enemy! Hamilton was ordered to mount and ride with speed to try to overtake and capture the fugitive. In vain; Arnold had had four or five hours the start. Washington was c.'dm; calling to Lafayette and Knox, he told them the story, and said, sadly, " Whom can wo trust now?" James Fenimore Cooper, in giving an account of this incident, derived, as is supposed, from Lafayette, saj's: " When Washington and Lafayette met, the former })ut the report of Janiesun into the hands of the lattei , and said with tears in his eyes, 'Arnold is a traitor, and lias fled to the British.' General Knox was present it this scene." ' Hamilton returnci and rej)orted Ariu d's escaj)e, and brought with him the following letter from the fugitive, which had been sent ashore by a flag from the Vulture : "Ox BoAiiD THE Vui.tuhk, 25 September, 1780. " Gm, — llie heart which is conscious of its own rectitude, cannot attempt to palliate v, step which the world may censure as wron^', I have ever acted from a principle of love to my country since the com- mencement of the present unliappy contest between Great IJritain and the Colonies. The same principle of love to my country actuates my pres- ent conduct, however it may appear inconsistent to the world, who very seldom judge right of any man's actions. 1. Cooper's Notions of the Americans, picked up by a TraveUng Bachelor, p. 214, noo LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD, *' I liavo no favor to nsk for myself. I have too ofton oxporionced \ho inffratitiule of my country to attempt it ; but, from the known humanity of your Kxcellency, I am indiiceil to nsk your protection for Mrs. Arnold from every insult and injury that a mistaken veuKcance of my country nuiy expose her to. It ouj^ht to fidl only on me ; she ia as jfood and «H innocent as an anf^el, and is inciipaltlo of doinp wronjj. 1 hej; she nuiy lie permitted to return to lier iriends in l'jilii(lel|iliia, or to come to me, as she may choose. From your Kxcelli-ncy I have no fears on hi-r account, but she may sutler from the mistaken fury of the country. " I have to request that the enclosed letter may be delivered to Mrs. Arnold, and she Ix; permitted to write to me. " I have also to ask that my clothes and bagfjafre, which arc of little consetjuence, may bo sent to me ; if required, their value shall be paid in money. "J have the honor to be, with great regard and esteem, your Excel- lency's most obedient, humble servant. B. Ahnold. " N. B.— In justice to the pontlemen of my family, Colonel Varick and ]\Iiijor Franks, I think myself in honor bound to declare that they, as well as Joshua Smith, Esq. (who 1 know is suspected), are totally i^fuorant of any transactions of mine, that they had reason to believe were injurious to the public. B. A." The paraf^raph in Arnold's letter in relation to his wife, declaring that "she is as good and as innocent as an angel, and as incapahle of doing wrong," shows his devotion to her in this hour of supreme peril and desolation, and liis efforts to prt '^nt unjust su.s])ieion falling upon his military famih', Colonel Varick and Major Franks, are honorable to him. Let us not overlook any bright sjiot in the character now blackened with treachery. In the meantime, Wash- ington took every precaution against an attack by the enemy, and it is worthy of remark that no one of Arnold's military fomily, nor any among liis personal friends, was to any extent implicated in his treachery. AVashington did not betray any unusual excitement or anxiety. "When uilt. AVhen lie deliven.Ml to her the letter which her luisbund had enclosed in the one to himself, ho told her that he had, in acconlance with his ^ a mother showed themselves in her appearance and conduct. We have every reason to believe that she was entirely unacquainted with tho plan, and that the first knowledge of it was when Arnold went to tell her ho must banish himself from his country and from her forever. She instantly fell uito a convulsion, and he left her in that situation. " This morning she is more composed. I paid her a visit, and endeav- 1. Irving's Washington, Vol. IV, )). 145. , 2. Hamilton papers, Vol. I, p. 478. f? 302 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. ored to soothe her by every niothorl in my power ; though yon may imagine she is not easily to be consoled. Added to her other distresses, she h very apprehensive the resentment other country will iall upon her (who is only unfortunate) for the guilt of her husbapd. "I have tried to persuade her that her fears are ill founded ; but she will not be convinced. She received us in bed, with every circumstance that would interest our sympathy, and her sutierings were so eloquent that I wished rnyself her brother, to liave a right to become her defender. As it is, I have entreated her to enable me to give her proofs of my friend- ship. Could I forgive Arnold for .sacrificing his honor, reputation, and duty, I could not forgive him for acting a part that must have forfeited the esteem of so fine a woman. At present she almost forgets his crime in his misfortunes, and her horror at the guilt of the traitor, is lost in her love of the man. lint a virtuous mind cannot long esteem a base one ; and time will make her despise, if it cannot make her hate. " A. Hamilton." On the evening of the 25th tlie Ynltnre sailed to Kew York, carrying General Arnold, who reached that city the next morning, and coninmnicated to Sir Henry Clinton the lirst intelligence he received of the capture of Andre. It would be difficult to conceive a more j)ainful position than that which Arnold now occupied. Going into the British head(piarters with the cclat of a great, though guilty exploit, by which it was expected the war might be brought to an early close, was one thing; to fly to these (juarters for reinge, a detected traitor, and a ]iowerless, valueless fugitive, having accum])lished nothing but the ex- posure of his own treachery, and the hazard of Andre's life, was another.' "Without antici])ating the narration of future events, I pause to say that Arnold's life from that day forward, though he received many gracious favors from the King and the tory j)arty in England, yet his life was a sad one, and adds an- other, and one of the most striking and conspicuous in history, to the verification of the truth that "the way of the transgressor is hard." 1. " He stood alone— a rcnceade Against the country he betrayed." r«1 1 : i i r ! ms TATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 303 The news of Arnok^'s treason created a ■po])u]iir furore against him, the violence of which is indescrihahle. None felt the disgrace more keeidy than his devotee^ sijliia, and while po}>uhn- fury was raging with the greatest vio- lence against Arnttld. 1 anticipate the narration so far as to say that she made her home during life with llichard and llenrj, sons of lier brother by his first wife, and that her sisterly devotion was never forgotten by liim. When an exile from his country, and amid all changes of fortune, he never forgot to remit to her a pension, and this was relig- iously continued after General Arnold's death, by his M'idow. On the the 20th Se])tember, i\[ajor Tallmadge, having in. custody, Andre, arrived at the liobinson IIougo. Washing- ton declined seeing the prisoner, but gave orders that he should be treated with every courtesy and civility consistent with Ins absolute security. Major Tallmadge, and indeed everyone who was brought into personal intercourse with Andre, was fascinated by his engaging qualities, lie says : " It often drew tears from my eyes to find him so af^roeable in conver- sation on different subjects, wln'n 1 reiiected on his future fate, aud that, too, aa I feared, so near at hand." While Tallmadge w.is on the way with Andre to the American head-quarters, their conversation became very cor- dial and frank, and finallv Andre asked Tallmadge in what light he would be regarded by General Washington and a 1. From a copy In possession of Chicago His. Society. ins PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 30o military tribunal. Tallinadgc evaded an answer, but being pressed, he finally said : ' " I had a much-loved class-trate in Yale CoUogo, by the name ol Nathan Hale, who entered the army in 177">. Iium'diatfly after th»! battle of Loiifi: Islnnd, fioneral \Vashinf,4on wanted inf )rmation rospjct- ingtheHtrenj,'tli, position and probable inovcm Mitsof tlieennemy. Ciijytain Hale tendered his services, went over to lirooklyn, antl was taken just as he waspassinf^ the outposts of the enemy on his return f^aid I, with emphasis: 'Do i/on remember the .sequel of the story?" 'Yes,' s-aid Andre, ' he was hanged as a spy ! But you surely do not consider his case and mine alike?' 'Yes, precisely similar; and similar will be your fate! '" The arrival of Arnold in New York, and the news of Andre's ca])ture, caused a £i;reat sensation in the ]>ritish army. Andre was very po]>u]ar, and an especial favorite with the Commander-in-Chief. Clinton and Arnold and Kobinson, conferred together as to the means of obtaining the release of Andre. Arnold wrote a letter to Clinton assuming the responsibility for Andre's conduct, declaring that he came to him under the protection of a flag of truce, and that he gave him pass]>ort9 to go to White IMains, on his return to New York." This letter, enclosed in one from 1. Irving's Washington, Vol. IV, pp. It'i-l."i0. 2. The following is Arnold's letter, copied from Pimrks' Writings of Wash ington, Vol. VII, p.p ;!;!4-J. " N'kw Ydp.k. 20th Septemlicr, 17S0. "Sm: In answer to yonr Exocllency's nu\«sii<.'»', nsiieciing your Acljuinnt-Gcn- eral, Miijur .Andre, luid dosiriiii; my iiloa of the reiisdn.s why ho is ditiiint d, lieiir,' uuderniy pass|i(irt.s, I liave till' hoUDr to infcinii ymi, .*^ir, that I apprelu'tid a few hours must return Major Anilre to your K.xeelleiii'y's Orders, as tliat otliccr is assuredly under tlie iiruleetion of a flag nf truee sent by nie to liim for the p\irpose of a conversation, wliicli I requested to Imlil with him relating to myself, and which I wislicrt to conmiunicatc, through that oflieer, to your Excellency. "I commanded at the time nt West I'uint, and hail an miduulited riglit to send my flag of truce for Major Andre, who eanie to nio midcr that pniti'ciion, and, having held my conversation witli liini. I delivered him conliilential ))apers in my own hand-writing, to deliver to your Kxcelleiiey ; llnnking it nuicli |iroperer lie sliould return liy lancl, I directed lum to make usi; of the I'eiuned name of . I. dm Anderson, under which he had, by my direction, come onshore, and gave him my pass])orts U go to the White I'lains on his way to New York. This oilicer cannot, tlierefore, fail of being immediately .sent to New York, as he was invited to a conver sation with me, for which I sent him a llag of truce, and finally gave him passports 20 306 LIFE OF BENEDICT i*RXOLD. liiinself, Clinton forwarded to Wut,liini,'tun, claiming that Andre should be permitted to return to Xevv York." ' TJicse papers had no influence upon the action of AVasli- in<;ton, except possibly to render him still more careful and circumspect in regard to the prisoner. He referred the case of ]Vrajur Andre to a board of general ofKcers, Avhicli he ordered to meet on the 20th, and dii-ected that after a careful examination, this board should report their opinion "of the light in which he onght to be considered, and the punishment that ought to be inflicted." This Board con- sisted of six major-generals and eight brigadier-generals." Hamilton, in a letter to Col. Laurens has given many very interesting particulars concerning the conduct, trial and execution of Andre. " ' When brought bi'foro thi; Roanl of officers, he m<'t with every in- dulgence, and was requested to answer no interrogatory which would even emh.irniss his feelings.' 'He frankly confessed ail the facts relating to himself.' Indeed, the facts were not controverted, and tlif Hoard re- ])orted that Andre ought to be considered as a spy, and agrei'ably to the law and usages of nations, must suH'er death. 'Andre met the result with manly firmness.' ' I foresee ray fate, ' said he ; ' and though I \)iv.- f(ir his siifo i-oturn to your Excellency, all which I hn'l then a rich' to do. bcins; in the actual service of Amorica, under the orders of (knoral Wa^liingtoii and com- manding general at West Point and its dependencies. " I have the honor to be, &c. " B. Arnold." 1. The letter from Clinton is as follows, copied from Sparlis' Writings of AVasli- ington, Vol. VII., p. oM- "Nf.w VoRK.'jnth September, 1780. '■Sir: Heing Informed that the King's .Xdjutiuitgencral in America lias been stopped under Miijor-tieneral Arnold's passports, and is detiiiiied a prisoner by your K.xcellency's Army, I have the honor to inform yon, sir, that I permitted Major Andre to go to Major-General Arnold at the jiarticnlar r('(ini'st of that general officer. You will preceive, Sir, by the inclosed paper, that a flag of truce was sent to receive Major Andre, and passports granted for his return. I tlicrclbre can have no doubt but your E.'cccllency will immediately diiecttliat this ollicer have permis- sion to return to my orders at New Vorlc. " I have the honor to be, &c." 2. Their names were, Maior-Cienerals (ireene, Stirling, St. Clair, Lafayette. Howe and Steuben. l!riL,'adier-ting to prove that Andre ought not to be considered as a s])y ; and he closed by making a most earnest appeal to Washington for the life of Andre. "Sutler me to entreat your excellency for your own and the honor of humanity, and the love you have of jufetice, that you suffer not an unjust sentence to touch the life of ;^[ajor Andre." "But," he unwisely added, "if this warning should be disregarded, and he sutler, I call heaven and earth to Avitness, that your excellency will be justly answerable for the torrent of blood that may be spilt in consequence. ' Greene sent a note to General Robertson, informing him 1. Writings of Washiugtou, Vol. VII, p. 541. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 309 that he had made as full a report of their conference as his memory would enable him to do, but that it made no alter- ation in the opinion and determination of Washington. Robertson then dis])atched a letter to AVaahington, going over the subject and arguing it again, and then the party returned to New York. Andre, on the morning of October the first, the day he expected to suffer, sent the following note to "Washington: "Tai'PAN, 1 October, 1780. "Sir: — Buoyed al)Ove the terror cf death by tlie consciousness of a life devoted to honorable pursuitw, and stained with no action that can K've me remorse, I trust that the request I make to your Kxcellt ncy at this serious period, ami which is to soften my last moments, will not be rejected. "Sympathy towards a soldier will surely induce your Excellency and a military tribunal to adapt the mode of my death to the feelings of a man of honor. " Let me hope. Sir, that if aught in my charticter impresses you with esteem towards me; if aught in my misfortunes marks me as the victim of policy and not of resentment, I shall experience the operation of those feelings in your breast, by being informed that I am not to die on a gibbet. " I have the honor to be your Excellency's most obedient and most humble servant,' John Anduk." This touching request Washington felt that he could not grant, and therefore did not reply to the note. The follow- ing letter, from Ilainilton to Miss Schuyler, narrates the end of this most melancholy tragedy.* "Tai'I'an. Oct. 2, 1780. "Poor Andre suft'ers to-day. Everything that is amial)le in virtue, in fortitude, in delicate sentiment and accomplished manners, pleads for him, but hard-hearted policy cidls for a sacrifice. Jle must die. I send you my account of Arnold's affair : and to justify myself to your senti- ments, I must inform you that 1 urged a compliance with Andre's request to be shot; and I do not think it would have had an ill-etiVet, but some people are only sensible to motives of jjolicy, and sometimes, from a nar- row disposition, mistake it. 1. Writings of Washington, Vol.VII, p. 54a. 2. Hamilton's Tapers, Vol. I, p. 4U8. -,"' vj 310 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. WW ■ li "When Andre's tale comes to be told, and present resentment is over, the ret'iisinf? him the privilege of choosiny the manner of his death will be branded with too much obstinacy. " It was proposed to me to siiffgest to him the idea of an exchange for Arnold, but I knew I should have forfeited his esteem by doing it, aiid therefore declined it. As a man of honor, he couirl not b\it reject it, and I would not for the world hav(,' i)ropose(l to him a thing which nmst have placed me in the unamiable light of supposing him capable of meanness, or of not feeling myself the impropriety of the measure. I confess to you, I had the weakness to Viilue the esteem of a dying man, because I rever- enced his merit. A. H.\MtLTOKi" There are indications that neitlier Arnold nor Andre, nor Sir Henry Clinton, at first fully realized the danger of Andre's position. All of them seemed to have assumed that Arnold's safe conduct would protect him. Colonel Jtobinson, AVashington's old Virginia friend, in a letter t<» him, after stating that Andre went up the Hudson at request of Arnold, with a Hag of truce, and lield that officer's pass to return, seems to have taken it for granted that Andre would be set at liberty, for he closes by saying : " Under these circumstances, Andre caniu)t be detained by you." ^ Clinton concludes his first letter to Washington on the subject by sayiug : " I can have no doubt your Excellency will immediately direct that this oflicer have per- mission to return." " Andre's conversation with Colonel Tallmadge, before quo- ted, seems to have been the first occasion on which there was brought to his knowledge the gravity of his danger. AVhen Arnold was made to appreciate Andre's extreme peril, his anxiety and deep solicitude are manifested in his impassioned letter to "Washington above quoted, in which he implored and "entreated" his old commander not to " suffer an unjust sentence to touch the life of Andre." 1. Writings of Washington, Vol. VII, p. 533. 2. Writings of Washington, Vol. VII, p. 634. HIS PATRIOTISM AND II IS TIIEASON. 311 It was proposed to Ilrtiniltnu that he sliould siiijgest to Andre his exchange lV>r Arnt)l, 456. ;j. Letter of Feb y 9, 17S2, ill Uie "General AdvortLser," quoted from Sargent's Life of Aiulro. )i. -iriij. 4. In the Morniwj Ikrald. i i 312 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. Henry that he might be permitted to go out and surrender liimself in exciiange for Andre, and tluit the repl}' was, ' Your ])rop()sal, sir, does you great honor, but if Audr6 was my own brother I couhl not agree to it." ' No denial of the truth of this statement and that Arnold made such an otler a])])('ars, altiiough the a])]ieal was ])ub- licly made to the gentlemen of Clinton's staff to make such denial if it was untrue. AVhen it is remembered how Andre was beloved by Ids comrades in the family of Clinton antl by liii^ fellow soldiers of the army, and the position of Arnold is recalled, it api)ear8 to me that if the statement of Captain llattersby was untrue, it would have been promptly contradicted. Sargent adds that "the anecdote is not devoid of su]»i)ort from Avhat we know of the man's (Arnold's) nature." No one M-ho has read Sargent's indignant denunciation of Arnold, will suspect him of any disposition to lighten the shades of Arnold's infamy, and yet this careful writer says, " Such an overture would have been perfectly in keep- ing with his reckless intrepidity of character.'" The biographer of Andre would not be too credulous in believ- imr on insufficient evidence such a statement. I regret that I have no additional proof of its truth. I think those who have studied Arnold's character most closely, will agree with Sargent, that such an act " would have been perfectly in keeping with the intrepidity," and I add, the impulsiveness "of his nature." Besides what was there now left for Arnold to live for after his disgrace and the failure of the conspiracy i That he realized his unhappy fate, I do not doubt. Such a sensational death, a voluntary sacrifice of his life to save the life of Andre, exhibiting alike his courage and his generosity, would not, in his des- jiair, have been altogether re])ulsive. It would unquestion- 1. I.ifc of Andre, p. 375. 2. Life of Andre, p. 375. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON'. 313 ably have Lcen better for his fame if Sir irciiry Clinton had assented to his ofl'cr. If the siirom])t ject, a.s th" loss of llrenada has mu(;h atfected their income. It is needless to be more explicit ou this subject. I am per- suaded of your Excellency's goodness. " I receive the preatest attention from his Exc llency, General Wash- inprton, and from every peison under whoso charj,'e I happen to be placed. *' I have the honor to be, with the most respectful attachment, your Excellency's most obedient, humble dorvant, Joir.v An'duk, '* Adjutant-General.'' The circumstiiiices iiiulor which this letter was written, are thus detailed by llaiiiilton: " In one of the visits I nr.nle to him," said ITamilton "(and I saw him several times during his confinement), he befr^i'd uie to be the bearer of a ropiest to the (Icneral for pei mission to send an open letter to Sir Henry Clinton. 'There is only one thing,' said he, 'that disturbs my traniiuiiity. Sir Ifenry Cliutoii has been too f,''00(l to me; he has been lavish of his kuidness; I am '■)0uiid to him by too many obligations, and love him too well, to bear the thouji'lit that he should reproach himself or others should repi'oach him, on the supposition of my having conceiveil myself obliged, by his instructions, to run the risk I did. I would not, for the world, leave a sting in his mind that she d embitter his future days.' He could scarce finish the sentence, bursting into t(>ars in spite ol his efforts to suppress them, and with difficulty collected himsi-lf enoug'a afterward to add, ' I wish to be j^ermitted to assure him I did not act under this impression, but submitted to a necessity imposed upon me, as contrary to my own inclination as to his orders.' " 1 c HIS PATKIOTISM AND JUS TKKASOX. oli) On the 10th of Auj^ust, IS'Jl, tlie reinaiiiflot' Atulre wei*o reiiioved tVt)jn the bunks of the lludsctii to AVcstiiiinstt'i- Abliey, and interred there, near the niominient which had been k)njr before erected to his nieinnrv. In the Bouth aisle, near the window, and snrrounth'd by the f^reatest iianiosj in Knglinli history, is Andre's monu- ment: ' "Sacred to the memory of Alajur John Ambv, who, raised by his merits at an c rly |)eriod of life, to tin; lanic of Aortant but hazardous enterprise, fell a sacrifice to his zeal lor his Kinr()val the enterprise in which Andre lost his life, none will regret the honors conferred U})on him in the venerabU) old Al>bey which en- shrines so many of England's worthies. 1. Sargent's Life of Andre, p. 411. I i I I ■i \ \w i CHAPTER XVII. MRS. ARI^OLD'S INNOCENCE— WAS ANDRE A SPY? "?hc" (Mrs. Arnol'l) " s ns good mid as innoct'iit as nn angel, and is Incapable of doing wrong.— .'Inio/'f lo U'anhiiKjIon, U'.vs Mrs. Arnold Gvii.ty of roMi'i.iciTY with iiF.n llisn.vxn'.s TuE.\snN?— Was ASDKE A SrY, AND K.VIXITED IN ACCOltDANCE WITH TUK I.AWS OP WAU? WiiKx the attt'iition of the ivsuler was last called to Mrs. Arnold, she "was overwhelmed with urr to Davis, rests upon his state- ment alone, and is entirely without corroboration. After describing the arrival of INIrs. Arnold at the house of Mrs. Provost, on her journey to Pliiladelj)hia, Mr. Davis says : "As soon as they (Mrs. Arnold and ^[rs. Provost) were left alone, Mrs. Arnold became traixpiilized, and assured Mrs. Provost that she was heartily tired of the theatricals she was exhibiting. * * Stated that she had corres- ponded with the P>ritish commander, and that she was dis- gusted with the American cause, and those who had the managemeut of public aftairs, and that through great per- suasion and unceasing perseverance, she had ultimately brouicht the (irencral into an arrauirement to surrender West Point." Mrs. Provost afterwards became tlie wife of Col. Burr, and repeated to him, as Davis states, these con- fessions of Mrs. Arnold. ^ Col. Burr and Mrs. Provost were married in July, 1782. The case, then, is this: Mr. Davis says that Coloiu>l Burr told him that Mrs. Provost said that ]\Irs. Arnold (k-ciared she had seduced General Arnold from fidelity to his country and his Hag. Some time after their marriage — how lonj; we are not told — Mrs. Burr repeated the conversation to her h'^-^band, and Burr, some time within the half-century following, repeated the conversation to Davis. It is hearsay evidence, three times removed, and rejieated with years of interval between the repetitions. As such, it is worthless, independent of the notorious character of J^urr. Mrs. Provost may have misunderstood Mrs. Arnold; when detailing the conversation to Colonel Burr she may have given her own impressions, instead of the facts. Burr may 1. Life of Burr, by Mathew L. Davis, Vol. I, pogc, 219. 'Ij 318 LIFE OF BEXEDTCT AEXOLD. have done the same when rcpcatiiii<; it to Davis. Every one at all familiar with judicial iiivcf^tigations, knows by ex- perience how utterly unreliable this sort of evidence is. Parton, in re-stating tlie story, does not claim to liave any additional evidence, but repeats the tale of Davis with em- bellishments. This story is extremely improbable. Her youth, beinf^ then onlv twentv vears of ai^e, renders such coinplicitv very unlikely. Arnold himself entirely exonerates her. " The mistaken venjj^eance of my countrymen," says he, in his letter to AVashingt(»n, ''ouirht to fall only on me. She is as good and innocent as an angel."' This testimony must be taken cautiously, for whatever it is worth. l>ut it seems rather the passionate and impulsive declaration of her innocence than an artful attenn)t to screen her. Besides, Hamilton and Washington both believed her innocent, and their ojiportunitics for judging wei'e better than those of any others, except ]\[ajor Franks. The following is his very important, and, under the circumstances, conclusive testi- mony on the subject : "Mnjor Franks, of the Revolutionary army, was a well-known acqtiiiintanco of my paronts,"" sayis Mrs, Gibson.' 'lie was respected and welcomed wlien.'ver he went, for liis social tjood liinnor and manly candor. In one of his visits to Philadelphia, where his near relations resided, he was often at my father's, and one day, when dininff with other genthniien at onr home, and my father and the others hail retired to the parlor, my mother detained Major Franks to converse with him respect- ing Mrs. Arnold, whom she had recently heard very unjustly spoken of. He entered njion the suliject with alacrity. Mamma said to him: 'Tell me. Major Fraiders indicating guilt would have been destroyed; and when Washington gave her ])erniission to join her husband in Xcw York, or go to her father in Philadelphia, if conscious of guilt, Mhat would she have done? (luilt is ever fearful; it flies when none pursue. If guilty, her punishment would have been death. In tlie intense excitement tlien existing, neither her youth ajid beauty, nor all her domestic virtues, could have saved her from the fury of her enraged country. If conscious of guilt, she would have seized the opportunity to luive iound safety l)y the side of her husbaiul, whom " she dearly loved," within the Ih'itish line-;, in Xew York. Instead of this, she fearlessly g(K>s to Philadelphia, where Congress w'as in session, aiul where an outraged people were clamor- ing for a victim! ^Nothing but a consciousness of innocence could have induced her to remain within the power of the American government, when Washington oftered her an 1. Shippen Tapers. If 9-. i HIS PATKIOTISM AND HIS TxlEASOX. 321 escort to lier Imsbaiitl and a place of safety. It is incredible, if she were guilty, that she would have voluntarily con- fronted Congress at a moment of such exasperation, and M-hen the people were eager for a victim. No one who reads her letters contained in this volume, will believe her capable of acting the double })art with which she has been charged. On the contrary, if Arnold had disclosed his jdans to her, she would have been much more likely, prompted alike by hor love and her clear perception of right, to have tried to gave him from the commission of a fearful crime and u terrible blunder, AVhatever might have been Mrs. Arnold's fiiud decision, as to whether she should remain with her father and friends in Philadelphia, or join her husband in Kew York, the choice was not left her by the Council of Pennsylvania. On the 29th of October the Council of that State ado])ted a resolution compelling her to leave the State, and i'nibid- ding her return during the war.' Mrs. Arnold followed her husband to New York, and shared his fate in evil, as in good re])ort. Ilcr letters U> her father's lamily, full of respect and tenderness, bear abundant testimony that whatever may have been her hus- band's faults, he was ever a most devoted, faithful and atl'ec- tionate husband. In a letter to her father, dated July 13lh. 17S5, she says : "General Arnold's affection for me is un- 1)0unded; " and in another, she says, " he is the best of hus- 1. The foUowing Is a copy, from the minutes in Counpil : rmi.ADEU'HiA, Friday, Oct. 27, ITsn. " The Counsel, luking into consideration the case of Mrs. Marjiarot Ariiolil dlie wife of Benedict Ar'old, an attainted traitor, witli tiic enemy at New Yuri;), whosi^ resilience in this cit> iias become dangerous to the public safety; and this bnard beiiiK i'e con- sideretl, and the ]Uinishment that ought toI)e intlicted. The board reported the facts, their conclusion, that "he ought to be considered a spy from the enenn-, and that agreeabl^^ to the law and usage of nations, it is their opinion he ought to suffer death." ! 324 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. "Wasliinniton considcM'cd tlic question carefully, heard uverythiiii^ which Arnold, Clinton, liobinson, and indeed every one else, could offer in his behalf, but his judii;inent concurriiif^ in the report of the court, he reluctantly but firmly ordered his execution. Was this decision lei^al? AVhat is a spy? Yattel's definition is: ''Spies are those who introduce themselves amoni^the enemy to discover the condition of his affairs, penetrate his designs, and com- municate them to his employers." Professor Martin's summary of the Law of Nations, a work commended by Chancellor Kent, gives this definition: " Those who, under a false name and disguised character, enter the camp of the enemy to serve as spies, and to empoison, assassinate or corrupt, nve punished with death;" and in the foot-note is added, " See the instance of Major Andre." ' This principle has been adopted l)y the ]'ritish Parlia- ment in legislation. That body in 1749 enacted "that all spies, and persons whatsoever who shall come, or be found in the nature of spies, to bring any seducing letter, or message from any enemy or rebel, or endeavor to comqjt any captain, officer or mariner * '^ to betray his trust, on being (•■ iivicted by a court-martial, shall suffer death, &c."'^ "Those seeking to surprise a town, and if they were in dis- guise, or had employed treachery, would be treated as M S spies But Lord IMahon attempts to shield Andre from respon- sibility, and argues that he ought not to have suffered the penalty of a detected spy because he bore the pass of Gen- eral Arnold. Should the pass of Arnold, a co-conspirator, protect Andre ? AVhat was the extent of tlie power of the commander of 1. The cnse of Mnjnr Andre, by Charles J. Biddle. 2. The cuso of Miijor Andre, by Charles J Biddle. 3. Viittel. Note to page 37a-quoting Grotlus' History of the disturbance in the Netherlands. HIS PATRIOTISM AND IIIS TREASON. 325 AVest Pt)iiit? lie could bind the authorities of the United States only when acting in good faith, and within the scope of the authority conferred upon liini. When he went out- side of that, his acts were a legal nullity, especially when acting in collusion with one wl'.o knew that he was viola- ting his trust, and who had fraudulently conspired with him to betray his princii)al. The idea that a conspirator's pass will protect a co-con- spirator, is a position which is scarcely debatable. An otHcer, when acting clearly beyond the scope of his author- ity, does not bind his principal any more than an ordinary agent. When an officer acts in collusion with the enemy, to betray his tru^, the act has no color of validity, legal or moral, as against the principal who is to be injured, "' The treacherous betrayal of liis trust was beyond the scope of Arnold's authority; it was known to be so by An- dre, and a pass or agreement in furtherance of the conspir- acy, wov.ld be absolutely void." The pass was given to Andre, to enable him to cnrry to liis commander. Sir Henry Clinton, papers and intelligence which it was supposed would enable that officer to capture AV^est Point. That such a paj)er should be set up as a ]iro- tection, is as absurd as it would have been for Clinton to have called upon General Washington to surrender West Point, because Arnold, while in command, had agreed to surren- der it! Again, the pass was a sham on the face of it. It was given to Jo/ai Anderson, not to Major Andre. It is per- fectly Mxll settled that a ]iass is not transferable, and a pass to a man under a false or fictitious name, is void. "■ The per- son named in the safe conduct cannot transfer his privilege to another." ' Washington expresses with accuracy the condition of 1. Vattel, p. 410. 1.1 i ill i i 326 LIFE OF BEXEDICT ARNOLD. Andre, with reference to the thi<^ of truce, in liis letter to , Clinton. " It is evident tliut Andre was employed in the ex- ecntion of measures verj' lorei^ni to the ohjects of a Hag of truce, and such as they were never meant to uuthorixo or countenance in the most remote de<^ree; and this <:jentlenian confessed, with the "greatest candor, in the course of his ex- amination, "that it was impossihlo for him to suppose he came under the sanction of a Hag." Perha]»s it may seem harsh in this connection to sav, a detected impostor has never Ijeen and should never he permitted to claim the im- munities of the sacred emblem he has abused. To use a fla*; of truce under which to concert treachery and treason, is certainly as great an abuse of that emblem of taitli as can be conceived. The sacred character of such flag — sacred and resjiected among all nations — makes its ])rostitution and abuse the more criminal. lie who so abuses it can hardly expect, nor did Andre claim, when detected, its im- munity against ])unishment. The opinion of llomilly, afterwards the great English jurist and law-reformer, shows the fallacy of those who sought to save Andre from responsibility as a spy. He says: " Wluit do you think of Arnoltl's condncl? You m ly well fsnppoo ho does not want advocates here. I cannot join with theui. Tiie ar;^unients nscd by CHnton and Arnold, in their letters to Wn^hinf^ton, to prove that Andre could not he considered a spy, are: First, that he had with him, when ho was taken, a protection of Arnold's, who was at tliat time act- ing? under a commission of the Conyre!^;^, and therefore competent to ffive prc)tect!on. Certainly, he was, to all strangles to his ne','otiations with Clinton, but not to Andre, who knew him to be at that time a traitor to the Congress; nay more, whose i)rotection was granted for no other purpose but to promote and give effect to his treachery. In the second place, they «ay th:it at the time he was taken he was ujion neutral ground; but then lUey do not deny that he had been within the Amevi- can lines in disguise. . . . Panegyrics on the gallant Andre are un- bounded; they tall him the English Mutius, and talk of erecting monu- ments to his memory. Certainly no man in his situation could have HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 327 acted with more dotonnincd courage, but his situation was by no means such as to admit of these exagjfomted praises." ' r>ut, concedhiiij Andro's guilt, suid tliiit l»y tlio laws of M'iir, he was lial)lo to sillier death, miy:ht not Washiiiirtoii have spared his life without i»rejiidice to the eause of his country? In answering this queption, we must remember that the United States were then struggling lor existence and recog- nition as an indei)endent nation, and that the result was yet in doiiht. To take human life for a violation of law is an act of the highest sovereignty. Here was aconspicuoiis case: the Adjutant-General of the Jh'itish ai'inv. caught and con- deinned as a spy, with unmistakeal)le evidence of his guilt upon his person. The drama was being enacted in the face of the British, American and French armies, and with all the world as observers. Had there been hesitation or va- cillation, or failure on the part of WashingtcMi to exercise in this clear case the high act oi sovereignty, it would have been attributed to a want of confidence in the success of his cause; and it would have been ascribed to weakness, perhajts to cowardice. Lookers on might have said: ""Washington fears the result of the war; he himself may be tried as a rebel, and he dare n<»t execute Andre because he fears that, in the event of failure, it might add to his own personal danger! It was therefore necessary that Andre should die. It svas felt by AV^ashington to be necessary to show the world that "no greater imjmnity would attend the acts of him who, as a spy, sought the destruction of this young repub- lic, than would have attended the act if ct)mmitted against 1. Contributions to Am. Uist., I'a. Hist. Society, 185i<, p. £80, quoted frmii Life of Sir Samuel Romilly, Vol. I, lu4. For a full, able, nntl exhaustive discussion of this question,. sec " The Case of Ma- jor Audre," by Charles J. Ijiddle, iu I'ublications of I'a. Hist. Society, ISoS. ;328 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. the oldest and strongest government in the world." ' This iict of nntiunul sovereignty wns executed with a dignity, a liUMianity, yet with an inflexible firmness, that showed how strong was the hand of Washington at the helm. 1. The Ilrillsh lind then lately hutiK ns a spy a yoiiriK American, Cnptnln Nathan Hale, an ofllcer as aceomiiUtilied niul eiiKiiKinK as Andre. ShonUl the Itoyid army f'Xerclse exclusively the riuht of execiuinK spies? Would it not bo just and expo- illciU for Washington to IbUow the exaiuple of the enemy ? Ins , a aw Ian my CHAPTER XVIII. ARNOLD VAINLY ATTEMPTS TO JUSTIFY HIS TREASON. " I fought for much less than Great Britain is willing to gront."— ilrnoW the Traitor.^ Arnold In New Your Citv— Ilrs Adduess to the AMEnicAK People— TIis Phocla- MATION TO THE OFFK EllH AND SOLIJIEIIS OF THE AMEKICAN AllMY— ATTEJiri TO KID- NAP Him— Ills WiFB Joins Him in New Yoiik. Notwithstanding the discovery and consequent utter ikil are of the conspiracy between General Arnuhl and Sir Henry Clinton, by the arrest of Andre, Arnold, always san- i;uine in every enterprise lie undertook, still entertained hopes of the final success of the lioyal cause, and felt confi- dent that he could contribute lar<;tly to that success. lie lost no time in preparinj^ and issuing an address " To the Inhabitants of Amer'sa," in which he undertook to ex- plain and justify his conduct. This address, the oric^inal of which, in the handwriting of General Arnold, furnished by his grandson,' is now before me, and I insert it here In full, on the principle that all persons, not excepting the worst criminals, are entitled to be heard in their own defense be- fore sentence is passed upon them: 1. "The American polonies shnll have thoir Piirlifimont. comp'sedoftwo clinm- hers, all its members of American hirth. Tlioso of the I'pper House, witli titles, similar to the House of Peers. All tlicir laws, and partieiilnrly such as relate to money matters, shall be the production of this Assembly, wiih the concurrence of a Viceroy," — The Letter to Arnold attrihuti'd to Kabhison. 2. Rev. Edward Gladwin Arnold. I fliul no printed copy of this paper ctirely accurato, (320) I E. ■S. ; 330 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. "To aiiE Iniiahitants of Ameuica. " I should forfeit even in my own Opinion, the i)liice I have so long- liehl in yours, if 1 could he indiJferent io your Aitprohation, anU silent on the Motives which have induced nio to join the Kinjj 's Arms. "A very few words, liowever, slu'' suffice upon a Sul)ject so personal, for to the thousands who suifer um' cIk; tyranny of the Usurpei's in the revolted Provinces, aa well as to tha yreat multitude who have lonti: wished for its Hubversion, this instance of my Conduct can want no Vindication, as to that class of Jlen who are Criminally protracting: the War from Sinister \ lews, at the expense of the rublic Interest, I prefer their PJnmity to their applause. I am only, therefore, Concerned in this ad- dress to explain myself to such of my Co.mtrymnn as want Abilities or Opportunities to detect the Arlitices by which they are duped. " Having? foui^ht by your side when the love of our Country animated our Arms, I shall expect from your Justice and Candor, what your deceivers, with more Art and less lionesty, will find it inconsistent with their own Views to admit. " 'When 1 (luitled Domestick happiness for the Perils of the Field. T conceived the riyhts of my Country in l)an,<,''i'r, and that Duty and Honor called me to her Defence — a Redress of Grievances was my only Oliject and aim; however, I acquiesced in a step which I thou<,dit precipitate the Declaration of indeiiendence; to Justify the measure many plausible reasons were urj^'cd, which could no iontjer exist, when Creat Britain with the open arms of a Parent offered to embrace us as Children, antl jrrant the wished for redress. " And now that her worst Enemies are in her own bosom, I should chanfje my Principles, If I conspired with their Desifi:ns. Yourselves be- inrred those from Great Britain. lhiidportuiiity of advancing men wlioso valor I have wit- nessed, and wlnse Principles are favorable to an union with Uritiun and true American Liberty. t III il'''f HIS PATRIOTISM AND IIIS TREASON. 333 lie announces to his former fellow-soldiers that Sir Henry Clintun had authorized him to raise a corps of cavalry and infantry, and he then o;oes on to state the inducements of- fered to those who will join him. He says: " As the Commander-in-Cliief is pleased to allow me to nominate tho OrticcTs, T shall with infinite satisfaction embrace this opportunity of ad- vancinf? men whose valor I have witnessed, and wliose principles are favorable to an union with Britain and true American liberty." After alluding to the liberal pay and other inducements " The Rank they obtain In the King's Forvice will bear a Proportion to their former Raiilv and ye Number of Men tliey l)rin!^ with them. "It is expecteil tliat a I-ieuteiiniitC'oloiicl of Cavalry will bring with him or re- cruit in a reasonable time— "73 men. Miijor of Horse, 50 Men ; Lieut, (.'ol. of Infant- ry, 75 Men ; Captain of Horse, 30 Men ; Major of Inlantry, .'jO Men ; Lieut, of Hursu, 15 Men; Coptain of Infantry, "0 Men; Cornet of Horse, 1'2 Men ; Lieutenant of In fantry, 15 Men; Sergeant of Horse C Men ; Ensign of Infantry, 12 Men ; Sergeant of Infantry, 6 Men. "X. 1!. Kach Field Officer will have a Company. Great as this Encouragement must appear to such as have sutVercd every Distress, of Want, of I'aiu, Hunger ainl Naliedness. from the Xe.;lect, Conteni)it and Corruption of Co)igro-s, tliey are noili- ing to the Motives which I exi)ect will influence llie brave and generous Minds 1 hope to have the Honor to command, and I wish to have a Chosen Band of Ameri- cans to ye Attainment of Tcace, Lil)c>rty, and Safety (that first object in taking tlie Field) and with them to share in the glory of rescuing our native Country from the grasping Hand of Erance as well as fromtlie ambitious and li.terested Views of a desperate Party among oursi Ives, who, in listening to French Overtures, and rejecting those from Great Jiritain, have brought y« Colonies lo yu very Brink of Destruction. "Friends, fellow Poldiers, and Citizens, arouse and judge for yourselves— reflect on what you have lost— consider to what you are reduced, and by your Courage repel the Ruin that still threatens you. "Your Countryonce was happy, and had the proffered Peace been embraced, your last two years of Misery had been spent in Peace and Plenty, and repairing the Desolations of a Qiuirrel tluit would have set yo Interest of Great Britain and America in its true Light, and cemented tlieir Friendship ; whereas, you are now the Prey of Avarice, the scorn of your Enemies, and y« Pity of your Friends. " You were promised Liberty by ye Leaders of yourafl'airs, but is there an indi- vidual in ye Enjoyment of it, saving yrur Oppressors? Who amongyoudarespciik or write what he thinks, against tlie Tyranny which has rcjbbed you of your Prop- erty, imprisons your I'ersons, drags you to ye Held of Battle, and is daily deluging your Coiuitry with your Blood. " You were flattered witli Independence as preferable to a Redress of Grievances, and for that Sliaduw, instead of real Felicity, are sunk into all y» Wretclieduess of Poverty by tlie Rapacity of your own Rulers. Already are you disqualified to sup- port y» Pride of Character tliey taught you to aim at, and must inevitably shortly belong to one or other of the great Powers, their folly and wickedness have drawn II ?l 334 LIFE OF BEXEDTCT ARNOLD. offered "to such as liave suffered every distress of want, pain, liunger and nakedness, from the nei^lect and cor- ruption of Congress," he says, speaking of these considera- tions: " Thoy are nothin;? to tho motives whicli I expect will influence the, bravo and generous niinds I liopo to have tho honor to Coniniand. I •wish to have a chosen band oi' A iiiericans to yn attainment of peace, lil)- crty and safety, that tirst o)!iect in taking y lii-ld, and with then; to sharo in the glory of rescuing our native Country from the grasping hand of France, as well as from the ambitious and interested Views of a desperate party among ourselves, who in listening to French Overtures, and rejecting those from Great 15ritain, have brought ye Colonics to tho very brink of destruction. I, therefore, only add my promise of the most aifectio)iate welcome and attention to all who are disposed to join me, in the measures necessary to close the scene of our afflictions. With ye res- toration of our ancient priviledges, civil and sacred, and a perpetual exemption from all taxes bat such as we shall see fit to impose upon our- selves." Into Conflipt. ITnppy for yon that yon may still liccome tlio feUow subjects of Groat Uritaiii, 11' yon nobly disdiiin to be Va'^als of France. " Wliut is Americabnt a I.aiiil of Widows, lii'iijinrs, and <")rplianR?— and should tho Paroiit Nation cease her Exertion to deliver ynu, what security remains to you for the cnjoyracut of ye (.'onsolatioiis of thai Religion for whieli your Fathers braved the Ocean, ye Heathen, and ye Wildcrnes-s? I'o you knov,- that the Eye which fjuides this pen lately saw your mean and prfifliuate Congress at Mass for the soul of a Roman Catholic in iinr>;aiory, and pi riiciiialiuK in the ri),dils of a Church nijainst whose Ami christian ( (irnijitions yoiir pious Am estors would have wit- nessed with their Blooil. " As to you who liave been Poldii>rs in tho Ccnt'rcntiil Army, canyon at this Day want Evidence that the Fun-Is of your Country are exliausted,or that the Managers have applyeil them to their own private Uses? In either ease you surely can con- tinue no longer in their Service with Honor or Advantage : yet you have hitherto been their Supporters of that Cruelty, which, with an equal ImlifTeronce to your, as well as to the Labor and Rlood of others, is devouring aCountry, whichye moment you quit their Colours, will be redeemed frcmi their Tyranny. "Rut what Need of Arguments to such as feel infinitely more Misery than Lan- guage can express? I thereri)ro only add my Promise of ye niost affectionate Wei- romo and Att.'ntion to all who are disjwsed to joyn nie in the Measures necessary to close the scene of our afUictions, whicli iiuolerable as they are, must continue to increase xnitill \Ve have the Wisdom (shewn of late by Ireland) in being contented with ye Liberality of the Parent Country, who still oilers her Protection, with yo Smmediate Restoration of our ancient I'rivilt ges, civil and .«acred, and a perpetual Exemption from all Taxes, but such as we shall think fit to Impose on ourselves. "B. AUNOLD. "New YoRic, October 20, 1780." _ilF HIS TATRIOTIS^I AND HIS TREASON. Such was Arnold's anxious but (lisinjjenuous defense, and sucli liis impassioned a])peal tu liis late fellow soldiers to jitin liim, "I fouresentations of the number and respectability <^)f those who adhered to the Crown.' Lord George (iermain, the llritish minister for the Colo- nies, wrote to Arnold, coiiiiiming the rank of briiradiei'- general, conferred upon him l>y Sir Henry Clinton, and gi\ - 1. Snbiiio says, Vol. I, )). l>i: " Thi- I'xiniiiiintinn • • * luails to 'ho coiiplu^icii tlint the number of our ('oiiiUryiiK'n wiio wished to poiitiiiiie tlielr eoniiectldn willi tlie mother country wns very hiiRc." 'J ho Loyalists in ncirly every coh.ny clninie'l a ninjirity, bnt thattliey were mistaken, he thinks, is certain. A conslileralilcixjrtini-. of the learned professions aiUiereil to the crown. IIi.> estimates iliat the nuniler of Loyalists who took nj) arms for the Kintj, "wore i'l.t'fio at the hiwcst comjinta- tion." (Sal)ine Vol. I. ]). 70 ) Tliis estimate snriitisesnie. ami is far more than I liud supposed, but Sabine's judgment on the subject is gntitleU to great respect. •ft .' SI J' I 33G LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. ing the sanction of the government to the autliority which had been conferred upon him to raise a corps of loyal Amer- icans, lie also said: "His Miijesty was graciously pleased to express his fatisfaction in the demonstration you have given of the sincerity of your allegiance, and of your earnest desire to atone for past errors, by a zealous attach- ment to his royal person and government in future." Meanwhile, such was the indignation towards Ai'nold iii the American army and among the people, that rewards were offered for his ca])tnre, and a project was devised to kidnap and bring him witliin the American lines for exe- cution. On the Itjth of October, j\[ajur Lee wrote to Washington saying: " I have engaged two persons to undertake the accomplishment of your Excellency's wishes " * '• The outlines of the scheme which I have recommended, are, that the sergeant (Champe) should join General Arnold as a deserter from us, should engage in his corps now raising; should contrive to insinuate himself into some menial or military birth about the General's person; that a corres- pondence should bo kept up with the mi, a in Newark (a confederate), by the latter's visiting the former every two days, and that when the favorable moment arrives, they should seize the prize in the night, gag him, and bring him across to Bergen AVoods. " If your Excellency approves, the sergeant will desert to- morrow — a few guineas will be necessary, &c." " To which "Washington replied, approving the scheme, and furnishing the guineas, with the express stijnilation that Arnold should be brought to him alive. " No circumstance whatever shall obtain my consent to his being put to death. The idea that would accompany such an act would be that rutK- 1. Sparks' Writings of Wasliington, Vol. VII, p. 545. 2. Lee lo Washington. Sparks' Writiugs of Washinitou, Vol. VII, p. DIG. HIS rATPvlOTISM AND HIS TREASOX. Jins hivl lioon liiroil toasfassiiiivtoliim. !Myaiiu is to malcL' a piililic oxaiii- lilc lit' luiii.'" ' On tli'3 21st of October, tlic serijeant, Jolm Chaiupo, dc- scM-tod Lee's coiinnaiitl, reached the Dritish line.'*, treaolier- ously enlisted into tlie C()r]>s Ariiohl was raisinii^, lie had tlie cuiiiiiiiii^ and address to '' insinuate himself" into a licrtli or eni[)l()ynient ahont that olKcer's person, and eveiy arranije- nient was made to kidna]> Arnold at nii;ht, in a y-arden in the rear of the house he occupied, to f^air him, carry him to a boat, and across the Hudson, and deliver him to Lee to 1)0 made "a public example of." Lee, on the ni-^ht ap- pointed, repaired with three of his dra<>-oons, and led horses to the woods of Iloboken, in Xew Jersey, o]>posite New York, and waited some h(jurs to receive the cai)tlve. But on the night in which the conspiracy was to bo exe- cuted, Arnold removed his qinirters, and the project failed. Had Arnold been captured in battle his execution would have been summary and prompt, and by his own treacher- 1. The following is the text of Washington's lettiT— (Writings of Wa-liingtoii, Vol. VII, 5iG-T) . " IlEAD QfAnTrus. 20 O •tolier, iTsn. " Df.au Sin: — The plan proposed for taking A , the (iiiillntsof wliich nre com- iiiuiiicaticl in your luttir, wliich wiis this monu'iit put inti) my Iiaiuls witlioiit ii (late, has every mark of a 'good one. I tlierefiro agree tn tlie iirnniiscil rewMnls. and have such entire ronticlence in yonr management ol' the biisiiies.s, us to give it my fnllest approbation; and leave the whole to the gnidance of ymir own jndg ment, with this exjiress sti| ulalion and pointed injnnetion, that lie (Ar— d) is brought to me alive. Nocireiimsianee whatever shall obtain my eunsent to his being put to death. The idea whieh wotdd necompany such an event would lethal rullians had been hired to assassinate him. My aim is to make a public examjile of him ; it this should be stiicion, and too much precipitancy nuiy defeat the project. The must inviolable ^ecrecj; must be observed on all hands. I uind you five giineas. but I am not snt isfled of the propriety of the Sergeant's appearing with much .specie. This clrcnm- slance may also lead to stispicl -n, as it is but too well known to the enemy, tha' we do not abound in this article. The interviews between the jiaity in (tout of tin* city >honld be managed with much caution & seeming indilfcreuce orebe the Ire- (piemy of their meetings may betray the design and invfilvebad c(jnse(inences : but 1 am persuaded you will place every matter in a proper imiiit of view to tlie conductors of this interesting business, and therefore I shall only add that " I am, dear Sir, etc." 22 :l'!-!' IK I : i \ 338 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. oils conduct at West Point he was esto])pc'(l from complain- ing of any false] lood or treachery ])ractice(l U])on him. I'ut would it not liave been more in accordance with our hii^hest ideal of Washington— ^an ideal of almost immaculate nobil- ity and excellence — if this kidiia]i])iiig and gagging husi- ness. a scheme to bo accomjdisluMl by treachery and breach of trust, had been left entirely to the ]>rovost-niarshal ^ ' In Washington's instructions to IjiFayette, when the lat- ter was sent to Virginia to act against Arnold, he was told, "You arc to do no act whatever with Arnold that directly or b}'^ implication may screen him from the i)unishment due to his treason and deserticjii, which if he should hill into your hands, you will ', xecute in the most summary way."'' On the 2Tth of October, as before stated, the authorities of Pennsylvania passed a resolution requiring ^h». Arnold to leave that State within fourteen days, and forbidding her return during the war, and soon after she joined her hus- band in 1«lie city of New York. She would have remained longer with her father and friends in Philadelphia but for this resolution. Judging from the tone and character of all her letters, 1. rorhnps from an American slnii(li)oint, even this criticism mny t)e tlioiiglit over-nice. Arnold wns, tutlie army he lunl ilcsertcd, an oiillmr ; and a sanction of tlie proposed abduction of liii,dier autliority tlian tlial of Sir \ValtL,'r Scott mif,'lit Ijo found, wlieii lie says t " The lieast of Kftme, The privilege of cliase may claim, * S; * * * Though space, and law the sta;^ we lend, E'er hound we slip, or bow we beml, Wlio ever reclced, where, how, or when The iirnwlins fox was trajiped or slain ?" But Arnold, however execrable his comluct at West Point, Iinil nf)t acted like the " prowliUK Fox" at ItidKetlelil c)r nt Saratoga. Arnold's conduct wijuld justify the most summary punishment from his comrades, had he been captured. But the question is, whether we would not ratlicr have uivcn him " the privilege of chase:" and if he was to l)e treacherously UidTiapped. wlictlier wc would n t ratlier tlie plan should have been devised and executed by tlie I'rovost Marshal'.' ■J. Washington to LaFayettu, Feb. 'iuth, ITSl. 'Writings of Washing. ^n,' Vol. Vll, p. 41'J. i HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 339 and her devoted nft'eetion for General Arnold, I do not donl)t that she would have joined him at an early i)eriod without .such resolution. She was not one to abandon a tViend or relation, much less a husband in misfortune, even althouijh that misfortune was the result of ^uilt. Hamilton, writing to Miss Schuyler, sjieaking of j\[rs. Arnold, says: "Her horror at the guilt of the traitor is lost in her love of the man." Indeed, it is clear from her con- duct, and her letters to her father, hereafter to be (juoted. that her husband never ceased to be the hero of her young imagination. On her Avay to Xew York, as Avell as in Phila- delphia, she had abundant and })ainful evidence of the ])oj)- ular indignation against him. The po])ulace of Piuladel])hia had burned his elhgy with every possible indignity, and on lier journey to New York with her young child, night over- took her, and she stopped at a village where ]»reparations li.ad l)een made to repeat the indignity, l)ut when she a])peared sith her infant, her sad face, her sorrowful air, her gentle- ness, her beauty, so touched the hearts of the ])eo])le, that with a delicacy and consideration honorable to the American character, they postponed the exhibition until after her de- parture. On her arrival in New York she was welcomed by many old friends among the British officers and their fami- lies, who had been the guests of her father in l^hiladelphia while that city was held by the Tloyal army, yet her sadness and melancholy was the subject of i-emark and sympathy. Gradually, however, in the society of her husband, and the company of her child, and the kind and affectionate atten- tions of her friends, she recovered hers])irits, and her beauty and her grace made her there, as she had been in her native town, the favorite among the best and most cultured circles of that city. Arnold's explanation of his conduct and motives, as ex- pressed in his address to his countrymen and proclamation P I . s 1 '''i ) ■!■■■ ^ 1.;, ;!-' '■ fi i ; i 'i '\] ' ^ 1 I ■| 1 >'i ■>•■ i■|^ *■! ■ Ijl h: 1 : 340 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. to tlic soldiers of the army in Mliieli lie liiid lately served, while they were received and read, as has heen stated, with indignation and scorn by the American people and his (»ld comrades, was generally acee])ted as satisfactory by the Brit- ish oiKcers, and by the large nund)cr of loyalists then con- gregated in the city of New York. They looked upon tho act as a return to his allegiance. To understand this, one must go back and try to realize the views of the officers and adherents of the Crown. The Colonies took up arms to obtain a redress of griev- ances, disavowing at first, with indignation, that their pur- pose was sc])aration and indei)endence. Even John Adams said, after the war was over, "there was not a moment during the Ilevolution when I would not have given everything I possessed for a restoration to the state of things before the contest bei\an, provided we could have had a sufficient security for its continuation." ' The leaders of the lievolution have been canonized, and they merited all the honors they have received, for they were among the noblest patriots that ever lived, but like other men they were mortal and subject to like frailties. The American Loyalists were not all of tin ni deserving of dam- nation. The student of historv will lind some names of men of high i")ersonal character and of culture; and many who, but for political diiferences, would linve been consili Holdier ov n[»ri()iiit, justify his desertion, and esjteeially the manner of his fliaii<^e from the American to the IJritish side. It is iidt impdssihle, had the enns])iracy heen successful, that independence miirht have heen postponed. In the lii^dit of to-dny, and with the wonderful advance, and the luilliant record our country has mside, all will rejoice in the /.lilure of the cous])ira('y ; and all can reali/.e how tj^reatly lishing her su- ])reir.ac}, taught hy eN])erience, she jirohahly M'ould have heen Avisely nu)derate, and jiermitted to the Colonies suh- srantial SL'ir-governnu'nt. The men of culture and wealth, the men of the learned jirofessions, who, iSahine says, to a considerable extent adhered to the Crown, uniting with tlie more conservative ])art of the revolutionary jwirty, of whom Washington, Hamilton, Jay, and many of the old Federal ])arty were representatives, as against those represented by Thomas Paine and defferson, and the more radical and ex- treme democrats, might for a time at least have influenced, probably controlled, afi'urs, and the blessings and evils of extreme democracy and universal sulfrage might have been delayed. It is not impossible that institutions modeled more upon the views of Hamilton might have been finally adopted. The first century of our existence as a nation, .ii the hap- piness and ])rospcrity of tlu; ])Oo]de, will c(»m]>are favorably with that of any other, aud thus far M'e have good reason to be well satisfied with our institutions, and ])r.tf<)undly grate- ful to those who achieved our independence and established our national ifovernnient. m ClIAPTEK XIX. ARNOLD LEADS DinTlSH SOLDIERS AGAINST HIS NATIVE COUNTRY. " He Ml liinv fnlnt nui\ iicMy dim 'I'liu riililc tllllt CllUlll llCCIlIt' to iiiui Wliofluircd ihc hiii.d mid wiivcil the sword— • A Traitur in u luilmned Imrdu. " Arnoi-d Leads an Expedition ahainst VinoixiA and Connectici't— Massacre AT Fort Griswoi.d— Arnold's Narrow Escai'k kikim Death uy the Hands oi- A Woman at New London. WiiKN General Arnold .nccopted the ntinniission of Kin<; Gcori^e in 1780, he was thirty-nine and his wife twenty-one years of apen, by his Beeond wife. Two months after his arrival in Kew York, restless and eajjer to take the field, he soui^ht and obtained the ooniniaud of an expedition ('oin]K»sed of about 1,(!(.KI men, against Vir- ginia. He sailed from xSew York about the 2uth of Decem- ber, 1780. A violent gale se])arated the fleet on which the troops were embarked, bnt the scattered vessels gathered near the Capes of the Chesapeake, and on the 30th of Decem- ber, he, with the Heet, entered Hampton lloads, e.\ce])t one armed ship and three transjiorts, with upwards of four liun- (342) I .? IIIH PATRIOTISM AND HIS TUKAHOX. 343 iIi'imI troops, wliicli (lid not arrivu until beverjii duvs atu-r, Witiiotit waiting for the arrival of the niissini^ transportn, with hirt usual activity, Arnold pushecl up tlu' .lanien Itiver, and on tlie 3d of .lanuarv lu; anchored lu'ur .laniestown. and the next day ]troceeded to West(»vei', where he landid, and with alxtut eii,dit iiundred tronps nuu'ched into Kich- mond, destroying all jmhlic jjroperly, and all such jtrivatt; ])ro])erty as mijijlit he useful in carrying' on the war; niak in^'his head(juarter8 at the ohl City Tavern on Main stivet. IJefore settin<^ fire to the warehouses, he sent a proposition to Jetl'erson, (ioveriKa* of the State, oflerin*^ to sj)are the town and warehouses on condition the I'ritish ships should be ])erniitted to come up unmolested and carry away the tobacco and stores. The (iovernor ]>roinptly rejected the proposition, and the torch was a))plied, ami it is said there never was such a smell of tobacco in Richmond, before !ior since, down to the time of the burning of that city in lS(;,j, on its evacuation by Jetfei'son Davis. 'J'liis accomplished, and the foundries and mau^azines at Westham having been also destroyed, \\v. retired down tlu^ river, landed, and marched to I'ortsniouth, where he threw up entrenchments for his winter cam]).' Durino; the winter, AV'ashinyton, in conjunction with the French, sent a ])owerfnl force under LaKayette to attempt his ca])ture, and very stronj; hopes were entertained by the American commander that he would succeed in seiziiii; lilm Ijefore reinforcements could arrive from New ^'ork. On the 2»>th of ]\Iarch he was strengthened by thi' arrival of General Phillips with additional troops, and (Jeneral J*hilli]»s out-rankiuf^ him, took command. The tbllowini; is the rejwrt of General Arnold to Sir Henry Clinton, givin^j the detail of his further oj)erations in \'ii'ginia: 1, £.\i>cJitiuii of LaFayettc aguiiist Arnold, by J. Aubtiu Stephens. !« ( f :141 LIFE or BENEDICT ARNOLD. ' "PKTEnsiuT.Gii, Miiy 10, 1781. " I ;irn I'xtivmel.v sorry to inform your Ivic^i'enoy that Major-Gencrul l'liilli|» is rciluced so low by a fever, which seized himonthe2n'l instant, that h(.' is iiicaiialile of business, ami tlie jiliysicians an- not witliout fears for his sai'ely. In this situation 1 think it my duty to transmit to your ExceUency, by express, a detail of the prnceedinc's of the army under the Orders of Miijor-liencriil I'iiilliiis since they K'ft I'ortsir.outh (which his nidisposition jirevented him Irom doinj,' as he intcndi'd). "On the; l>:th of April the liyht infantry, part (,f the 7fith and 80tli regi- ments, the Queen's Han]Sjers. Yagers, and American I ej;-ion, embarked at T'ortsmouth, and lell down to Hampton I loads; on the 19th pro- ceeded np .himes l\iver to Iturwell's Ferry; on the 20th Lieut, (.'ol. Abercrombio with tlie light infantry, proceeded np the Chick- ahominy in boat-; Li'Mit. Col. Rimcoi-, with a detachment to "^'ork; Lieut. Col. Dundas, with another detachiuent iamted at the mouth of tl.e Chick- ahorainy; and Major-Cieneral I'hiilips and my elf landed with part of the army at "Williauisliurgh, where aliout oijO militia were posted, who re- tired u]ion our approach. The militia at York crossed the river before the arrival of Lieut. CoL Simcoe, who made a few prisoners, spiked and destroytnl some cannon, and next day returned to Williamsbm'gh. " On the 22nd the troops marched to ChicAahominy. AVo were met on the road, five miles from the mouth of the river, by Lieut. Col. Dundas, with his dctacluucnt. This evening the troops, cavalry, artillery, &c., were reimbarked. The next morning wo were joined by Lieut. Col. Aber- crondiie, with the light infantry, who had been tenor twelve miles up the Chickahominy, and destroyed several armed ships, the State ship yards, warehouses, iVc. " At ten o'clock the fleet weighed, and proceeded up the James river, within four miles of Westover. "'Ihe 24th, weighed anchor at eleven, and ran up to City Point, where the troops, &c., were all landed at six in the evening. "The 2oth, marched at ton o'clock for Pctersburgh, where we arrived about five r. M. Wo were opposed about one mile from town by a body of militia under tla; orders of lU-igadier General Muhlenberg, supposed to be about one thousand men, who were soon obliged to retire over the bridge with the loss of near one hundred men killed and wounded, as we have since been informed : our k ss only one man killed and ten wounded. The enemy took up the bridge, which prevented our pursu- ing them. " 26th. Destroyed at Fetcrsburgh four thousand hogsheads of tobacco, 1. Extract of Rn'nailicr Ooiicril Arnolil's letter to Sir Henry Clinton, cupioil from The London Utrunide, Juue2;3, 2(i, ITSl; Vol. XLIX, p. Ujl. i ins rATi^ioTis:\[ and his treason. 345 one ship ami a nnmlipr of small vesse's on the stocks and in the river. "27tli. Miijor General I'hiilips, with the lipht infantry, part of the cavalry of the tjiieen's Kan o'clock, and most of the troops, cavalry, iVc, were huuled this evening, though it blew a gale of wind. " May 8th. Remained at Rrandon; Major-General Phillips being very ill, and unable to travel on hor.seback, a post chaise was procured for him. " -May 9th. The light infantry and part of the Queen's Rangers, in boats, wore ordered, with 1,he Formidable and Spitfire, to pr.~cecd to City Point, and land there. 'J'he rest of the Army was put in motion for Pe- tersburgh, where they arrived late in the night, having marched near thirty miles this day. "On our leaving Bermuda Hundreds, and going down the river, the Manpiis de LaFayette with his army moved towards W'illiamsliurgli, and by forced marches had crossed the Chickahominy at Long Bridge, when our fleet rctiu'ned to Brandon; which retrograde motion of ours occasioned him to nfturn as rapidly by forced marches to Osljorn'.s, where ho arrived the 8th, and was preparing to cross the river to Peterslnirg. when we arrived there, which was so unexpected, that we surpriseil and took two Majors (one of them Aid-de-Camp to Baron Steuben, the other to General Smallwoul), one Captain, and three lieutenants of dragoons; two lieutenants of foot; a commissary and a surgeon; som; of these gen- tlemen arrived only two hours before us, with an intention of collecting the boats for the MarL^uis to cross liis Army. HIS PATRIOTISM AND IIIS TREASOX. O 1 T o4 / "On the 10th the Marfiuis made his appearance on tlie opposite siilo of the river with a strong' escort, and havinji; staid some time to reconnoitri' our army, returned to his camp at Osljorn's, and we are tliis day informed he is marched to Richmond, where it is said Wayne with the Pennsylva- nia Hne has arrived; this is, however, uncertain; but he is certainly ex- pected there. " An express passed through this place the day before our arrival here- who left Halifax on the 7th, and iiifdrmed that the advance of Lord Corn- wallis's army arrived there that mortiint^-; this report we have Irom sev- eral quarters, and I am inclined to believe it is true. Several ex|iresse3 have been sent to his Lordship, informing him of our being here ready to co-operate with his Lonlship. We are in anxious expectation of having particular intelligence from him every minute. " As soon as it is reducCLl to a certainty that Lord Cornwallis has crossed the Roanoke, and is on his march fur this place, the army will advance one or two days' march from hence to meet his Lordship, anil carry a sup- ply of provisions for his army. " A consideraljlenumber of magazines of flour and bread have fallen into our hands near this place, and the country abounds witii cattle. " i\Iajor-General I'hillips is so weak and low that it will be some consid- erable time before he can go through the fatigue of business. In this critical situation I am happy to have the assistance of so many good and experienced othcers with me conananding corps, if joined by Cornwal- lis, or the reinforcement said to be coming from ^ ew York, we shall be in force to operate as we please in Virginia or JLiryland. " 1 have the honor to be, st tragic incidents of the war, and is a sad chapter of this gloomy period in Arnold's history. To what extent he was res]ions!ble for the burning of the town, and the destruction of life in the Fort, is a contro- verted question. That he did not prevent these acts is at least clear, and he certainly ought, if possible, to have taken such measures as would have prevented them. I give his own re])ort, and the testitnony in his favor of the British Comnuinder, and then the statement of the trans- action b}' General Heath, of the American army. ' "Sound, off Plumb Ist.and, 8opt. 3, 178L " Sir: T have the honor to inform your Excelloncy that the transports witli the detachment of troops under my orders, anchored on the Long- Island shore, on the 5th instant, at two o'clock P. M., ahout ten leagues from 1. C'Diiy of a li'ttor fiom I'lrittiiilitT riciicrnl Arnold to his Excollency, the Com- maiiikT iiiCliief. extracted I'roiu. ' Thu Loudon Cltionkk,' Nov. u-ti, 17al, p. i^^'. 1" HIS rATRIOTIS^I AND HIS TIIEASON. 349 NowLnnclon; and linviiiij madt.' somo nocos.^ary arranj^omcts, woij,';;o!l anchrr at 7 o'clocic 1'. M.. and stood for New London with a fair wind. At one o'clock tho next niorninjr, wo arrived otf tlio harbour, wiion tiio wind suddenly shifted to the northward, and it was nine o'clock boforo the transports could beat in. At ten o'clock, tho trool>^ in two divisions, and in four deliarkations, were landed: one on each side the harbour, about three miles trom New London; that on th(> (iroton side, consisting of the 4<)th and o4f]i retrinients, and the ;'rd battalion of New .Jersey Volunteers, with a di'tacluuent of Yafjers and artillery, were under tho command of Lieut. Col. Eyre. The divisioa on the New London side consisted of the Il'^th refjfiinent, the Loyal Americans, the American Lcffion, Refugees, and a detachment of sixty Yajarors, who were iuunedi- ately on landinjr put in motion: and at eleven o'clock, b(?in(,' within half a mile of Fort Trumbull, which coumiands New Ijondon harliour, I de- tached Captain Millet with four companies of the ;!^th re<,'iuient to atta<>k the fort, who was joineil on his march by Captain Frink with one com- pany of the American Legion. At the same time I advanced with thr remainder of the division, west of Fort Trumbull, on the road to tln' town, to attack a redoubt which had kept up a brisk fire ujjon us for some time, but which th? enemy evacuated upon our approach. In this work we found six pieces of cannou mounted, and two dismounted: soon after I had the pleasure to see Captain Millet march into Fort Trumbull under a shower of prape shot fiom a number of cannon, which the enemy had turned upon hmi; and 1 hav(^ the pleasure to inform your l'L\(!(>llen:y. that, l)y the sudden attack and determined bravery of the troops, the fort was earned with the loss of only four or five men killed and wounded. Cap- tain Milht had orders to leave one com[)any in Fort 'I'rumbull, to d"t.i. •'. one to the redoubt we had taken, and to join me with the othertwo com- panies. No time on my jjart was lost in gaining the town of New Lon- don. We were opposed by a small body of the enemy with one held piece, which being iron, was spiked and left. " As soon as the enemy were alarmed in tho morning, wo could perceive they were busily employed in bending sails, and enileavouring to get their l)rivateers and other ships at Norwich river, out of our roach; but the wind being small, and the tide against them, they were obliged to anchor again. From inforniiition I received before and after my landing, I had reason to lielieve that Fort (iriswold, on (iroton side, was very incom- plete; and I was assured (by friends to governmi'ut) after my lauding, that there were only twenty t>r tliirty men in tho fort, tho inhabitants in general being on board their sliips, and busy in saving their property. Un taking possession of Fort Trumbull, I found the enemy's ships would escape, unless we could possess ourselves of Fort Griswold; I ther.'fore 350 LIFE OF BENEDICT AFtNOLD. dispatchoil an Officer to Lieiitenat Colonel Eyi*c, with the intelligence I had roci'ivetl, and retniosted him to niaki' iin attack upon the fort as soon as possible; at which time I expected the howitzer was up, and would have been made use of. " On my gaininj^ a heipht of fjround in the rear of New London, from which I had ajjood prospect of Fortdriswold, I found it much more fo"- niidable than I expected, or than I had formed an idea of from tho infor- mation I bad before received; 1 observed at the sametim", tiiat the men who had escaped from Fort Trumbull had crossed in boats and thrown themselves into Fort (iris wold, and a favoral>le wind sprin<,Mn,i,' up about this time, the enemy's ships were escapinjj up the river, notwitlistandinsr the fire froui Fort Trumbull, and a six ]iounder which I had with me. I immediately dispatched a boat with an officer to Lieut. Col. Kyre, to countermand my first orders to attack the fort, but the officer arrived a few minutes too late. " Lieutenant Col. Eyre had sent Captain Beckwith with a flag to de- mand a surrender of the fort, which was peremptorily refused, and the attack had commenced. After a most obstinate defense of near forty minutes, the fort was carried by the superior bravery and perseverance of the assailants. The attack was judicious and spirited, and reflects the highest honor on the officers and troops engaged, who seemed to vie with each other in being first in danger. The troops approached on three sides of the work, which was a square with flanks, made a lodgement in the ditch, and under a hcMivy fire, which they kept up on the works, effected a second lodgment on tho friezing, which was attended with great difficulty, as only a few pickets could be forced out or broken in a place, and was so high that the soldiers could ncl. nscend without assist- ing each other. TT(nv the coolness and braverj of the troops were very conspicuous — as the first who ascended the friez'' were obliged to silence a nine-pounder, which infdaded the place on which they stood, until a sufficient body had collfcted to enter the works, which was done with fixed bayonets through the embrazuros, whore they were opposed with great obstinacy by the garrison with 'ong spears. On this occasion I have to i-egret the loss of ]\Iajor Montgomery, who was killed by a spear in entering the enemy's works; also of Knsign Whillock, of tho 40th regiment, who was killixl in the attack. Three other officers of the same regiment wei-e wounded. Lieutenant Colonel Eyre ani " Lieutenant Colonel Bnskirk, with tlie Now Jersey Volunteers and artillery, beinj.' the second debarkation, came up soon after the work was carried, haviny been retarded by the rouyhness of the country. I am much obliged to this gentleman for his e.\ertions, aIthou_i,'h the Artillery did not arrive in time. " I have enclosed a return of the killed and wounded, by which your Excellency will observe that our loss, thoufjh very considerable, is very short of the enemy's, who lost most of their otKcers, amonj,' wliom was their commander, Col. Ledyard. Eitrhty-five men were found dead in Fort firiswolil, and TiO wounded, most of them mortally: their loss on the opposite side must have been considerable, but cannot lie ascertained. I believe we have about 70 pi-isoners, besides the wounded, who were left paroled. " Ten or twelve of the enemy's shi])S were burned; amonj; them we;e three or four armed vessels, and one loaded with naval stores; an immense quantity of European and West India goods were found in the stores; amon^' the former, the cargo of the Hannah, Captain Watson, from Lon- don, lately captur. d by the enemy: The whole of which was burnt with the stores, which proved to contain a large rpiantity of powder, unknown to us; the explosion of the jiowder, and diangi; of winil, soon after th" stores were tired, comnnmicated the Hames to a jtart of the town, which was, notwithstanding every effort to prevent it. unfortunately destroyed. " I'jtwards of .')0 i)ieces of iron canncm were destroyed in tiie ditferent works (exclusive of the guns of the ships), a particular return of wiiich I cannot do myself the honor to transmit to your Excellency at this time. *' A very considerable magazine of powder, and l)arracks to contain •'JOU men were found in Fort Oriswold, whi:-h ("aptain Lemoine, of the Royal A rtillery, had my positive directions to destroy. An attempt was made by him, but unfortunately failed. He had my orders to make a second attempt; the reasons why it was not dune, Captain Lemoine will have the honour to explain to your Excellency. " I should be wanting in justice to the gentlemen of the navy did I omit to acknowledge that upon this expedition I have received every possible aid from them; Captain Beasley has made every exertion to assist our operations, and not only gave up his cabin to the sick and woundi'd offi- cers, but furnished them with every assistance and refreshm at that his ship afforded. " Lord Dalrymple will have the honour to deliver niy tlispatches. 1 beg leave to refer your Excellency to his Lordship for the jiarticulars of our operations on the New London side. I feel myself under great obli- gations to him for his exertions upon the occasion. I ■ 352 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. "Captain Tockwith, wlio was oxtreniply serviceable to mo, returns witii his Lordsliip. his spirited conduct in the a, tack of FortGriswold, does liim prcat honor, ljein<,' one of the first o!lii;ers who entered the works. 1 hi'n leave to refer your Kxeellency to hiui for tlie particulars of our ope- rations on that side, and to t^ay I have the highest opinion of his abilities as an offieer. " I am fjreiitly indi'bted to Captain Stapleton (who aeted as Major of Urifjadi'*, for his spirited conduct and assistance: in particular on the at- tack upon Fort 'J'nuiilMill, and his endeavours to jirevent jilunderiny (when the pu'.Jic stores were burnt), and the destruction of private build- ings. " The officers and troops in general behaved with th) f,'rL'atost intre- l)idity and firmness. " 1 have the honor to be, &c., "B. Arnold." It seems quite clear — and indeed sueli is the statement of General Heath — that Arnold did not cross the river, and that during the attack upon Fort (4ris\vold he was on the opposite side; and this being true, he must be ac(juitted of any direct persoTial responsil)ility for what occurred at the Fort. His conduct in leading this exjiedition against his native State is bad enough, M'ithout darkening the picture with the cruelties which occurred^ on the opposite side of the stream. General Clinton, in general orders expresses his obliga- tions to Geuei'al Arnold "for his very spirited conduct,"' and assures him that he is convinced that "he" (General Arnold) " took every precaution in his})ower to prevent the destruction of the Town, which is a misfortune Avhich gives him much concern.'" 1. From London Ch'onidc, .Ym'. 3-C, 1781, p. 438, To/. L. "Geneu.vi. OitDFUs, IlEAD-QrAnTrns,) " Ni W YoiiK, ^cllt. 17. J " Bripmlier General Arnold liavinpr reported to the Comnuindor-in-Cliief tlie suc- cess of the cxiicdition nnder liis direction n?;ain.st Xcw I.ondnn. on the fitl) in.stant, Ills E.'cccllency lias the iiloasure of .signityins to the army the liiu'li sense lie enter- tains of the very distinguished merit of tlic Corps eniiiloyed upon tliat service; Init wliilc he draws tlie greatest satisfaction from the ardour of the troops, wliich ena- bled thee- 'o carry by assault a work of such strengtli as Tort Or'swold is rciire- semed to be, be cannot but lament, with the deepest concern, the heavy lass iu ofll- HIS rATRlOTISM AND HIS TREASON. OOO A. the time of this cx]>e(liti(»ii, General Ileatli was in coniiuiiiul of a ])art of tlie Anierlcaii iiriny in tlie State of New ^'ork, and in his Diary and Afenioirs, nnder date of Sept. K), 1781, after .i;ivini^ an aeeonnt of the e.\])edition ajjjainst Xew London, he say.s: " In (lovr. Tniuibiiirs letter, tlio Kncmy were charyoil witli behavinjr ia a wanton anil barbarous manner, and tliat between seventy and eighty wer.' kilji'd, tiin-e only before tin' Kneniy entered the Fort and the garrison had submitted; that on Co'onel Iiedyiird"s delivorinp his sword, reversed, to the conmiandinj,' officer, who entt.'red the fort, the officer im- mediately iilunyed it in the Colonel's body, (m which several soldii rs l>ayoneted him. It is also asserted, that upon the tore^'oinj,' takiiij/ place, an American officer who stood near to Colonel Ledyanl, instantly stabiu'd the British officer who had stabbed the Colonel, on whicii the British in- discriminately baj'oneted a yreat number of Americans. "This expedition was commanded bv Arnold. The British loss was very considerable in killed and wounded; amonj^ the former was Major vont- {^■omcry. Arnohl hliHscIf roiitiinicd on the Xiir LoikIoii siilr, and while his troops were pluiiderinf,' and burnin":, was said to have bei'n at a house where lie was treated very politely; that while he was sitting with the gentleman regaling himself, the latter observed that he hojied iiis bouse and property would be safe; he was answered that while he (Arnold) was there, it would not be touched; but the house, except the room in which they were, wfis soon plundered, and found to be on fire. During the plunder of the town, the British (a.s is always the case in a i)lunder), were in gieat confusion, setting their arms against trees and fences, while they were collecting and carrying off their plunder; in this situation thoy might have been easily defeated; nor would it have been thi^ first time an army in possession of victory, lost it in this way: hence by the articles of wax, " If any officer or soldier shall leave his post or colors, to go in search of plunder, he is liable to suffer death for the offence.'' "It is not meant to exculpatti or to aggravate the conduct of the cers nnd men sustained by the •10th and .">-lth Regiments, wIki had tlio Imnor of tlint iittnck ; nnd as no words can do i)roiH'r justice to the disc'ii>liiie and spirit wliieh tliey sliowed on that oeeasion, his Kxeelluiicy c;ui only re(iuest they will accept Ids thanks, witli assurances that lie will not fail to represent tlieir conduct to their sov- ereign in the most honorable terms. '• The ('(imniaiider-inrhief begs leave to express his obligations to Brigadier Gen- eral .\rnold, for his very spirited conduct on the occasion ; and he assures that gen- t nd (itlicer that he is convince(\ he took every itrecaution in his jwwer to prevent the destruction of the town, which is a misfortune that gives him uuicli coa- ceru. * * *" 2-3 I III Do'l LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. i^noniy on this occaHion — but two tliinps are to be rernembered; first, ill -t in almost all cases tlio slaujfhtor does but begin when iho vanquishtd j;ivo way; and it has been said, that if this was uiily considered, troops would never turn their backs, if it were possible to face their enemy; sec- ondly, in all attacks by assault, the assailants, between the feelings of dan- ger on the one hand, and resolution to o'.t"or><0 it on the other, havo their minds worked up almost to a point of fury and madness, which those who are assailed, from a confidence in their works, do not feel; and that consequently when a place is carried, and the assailed submit, the assail- ants cannot instantaneously curb their fury to reason, and in this interval, many are slain in a way which a cool bystander would call wanton and barbarous, and even the perpetrators themselves, when their rage subsi- ded, would condemn; but irhile the hi( man passions remain as they now are, there is scarcely a remedy," It is said that durin<^ the attack Arnohl liad a very nar- row esca])e from deatli hy tlie hands of a Mrs, Ilinman, a resident of New London. She had known Arnold in earlier years, he having often l)een the i^uest of her hnshand. See- ing hiin riding up the street, she addressed him, and he immediately recognized her, and offered her his protection. He told her to point out her property, and lie would take care that it should not be injured. She pointed out not only her own, hut tlie houses of several of her friends, as her own, and all were spared. At length, seeing the cruel destruction going on around her, the attack upon and capture of Fort Grriswold, she be- came so incensed against Arnold that she seized a gun, and aiming it at him as he sat on his horse in front of the house, she pulled the trigger, l)ut the piece missed lire, and the traitor escaped. The Lord did not on that day deliver /Sis- era into the hands of this modern Jael.^ 1. :Svw York Daily Times, January, 1870. CHAPTER XX. k )\ ARNOLD AT THE COURT OF GEORGE THE III. " On forelRti shores a man exiled Disowned, deserted, and distressed." Arnold's Detarture with Lord Corxwallis for Enoi.and-His Kecf.ption by THE Kino and Cabinet— His Paper on a Re-union Between the Colonies AND THE Crown— General and Muh. Arnold at Andre's Moniment in West- minster Abbey. On the 10th of October, 1781, Lord Cornwallis, with liis entire army of near 10,000 men, surrendered to General Wasliington. "When intelligence of this event reached the British Cabinet, the firmness of Lord North, the Minister, gave way, and he exclaimed, " All is lost !" ' Tiiis success caused most men to conclude that the subjugation .he Colonies was impossible, and led to the acknowledgment of the independence of our country. In the December following, Arnold, with his family, sailed for England. Li the expeditions which he com- manded against Vrginia and into Connecticut, he had accom- plished all that was expected of him, had displayed energy and executive ability, had received the thanks of Sir Henry Clinton, but no opportunity' had occurred for the exhibition of those brilliant exploits and feats of personal heroism, for which his career in the patriot army had been so distin- guished. Independently of the reproach brought upon him 'r 1. WraxaU'8 Memoirs. (355) 350 LUK OF BENEDICT AllNOLD. by tlio affiiir at New London, lie liiid not added anytliinj^ to liis military rp]>iitation. Inderd, he was so heavily handi- cappcil while in the service of the kini,^ as to make it very dilliciilt tor liim to achieve anythin*^ i^reat. It is not un- likely some distrust nuiy have been felt towards him in some quarters amon<^ his new friends, thoui^h I discover no indication of it in the trcatnu^it of him by the British commander. Even if there liad been no blot upon his rec- ord as an ofHeer, as a colonist he would have labored under irrcat disadvantajjo. Besides, it was well known at the British IIead(iuarters, that he was constantly exposed to daui^ers lar <;reater and of a different character from those of any other otHcer. Hun- dreds of riflemen and sharp-shooters were on the watch to take his life. Heavy rewards for his capture, for his abduc- tion had been offered, and if taken his execution would have l)een summary. He Avas therefore sent to Kniijland to con- fer with the ^NFinisters upon the conduct of the war: and he prepared to leave with little or no probnl)ility of ever return- ing^. He was now to become an exile from his native land, ])robably forever. How ]^ainful this exile, with what shattered hopes, nny, almost despair, he left his home, the land of his glory, and (»f his disgrace, it is difficult to conceive. One must remem- ber his ambition, his passionate nature; how he had strug- gled for fame ; how, when ill-treated, and deeply injured, car- ried away by his passions, he had listened to ]]ritish emis- saries, and viehling to their specious arguments and persua- sions, had at last staked everything on the success of his treason, to appreciate the l)itter feelings of self-reproach with which he sailed away from his home. It has been said, that the hardships he had endured and his exposure an'ton, in estahlishino- tlic independence of his country. lie was now going empty- handed of success, to meet strangers, without a country or a home. Truly, his treason was not only a crime, hut a sad and terrible blunder. ]S\) wonder that he struffirled a«rainst (les]iiiir! Unt his devoted wife, in this hour of deep de})re6sion was ever at his side to soothe and sustain him. To her Arnold was still a hero. It was hard for her to leave father, family, home and friends, but with all of woman's devotion, she clung to her husband, and made his life endurable. Sir Henry Clinton gave to Arnold letters to Lord George Germain and others, bearing generous testimony " to his spirited and meritorious conduct since he had joined the British army," and "earnestly commending him to his Lordship's countenance and protection." Lord Cornwallis was a fellow passenger with Arnold and his family across the ocean to England. His lordship, after his surrender at Yorktown, had been exchanged for Henry Laurens, late president of Congress, who had been captured at sea, and contined in the Tower of London. The kindness of C'ornwallis towards the family of Arnold, manifested on various occasions, and es}>ecially some years afterwards, in aiding to ])lace his sons at the military school, may be at- tributed, in part at least, to the friendly relations created by ^his voyage together.' In the |)rotracted i)assage across the Atlantic, then made by sail, these two gentlemen had abundant time to discuss the probabilities of future success of the war. Cornwallis had nearly given up all ho])e, while Arnold professed to be still sanguine. " Arnold," it is said in a private letter from a gentlenum ^(4 1. Coniwallis (iml Arnold "wore brother passengers to Englnnd." Drake's His- toric Fields and Mansions of Middlesex, p. 207. Ills rATRIOTISM AM) IIlS TREASON. ooi) liis 1 tlie ' his who was 'ill Europe when lie uiTivcd there, aiul wliose ac- (Hiaiiitance in diploinatie circles ])hice(l him in a position to l»e well informed, ''was received with open arms by the King^, caressed by the ministers, and all imat^inable atten- tion shown him by all people on that side of the (piesti(.)n." ' Leanin^^on the arm of Sir Guy Carletun, he was presented at Court by Sir Walter Stirlin'i^.'' He was nnudi consulte. IS. 300 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. It contains a carefully considered plan for a reconciliation and re-union between the Crown and the Colonies. The i^randson of General Arnold ' has ])laced the ori^nnal draft of the paper, which is in the haiHlwritinii^ of General Ar- nold, in iny hands. So far as 1 know, it has never before been printed.'' It is a curious and interestinj^ document, and seeins to nio to exhibit some political sagacity. Ar- nold had already in his address to his countrymen declared that he had devoted his life to the " re-union of the British Empire, as the best and only means to dry up the streams of miser}' that have deluged the country." lie had expressed the conviction that it was the intention of Great Britain to leave the rights and privileges of the Colonies nnim])aired, inclu ig " their perpetual exemption from taxatit)!!."' On his arrival in London, Arnold learned, tliat while the King had no thought of yielding, the British people were getting tired of the war, and hopele^'s of success. In the paper referred to, he enters into an elaborate argu- ment to slunv that a nuijority of the Americans were op- posed to a separation; he earnestly recommeiuls a change in the conduct of the wai\ connnenting cautiously on the delicate subject of " the inactivity and misdirection of the King's arms i.. the past." He calls attention to the great mistake, as he regarded it, that no attem])t had be 211 made to set up "the civil au- thority in any part of America," and asserts that until this was done, " the loyalists win not, nor indeed can they, give an_y special asr^istance to the royal cause." The reason for this he explains at some length, saying: "I have said tlioy irill not. Because i\vy wcc Eiifilhhmcn. Nay, an American Husbanthuaii will no sooner quit his farm and Family, to be- 1. Tlic Hov. KiUviinl Oliiilwiii AniuM. 2. See piiptT in lull in tho Ajipundix. H-i> —r^ III8 PATRIOTISM AND HIS TKEASOX. 3G1 romo a romiiion Poldior at six Pcnco a rlay Wajjos, with rations, tlian an Kiif,'lish ( Jc'iitli'inan of £")0U a year in tho Funds, lie will not lend his hand to erect a military Misrule over himself and his Friends, and put ail his Property at tho Discretion of an Arbitrary Police, that has cut the 'J'hroat of the Kinff's Interest wherever it has heen set up. " lie has, however, no Ohjeclion to serve in tho Militia within his own Colony, under officers who are of it, and to assist in siipportintf its Gov- ernment and di'fendiiiroportion of the Country between them and Connecticut River are known to be very favoural)ly inclined to the Re- union." Tie tlien recommended " a new ])eaee CDmmission to tho Colo lie.?," saying, "'a new peace Commission is indispen- saltly necessary." " Perplexed as the Congress must be under the growing: uneasiness of the People, neither affection to tho French, nor a republican Attach- ment, nor even the Aims f .\ml>ition. would prevent them from listening' to Overtures that were litrltine and Irnvirtsible, if themselves could bo i r 302 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD, Kt'cureil from tho vindictive rage of tlio Multitude tlioy havo misled, op|jr(.'ss»3d and ruined, as well as from the resentment of the Crown. * * " It can scarcely be necessary to add, that the new Peace Commission- ers should have every Power of the Crown, for the appointment to oiRces — from Governors downwards, that when they return to England, they may have the (iovernment established upon sii' h a Plan, as all thinj,'-s considered, may appear to be expedient, nor that the success of tho Com- mission will depend nnich upon their beinpr persons of Rank, (onl rofficr SfotcsiiwH than Soldiers, and of Characters in such estimation for the Fulness of their powers as to inlhienco the Executive Instruments, both of the army and navy, to nfaitli/iil, s/iirlfcd, and luunK^nious Contluct.'' " All these thinys," says he, "are sugfrested on the supposition that (Ircat Britain has such an interest in her Colonies as is worth losteriuy for the common good." lie expresses the conviction that " the war was now nearly at an end," unless Jiritain despairs of success. Had the policy towards the Colonies, botli civil and mili- tary, pointed out in this ])aper been pursued by the J>ritish government early in the war, indejiendence would have been a far more difficult achievement. It is apparent that Arnold ho])ed to have been appointed one of the New Peace Commissioners in the plan of settle- ment proposed by him, and it is probable that he antici])ateil that by contributing towards peace, and securing for the Colonies substantial self-y her beauty, her goodness and her grace exercised o\er all, was not less marked in England than in America. Tarlteon and other officers who had met her in Philadel[>hia and New York, HIS PATRlOTISil AND HIS TREASON. 363 were cntliurtiastic in their expressions of {uliiiiratioii. and, as has been stated, dechired her the most "l)eaiitit'nl woman in Eni^Umd." However this may have been, the letter before ([uoted says, " the queen was so interested in favor of Mrs. Arnold as to desire the ladies of the court to ])ay much atten- tion to her." At tlie same time Arnold was most severely assailed by the Whig newspajters, and received many mortifying indig- nities from persons in the op])osition. He received lor his alleged losses, in consequence of his joining the J>ritish, the sum of £0315; £5000 of M'hich he invested in four per cent, consols, realizing therefrom £To(tO in stocks. Mrs. Arnold, some time after her arrival in England, received a ])ension of £500 per annum, and each of her children £100 jier annum, from the J'ritish government.' In Rhode Island, upon an old gravestone, erected to the memory of Oliver Arnold, who died in 1770, are carved the arms of the family." The crest was a demi-lyon-ranq)ant, etc., and the motto, '''' Gloria mihisnrsum.^^ 1. Mainis(!ript letter of Kev. Kdwiini (Uailwin Armilil. Tiie fulldwiii},' is ii copy of'tlie Koyul wurmiit for Mrs. Arnold's pension : "Geoiiuk R. Our will it plt'us\ire i.s, ami \vu do hereby dircit. iiulliorize &, cum- niand. tliat an annuity or Yearly pension of Five hundred pounds be e>tabllshed & paid by You unto Margaret Arnold, wife of our tru.-ty it well beloved lJrii,'adier (ienenil, HiMiediet Arnold, to eonunence from the day of the ilaio hereof, it continuo durinf- our pleasure, in sueh & like manner as other our i>>t iblisbed pension^, I):iyliii'.l be Ihervfor a sulVieieut Warnitit. Oiveu at our court at St. Janics. the I'.uli day of Miuxh, IVsj, In Uie ^Jd year of our Ueign, By his Maje-ty's eonimand. 'To our rirht Trusty it well beloved \Vll.I,I.\M UaI.I., VlCOlNTGACiK, I'avmaster of our I'eii.sion.s, Ae." ■ N'OIITH. ' I'.Vl MKNTON. ' R. Sutton. 2. "They (the arms) are idiutii'ul with those euf;ra\ed on the lorn!) stcjiiu of « iliver Arnold, of Uhoi'o IslanD HIS TUEASOX. 3G5 satioii in Eugliunl, and when, soon after Arnokri? arrival there, it was sui^i^ested to the Kini; to erect a monument to his memory in AVestminster Abbey, Arnold toolc a wai-m interest in the movement, and both he and his wife watelied its protjress to completion with the deepest sympatliy. An American h)yalist, an exile in Eni,dand for his opin- ions, mentions in his diary the incident of seeinij; General Arnold and his wife in Westminster Abhev, readinir tlie inscri|>tion on Andre's monument and eonversini^ toijetlior.' " Alany a citizen of tlie i^i-eat Western lie])ubiic,'" as J )ean Stanley says/ "lias paused before the sight of this sad story," but never any with hearts more deeply touched than were those of Arnold and his wife. Had the loyalist who recorded the ahove incident heen behind some contiguous monument he would probably have heard a sad dialogue ^ fen these exiles, lamenting the ])itiable fate of poo .ndre. lie would have heard JVIrs. Arnr)ld recall the bright davs of her girlhood, when Andre, the gayest of the gay, was the frequent guest of her fathe:-, and the brilliant favorite of the social circle in which she moved. Tie .dd have heard Arnold recall his ]>arting from Aiahv on the banks of the Hudson, and he might have heard the exiled general, when looking hack upon the tei-- ril)le fate of Andre and his own still more utdiapjiy life, exclaim: " "Would that 1 had died in battle at Quebec, or on the bloody deck of my ship on Lake Champlain, or at Saratoga, i-ather than this terrible drama! Then Andre might have been alive to-day, and you happy at your father's fireside." ''Do not reproach yourself," interrupted his wife. " ]\ry own life can never be unhappy whde you and our children are with me." 1. Life of Peter Van Schaack, p 117. 'J. Stan'ey's Westraiiistgr .Vbbey, p. 'J82. :30G LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. f After a pause Arnold continued: "Yonder," ])ointin<:^ towards tlie cliapel of Henry VII, "yonder, anionii; En_<;lan(l's kin^s, lie the remains of Gen- eral Monk, Duke of Albemarle,' whose part in England's history I was to tc-enact in America, as they told me,'"' said Arnold, with a smile of bitter i' . y upon himself. " If I had succeeded, as I hoped," said he, " in re-uniting the Empire, I too might have found a place and a monu- ment here — as they promised me." * As he lingered, savily leaning on Andre's monument, among the graves of so many who have made the greatness and the glory of England, he realized that, " No nation's eyes would on his lomb be bent, No liero envy him his monument, Howevtu- boldly his warm blood was spilt, His life was shame, his epitaph was guilt." 1. " They (Monk ami Montague and Ormond), were aU bviricd among the Kings, in the clminjl of Henry \U."—Stan!e!/'s Westmimtcr Ahheij, p. 249. 2. " Had the scheme succeeded," wrote an olTiccr of the Coldstream Guards, "no rank would have overpaid so important a service " as Arnold's. — Lye of Andre, p. 450. CHAPTER XXI. m GENERAL ARNOLD ENGAGES IN BUSINESS. "I am one wliom the wrld loves not." Arnold Settles in TonTMAN .'•liVAiiE, I.onhon— Livm Beyond his 5Ie.\xs~En- CAOES IN' Trade— Kemoves to St. John's, New Hkin.swkk— Family Coriik.s- PONDENCE— Mrs. Arnold Visit.s her Kamu.y at I'iiiladkli-hia. TiiK definitive treaty of peace between the United States and (ircat liritain was signed Sej)tenil)er 3d, 178i>. The teelin<;' among the people of Engh\nd against a further prosecution of tlie war, had l)een constantly increasing since the surrender of Cornwallis, and no hostile movements of very great importance occurred after that event. Arnold does not apjK'ar to have seen any active service as a soldier after his arrival in Enuland. There seem to have been ffrcat difficulties in reirard to his eniplovment, and it is not hard to understand what thev were, and they must have l)een most galling to one with a s])irit so haughty and ])roud. None donbted either his bravery or his great al)ility as a soldier, and the King was his friend, and would have gladly given him positions where he might have distinguished himself. That he ])assionately sought such positions, and especially in the wars witli France. e:igerly seeking an op])or- tunity to wash off with his bloo remained duritig their childhood and youth under his s. . :'» care, M'as frequent and afl'ectionate. The letters of Mrs. Arnold to her father HI HIS PATUIOTIS.M AND III.S TUKASOX. 3(;i) and siKters in IMiilinU'lpliia, are modfl.s of filial ami ^i^t^'l*]y afVcctiiiii; and her attcnticms to licr luisband's sister, and his I'ldi'i* situs, J5un, Uifiiard and llunry, were constant aii'l dt!Vt)tl'«o. there was born to them their first danji'htei', named lor her niotiier, Margaret, but she lived only to the next Anyiist. (ieorne, their tliird son ami fourth child, was born in J\Iareh. 1TS4. and died very soou thereafter. Sophia Matilda, their seeond dau^'hter and fifth ehild, was born in London, July 2.stli, ITS'). ( )ii tlie 13th of duly, in the s.inie year, ^frs. Arnold writes to her father in relation to Mount Pleasant, the eoimtry-seat Mhieh (Jeneral Ai-nold luul settled upon her and her chil- di'in at the time of their nuirria£j;e, saviiii; : " (iencviil Arnold desires you will be so ^'ood as t" sell Mount Pleasant for as niiieh as yon can, and if it should fall short of tlio snni wldeh you {^avo (besides paying? otf the inort^M remiMubered to 30U all in the mosl atl'ectionato mam er." ^[eanwhile, (lencral Arnold had fitted out a shij) for a tradin<; voya^i^^e to the AV'est Indies, iu which he sailed. In liis absence, and livin<; anioui'' strano'ers, Airs. Arnold stiaii'' <>"led to maintain her fortitude. In a letter to her fathei\ dated April 11th, ITsi], she details her embarrassments and sorrows in a letter full of pathos. She says: " My dear and eveu iioxoiu^d Papa: " * * * I am still in the most unhappy state of suspense respecting the General, not having heard Irom him since the account of his ship's being lost. » * * 1. .\utograph letter, July 13, 1785. 24 lJfy|E: IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1^' IIIM III32 |M 22 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 \ .4 6" — ► VQ <^ /a /a '^A ■.

4^ c> l^^^^^f^ '-t^ <. ^^ 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14SB0 (716) 872-4503 Sf 370 LIFE OF llENEDICT ARNOLD. ! " T assure you, my (Ipiir Pupa, I find it necessary to summon all my philosophy to my aid to support myself under my present sitiuition. "Separated from, and anxious for the fate of the best of husbands, torn from almost every body that is dear to me, harrassed with atrouble- som(» and (expensive law-suit.' havinj^ all the General's business to trans- act, and feelinpr that I am in a stranjre country, without a creature near me that is really interested in my fate, you will not wonder if 1 am unhappy. " Hut I will not distress j'ou, my beloved Papa, with mj' unavailing,' complaints, which T seldom suffer to enjrross either my pen or my tonjjue; but deprived of all domestic society, 1 have too nmch time to indul|;e them." Like a devoted motlier, slie turns toiler cliildren for coii- «olation, and adds: "My children are perfectly well — my little girl the picture of health, and has never had an hour's illness. I still continue to nurse her. I \n'ii, my di'arest Papa, you will present my tender love to nil the faimly. With unceasiny prayers for your and their health and happiness, believe me, Yoiu's affectionately." " Slie was soon relieved by news of lier husband's safety. In 1787, Cleneral Arnold removed to St. Johns, New Brunswick, and entered largely into mercantile business, en- ijjnLjinii; principally in the West India trade. Mr. Sparks suiTireststhat theKnirlish (4overnment ;ainst lier husband, and to some extent aijainst herself, made her visit to America verv un- comfortable. She returned to LondoTi, and the family went back to St. Johns, \vhere they remaiiu'd until 17l»l. In a letter to Mr. I'urd, her sister's husband, dated A])ril j;>th, 1791, Mrs. Arnold says: '■ Wo are in pleasincr oxpectation ofretnrninfjr this summer to Knji-land, a country less hostile to our interests, and much hotter ealcnlate(l to pro- mote our hupiiiucss than this. The eseheatintr hinds and some other arbitrary acts of tlie jfovernment hen;, are eausin^ tliis country to dejiop- ulate very fast. The poor flee to their native | laces in the States for ri'fu^c. Their reception there, I fear, is very doubtful; at least if I may judge from my own." In the same letter she says: " Accept, my dear Mr. Bnrd, the triliute of a j,'ratefnl heart, animated by the most sincere and lively atfect ion. Your conduct towards uie has ever marked the real friend and brother." A letter from her father to Mrs. Arnold, written in July, 1788, is interesting, as showing the kind and generous con- sideration and atfection he ever manifested for her. ller brother had become indebtecl to General Arn(»ld in the sum of €750 pounds sterling, and the (ieneral hai m^t •■) — /-» LIFK OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. am sure you must be an American; iny name is Talley- rand,'' liandin^jj to the (kneral liis card, "and I am about to visit tliat country; ])erliaps you will be so kind as to give me some letters (»t' introduction to your friends there." Arnold rejdied : "You are right in suj'posing I am an American, 1 was l)oi'n and have spent nearly all my lite there, vet I am iirohaMv the onlv American liviui; who can say, ' I have not one friend in Amei'ica I !No, not one I' I am Benedict Arnold." The duel between (General Arnold and the Earl of Laud- erdale has been the subject of much misrepresentation. I have the means of stating the exact truth in regard to it, and of adding that this was the oidy duel in which he was ever enijai^ed while in Kn^land. The meeting grew out of what was said by Lord Lauder- dale in the House of Lords, on the 31st of !May, 1702, in a very warm, excited and ])ersonal debate on the King's pro- clamation against seditious meetings. After the Manpus of Abercorn, the Karl of Harrington, Lonl Ilawi.e, His Royal Highness the J'rince of Wales, and othei's, had ad- dressed their Lordships, the Karl of l^anderdale followed, and with great vehemence charged the Ministers with gross inconsistency. He com])ared their conduct to that of Mr. Pitt and the Duke of Richmond at the close of the Ameri- can war, "How the noble Duke and ^Mr, Pitt would vindicate such a change of conduct he knew not, but would leave it to them," etc, " The Eavl at longtli took notice of the camp at Baarshot, which he said tlu' nolilc I>uke (of liichuionrl), who had been so strenuous for reform, wiis appointed to command, to ovcrawi! tlie peojile, and destroy their endeavors to obtain a retbrin. IIi; declared lie was ^dad the Duke was to connnand the camp. If u/mstac!/ could justify promotion, he was thtf most fit person for that command, dvneml Anmhl (iloiie excepted, ^^ ' 1. fohtx'tt s rurliiuiiL'Htary Dctiiitcs. Vol. XXIX. ]). l."ilN-1'.t. "To llit'sc remarks the Duku of liifhiuoiul rc';)lii;<.l in language which called HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. o — — "When these roiiiarks apiicarod in tlie roj)()rt of tluMlelmto, (TCiu'ral AriKjld instantly >a\v hirf (»i)|)ortiniity. A soldier witli a hlot U])on his name, he had heen an exile for ten years, bearing in silence every niortitication and indignity whicli hitter enemies could inflict. These indignities and mortifications had generally been in a form and from sources he could neither notice imr re- sent, and 1r' had hoi-ne them in hau the Duke nf Uiclimoml's public conduct, und that he luennt iinthiug in aii., reM>L'<-'t to his (irace's private character. The l)uke of Kictlimond, on his part, declared he did not persist In the terms he used to Lord Laudenhik", those exjiressions having been sutraesteil solely by tlie idea of his private character's having been attacked."— Coi)6c«'« l\trliamcu'ary Ikbutcf, \ol. XXlX.p l.'pression of my feelings, lest I should unman the General, almost at last proved too much for me, and for some hours my reason was despaired of, and I was confined to my Led for some days after." The picture of Mrs. Arnold, separated from every rela- 1. Fox, Pitt and Burke— Fox, of whom Byron said, '■ Tiie first of tlie wondrous three, Whose words were sparlis of imiuorlfility." HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 379 tion in the world, "feeling," as she said to her father in a Nitter liefore mentioned, " leelin<^ that ehe was in a stran<;o country, without a creature near her really interesttMl in her fate," with her youn<5 children around her, stru;. Lord LaiKlcrdalo did ii(»t tire, Itut after a tew words with (Jeiieral Arnold, and with Lord I lawke, «/*^/ J/r. /'or, he came forward, and i-aid : '' I havt; no enmity aijaiiist (ieneral Ariiohl ; J did u<>t numi tit (tnj>t:rfii> fiis r/itf/'(trfr/;' or woiirid ' 'A feelint^s, and I am sorry that (ieneral Arnold or any oth. . person shonhl he hurt at what I havi; said.'' To whieh (ieneral Arnold rejilied : " Lonl Lauderdale, 1 am ])erteetly satistieil with your apology, provided our see- oiids as men of honor will say that I (Might to l»e." Hotli Lord llawke and ^[r. Fox agreed that the apology ou'dit t(t be deemed iterfeetlv satisfactory. Uefore tlu' ])arties left the gr(»nnd, the Karl, on learning from a messenger which ]\Irs. Arn(»ld, in her extreme anx- iety had sent to the place of meeting, that she was ill from anxiety and apprehetisior., with true chivalry ex])ressed great concern and regret, and l»egge(l ])ennission to wait n])on her to express his sorrow ant! make his a]tology. The following statement was drawn nj) duly 7, 17l»'i, hy (ieneral Arnold at his residence in Portland Place, and en- dorsed and verified l»y J.ord llawke, as "a moderate and unexaggerated statement of the dis])ute between General Arnold and Lord Laiulcrdale:''" "A 8TATK OK TllK AKKAIII OF IIOXOII DFXIDKn HETWKEN LOIIU LAUUEHDAI.K AND (iENKUAI- AUNOI.I), ON SUNDAY MORNINO, TIIK 1ST OF .Ill-Y, NKAU KILUUUN WELLS. " Tlie parties mot at about 8 o'clock — Lord Lauderdale with his friend, Mr. Fox, and Lord Hawlce, as the friend of (ieneral Arnold. The i)ar- ties agreed to tire together, on a word pfiven hy Mr. Fox. Lord Lauder- dale received General Arnold's fire (which was without etfect), and 1. I ))clicvo it was the sdRKC'stiiin of Fox, whose generous feelings were touched by Arnold's niisfcjrHnies, tliat iiiiluced llie Knrl to wiihdrnw the iispersions Ufion Arnolds chnriu'ter. ■J. The oriijiniil iiaper, in the liandwritinj; of (iencriil Arnold, and the emlorse- inent, in the handwriting of Lord ilawlie, furnlslied by u grandson of (Jeueral Ar- nold, is now before mu. HIS TATIUUTISM AM) HIS TKKASON. 381 I'l'HOivol liin own. Lord Ifawko told Lord TiiiinliMiliilf that liP bi'lii'vcil liis pi^tiil liail inissfd tii-f, and di siifd liini to tire lie wan also called npon by (}i'nt*ral Arnold to tin* (who koitt his ground for that purpoHtM, which his Lordship dtclincd, saying' that ho had no enmity to (Jcncrul /uimld. Lord li.iwko tliiMi olistuvctl that he supposed Lor. I Lauderdale would not ohjeet to say that ho did not mean to asperse (icneral Arnold's character, which his !,orddii]idecliiii'd, sayini; that he had formerly said ho ilid not mean to wound (ieiieral Arnoiil's ('eelinj,rs; he should not explain what ho had said, and that (leneral Arnold nii^ht tire a^ain it' he chose, 'i'his Lord llawke and tieneral Arnold said was inipossihie. Then L(ad Lauderdale said he could not retract his words, hut was sorry it' any man telt hurt liy them; on which ( Jeneral .\rnold said that was not a proju'rapil- Otfy — such ax he shouhi make himself in u similar situation — and UKuin insisted on his ljordsliii>'s firiiifj. " Lord Lauderdale, ali"r having some short conversation with (lonoral Arnold and the Hcconds, oame forward very handsomely, like a man of honor, and ileclared "that he hatl no enmity auiiinst (ieneral Arnold, that he did not mean to asperse (icneral Arnold's character, or wouml his feelin^fs, and wju sorry tiiat (Jeneral Arnold, or any other person should he hurt at what he liad said." " (Jeneral .\rnold told Lord Lau lerdalo that he was [lerfectly satisfied with his apidofiy, providetl their seconds, as men of honor, would say that he ought to be so, which they both did. " roUTI.AM) l'l,\(K, } ".Inly 7th, ITU".', S "This is a moderate and unexajjtrerated statement of the dispute between (icneral Arnold and Lord Lamlerdalo, to the best of my knowl- edge and belief, on the part of General Arnold. " Hawkk." Oil the sixth of July Mrs. Arnold wrote to her father, o'iviiit^ the details ot" the duel. If she speaks with some pride of the conduct : 382 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. (who is violent in the opposition, and who was the only man in the House of Lords who voted apaiiist an address of thanks to the King, upon a lato Proclamation), in an attack upon the Duke of Richmond, respect- ing the reform in Parliament, is said to have used the following expres- sions: ' That he did not know any instance of Political Apostacy equal to the Duke of Richmond's, except General Arnold's,' and that 'the intended Encampment was designed to overawe the inhaliitants of the Kingdom, and the Metropolis in particular ; and prevent a Reform in Parliament, that the Duke of Richmond was the most proper person he knew of to command it. General Arnold first (struck off the list.' Upon the General's demanding an apology for this improvoked attack upon his character, his Lordship positively denied having made use of the last expression, or any similar to it; the first he acknowledged, and made a kind of apology for it; but, it not satisfying the General, he drew up such a one as he would accept, which his Lord- ship refused to sign. I ord Hawke (who is a most respectable Peer, and our particular friend) voluntarily offered his services upon the occasion; and as the matt«r could not be amicably settled, his Lordship waited upon Lord Lauder- dale, and a place was named for a meeting. The time appointed was seven o'clock on 8unday morning last — Mr. Charles Fox, as second to Lord Lauderdale: Lord Hawke, the General's. It was agreed that they should fire at the same time, upon a word given, which the General did, without effect. Lord L. refused to fire, saying he had no enmity to Gen- oral Arnold. He at the same time refused making an apology, and said the General might fire again, if he chose. This was impossible, but the General desired Lord Hawke to tell Mr. Fox, that he would not leave the field without satisfaction; and that if Lord Lauderdale persisted in his refusal of giving it to him, either by an apology or firing again, that he should be under the necessity of using such expressions to him, as would oblige him to do the latter. Upon this, the seconds had a conference, dur- ing which tmie Lord Lauderdale and the General met; when he told his Lordship that he did not come there to convince the world that ho dare fight, but for satisfaction for the injury done his character; and thai he cer- tainly would not quit the field without it. After a consultation between Lord L. & Mr. Fox, his Lcruship came forward, and said that he had no enmity to General Arnold — that he did not mean to asperse his character or wound his feelings, and was sony for what he had said. General A. said he was perfectly satisfied with this apology, providrd the seconds, as men of honor, declared he ought to be so, which they, without hesitation, did. Before they left the gronnd. Lord Lauderdale expressed gi-eat concern at finding that I had been made unhappy, and begged leave to wait upon Ills PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 383 me, to niiike an apolojects here. Many peo- ple look forward with dread to the 14th of July, as they are fearful of Riots on that day, but I sincerely hope it is without cause. — I beg to be most affectionately remembered to all the family, in which the General begs leave to join. "Believe me, my dearly beloved Parent, " Most truly Yours, " M. Arnold." * In a letter to Richard, the second son of General Arnold by liis first wife, written in August, 1792, Mrs. Arnold says: 1 The foregoing is copied from the original, iu the posgessiou of Edward Ship- pen, Esq , of I'hllaaelphia. H'. : I y-.M ;J84 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. " I was greatly distressed about six weeks ago by your Father's being coneern(!d in a duel, but it lias ended so safely and honorably to him. I am happy it has taken place. The Earl of Lauderdale cast some reflt't- tions upon his political character in the House of Lords, for which your Father demanded an apology, which his Lordship re-fused to make. On Sunday morning, the 1st of .July, they went out a few miles from town, with their Seconds and Surgeons — Lord Hawke, your Father's, and Mr. Charles Fox, Lord Lauderdah^'s. " Lord Lauderdale received your Father's fire, but refused to return it, saying he had no enmity to him. After a little deliberation, and your Father's declaring that he would not quit the field without an apology, his Lordsliii) mad(^ a very satisfactory one. Your Father has gained very great credit in this l)usiness, and I fancy it will deter others from taking liberties with him. * * " I extract the followiiifi: pnrnijraplis from a letter from Mrs. Arnold to Tliclmrd, dated Jidy 28, 1793, sliowiiii; her deep intere.st in his welfare, and how kindly and discreetly hhe dischari'ed the duties of a mother towards him: " I shall always be happy," says she, "to consider you as a son, ■wnoae welfare is dear to me." "You request, my dear Richai'd, my influence with your father to in- duce him to consent to your marrying. With respect to him, 1 must Ix-g not to interfere ; — but give me Icive, as a friend interested for your hap- j)iness, to offer you my advice. I should by no means wish you to giv up a young lady to whom your love and honor are engaged, and who, fiom everything I can hear, is worthy of your affection. But by the love you bear her, let me admonish you not to marry her till you are enabled to support her in a comfortable style. How many people are there who are for years engaged, while prudence forbids an union, who afterwards come together, and are happier for their self-denial, till fortune smiled iipon them. You are particularly fortunate in not b ing severed from the object of your atfections ; you can enjoy her society, and your desire to unite yourself to her will stiuuilate your Industry. " liy precipitating yourself into matrimony till you are established in l)usiness. you would prol)ably render yourself and the object of your re- gards miserable ; — but by your exertions, a short time may make a mate- rial change in your affairs, and you will then be enabled to marry her, with a prospect of happiness, and with the approbation of your friends. ***♦*♦*** " Your affectionate, &c." HI fr CHAPTER XXIII. ARNOLD'S SERVICES IN THE WEST INDIES— HIS DEATH. " Seek out— less ofcen sought than found— A soldier's grave, for thee the best." General ARNOLD IX 1794 Fits OUT \ Ship for the West Indies— ?nip Lost— At Gavdaloupe-His Danger— Escapes TO THE English Fleet— His Services to the Government in the West Indies— Receivj the Thanks op the Planters- Tub King Grants to Him 10,500 Acres of Canada Lands for his "Gallan- try," Ac— He begs the Duke of York for Military Service Against the French— His Death. In the spring of 1794, General Ariokl purchased a shi]) for the purpose of going to tlie West Indies, and engaging in trade and commerce. To avoid the dangers of the British Channel, ho went by land to Falmonth, and after waiting some two weeks lor the arrival of his ship, just as she was about coining into port, he fortunately concluded not to sail in her, but stepped on board the packet, ready to put to sea. A few days there after, his ship with a valuable cargo, was ca|»tiired by the French, but he arrived in safety at St. Kitto.' In a letter to Richard, Mrs. Arnold says: " I am now in a state of most extreme misery, from the report of your Father'H being a prisoner to the French at Point-a-Peter, Gaiuliiloupe. It is contradicted by some gentlemen lately from St. Kitto, but your Father's las^ letter to ine, being of the first of June, wherein he says he shall set-off the next day for Point-a- Peter, makes it but too probable, 1. Manuscript letter from Mrs. .\rnoId to Richard Arnold, dated Aug. 17iH. 25 (385) I iil l#* 1;^ 386 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. ns the French took possesbion of that Place the 4th of June. We are in hourly expectation of its re-capture, till I hear of which I shall not know a moment's peace of mind." * It seems that early in June, he arrived at Point-a-Peter, with about live thousand pounds in cash, with which to buy sugar; not knowing that the Island had fallen into the hands of the French. When he learned that the French were already in possession, assuming the name of Anderson, lie passed for an American, come there to buy a cargo. He knew of course, that if his rank and person were discovered, I'.e would be taken prisorer, and held as a British General. Not daring to be seen in the town, he concealed himself near the shore, and set to work to construct a raft for his escape. The French fleet lay near the fortifications, guard- ing the island, and outside of the French lay the British fleet. Waiting for a favorable juncture of wind and tide — as darkness closed over the island and the sea, he put him- self afloat on his frail raft, to take the hazards of passing undiscovered through the French to the English fleet." Without a single attendant, aided by the tide and the wind, he rowed silently through the hostile fleet, and although hailed by the French guard-boat, he at length reached the deck of a British man-of-war, and was taken on board. His usual boldness and readinesss in extricating himself from danger, had not deserted him, and he was able to ren- der the English great service. It was not long beft)re he was able to send to Mrs. Arnold intelligence of his escape and safe arrival on board the Brit- isli flag-ship. On the 25th of June, 1794, was born William Fitch, the ')-c.f t-w t : ttfth son of General Arnold. In the same letter to Richard, from which I have already quoted, Mrs. Arnold, alluding to the capture of the ship 1. Mftnuscript letter, Aug., 1794. 2. Thu Geutleniau's Magazine, Aug., 1794. Vol. LXIV. p, C86. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 387 I Hi; and cargo before referred to, and other losses, says : " T am extremely distressed to find that your father is likely to be so ill-rewarded for all the risks he has run. * * * * There seems to be a cruel fatality attending all his exer- tions." Speaking of Henry, the younger brother of Eichard, she says : " I suppose my dear Henry is long ere this in the West Indies; I scarcely know whether or not to wish it, aa, though I think his prospects in going very good, yet the fever that rages there proves so fatal to young people, that I dread his falling a victim to it. * * * " She recommends Kichard, tlien at New Haven, Connec- ticut, "not to meddle with the politics of the country, and to avoid writing to any one on the subject." She adds : " We have not heard from poor Ben (General Arnold's oldest son by his first wife) for a long time past, and have reason to fear he is a pris- oner, as about G,000 English are now in that situation in France, and those who previous to the war resided there; have been told they are very well treated, but I think I have now got things in a train to get certain information of him, and to furnish him with money. " Should you wish to forward me your certificate and draw for your half-pay, I will attend to your business.' " Edward, James and George are all at school, and coming on very well; they and Sophia send then: tender love to you. The latter is re- markably handsome, and promises to make a very fine woman." "VVliile in the "West Indies at another time, engaged in commerce, General Arnold was himself taken prisoner by the French, and although not known as a British officer, he was put on board a French prison-ship. He learned from a sentinel that he was suspected of being other than he ap- peared, and in great danger. At night he let himself down from the side of the ship, and by the aid of some planks, used as a raft, reached a small boat, in which he escaped to the English. 1. Both Richard and Henry were commissioned by Sir Henry Clinton as lleuten- nius of cnvalry In the American Legion, raised by General Arnold, and were now receiving half- pay, as retired otficere. 111 f ;ii ■] '■' u, 388 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. He rendered great service to Sir Charles Grey, command- ing on that station,' in consideration whereof, and of other services to the government, he received in Augnst, 1705, from Gilbert Franklin, Chairman of the Committee of West India planters and merchants, resolutions of the: Standing Committee, expressing their high appreciation and approbation of his conduct in the West Indies, and the wish that he might be further employed in the public service. ' In December, 1796, General Arnold conceived a plan for the capture by the British of the Spanish possessions in the West Indies. This plan, through the kindness of his friend. Lord Corn wallis, was laid before Mr. Pitt, then Prime Min- ister. I have now before me the draft of a letter to Corn- wallis, in which General Arnold says: 1. See Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. XC, p. 670. 2. The following is a copy of the resolution, and Gen. Arnold's reply tothj Chair- man of the Committee: " Resnlved, That the standing committee of the West India planters and mer- chants, beg leave to return him (Gen. A.) their thanks; that tliey are fully sen- sible of his .services in the West Indies, and feel themselves particularly obliBcil by his exertions, at the request of the commandur in-chief, which were uttcndecl, with such beneficial effects, in covering the retreat of the troops at Gaudaloupe, and they eann'^t refrain from expressing their concern at his having quitted the Islands at a time when their safety is in the utmost hazard, and they leg leave to assure him it would give them the most entire satisfaction to (ind he was again in a situ- ation to render further service to his Majesty in that part of the world.'' " Queen Ann .St. E., Aug. 1st, 179r) "Sir— I have' l the honor of receiving j'our very obliging letter of this day, enclosing a copy of a resolution of the standing committee of the West India planters and mercbnnts, expressive of their apprecir.tion of my conduct in the West Indies, and a wish for my being furthu.' employed. The approbation of so very respectable a body of gentlemen cannot fail of being highly gratifying tome, and 1 beg you will dome the favor of returning them my sincere thanks for the honor they have done me, and assure them that nothing would afford me greater pleasure than having an opportunity of rendering them essential service in the West Indies. "I have the honor to be, " With great resp'Ct and esteem, "Sir, your most obedient ' " And humble Servant, ' To Gilbert Frankliv, " chairman of the Standing Committee " Of the West India Planters and Merchants." "B. Arnold, \i\\ niS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 389 " I bofy you will accept my thanks for your friendly attention in speak- ing to Mr. Pitt on the subject of my plan, which the more I consider it the more importiint it appears to me in its consequences. * » ♦ "i will pledge myself, with such a covering fleet as 1 have mentioned, and 5,000 efl'ective men, to begin operations; I will raise so forniidiible an army of the natives, Creoles, and people of colour, that no force that Spain has there, or can send to thai country, will be able to resist or prevent their freeing the country from the Spanish Government. Permit me to request the favor, my Lord, should there ai)pear a favorible opertunity to carry such plan into etfect, that you will have the goodness to remind Mr. Pitt of it, & my wishes to be employed in it." ^ In the following year, 1797, Arnold addressed a letter to Earl Spencer, of the British cabinet, in which he says: " Having had some experience in conducting naval as well as military affairs, 1 think it my duty at this alarniing crisis, to tender my services to your Lordship, to be emploje 1 as you may think proper.'' * In 1798, the King of Great Britain granted to General Arnold and to his family 13,400 acres of land, to be selected from the Waste Lands of the Crown in Upper Canada. It is recited in the letter of the Duke of Portland, Secretary of State, to President Russell, of Canada, that "his (Arnold's) very gallant and meritorious service at Gnadaloupe, in the ])resent war," has induced his majesty to dispense with the condition requiring his residence in Canada.' While General Arnold was in the West Indies, the war between Great Britain and Prance was waged with great 1. Manuscript Letter of Dec 2'j, 1700. 2. Manuscript Letter of June 1, 17U7. 3. Manuscript letter from the Duke of Portland, Secretary of State for the Home Department, to President Uussell, Canada, dated— " Wliiteliall," June 12, 1798, in which he savs : " His (Arnold's) very gallant and meritorious conduct at Gaudeloupe, in the pres- ent war, has induced his Majesty, in c? is useU'ss, but it is surely a hard lot, to be separated from all my relations: do not sutt'er absence to wcalcen your atl'ection for me, and believe, that thoufjh fate has deprived me of the happiness of con- tributing to the comfort of your later days, I would sacrifice almost my life to render them easy and free from care and pain." ' As time passed on, the bitter disappointments, cares and embarrassments of General Arnold ])re6sed heavily upon liim, and his strong physique and liardy frame began to show signs of breaking up. lie became more and more the subject of nervous disease — sleep fled from him, and on the 1-tth of June, 1801, he died at his residence in London, aged sixty years. A letter of a friend of the family to Chief Justice Shippen, gives some details of the event: " It is the request of my tenderly beloved friend, your deeply afflicted daughter, that I should inform you of the melancholy chang^e which has laken place in her situation by the death of her ever dear and honored husband. General Arnold died on the 14th inst. (June), at half-past six in '» morninj?. His health has been in a declining state for several moniiis, but the danger which awaited him his poor wife was not fully aware of, Irom the flattering assurances constantly given her by the I'hy- sician who attemled. ♦ ♦ ♦ " My sister and myself were with Mrs. Arnold when her husband ex- pired, and we shall not be separated from her for some time, and tliere is not any attention which friendship and affection can suggest to soothe and soften her sorrows, which shall be omitted. •* She evinces upon this occasion, as you know she has done upon many trying ones before, that foi'titude and resignation, which a superior and well-regulated mind only is capable of exerting."* 1. A portrait of Chief Justice Shippen, by Stuart. 2. Manuscript letter from Mrs. A. to her father. 3. Manuscript letter of Mrs. Ann Fitch, to Chief Justice Shippen. fif 394 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. Om the first of July thereafter, Mrs. Arnohl wrote t<» Richard and Henry, announcing their father'a death. She says: " Your (loar Father, whoso lonjf dt'cliiiinflf Htate of hoalth you have boon ocquiiiiitcHl with, \h no mon>. In liini his iiiniily havt; lost an att'ectionntc husljaiul, Father and friend: and to his exertions to make a provision for them may be attribub.'d the loss of his life. His liust unsuccessful sptscula- tion, with the mortification and distress attendinjf it, jm'ssed heavily upon him. and lor many montiis before his death, he never lay two hours of a night in his bed, and he had every lin-adful nervous symptom, attended with great difficulty of breathing, that can possibly be imagined. I had Mattered myself that a favorable changi' in his circumstances, wiiicli would restore peace to his mind, and enable hi.ia to get a horse, ami go into the country, and resume his favorite exercise of horse-back riding, would renovate his health, but the wished-for change never took placi', but on the contrary he had heavy demands upon him from ditl'er.'nt quarters. *' On the 8th of June he became much worse, and suffered greatly for several days,an(l on Sunday, the 14th, at halfpast six o'clock in the morning, expired without a groan. For same days previous to his death he had but short intervals of reason, when the distressed situation of his family preyed greatly on his mind, and he was constantly iuiplorin<,' blessings upon them."* At the same time, Mrs. Arnold wrote to General ArnoldV sister, Hannah, givin<^ an account of her husband's last sick- ness and death, and saying that in his last hours, she (the sister) was not forgotten; and she adds: " His last moments were embittered by apprehensions of the distress which you might sutfer, if, as he feared, his Estate might be lift in a condition to render the continuance of your pension impossible; but 1 assure you that so long as my own pension from the government is paid, or 80 long as 1 have the means from any source, your pension shall be con- tinued." It is said that in those varying moments of consciousness and delirium which often immediately precede death, the mind is more apt to recall the earlier rather than the later scenes and incidents of life. This I have reason to believe 1. Manuscript letter of Mrs. Arnold, to Richard and Henry, dated July 1, 801. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 395 was true in the cftse of (ieneml Arnold. It will l)c reinein- berecl that when at West I'uint, on the morning of his flight, on hearing of Andre's capture, Arnold was at break- fast at his head-cjuarters, on the Hudson, lie had expected W^ashington to breakfast with him, and (.olonel Hamilton, the aid of Washington, and others were at his table, iio was in the full uniform of a Major-CJeneral of the Conti- nental army. It was in this uniform that he escaped to the Vulture; it was in this dress (for lie had no other clothes with him) that he arrived in Kew York.' This uniform, associated with his military life before liis desertion, ho carefully i)reserved, and took with him to England. Tradition says, that as death drew near, after one of those short intervals of reason, "when the distresswd condition of his family preyed greatly (,n his mind," and he was, as Mrs. Arnold writes, "imj)loring blessings upon his children," his mind wandered again, and in inuigination he seemed to he lighting his battles over, lie called for his old uniform, and desired to put it on, saying, " Bring me, I beg you, the epaulettes and sword-knots which "Washington gave me ; let me die in my old American uniform, then: ' form in which I fought my battles." " God forgive me," he muttered, " for ever putting on any other." Thus, in bitter distress, in 6elf-rej)roach, in poverty, died Benedict Arnold. His exam])le will never produce another traitor! There is no character in history, nor is there any in i)oetry or fic- tion, better calculated to teach and illustrate the beauty and the wisdom of fidelity, and the infamy and the folly of treachery, than his. Oh, chief auu)ng the virtues, is fidelity based on integrity. "Faithful to his trust!" "Faithful 1. See his letter to Washington, asking that his clothes raiuht be seut to him, and ofi'ering to pay for them, heretofore quoted. 396 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. unto death !" " Fjiithfnl and true !" These arc tlie no- blest words in all the le«i;ends of chivalry.' General Arnold did well, after betrayini; his trust and deceiving AVashing- ton, to erase from his family arms the word " Glory," and write in jjlace of it '■'■ Despair.''^ In doing this, he indicated how gladly he would have washed out his guilt with his own blood. All Americans have been taught to think of him only f a traitor. I n])pcal to a just and generous people to re- member that he was ?i patriot also ; that no one ever shed his blood more freely for the liberties of his country, and that it was AVashington who declared no more brave, active, spirited, no more sensible officer '^ tilled any place " in the lievolutioiuiry .army. In regard to his character, I have little to add to what has been said in the progress of this work. As a soldier he exhibited a superb courage, that was never surpassed, and which made him the idol of his men. lie possessed an en- durance, a capacity for leadership, an ability for organiza- tion, a power over men, a fertilit} of invention, a coolness in danger, and a quickness of perception, which marked him as among the best, if not the very best fightiUj^ general of the Revolutionary war.' He was a man of violent passions, and impatient of con- trol, but towards his friends, his mother, his sister, his wife, his children, his heart was gentle and most aflfectionate, and he died, as Mrs. Arnold says, a sacrifice to his efforts in their behalf, and " imploring blessings " upon them. He was extravagant and improvident in his habits, but liberal and generous to his friends. He was proud, and very sensi- 1. " Fidelete est dc Dim ." 2. The following extravagant eulogy is by nn English writer: " Arnold displaycil more real miHinry genius and inspiration, than all the gener- als put logeiher, on both (iides. engaged in the wr.r, with the inost undaunted per- sonal courage."— A'/ii hl's UUlory qf Lngland, Vol. I, S- S.p. 43U. HIS TATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 307 tive to ]icroonal wrongs, and I repeat what I said early in this work, if AVashington had been invested with the un- controlled power of appointments and promotion in his army, histor}' would never have recorded " traitor" opposite the name of Benedict Arnold. The i'ollowing extract from a letter of Mrs. Arnold to liichard and Henry, her step-sons, in Canada, written not long after their father's death, shows the affection which pervaded the family, and their reverence for his memory. S[)eaking of her management of his atl'airs, she says: " My conduct has been dictated l.>y regard to yon, respect to your dear Father's memory, and an earnest desire to act with uprightness, feeling and tenderness. Although I had much to bo thankful for during your Father's lifetime, I had much to struggle with; the solicitud> bo fi'lt to make a handsome provision for all his family, often involved him in ditfi- culties, and eventually proved the cause of his death. » * ». " But the solidtuile was in itself so praisewortliy, and so disinterested, and never induced him to dvvUite from rectitude, that his children should ever reverence his memory; and for myself, I am determined in my con- duct to them, to do everything which I think would be pleasing to him, could he view the actions of those he has left behind." It seems that his sons in Canada, in ignorance of their father's embarrassments, had without much consideration, uttered some complaints against him, which, wheii they came to understand all the tacts, pained them, and for which they bitterly reproached themselves. Mrs. Arnold's reply to their self-reproaches is so beauti- ful, and the sentiments expressed so noble, that although in a private family letter, I cannot forbear quoting a few para- graphs. She says: " It is certainly greatly to be regretted, that you so little know your dear Father's heart, his motives, and embarrassed circumstances, "as to be induced to write to him in a style to wound and distress him, and now to cause bitter self-reproach to yourselves — but as tlie evil is now irremedia- ble I beg you will not sutfer it to corrode your future happiness. "We are all frail mortals, and sincere repentance is the first step to amendiueut. 398 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. "Your dear Father fo gave and blessod you. God will accopt your contrition, and I will not only destroy tiie proofs in my possession, of your misguided judgment, but will endeavor to attribute it to the distress of your minds at the time, and as much as possible lose all recollections of it. It will afford me sincere pleasure to be of service to you, not only as the children of him whom 1 loved, but I trust from your future conduct; at present my means of befriending anybody are but slender, but if I live, my Father and my sons may enable me better to gratify the feelings of my heart. " I am sorry you have had so much to encounter in settling your farms, and that you are still struggling with many hardships." She recommends " perseverance, and in a little while," she says, "you will enjoy the fruits of your hard labor. " She closes this part of her letter by saying, " Should for- tune smile upon the exertions of my excellent sons, you will iind in them Brothers.''^ ^ This assurance was, as we shall see hereafter, abundantly verified. 1. Manuscript letter of Mrs. Arnold to Richard and Henry Arnold. CHAPTER XXIV. THE FAMILY OF GENERAL ARNOLD. "1 have rescued ynnr Father's memory from disrespect by paying all his just debts."— ^Vm. Arnold to her children. Mrs Arnold's Executive Ability— She Settles General Arnold's Estate, and Pays HIS Deuts— Educates her (.hilduen, and Procures for her Sons Commis- sions IN THE Army— Her Death— The Arnold Family in Canada—' Poor BisN's" Death from a Wound Keceived in Battle— The Family in England —All the Sons in the Pudlic Service— James Appointed Military aid to the Kino— Attains the Bask of Lieut. General— A Grandson Killed at .-ebas- . TOPOL. The extracts from the letters of Mrs, Arnold already given, and her conduct already detailed, .show that with lier affectionate heart, her clear good sense, and almost nnerring judgment, she united great executive ability. General Arnold left his affairs in a very embarrassed and complicated condition : heavy debts had been pressing upon him, rude creditors and unscrupulous claimants had been sinnoying him, and his means were very limited. In delicate health, with voun<; chiklren demandinj? her care, Mrs. Arnold was now to assume the heavv burden of settling his estate. In her letter to Richard and Ilenry, an- nouncing their father's death, she says,' ",I shall send you a copy of your Father's will, if I can possibly copy it, by this opportunity; if not, in a few clays; I have not yet proved it, but shall as soon aa I am able to return to town." ]. Manuscript letter of Mrs. Arnold, July 1, 1801. (399) 400 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. IIo had made her his executrix, and left his estate in her hands. She says: " Your Father was obliged to sell the lease of the house before his death, to make provisions forthe payment of his accepted bills, not having it in his power to raise the money in any other way. * * "I have not yet heard from Edward: James is in Egypt (in the army), exposed to the greatest danger, but he writes in good spirits: your sister is in great affliction and ill-health. In short, we are a wretched family, and in addition to our severe loss, we shall have pecuniary distress to contend with." I cannot describe the difficulties with which this heroic woman struggled so well, as by quoting from her own letters. She had proved the will, and assumed the responsibility of executrix, and in November, 1802, she writes to llichard and Henry, saying: " I have just received your affectionate letters of June 28th, nnd am much obliged for the kind concern you express for me and my children. « « « " I very early infomied you, that in undertaking the settlem.ent of the most troublesome business that ever devolved upon a female, I had not been actuated in the smallest degree by the hope of benefiting myself or my children ; that 1 was induced to do it only from respect to your Father's memory — the certainty that I could do more justice to oHiers than any other person could, and the wish to prevent all private letters from falling into the hands of strangers." After describing the dangerous effects of her exertions upon her health, she says: " But thanks to the goodness of God, I am restored to serenity and the power of exertion, and I shall perseveringly go on in the arduous task I have undertaken; the only recompense will be the consciousness that I have done my duty. " I have been under the necessity of parting with my furniture, wine, and many other comforts provided for me by the indulgent hand of affec- tion; and have by these sacrifices paid all the a sceHo i netl dvhta, within a few hundred pounds, and hope to be enabled to dischnrge the remain- der, and to pay a part of the legacies, provided a deniiind to a large amount, miule by a Sireih for the detention of his Vessel, is not substan- tiated. 1 have a hint that this has been decided against us; if so, 1 have HIS rATRIOTISM AXD HIS TREASON. 401 tilt? inortificiition of knowing' that neither myself nor my chililn-n will ever luive the value of a guinea from their clear Father's i)ropi'rty. ami that even the uncommon liberality of my Sons in pivinjr up tlieir pen- sions for the use of the family, has been of no avail. But tliesi; things are wisely ordained by the Almighty (or some good purpose, and His jus- tice and mercy we cannot doubt. A few months will bring things near to a close, when I will give you every particular. "While I have the means of preventing it, I will never suffer the sis- ter of my husband to want, and shall supply her from my own little in- come with wliat is necessary for her. 1 approve highly of her residing with you in future. * * '■ My dear Edward is one of the most noble of j-ouths; he writes san- guinely of his prospects in India; from his pay he insists upon taking upon liimself the entire expense of little William's education; he had before made over his pension irrevocably to his sister. Dear James is equally gi.'nerous and disinterL'sted, and is now living with great ditticulty upon his pay, that his pension may be appropriated to the use of the fam- ily. My dear girl is all that is amiable and excellent, and George and William promise fair to enmlate the example of their elder brothers. Such children compensate lor a thousand ills." In the same letter she writes in rerjard to tlie lands in Canudii, wiiich had been granted to (reneral Arnold and his I'ainilj. He had anthorizud his sons, llichard and llenrv, to locate these lands, an authority confirmed by Mrs. Ar- nold after her hushand's death. She now asks them ''to do everything in their power to get them located in the best sitnations and on the I)e8t terms possible. '' All necessary e.xpenses 1 will thankfully repay.'' " Your poor Father thought these lands an object, and expanded a great deal of interest and trouble in pmcuring thi'ui. Everything de- pends on their judicious location. * * » " I am now living in a very small house in Rryanston Strci-t. using furniture purchased from Carlow (a servant), who is now a more inde- pendant woman than her mistress. * * * ^jy jv^ther is very good to me; but for his aid, I should have suHercd still more wretched- ness. He and my Sisters are very desirous of my going to reside with them, but my anxiety to get your little brothers on in life, will d"prive ine of this gratification. 1 have placed Gjorge at the New Uoyal ISIili- tary College, to which he was appointjd (through the interest of the 20 402 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. Marquis Comwallis) by tlio India Company, who will pay half thn ox- pcnscs of his education, ho being" designed for their Service. It is a most excellent Seminary, and embraces every part of education necejjsary to to form the soldier and the pentleman. " I shall write to your aunt by this packet." ' In another letter she says: " I have been so fortunate, through the interest of the Marquis rom- wallis, to get George into the Koyal Military College, nominated by tin; East India Company, who defray half the expense, which is ninety guineas per annum. They (the boys) are taught everything that can form the soldier and the gentleman, riding, fencing, and every other accomplish- ment, with tlic Oriental languages, which is very important, and brings them into much notice. "George's character stands very high." In July, 1803, this admirable mother writes to her " Dear Sons " in Canada, savinii;: '• I have written you verv I'uliv respecting the Canada lands, and sent yon a power of attor- ney to act in the business." She speaks of her greatly im- ])aired health, and says she was to "have a consultation of Physicians two days hence. * * * " " God knows how it (her disease) will terminate; I am endeavouring to Itropare my mind for th(^ worst, but when I refl.'ct upon the unprotect(>d state of my children, whoso welfare so greatly depends upon my exer- tions for them, I am almost deprived of that fortitude so essential 'o my own support. * * * " I have from time to time given you an account of your dear Father's affairs. I have nearly accomplished what I am convinced no other per- son could have done — the payment of all the just debts. " I have lately had several dmnands mailo upon mo on account of the VUr Prirati'o-ft, which 1 know not whether I can resist, or even if thi>y are just. " The claim of the Swede for the detention of his vessel and total loss of his cargo, is in the Court of Admiralty. " You can form not the smallest idea of the trouble and perplexity in which I have been involved. The only reward is, the "\aving saved you from distress, and the gratification of having paid all your dear Father's just debts, so that no reflection on that score can ever be cast upon his memory. 1. Manuscript letter of Mrs. Arnold, \ov. 5, 1802. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 403 to V- mv 10 ii\V in ton r's lis " I am uneasy at not hcarinp from your aunt for a long time; T am fearful she may l)e in distress for money. I have wi'itten repeatedly to lier, and requested her to draw on mo for twenty- four pounds, which T will endeavor to allow her annually. " I have heard lately from Kdward, who had just had a severe action with the army of one of the native chiefs. James is now on his pasaapre to the West Indies; Oeorge is at the Koyal Military school, and if I live, will no to the East Indies next year. Your sister is with me, and little William goes to the school at which all lii-^ brothers were educated."^ In a letter written the same vear to her sons in Canada, she says: " I feel gratified by your affectionate anxiety for me, and am happy to have itin my power to nslieve it, by assuring you that 1 am infinitely l)et- ter, and thank (iod, restored to a good degree of comfort. * * A variety of tlie mu.st agonizing scenes, followed l)y a press of the most harrassing business, had nearly subdued that fortitude which never before forsook me. " The excellence of my children is a never-failing source of delight to me, and the kindness I experience from my friends, tends to make me much less sonsiljlo of the material change in my situation. " The situation of your dear Father's affairs has made it necessary fur me to have the most trifling article disposed of, or valued and paid for by myself^this has extended even to his clothing." " The ^'/^('(/e has not withdrawn his claim — but does not press it with much vigor." After speakino; in detail of all her children, she says, "No mother was ever more blessed in good children than I am." "I shall send you by Mr. Morley some of your dear Fatiier's hair, liis seal with his Arms, and sleeve-buttons, knee and stock-buckles, &c., &c., which as having been long worn by him, avjU I doubt not be valued by you." In August, 1803, Mrs. Arnold writes,"! have the greatest satisfaction in informing you that the long pending Admiralty cause of theSwedi.«h ship is decided, and in our favor. Their claim was for the loss of the ship, cargo, and two years' detention. Had they succeeded, ten times the property I have would not have satisfied their demand." She adds, "Upon this decision everything depended, and until it was given, it was impossible to bring the business to a close." After speaking in detail of her difficulties, she adds: 1. Manuscript letter of Mrs. Arnokl, July 27. 1603, f 401 LIFE OF BENEDICT AIIXOLD. " Althoiif^b I have suff.'roil, in my choice of evils, ahnost beyoiul human cmhu-ance, I now repent not at havinj? made it. " To you I have renilored an essential service; I have rescued your Father's memory from disrespect, by paying all his just dt'l)ts; and his Children will now never liave the morlilicatioa of beiuff rei)roacli(.'(l with his speculations havinpr injured anybody beyond his own family; ami his motives, not the unfortunate termination, will bo considered by them, and his mmnory will bo doubly dear to th'm. "It has been a dreadful business, and minute as I have been in my detail, it is quite impossible for you to form an idea of what 1 have had to encounter, besides the sacrifice of all my accustomed comforts. I have not even a tea-spoon, a towel, or a bottle of wine, that I have not paid for. But having nearly completed my gT?at work, I was beginning to enjoy some degree of comfort, to which however my ill health is a great interruption. " And now to the important business of the Canada lands. I am very glad to hear that the ditliculty of the grant is overcome — more par- ticularly as I understand, that if they are judiciously located they will certainly be of considerable value." ' TJie letters above quoted, from Mrs. Arnold to Richard and Henry, speak more eloquently tlian any words I could use, of her most estimable character. In some earlier letters she referred most affectionately on several occasions to "Poor Ben," General Arnohl's oldest son. On bis father's defection, he, as well as Richard and Henry, alth()n<:^li so yonng, received commissions from the British government. Benedict saw active service as an officer in the artillery. He died October 2-ith, 1705, at Iron Shore, on the north side of the island of Jamaica, in the 'West Indies, aged twenty-seven years. He had been se- verely wounded in the leg, in a recent action, and refusing to have the leg amputated, the wound resulted in his death. In a letter of Mrs. Arnold to Richard, written after the General's death, she says: " I shall send, when a good op- portunity occurs, some few things belonging to your Father; 1. Manuscript letter of Mri. iVrnold, dated Clay Hall, Old Wiudsor, Aug. 1803. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 405 also your poor Lrotlior Ben's sword, wliicli Sir Grenvillo TtMiiple brought f'ruin the AV'est Inches, and gave to yonr Father." * ]>otli Richard and ITenry were coniniissioned as lieuten- ants of cavalry in the American Legion, raised by their father in 1780, as before stated, and afterwards received from tlie British government half-pay as retired officers. liicliard married Margaret Weatlierhead, danghter of Samnel AVeatherhead, Esq., of Angusta, T^p]Kn- Canada, December 30th, 1804, and left a large and highly respecta- ble family erf sons and danghters. Henry, the third son of General Arnold by his first wife? married IfannaliTen Eyck, daughter of Richard TenEyck, of New York, December -ith, ITIH). lie died in the city of New York, Dec. 8th, 1820, and left a respectabie family. Hannah, their aunt, and the only eister of General Ar- nold, as has been stated, spent the later years of her life with her nejihews Henry and Rich!iren<:;al cavalry, lie was promoted to the ])osition of ])aymaster, and dishiirsed, with the utmost tidelitv and scrui)Ulo\is care, immense sums of monev. lie died at Dinapoor, I'en^al, Dec. 17,1813. His moral character was without a stain : he was un- wearied in acts of heneficenco. Li the fearful famine, which ])revailed in the Korthern India provinces, while he was in India, the wealth which his industry, capacity, and ])rovi- dence had accumulated, his generous liheralitv induced him to dispenes freely among the suftering people of Mutti-a, on whom he hestowed secretly large sums, in food, through the agency of a native : and so unostentatiously wr.s this done, that it was not known to his friends and family until after his deatli.' The heautv of his domestic character, and his devotion to his mother, his hrothers and sister, fully ap{)ears in tlie family corres])oiulence. James Rohertison, born in TsewYork, August 28th 17S1, married March lilst 1807, Virginia Goodrich, fourth daugh- ter of J3artlett Goodrich, Esq., of Saling Grove, Isle of Wight. He entered the Corps of Iloyal Engineers in 1798, and served as an officer for more than half a century, rising by merit to the rank of Lieutenant-Gcneral. He served throufjli all the wars of England against France, at the close of the last and early part of the present century. In 1800 he was 1. Letter of WnshiiDrton to Arnolil. March '.'Stli, 1780. 2. Rev. Edward Gladwin Arnold— Manuscript It'tier. 408 LIFE OF BENEDICT AKXOED. ]>rc'.<*nnt aiul in active service at the blockade and suiTciidcr of ]\ralta. In 1801 lie ])articij>atod in tlK>('anij»aii;n inKirypt.' lie was eni^agt>d in the ca[)tiire of Ahoukir Castle, in the battle of Alexandria, and the e.\])nlsi()n of the French from (Iraiul Cairo. Afterwards he served in the West Intlics, mid took part in the cotiqnest of the colonies of Denierara, Esseqniho, IJcrbice, and Surinam, At Surinam he success- fully led the storming ])arty against the redoubt Frederic and Fort Leyden. An incident connected with the storming of this redoubt has been told by a connection of Lieutenant (icneral Arnold, tlu; truth of which, although I cannot vouch for, I have no reason to doubt. When the J^ritish cotnnninder determined to e' M'm the redoubt, knowing the extreme danger which would bo en- countered by the attacking ]>arty, and unwilling to order his oilicers to abnost certain death, lie called for volunteers to lead the ass^ault. Several young oftlcers volunteered, and ann)ng them Ai'indd; and before the selection was made, he said to the comnuvnder: ''I claim the ])rivi]ege of leading this assault. No braver man than my father ever lived, but you kuitw how bitterly he has been condemned for his con- duct at "West Point; permit me, I beg you, to do what I can to redeem the same." The command was given to him; he led it gallantly and successfully, displaying all that impetuous courage which had so distinguished his lather. He received a vei'v severe wound in the leg — but the redouht and fort were taken.'' For his gallantry lie was honorably mentioned in the dis- patches, and was ]iresented b}^ the committee of the patriotic fund with a sword of the value of £100 pounds. lie served several years in Bermuda, and commanded the Engineers in British North America, i^- A (^ 'V-'-' '' 1. lUustratcil I,nn. lie was .'icated a knight of the Hanoverian (inelphic; Order, and Juii^ht of the Crescent. N' soUlier was ever ni«>re sensitive to anythiniij atl'ectin:^ his honor. He felt most k>./'nly and ])ainfnlly the stain upon his name. When at St. ,I»dins, in Jiritish North America, lie visited the honso in whicii his father had lived, and it is said he "wept like a child." ' He kept np n most airectionate corres])ondence with his mother's family in America, and exjtri'ssed a desire to visit them, hnt was prevented by his knowled;^e of the intense feeling ai^ainst his fatlier. To one of his mother's family in I'hiladel])liia, writin<^ from Malta, in 1800, he says: ' Altliou^fh aHtriingor, my heart is with yon. Much of the uiihomidcd attfR'hiiiciit of my laiiu'iitcd Motlicr for lior family was iiistillt'd into hor tiiii(h-cn, and there is nothing to whidi 1 looit forward with more pleasure tiian to lieing with you once again. 1 do propose to visit American very few years hence, if after tiie long periud that has elapsed, former circumstances are sufficiently obli. crated to render it proper." * He died withont issne, on the 2Tth of December, 1S54, at his residence, in Onslow Si^nare, Lcnidon.' He is said to liave resembled his father in personal appearance. George, born at 8t. Johns, New Brunswick, Si^j^tember />th, 1787, man-ied Anne ]\rartinez Brown, and died in In- dia, November 1st, 182S, holdin<>: at the time of his death the rank of Lieutemint-Colonel in the 2nd Benfijal cavalry. It is said that lie was named by his father, Geor«j;e, after (Icorp^e Washington, his early, and George the Third, his later Iriend. William Fiteh, born in London, June 2oth, 17U4. ]Mar- 1. Sftblne's Loyftllsts, Vol. I, p. 180. 2. It will be recollected lie was born in New York. a. Manuscript Letter from his nephew, Kev. Edward Gladwin Arnold. W 410 LIFE or BENEDICT AllXOLD. ried May lOtli, 1S19, ElizaLctli Cecilia, only daugliter of Alexander Ruddock, Es(]., of Tolja^o, and cajitain in the Kojal navy. AVilliani was a ca])tain in the ItJth lloyal Lancers, and justice of the ]>eace for the county of I>uck- iiiiz^hanishire. His residence and country seat was Little Messenden Abbey, in Bucks, He left six children, two sons and four daughters. One of his sons, the llev, Edward Gladwin Arnold, married April 27th, 1852, Lady Char- lotte, daughter of the MfUVjuis of Cholniondelay. AVilliani Trail, the second son, was a ca))tain in the 4tli (King's Own) regiment of foot, in the British army. He served with great distinction in the war in the Crimea, in 1854-5. He was in the battles of the Alma, Iidcerman, and served with his regiment before Sebastopol during the severe and terrible winter of 1854-5. " He met his death in the followiiif,' manner: He was in commanil of his regiment in the advanced trenches on the ni">, when his duty was to post double st.'ntinels in iidv.mce of the advanced trenches, and this was not done until it was nenrly dark. He had posteil all but six men, and was advancinj; with them and a sergeant, when a picket of Russians, s me thirty or ibrty, it was said, which had boeu ly- ing in wait for him under a hillock, rose up and fired a volley at him, when he was but a few yards from them. He cried out to his men, 'Fire and retire,' and fell to the earth, saying, '0, God! T am killed ' The men made the best of the way back to the Trenches, when the next officer in command advanced the I'egiment in the hope of recovering his body, but though they found the exact spot where he fell, he had been carried into Sebastopol. " Lord Raglan sent in a flag of truce, but all that could be learned was, ' Captain Arnold died the same night he was wounded, in Sebastopol.' " Lord Raglan, the Commander-in-chief, in his dispatch'^s. May 8th. If^o"), speaks as follows: "On the same night Captain Arnold, of the 4th Foot, was wounded and taken prisoner while posting the advance sentries on the left. The loss of the services of this officer in greatly to be lamented. He Jidfi (loitc his ihiiij unremittingly, and in the most spirited iininiicr thvoiujhout the operations qf the siege.'' HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TKEASOX. 411 " He was a fine fellow, in every way, and liad all tlic energy and si)irit of his grandfather." ' Sophia Matilda^ daughter of General Arnold, was born in London, July 28t]i, 1785; she was married April 17th, 1813, at Muttra, in Bengal, to Captain, afterwards Lieuten- ant Colonel, Pownall Phip])S, of the Mulgrave family, _ Knight of the Crescent, AcO*^ ^^ ^ ^-^^-^ ^ ^'^ ^<^/:i^^ii^ She was distinguished for her heauty, her culture, and her marked religious character. She died in Sunbury, Eng- ^^ land, June 10th, 1828.^ ^ /^^^u^^X^^»^ ^ ^ ^a^^C-«-» ^ I will now give a few extracts from the correspondence of the family, illustrative of the characters of its members. These extracts might be very largely increased, as the cor- respondence is voluminous, p.nd runs through nnuiy years. On the 23d of May, ISOG, James Eobertson, writing from l5arbadoes to his grandfather, Chief Justice Shippeu, speaks of having been in the AVest Indies "nearly three years, during which time," ho says, ''I have been tolerably well employed. The fortunes of war, will, I trust, shortly permit me to return to England, for which I am more particularly anxious on my darling sister's account." He laments hav- ing been prevented '"from embracing the^^e dear relations, whose love and affection," he says, ^ would have cheered the dreai-y hours of my life." " I never cease to pray God to lili^ss and protect tlicDi. Assure th(Mn all, my dear Sir, of these seiitiiuents, the e.xtont of which I am ill able 1. Bev. Edward Gladwin Anidld. The tollowiiiK nolifc. tiken from the Loioester Advertiser, England, of July 21, IS'Wj, shows lidw lie wtis n'Rardud by his coniraik's: " Amongst tlie fearful list ol losses and casualties to which our army in the Cri- men is exposed. I lately read, with feeliuK's of iiiin},ded sorrow luid rev'rct, the iianio of Captain Willium Trail ArnoM. of the 4lli Kind's Own KeKimcnt, who was, whilst eonuniuiiUnK a sl;irniishing parly tielure J-eliastoixil, severely wounded, and tulien l>risoiier on the oih of May last, and died of his wounds a lew hours after." 2. For the dates and facts in relation to the descendants of General Arnold, in England, I am indebted to his grandson, the Kev. Edward Uladwiu Arnold. 412 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. to oxproRS. anil entreat tliom sometimes to think of me, who often, very often thinks of, and prays for them, " My sister will probably remain in Devonshire Place, * * till my return, when I ho^je to form some scheme for onr living? together, and for makinc,' her lushnppy and comfortahlo as my fondest wishes have desired. " Poor girl! she has felt and still feels most keenly the loss of our best of mothers. But I will try to heal the wound. Whatever fraternal love can devise, shall not be wanting to soothe her, and I trust God will crown my endeavors with success. She is as truly good an 1 amiable as th(,' tenderest love can wish, and my heart swells with gratitude .to Al- mighty God for having given me such a sister. " My dear Brothers in India, Edward and George, are doing extremely well, and in a fair way of promotion. They are an honor to their name and family. Little Williiun is at School, and Sophia tells me improving fast. " The establishment in life of that poor little orphan shall be one of my chief cares, and 1 am determined he shall never feel the want of those ad- vantages which his brothers have enjoyed. He shall have the choice, as we had, of his profession, which I think from all 1 hear, will be that of a sol.lier. " We are very dull here. — No laurels I fe.ir for the West India army." He speaks enthusiastically of Lord Nelson, and says: "If heroes are entitled to a seat in Heaven he (Nelson) must be there." Of Napoleon he says: " One would imagine that the repeated Naval defeats the usurper has sustained would have checked his ardor; it seems, however, only to have intlamed it. While he exists Europe can expect no tranquility. His ambition knows no bounds. * * J tiust the Almighty will not sutfer nmch longer this scourge to desolate the world. " I heartily pity the poor old King. His has been an eventful and far from happy reign. It will bo long. I fear, before the nation will recover the loss of those three great men — Pitt, Nelson and Cornwallis. " Pray, my dear Grand-Father, allow me the hajipiness of hearing from you, and may God forever bless you."* The two older brothers, Edward Shippen, in the East Indies, and James Robertson, in the West Indies, fonnd their strongest motive to action in their orpliau sister and little brother in England. 1, Manuscript letter lu possession of Edward Sliippcn, Esq.,of Phlludclifliia. HIS TATKIOTISM AXD HIS TREASOX. 413 III ISOG, Edward was at Malta, and on receiving intelli- gence of tiie death of Chief Justice 8hij)pen, and that his grand-children in England were legatees, writes on thelOtli of Se])teniber to one of the family of his mother, in Phila- delphia. After acknowledijinijj the receipt of the "melancholv intelligence of dear Grand-father's death," etc., he adds: "The Will, of which you have enclosed a Copy, appears to have been iniule upon principles of the f,'r<'atest kinilnoss towards us all. Wo are all too nuicli attaciied to our dear Sophia to feel otherwise than highly j^ratified that she should have been thus handsomely provided tor. " I think it rijjht, both as a puide to your conduct, in a situation which you will perhaps feel as rather delicate, and as a proper mark of respect to my nearest remaining relatives, to give you as much knowledge as possible of our respective views and prospects. Sophia's income, arising from her pension and property, exclusively her own, was about £.'50 a year, to which was added £100 from my Grand-Father. James, George and myself had relinquished in her favor our pensions, each netting £-<0, and I had in addition to this, directed my agents to pay to her use £200 a year if she required it, either for herself o. 'or defraying the expenses of William's education. These latter sums, however, she did not seem disposed to approja-iate to herself, while we had yet our fortunes to make; but had formed very prudent aiTangemen's for living and educating Wil- liam without much exceeding the two former. What must now devolve to her will, I should hope, not only compensate for the loss of her allow- ance from my (i rand- Fat her, but add also so considerably to her income, as to prevent her having occasion for that assistynce which she was so delicate in accepting. *■ James is now well advanced in an advantaseons line of his profes- f ion, and with his pension, and a full quarter share of what is to be dis- tributed among us, will be well provided for. George has also been very fortunate in this country. He has a good standing in the service, and every prospect of returning to England after a moderate number of years, with an Independance. I have hitherto been particularly successful, hav- ing had the charge for the last ten months of Deputy Field Pay-master to the troops on this establishment, and as my conduct has hitherto been approved by the government, I have every pros|',ect of being confirmed in this situation, and of realizing in a few years enough to satisfy my moderate wislu's. William, in short, only remains to be provided for, and he hfis of his owu about £1,:jOJ or £1,400. This it was my iuteu- 41i. LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. tion to linvc made up by a loan of £3,000—80 that a writcrship to this country (India) mifirht be purchanod for him. Goorj^c and myself oreatly wish that from our shares his may be made up to a snni sufficient to ef- fect this purpose and to pay his outfit. Should this plan require the whole (of our shares) we willingly relinquish them. * * * " I cannot close without expressing how much regret I feel in being known by name only to those near relati* s with whom other men aavo an opportunity of forming the most endearmg connections of life." Oil tlie 12th of November, 1806, he writes to the same person, saying: " The Government have now perminently appointed me a Deputy Pay Master to the troops, with a very large district on the frontier. It is a situation of peculiar responsibility and trouble, involving a disbursement of nearly a million sterling a year. * * * jj affords me a certain prospect of a moderate independence at the end of five or six years more. * * It was given me by the Commander-in-chief, after serving three campaigns with him, and confirmed by the Governor-General after a year's trial. " William is now at the preparatory school to the College, where all the civil servants of the company are educated. " My brother George is well, and is succeeding beyond most young men of his age in India." On the 25th of October, 181.3, William writes to Richard his half- bi'other in Canada, saying " Sophia is married to Captain Phipps, of the East India company's service. It is a most desirable match; he is a rela- tion to Lord Mulgrave, and a nephew to Mr. Tierney,' a very fine young man, and extremely well-off in pecuniary matters. Edward and George were in good health, and coming on well." On tlie 30th of July, 1823, Sophia (Mrs. Tliipps) writes to her nncle Burd, saying, "William has bought a small freehold Estate, Little Mosscndon Abbey, in Bucks, and is residing quietly there with his wife and three children. We are to pay them a visit, when we leave Bath." On the 16th of August, 1814, James writes to his broth- ers Eicliard and Henry, communicating intelligence of the death of his brother Edward. lie says: "He died on the 17th of December last at Dinapore, on his way to Calcutta. 1. Member of rarliamcnt. HIS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TEEASOX. 415 "To tell you how miserable this event has made me woukl l)o impossi- ble, but you may judtjfo of my fpclinjjs, when you reflect that we were Ijronfrht up tofrfther and always loved eaeh other witli the most tender atii'ction. * * ] am really happy to inl'oim you of poor Kd ward's affectionate recollection of you both. He has left you each £")00 sterling. * * (lod bless and prosper you, my dear brothers, and may it bo long, very long, belbre we have to deplore the loss of another of our family." On the 7tli of Angnst, 1815, James writes aguiii to his brothers in Canada, saying: " You will l)e pleased to learn that I have obtained the important step of Lieutenant Colonel in my Corps. I have more than ever cause to be thankful to our clear Parents and our lamented Brother Edward, by whose advice I came into the Engineers. If they had been siiared to witness the result of their exertions for me, my feelings on this occasion would have been delightful indeed. But all is for the best, and we have no right to doubt the goodness and wisdom of that kind Providence who grants or withholds, as He knows to be right. If pros perity and the comi)letion of all our worldly desires make us happier, they do not always make us the better or moi"e deserving; adversity, and those disappoint- ments which mankind call cruel, and which appear so at the time, seldom fail to teach us that it is not here we are to look fur happiness; that though we may enjoy it for a time, it cannot last, and that it is only by endeavoring to do our duty that we can e.xpect to attain it in the state to which we are all hastening. This conviction must check unmeasured joy, and must console us in the most trying afflictions. "As to the Land (the Canada land), a few years may make it of some value, and I shall let it take its chance, as far as 1 am concerned. I wish we could stick it on to some part of old England, and bring you and your family over with it. It would be of souu' value with the timber on jj. # 4F 4^ , " I should have liked to have shared in the glory of the late campaign, but having missed that, care very little where I go next. You will have heard before this can reach you, of that noble but bloody atlair, the bat- tle of Waterloo. The French are completely humbled, but I dcjubt tin- flame being extinguished. I hope the Allies will make them suffer a little more before they leave them. * * * " You will see what a complete change we have recently had in our ad- ministration, and I hope things will now go on better. The Duke of Wel- lington is a straight-fbrvvatd, honorable fellow, without any humbug, i have seen a great deal of him since I have been stationed at Dover, and have received nmch kindness and attention from him. * * " 410 LIFE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. liii On the 12tli of Aiii^nst, 1S3G, James was Aide-do-Canip to Kinii^ William the IV., and was still stationed at Dover, Enii;land. Ills half-brother liichard had written to him. soliciting aid in obtaining some appointment, to whieh hu replies: " You are mistaken, my dear Richartl, as to the influence you seem to imagine the officers on the Kings's staff have with him. Tlae only aide- de-camp constantly about his person is the principal one, Sir Herbert 'J'aylor, and he has much influence. The others, with perhaps few excep- tions, have little intercourse with his majesty, excepting on occasions of State, or other duties. There are certain privileges attached to the appointment, liut though it brings us all more in the occasional presence of his majesty, more in contact with him through other officers, it gives vo chiim to his confidence, beyond what he may see fit to giant. The ministers of the crown are the hi.'ads through whom all chiefly look for the accomplisliment of such olyects as our friend Jones had in view. * * " I wish you fully to understand the appointment of King's aid-de-camp tliough purely military, has always been considered most enviable and desirable, and to be conferred as a mark of Royal approbation of conduct. I value it most highly. You give me the title of ' Sir,' to which I have no right. Remember, I am plain 'Colonel.' I hope you will soon be able to sell some moie of our land to advantage. " God bless you all — Virginia unites with me in kindest love— ever my dear Richard, " Your affectionate Brother, tSrc." On the 23d of Jnnc, 1837, James writes from the " United Service Club, London," to his brother Richard, and says» amotig, other things: *' I have recently been appointed to the command of the Engineer I )epartment in Ireland. # * ♦ * " The connnand is considered the most important we have, and I ex- pect to be placed as a Colonel on the Staff, which will make it much more agreeable. * # * * * " I understand Phipp's boy is grown a very fine stout fellow. I won- der at his choosing to settle in Ireland, and in such a county, too, as Tip- perary! Rut he tells me they get on well there. "As to William * * he has a very pretty place in Buckingham- shire, and has been made a Magistrate, which gives him some impor- tance in the County. # * * * IirS PATRIOTISM AND HIS TREASON. 417 "Pray toll mo what prospect tbero is of sellinj,' our land. I wish we coulil dispose of it to tolerable a(lvaiitiij,'(', aiul that I believe to lie the wish of tlie fiiiiiily {irnerally. No doubt it »(('// be more valiiabli- tni years lu'iiee, but then we may not be here to enjoy the benefit uf it! " I'ray, doendtavorto sell whenever anything like fair opportunity otlcr. * * # * * * " 'J"he death of our excellent Kiny has cast much gloom over London. He will long be deeply and sincerely lamented, and I. for one, feel that in him I have lost an excellent friend. 1 had the honor of dining with him at Brighton lasl Februaiy, and had an audience the next morning of nearly an hour. ***** "The young (.2"''^" (Victoria) appears to have given much satisfact.jn, and to promise all we can expect from her. 15ut it is a serious and heavy charge for a girl of eighteen! * * * " Yon shall know how we get on in Ireland. * "(lod bles-! you ami all your family, my dear Kichard! 1 trust you will enjoy many hajjpy years, and that we may yet meet in thin world, belorc we are summoned to a better. The next Brevet will most probal)ly make me a Major-deneral, and 1 eamiot doubt that when stnnii travflinycomcs more fidly into play, I may feel di.sposed to take another trip across the Atlantic." Tlicse extracts niio-lit lie continued, l)ut enough liave lieoii given to show tlie character of the i'aniily, and thegt'iicnius affection tliey all entertained for each other. The letters indicate, what I learn from other sources, that all the sons and the daughter were of marked religious character. An English corres]»ondent, who knew the family, says: "The Konsof (ieneral Arnold could not l»ut l»e brave, and the sons of Margaret Shi])pen couM not he other than gentlemen, and her daughter a gentlewoman." 27 APPEISTDIX. The followini; paper was drawn up by Gen. Arnold at the request of the Kini^. Its exact date I am unable to give. It is the original draft, with some interlineations, erasures and alterations, and apparently somewh.at incomplete, and is all in his hand-writin will be a second time and more fatally deluded. Such accounts should be listt!ned to with great jealousy, because they proceed from Ignorance or bad de- signs, and lead to despair; and tho severance of the Enij)ire will be the ruin of it, and of eveiy part of it. " That a great Majority of the Americans are averse from the Separa- tion, is a Tnith supported by every kind of Proof of which the Subject is capable, and nothing is so easy as to detect the Fallacy of the Reasons assigned for doubting it. It appears to be a Parodox to some, how a ^linority can maintain the Usurpation in a Government that is democrat- ical. The solution is this: When the Republics were first formed, the Miijority were in Favor of them, and disarmed the Rest; they did more — they enacted laws to incapacitate them from holding Ofl'ices, or voting ior others, for they made it a pro-requisite to both, that the King's Authority should be abjured. No Loi/nlist can do that. (419) 420 APPENDIX. M ■ ' i " It is a Df'innnstnition that llio Friends of the Rostonition arc most nuuiorous, it' the tact be adiiiitteil that the Kluctiong an; ovt'i-ywluTo at- tended by a minority; and this has been the case t.'vcr since the Over- tures of 177H. If it was not believed to be so, how sliouid we account for the resort of so many Thousands to the Kin},''s Lines? Wiiat induces them to quit their Estates, Families and Friends, and risk tlieir own Lives'? It would be the fjroatest of all Paradoxes to find them stakinf,' everything dear to them, upon their |ireferenc(,' of the Royal t'ause to the Conyressional Protection, if th.ey knew tlie latter to be supported by the general voice. You will hear, indeed, of Diversities in the Proportions of Whig and Tory at ditferi'iit Places, and the accounts would Ije falst; if they were not various; but every informer, from whatever Distinct he comes, Va'ings the Intelligence that his Townsmen or Countrymen are in the main for the Restoration, ami that their Siiinlwrs (lidlfi iiicnitsc. Nothing can more strongly confirm this Testimony than the Conduct of the Party in the saddle, and the condifions of their o/fidrs. " It was because the Non-concurrence of the multitude was appre- hcndi'd, that they were not consulted on thr rrtijiriitu of ihrhtrinf/ the IiKlijiciidoicc ill 1776, nor on the Couftdcrafioti to mitlnirizifori'if/n alli- ancea in 1777, nor on the licjirt'uiu of the Jiritinh Oi-ertnres in 1778. Ever}' one of these F]vents actually made accessions to the Number of the Loyalists, and frittered down the IndepiMulent Party to a proportion- able Diminution. The minority increased in Cruelty as they lessened in Numbers, and the Barbarities begot by their fears, disgusting others, and working with general Calamities, the Zealots, at this day tor protracting the War, are really become a very small Projiortion of the Continent. America is a country of husbamlmen, and tho' this class lias felt the 1)ur- then of Military Service, 'tis but now they find cause to repine under the Load of their Taxes, which are tenlbld greater than they were before the War, and are daily increasing, the scarcity of Specie, having reduced the Peace Price of tUeir stinted Productions nearly onedialf — Wheat being at 4s. a Bushel. " If it is thought'an Objection that the Wnr would not have been so unsuccessful, if our Friends were so numerous; but that in the several Experiments'for penetrating the Country, they would have flocked to the British Standard; and that consequently the truth is, that the Rebels are everywhere an inveterate IMajority, and the Loyalists few and timid, as Earl Cornwallis has asserted. I reply that this Timidity should be called Diffidence; and arises from causes easily to be removed by a change in the Conduct of the War, which the American Loyalists have all along disapproved. It would be a tedious and invidious Task to indulge in particular remarks, upon tho Inactivity and Misdirection of the King's APPENDIX. 421 1011- Ain and ictii)^^ lent, liuv- th.^ tlio I thL' -• at m so iveval o tlu; ebels iniiil, (I be anffo ilong jfu in ing's Arms; T loavo it to other!', for a few important Observations to finish with the objf'ction ! liavo start<'il. " Has any attempt been made to set up the Civil Authority in any Part of America, wliere the usurpation was beaten down? Certainly not— and till tliis if atti'udi'd to, tiit; Loyah'sts iu fri'iuTid //•/// not, nor iiidccd ran fth'c any essential assistance to the Koyal Ariiis. I have said they irill not because they are Eiifjlislimeti. Nay, an American Husbandman will no sooner ([uit Ins farm and family to become a common Soldier at Six Pense a I'ay Wages with rations, than an English Gt.'utleman of i;")00 a year in the funds. He will not lend his haml to erect a Military Misrule over himself and his Friends, ami put all his Property at the Discretion of an Arbitrary Police, that has cut the throat of the Kinz's Interest when- ever it has been setup. He has, however, noolijection to serve in the Militia tiithin his own colony, under oilicers who are of it; and to assist in supporting its government and defending himself in it ; and may per- haps pursue the ]{ebel out of it, or meet iiim on a Menaeed invasion near the Borders. Hut for this purpose the Civil Authority of the Crown must first bo set up; and without it, Great Britain (tlie Anu'rican being what lie is) can neither be benefited by his Councils, his J'urse, nor his Arms. He will be passive while under the Power of the U.>-urpers; and when they are ilying Ijefoio the King's troops, continue if he can at lion.io, .riv- ing aiil to neither Party, and certainly not ojipose the Hoyal Army, if he finds it possible to avoid it; and in short, behave in the manner Lord Cornwallis exiiorienced, distrusting both the strength of his Army, to give Protection, and what is worse, to afford the Protection of the Liiun of the Land. " In a war of Posts, therefore, connected with the plan of subjecting the Country to Military Policy, the whole n'ork iiiiist he per/onncil hif the Ki)i(/'s Troops; and if this is impracticable, it is a very good reiuson for adopting a new mode, but no evidence at all of the want of a Disposition in America for the Renewal of the royal flovermuent and the re-union of the Empire. Is there a county in England, that thus circumstanced, would act otherwise, and be easy a month under the Direction of an army? — of an army too, addicted to Plunder, and often willing tosupjioso a Friend to be a Rebel, for the sake of what he has got, or they liavo seized? I will not admit, though a soldier myself, that the King's Civil Government and the success of the service are incompatable; and have . said enough against any further Exjieriment, that have so long indulged to this Military Partiality. But there is another objection that has weight, and that is, that the new restored Legislatr.re may do in.jury to the con- ciliatory Designs of the Crown, by too Vindictive a spirit, and an inor- dinate Desire to compensate their own Losses, by the Kuin of those who have at any time contributed to the present distractions. Georgia has t ter»*«^-. 422 AITKNDIX. oommittpd this error. TJut it miylit imvi' lit'cn ri'''V''nfi'il liy a Govcrnnr, disposed to act the part of a nicdiatnr Im'Inmm'ii W'iiij; and 'J'ory; and it is curtain tliat tho example of (leor^ria (luoted by some, for not vestorint tiio old conHtitntion of South (J.iroiina, I'lirniMliinl tht^ utron^t.'Ht ArKn- mentimayinablt' fur its bcinj,' instantly set upon the Itoductiuii of Charles- town. It was then practicalile to have formed an As«eniljly of I'enitents, wlio bciiifj found cm thinr estates, witii a moderate (Jovernor and Coun- cil, would have ^iven full scope to that Wise I'ol icy, necessary to Hal- lanctj between the hatred of Tartir-s, and prevent the liuin of either, by unconscionable sacriiices inconsistent with the public jfood. " Congress took advantage of our l''olly in leaving that Province to a Military I'olice, bud fur u loitti, and wholly inadeipiatc to a Province. Left to a state of Nature, tlu; Soldiery began to insult, Hobberies sprang up. The injured under the late Usurpation avenged themselves upon their Uppresors. The slaves left their Masters, and the whole Province was prejuired to resign all hope of Government for the common Protec- tion, befon,' the Congressional Troo])s arrived to increases the Confusion; (iml if South Ciirvliiia is not lo.st, if is ruixrd ; so that the only advan- tage we draw from all our Operations in that (Quarter, is the Lesson it teaches to the other Provinces, of consulting their Salvation from Des- truction by a timely Reconciliation with the Mother Country. What has been said in part anticipates that Proof of the Nui iber of the King's Friends, which is deducible from the low Condition of the Rebel Af- fairs. " The Congress is utterly become Bankrupt Not a 15ill of theirs now has any Credit, and the only currency is hard money. 'J'his must be set down to the distrust began and propagated by the Loyalists; for the De- preciation commenced in 1777. Old Monc//, Old I'ricc, was the vulgar Cantatumof the Friends of Covernment, from the first moment of le paper Emission in 1775. It is a confirmation of this, that tho Bankrujit- cy has occasioned no such convulsions as the uninformed speculator looked for. No Loyalist hoarded what he hated as ueU as despised. The loss has thus wholly fallen upon the Whigs, who cried up the Paper money; and it is not consistent with their I'rinciples nor Reputation to ut- ter Complaints, and afford Matter of Triumph to their Adversaries. Some of them had treasured up these Bills in Barrels, and are unpitied l)oth by Whig and Tory for profiting by tho imhlic Fraud. The diffi- culty of forcing the Militia into the Field; the sanguinary Laws of the Usurpers; the Mutiny and Desertion of their regular Troops; and vari- ous other topics, might be mentioned as Proofs of the Declension of the Party, with decisive confessions in the intercepted letters of the Rebels. In a word, but for the late French aid, the Rebellion had sunk under its own weakness. To rid themselves of the burthen of supernumerary of- ! APPENDIX. 423 a Governor, ry; iiiitl it is lot iCdloriuK' i>?t,'st Arjfu- II ot'Ciiiirlt^H- L)t iVnitents, r and Coiin- isiiry to Hiil- of either, by 'rovinco to a a rrovince. )('rii'H spraiiK uselves upon lole Province unon Protec- le Confusion; • only atlvun- Llie l.esson it )n from Des- !. What has 3f the King's le IJebel Af- of theirs now ; nuist Ijo set for the De- is the val,'iments of Infantry 2"i,224 1 Regiment of Artitiuerii 4><(> 32,580 ",This was an Establishment on Paper, and doubtless exceeded the Hopes of the Congress, except for the EH'ect of its appearance Almxitl; they must, however, have been alarmed to lind that their Force in the Field late in Juno last, in all Parts of the Continent, fell short of i'>,OU(» Men. I speak of real soldiers — Continentals and not militia or montli's men, who are but Militia, forced out for the short terms of o, 4, G or it months, and not always in Congressional, but the still more jirecarious and slender Pay of the Colony they are sent from. Under Washington there were: In the Highlands 1,500 At Fort Stanwix and its neighborhood 1,000 With Green, the Debris of the Southern army 800 Under Lafayette, 700, besides the 600 of the Pennsylvania Muti- neers re-assembled by Wayne 1,300 4,600 " It is true thoAmerican and French Troops that wore convened in West Chester County, from the first of July to the 20th of August for menacing New York, were al)out 7000. Butof these Rochanibeau's Force eonsistivl of 2870, and to make up the Ballance of upwards of 4000 in Americans, it must bo observed that besides the 1500 from the Highlands, with the 1000 frO'' Fort Statiwix, then ahamloneil, Washington had then so many Militia that when he marched froni King's Ferry to Virginia f 'i^Sd August) with three thousand men, Heath took up to the Highland Forts, about 10 or 12 hundred of the Militia; and that is the number with a small addition of others, that have occujjiod the Highland Forts ever since, till the appearance of the British from Canada, at Crown Point, in October occasioned a Detachment to the Northward that reduced the Garrison at West Point, as was said lately, to but about (;0() men. I say nothing upon the delicate enrpiiiy which the disaster in Virginia will lead to. It is material however to remark, that if the rebels deserve any advantage 424 APPENDIX. i'rcni it, "twill be as it shall affect the Codicils of Great Bu tain this Winter. " The French Fleet and Army, Rochambeau's Troops cxoertecl, beinj? ^ono, the Jiebels are as unable to vnidertake any enterprise a.s before lioclianibeau's Troops have laid hold ot York in Virginia, and planted tlie French colours there. j'Tnd it would seem that the Continentals must Winter in such a Part of the neighboring Country, as to bo able to aid them in case of an Insurrection of the numerous British Prisoners and Loyalists, and our visiting the Chesapeak. It is impossible for Washing- ton to have detached to Green, a Force sufficient for the Reduction of Charlestown; tho' he may and doubtless is in strength to ruin his frieniis as well as ours in the Southern Country. The Congress has added vastly to their debt; and cannot avoid increasing the general Discontents, noir (he Taxes arc commenced in hard vioiiei/ ; so that what they acquire of Rep- utation by the late victory, which after ail is a French one, is counterbal- lanced by a growing im]iatienc(> in all ranks and Classes, under the in- tollcrable and increasing Rurthen of the War. The whole Northern xposed to our incursions, the Coniluct of Vermont fills all the Northern Provinces with apprehension, that may rise to a very formida- ble fright in the Spring, if Gen'l Haldimand's Compact with the Ver- monters is put in a way of being confirmed by Great Britain. On all considerations thinking men among the Rebels see no great change for the better, and exult less than is imagined. And if I can venture a con- jecture, it would be that Congress will direct this Winter to an accom- modation with Great Britain, unless the French promise large succon, both of Land and Sea Forces as well as Money, for the Reduction of New Yoi-k early in the Spring. " The Vernionters infornnMl tho Congress last August, that the Militia within their Jirst Bounds consisted of 7,000. There are tj,000 more in the Towns associated with them between Connecticut River and Mason's Line; and I think nearly 2,000 more in the District they have admitted to a Uiuon with them, out of that part of New York that lays betwet>n the Hudson River and the twenty Mile Line East of it; and it is known that large Numbers arc flocking to Vermont, and who are interested in her priiate as well as public views out of the Old Colonies of New Hamp- shire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York; ami without Doubt the example of the convention Troops will lead to that country many of the British Soldiers lately made Prisoners in Virginia. " By the complete Detachment of Vermont from the Rebel Interest, and the Reduction of the Highlnnd Forts carh/ in the Spri>iq, much may be exiiected in the next Campaign; esjecially sinci; the New Yorkers in gciieral, and a very great proportion of the Counti'y between them and APPENDIX. 42; the Connecticut Iiivor, are known to be verj' favorably inclined to the Re-union. If the lato loss in Vir<,'inia, whore tho British must bt; danger- ous and unwelcome Guests, is to be made up, it siiould Ije early during the Winter, as they can be collected, with a large projiortion of them in the Ships of War, setting out with as little Observation as possilile in separate and small squadrons of Transports, with a ship or two to c irry tleir Provis- ions, and not in large Fleets. — And at all erents- there must he a Xaral Superioriti/ /» these Seas in Mnirh or Ajiril, liccause tliey will confine French Iteinforcements to the Place of tlieir Disembarkation, for the ilefenco of their Ships; As was the Case at Uhode Island, and prevent any Designs against New York. "I have hinted my Conjecture that Congress will immediately give orders to make offers to negotiate. It appears to me of great importance that these Negotiations should proceed //; this Count ri/, and m^t on the other side of the Water, e^pe^;ially if Great Hrittain's affairs should wear a good Face for a vigorous and early campaign. " But a new Peace Coinniiss'on is iniJisjiensabh/ necessary. Perplexed as the Congress must be under the growing uneasiness of the Peo[ile, neither Atl'eetion to the French, nor a repulilican attaeiimeat, nor even tiie Aims of xVmbition, would prevent them from listening to Overtures tlutt irere (Jecisire and irrerersable, if themselves could be secured from the vindictive ilage of the ^lultitude they have misled, oppressed and ruined, as well as from the resentment of the Crown. Hitlierto they have lieen offered pardons and (Jeneral Privileges, with a Hestoration of their ii'.d Legislatures. But a- much i s they once coittei.ded for a Pleuitudi! of Power in their Colony Assemblies, they have now everything to dread from them; fon seeing as they do. that these Li'gislatures will l)e com- posed of Loyalists, of injured Loyalists, who may never be satisfied but by a confiscation of the Fortuaes of tho Rebels for the Repair of the Waste of their own. " What is to be done in this case? Pass an act of Parliament for an universal Auuiesty and Oblivion? By no means; for it would convert the Loyalists into Rebels. But another, to authorize the Crown to appoint Commissioners to come to a final agreement with the Colonies, or eitlier of them, and that every act of the Conunissioners shall Ije as valid as if it was an act of Parliament, non-rejiealable, without the (,'onsent of the Colony in General Assemlily, whether it concern matters Ciril, Commer- eial. Military or lu'clesiastieal, or the Adjustment of the Affairs of \'er- mont, or any Disputes among the Provmces respecting their Liniifs, ^r any other differences that may or shall subsist befwee-n them, or any of them. Such Commissioners will be full handed for the Gratilication of the reasonable Desires of all parties, and every Colony in America; and an agreement between them and the Congress, or any partizans of theirs, i 42G APPENDIX. will lay the legislature of the Colony so lar under Restraints as to dispi 1 all their fears; and with this end attained, 1 have no doubt the Conunis- sioners will find the Tables turned; and more jealously for the Interests of America in the Loyalists than their Adversaries, and no difficulty at all in reserving such Points as may really deserve Parliamentary and fu- ture discussion and approbation. The Point of Honor in Republics, set against the Interest of the Leaders, will then avail little; and the Frencli Court be thus at last dropped l)y America, an evi'nt I always thought probable, from the dithculty of dissolving antient, strong and natural Connections and Habits. If there remains any obstinacy, it can extend to but a few who must give way to the Torrent of Superior Numbers, interested i, ore and more, every hour of the hostilities, in the return of Peace; and a very little activity on our part in the execution of the Plan which is agreed on, will determine the (leneral Preference of a State of Tranquility and Prosperity to an unprofitable Soirrcirjuii/, which the ma- jority already considered as a curse, and many of the Kest as a Phantom. The exhausted Conditon of the Country, exposing it inevitably to a de- pendency upon Great Brittain, or upon France, to whom too much is due not to raise Fears if not Enmity, and she will certainly insist upon pay- ment to the rcn/ lost F(nih'uig. " It can scarcely be necessary to add that the new Peace Commissioners should have every Power of the crown for the appointment of officers, from Governors downwards, that when they return to Fnghiud. they may leave the Government established upon such a Plan as, all things consid- ered, may appear to be expedient; and that the success of the Commis- sion will depend much upon their being Persons of Rank, and rather Stf'icsDien than Soldicri^, and of characters in estimation for the Fulness of their Powers, as to influence the Executive instruments both of the Army and Navy, to a faithful, fif)irite(l and harnionions Conduct. Such Guardians have been heretolbre wanting. It they have a C'luncil, as I think they should have, to prevent the Indelicacy of Altercation, Regard should be had to their Tempers, Standing and Friendshii)s in this Coun- try, as well as ic- their Address and Knowledge of its AjHiirs. " All these tilings are suggested, upon the supiKisition that Great Brit- ain has such an Interest in her Colouies, as is worth fostering for tin- Common Good. It will be melancholy if the discovery should be nuide too late. It will then bring Home to her Streets and Exchange Evidence that ought to be known now in her Cabinet, and will pour infinite Dis- grace upon tliose who shall have counselled her to quit her Hold of a country, which she may make her Instrument against the insular Pos- sessions of France, and the best Interests of Spain, and such Proof, when too late obtained, vuti/ light up a Civil War in her Natire Dominions. " Had a measure been adopted which Gen'l Tryon urged upon Sir Henry APPENDIX. 427 Clinton, in Aupust, 1779, Administration would lonjor since have been pos- sessed of the most satisfactory Demonstration of the true and Heal Ton- jiey of the Colonies. It was to set up an Intelligence Ottice for An Exam- ination in Writing, and upon Oath of Persons of all ranks and ages, and of both sexes, that repaired to the British lines, to be communicated to the General, and another set of copies to the Minister for the American Department, with a weekly digest of the whole, upon the probable Pre- sumjition, that the Points in which every ray of Infornuition ceiiti'red would bo the Truth; And when the Concourse is so great and trom remote Comers, and the Intelligence so nuinifokl, it is certain that the Complaint of the want of it, nmst argue great Inatt(>ntion to tlu,' i)ropcr means of acciuiring it. With due care there are rarely secrets in Civil Wars. " It cannot be worth the jjains of Stating Arguments against the flimsy l)roposal of some for evacuating New York, the Conunon center, by means of the Hudson, of the British, Canadian and Indian Interests in America. " Nor against the wilder scheme of others for yielding Independiuice to all the Continent, to the Northward and Eastwanl of a Line of Forts from the Head of Elk Kiver to the Delaware, weakly relying upon a Bargain, tor the quick Possession and Heti/ntion of the Southern Provinces; for the Produce of the latter, can be no equivalent for the Loss of that Commerce which the former would open to the Disadvantage of the Mother Country, and the Southern Possessions would share in, to say nothing of the insecurity of the Tenure against the Power those tlistricts would acquire very soon after Oreat Britain's acquiescence in the Impair- ing of that monopoly by which she has been aggrandized, and for which she had paid down such a price in the Expenses of the (.resent War, noir iH'ctrhf at an end, unless she dastardly resigns to Despair, or resulves to continue that strange Conduct which has, by a mixture of Conciliation and Chastisement, been wasting both Countries, as if the Contest was a mea-uring of Purses; but which, after all, it it ends in the Re-union, can not fail to rivet the future Dependence of the Colonies, on their discover- ing in the Retrosi>ect, or apprt^hending that they discern (in at Britain's Willingness to carry on the War, as to spare what it was always in her Power to destroy — a credit given by some to the Supreme Direction, who allow nothing to the Generosity of the Suliordinate Agents on account of the Speculation and Plunders that have so generally prevailed, and some- times against the plighted Faith of Solenm Proclamations." INDEX. A. ABEiicORN, Marquis of, 37G. Adams, John, 104, Aha its, Samuel, 217. Adiuondacks, 105. Agnew, General, 131. Allen, Etiian, expedition to Lake Goorjre, Sd; refuses precedence to Arnold. 39; captures Ticondcr- oga, 40; his da.sh at Montreal censured by Washington and Schuyler, 46, Allen, Lieutenant, hrlngs letter of Jameson to Arnold, announc- ing Andre's arrest, 295. Andre, John. Major, a social fa- vorite in Philadelphia, 223- a guest of Chief Justice Shippen 224; Mischienza, 224; correspond- ence with Arnold, 287; interview with Arnold, 2>8; his return to New York, 290; arrested as a spy, 291; conducted to Lieut. Colonel Jameson, at Newcastle" ii92; writes to Washington and acknowleilges his real char- acter, 292; is brought to the Robmson House -Washington d.'chnes to see him, 304; sensa- tion in Britisharmy, 305; his trial, 306; efforts to save his life, 30S(; his letter to Washington, 309' execution, 313; his character,' 313; letter to Sir Hem-y Clinton, 313; Monument in Westmin- ster Abbey— remains removed to, 315; was he a spy?. 322; should the pass from Arnold in-otec^ him? 324. AuMs of the Arnold family, 363. Aknold, Bkndict, ancestors of, 16; his father, 17; mother, 17- hirthof, 18; his father's death, 19 • stories of boyhood, 21; letters of his mother. 23; enlists as a sol- cuer, 24; joins the troops at Al- bany-deserts, 25; marriage, 27; personal description of, 29; his first duel, 31; in business, .33- indignation at "Boston massa- cre," 34; Captain of the Govern- or's Guards, 34; a popular leader, 3o; volunteers to Cambridge, 36' proposes expedition to Ticonde- roga, 37; commissioned Colonel 38; joins Allen, 39; Ticondero-a captured, 40; captures St. Johns, 41: Massachusetts thanks him' 43; superseded, 44; resi,vns and' returns to Cambridge, 45; death ot his wife, 47; proposes expedi- (429) 430 INDEX. tion to Quebec, 50; selected by Wasbington to commantl, 5iJ; details of expedition, 53; holds an Indian Council, 73, 74; his ad- dress to the Indians, 74; arrives at Point Levi, 75; on the Plains of Abraham, 76; flag fired upon, 78; retires to Pointe-aux-Trem- bles, 78; assault upon Quebec, 80; is wounded, 83; continues blockade, 87; feoes to Montreal, 88; receives the Congressional Commissioners, 90; retreats to St. Johns, 94; letter to Gates, 95; proceeds to Crown Point, 96; in- tegrity attacked, 96; charges against Colonel Hazen, 9S; trial of Hazen, 98; protest of Arnold, 100; Gatos dissolves the Court, 101 ; charges against, and inqui- ry demanded by Brown, 102; refused by Gates, Schuyler and Commissioners of Congress, 103; his conduct approved by Schuyler, 103,^04; appointed to construct fleet on Lake Champlain, 107; his preparations, 108; at Isle Val- conr, 109; his letters to and from Gates and Schuyler, 110; battle of Valcour Island, 112; arrives at Crown Point, 117; his report to Schuyler, 118; thanked by Gates, 120; welcomed at Ticonderoga, 121; letter from Chase, 122; visits Washington, 124; sent to Rhode Island, 124; visits his sister and children, 124; friendship and aid for Lamb, 125; letter to Mrs. Knox, 125; superseded by five junior brigadiers, 26; with- holds resignation by advice of Washington, 127; other officers equally sensitive, 129; fights bat- tle of Kidgeiield, 131; receives promotion, 132; and ahorse from Congro>s,133; his rank still with- held, 133; charges of Brown de- clared cruel and groundless, 133; off'ered command on the Hudson, 134; declines and goes to Phila- delphia to ask his proper rank and settlement of his accounts, 134; presents his accounts, 136; appointed to the army gathering to watch General Howe, 137; British General retii-es to Bruns- wick and Arnold returns to Phila- delphia, 137; again tenders his resignation, 138; Washington requests Congress to send Arnold to join Schuyler against Burgoyne, 139; arrives at Wash- ington's camp, 147; visits a Masonic Lodge with Washing- ton, 148; made second in com- mand, 148; is refused his r aik by Congress — withholds resignation at Schuyler's request, 148; vol- unteers to lead expedition into Tryon county, 154; pushes on to Fort Dayton, 154; calls a council of war, 155; issues proclamation, 156; announces his approach to Gansevoort, 157; by i-use-de- guerre relieves Fort Stanwix, 159; reception at Fort Stanwix, 162; returns to Schuyler's camp, 163; in his letters, /rtwi7/rtr with Gates, respectful to Schuyler, 106; commandf! left wing, 160; selects Bemis' Heights for camp, 167; a coolness on the part of Gates towards, 168; friendly to Schuyler, 169; leads at Bemis' INP'X. 431 Iluights, 171; who led the Americans at this baltlo? 174; testimony showiii2 ; his domestic lu in Philadelphia, 233 ; visited by his sister, 233 ; birth of son, 233 ; letter of Han- nah Arnold, 233 ; Arnold's pro- clamation to close stores and shops, 238 ; style of living ex- travagant, 239 ; charged with leaning toward loyalists — the Shippen family, 240 ; his project of settling in Western New York, approved by John Jay, and New York delegation, 241 ; charges by Executive Council of Penn- sylvania, 242 ; published in newspapers, 242; declares charges cruel and malicious, 242; and deniands court of inquiry, 243; list of charges, 243; committee, to investigate, 245; report of committee, 245 ; sends his resig- nation, 247 ; letter to Congress, 247; his trial, 249 ; his defense, 251; judgment of the court, 257; reprimanded by Washington, 261; letter of Schuyler, 263; his treason, 265 ; social relations in Philadelphia, 267; dato of Ar- nold's first correspondence with enemy, 267; what his motives, 268 ; arguments used to seduce him, 271; letter of Beverly Robinson, 275; supposed interview between Arnold and Robinson, 277; proposed enter- prise by sea, 281; interview with Luzerne, as given by Marbois, 282; his accounts still unsettled, 432 INDEX. 2S3; Wasliinfrton congratulates liim on l)irth of his son, 2"^4; cor- responds with Sir Henry Clinton under name of "Gustavus," 284; given command of West Point — at Robinson House, 285; letters to Wnshinffton and Greene, 286; visited by Sulmyler, 28(5; a tra- dition that Arnold often said: "I did it to save the shcddinj^ of blood," 287; requests a per- sonal meeting with Andre, 287; sends a boat for Andre, 287; meeting of Arnold and Andre, 288; gives Andre a pass — sup- posed conversation between them, 288; Allen arrives with news of Andre's capture, 2!)'); his flight, 296; to the Vulture, 297; the bargemen, 297; letter to Washington, 299; declares his wile and military family inno- cent, 300; arrives at New York iind informs Sir Henry^Clinton of Andre's capture, 302 ; his future, 302; his letter to Sir Henry Clinton in regard to xVndre, 305; appeals to Washing- ton for Andre's life, 30"^; aUeged oU'er to sui'render himself for Andre, 311; attempts to justify his conduct — an address: "To the Inhabitants of America," 329; text of address, 330; issues a proclamation: "To the Officers and Soldiers of the Continental Army, &c." 332; his efforts meet with no success, 335; rank of Brigadier-General in British Army confiried, 335; project to kidnap him, 336; its failure, 337; commands expeditions against Virginia, 313; sails from New York and enters Hampton Roads, 343; takes Richmond, :>43; his report to Sir Henry Clin- ton, 3i:M; the American Cap- taii.'^; reply to Arnold's question, 347; 5,000 guineas ottered for his cajjture, 348; re'urns to New York, 348; expedition against Connecticut, 348; Massacre at Fort Griswold, his report, 348; receives tiianks of Sir Henry Clinton, 352; escapes being shot, 354; sails for England, ;{55; his reflections as he leaves his native land, 357; Lord Cornwallis a fel- low passenger, 358; reception by the King, 359; seen walking with the Prince of Wa'es, :159; pre- pares "Thoughts on the Araeri- c.in Wai." 359; this paper never before printed, 360; syn- opsis of this papi'r, 361 ; re- ceives £6,315 from 4he Pritish Government, 363; his family arms, 363; changes motto, 364; the Kings and Queen's kindness, 364; at Andre's monument, 365; refused employment as a soldier in England, 367; rea- sons for, 368; lives bi^yond his means, 3G8; fits out a ship for the West Indies — goes to, 369; removes to St. John's, New Brunswick, and enters into busi- ness, 370; his sons Richard and Henry join him, 370; accused of firing his wa'-ehous*^, 371; re- turns to London, 371; meets Tal- leyrand, 375; duel with the Earl of Lauderdale, 37^': particulars of duel, 379; again fits out a trailing INDEX. 400 00 ship anil arrives at St. Kitto, OS'); his escai e frDiii the French, 086; is taken prisoner and a<,'ain es- capes, :'S7; receives thanks from West India phmters, OsS; writes to Karl Spencer, desirint: to he employed as a soldier, :W,); the Kin;,' yranls to him 1:!,4U0 acres of land in Canada, 389; appeals to the Didce of York for service, o9'J; his ille^'itiniate son in Cana- da, 392; his death, 093; his char- acter, 096. AiiNOLD, Enw.\HDni,Ai>wix, Rev., marries, April 'JTth, l^^-Vi, Lady Charlotte, daughter of the Mar- quis of Cholmondelay, 410. AUNOLD, EnWAKD SlUTPEN, sketch of life; dies at Dinapoor, India, 1810, 407. Aisxor.n. TlAxxAir, only snrvivinjj sister of Benedict, 18; never mar- ries, 27; praifcd by Sparks, 2S; correspondence with Deane, 28; takes charge of iier brother's children, 47; letter to her brother, 47, 48; visits her brother at Phil- adelphia. 230; her letter to Airs. Arnold, 200; her letter on hear- ing of her brother's disgrace, 000; her death, 405. Arxot,', Hknuy, son of Benedict Arnold, by first wife, 27; mar- ried Hannali Ten Eyck, 405 ; commissioned lieutenant in the American Legion, 405: dies in New York, 405. \knold, George, a lieutenant col- onel ; so named by his father af- ter AVashingtun and George IV., 4C9. AuNOi.n, .Ia.mes Hoi.kktson, born in New York, 17X1; marries Vir- ginia (loodricli; ri ea to rank of Lieutenant-lieneral in British army, 407; engaged in capture of Abouker Castle; in battle of Alexandria and in expulsion of the French irom (irand Cairo; storms a redoubt, 408; appointed aide-de-camp to (ieorge the Fourth, 408; dies in London, ls54, 409. Anxoi.n, Mrs., maiden name Mar- garet Shippen, daughter of Chief .lustice Sliippen — marriage of, 2:U; joins her husband at West Point, 286; her distress when .\rnoltl discloses his p.osi- tion, 295; interview with Wash- ington, liul; kindness of Wash- ington and otliccrs to. 0,16; was she innocent of her husb;,nd's crime? 016; .Arnold declares her innoe nee, 018; Hami'ton and Washinuton believe h"r inno- cent, :518; Major Frank s testi- mony in her favor, Of"^: eoiidiict incompatible with guilt, :'>2n; compelled to leave by ti.e Coun- cil of Pennsylvania — follows hrr husband to New York, •'121; ac- companies hor hiisliand to Kng- laiid, 055; lii'r fascination and beauty — attention of the Queen, 062; is granted a pension, 360; letter to her lather. 069; her father's reply, 072; letter to Mrs. Burd, 072; visits her family in Philadel|iliia, 070; returns to Lonilon, 'M'-\ gives details of her husband's duel, 081; letter to Ivichard, 384; announces to 23 131 INDEX. Kichfinl find Henry their fath- t'r's (leatli, 394; uIko to Iliiniiuh Arnold, :j94; executrix of her liusbanil, 400; her executive ahility— k'tters, 400; death of, 40G; character of, 400; her chil- dren, from 40(5-417. AuNOU), Soi'iiiA Matilda, daugh- ter of Henetlict, born in London, July 2!^th, 1785; jnarries Lieu- tenant-Colonel Pownall Phipp.s — death of, 411. AiiNOLi), RiciiAlin, birth of, 27; marries, 405; commissioned Lieu- tenant in the American Lcf^ion, 405. AiiNOM), William, an ancestor of Benedict, and a contemporary of Koj,'er Williams, 16. AiiNoiii), William Fitch, captain in the 19th Royal Lancers; his residence Little Messenden Ab- bey, Bucks, 410. Ahnoli), Ben., his death, note 405. AiiNOLl), WiLLiAM TiiAiL, brother of the Rev. Edward Gladwin Ar- nold and grandson of Gen. Ar- nold, a captain in the British army, 410; in the battles of Iidc- erman, Alma, and with his re<,'- iment before Sebastopol, 410; kUled in the trenches — manner of his death, 410. Atwateu, Major, 303. B. Balcarkas, Earl of, 196. Banchoft, comyiarison of British tleet with Arnold's HI; declares Gates had "no fitness for com- mand," 165; on 1)attleof Bemis' Hi'JKhts. 175; error ' stating? that Arnold was not on the fieUI, 175; his description of the death of Eraser, 20S. Baulow, Jokl, the poet, 21. Battlks, Notable on the Lakes, 111. Bai'm, defeat of, near T'enninjjton, 164. Bkdkll, Colonel, tnnler Arnold holds till! Cedare — is cashi(n'ed, 90. Bemis' Hkkmits, position for cau^p at selected by Arnold, 169; posi- tion of Armies at, 170; Ijattle of, 171. Bethel, 130. BoAun OF Oi'KirKTts to try Andre, .■J06; reports him a spy and nmst sutler death, :?06. Boston Massacue. 33. Botta, the historian, on Arnold's exp:nlition to Qiu'bec. 71. BitKYMAN, Colonel, a British officer killed in 2nd battle of Saratoga, 206. Buyant, with Capt. Foster at "the Cedars," 91; with St. Leger, 141. BuowN, Lieutenant-Col., his ditfi- culti(;s with Arnold, 102 ; de- mands a Court of Inquiry, 102 ; inquiry refused by Generals Wooster, Gates, Schuyler, and Commi.ssionei-s of Congress, 1(J3 ; letter of Schuyler criticising Brown, 103. Bhunswick, English retire to, 137. Buchanan, James, British Consul INDEX. 435 the 141. (le- 102 ; riorals iinil 103 ; cisinj? at Now York, removes Andre's roniains to Westminster Abbey, yi5. Hi'nn, Mrs., sister of Mrs. Arnold, l(.'ttcr to, ;372. BunooYNK, fieneral, connected by marriii|,'(! with liouseof Derby— a soldier in Spnin, 14-"! ; moves to- wards (.'rown Point with his army, 14.'' ; reports American army ruined, 14"» ; battle of U»tli Hept., 170 ; sjieaks of Arnold's bravery in battle of 19th Sept., ISO ; Battle, Oct. 7th, 195 : at- temjjts to retreat, 209 ; surren- ders, 209 ; describes the burial of Fraser, 208. BuKH, A.Mtox, a volunteer with Arnold, 51; his charge that Mrs. Arnold was privy to her hus- band's treachery, 316; motives, 320. 0. CAMBninoE, 30), 45, 47, 49. Carleton, Guy, Sir, brings rein- forcements to Quebec, 7S; treats the prisoners with kindness, 8G; occupies St Johns, 106; prepares a fleet for Lake Champliiin, lOf); at battle of Valcour Island, 102; at court with Arnold, 359. Carrixgton, General, statement of Arnold \s conduct at Bemis' He: -his, isO, at Saratoga, 202. Carroll, Cuart.es, appointed commissioner to Ciinada, 90; vis- its Arnold's headquarters 90; defends Arnold's conduct in re- moval of goods at Montreal, 102. Carroll, John, Rev., first Roman Catholic .\rchbi8hop of the Uni- ted Stites, accompanies commis- sionors to Canada, 90. "Cedars," The, 90, 91. CiiASE, Samiel, Comissioner to C'anada, 90; letter to Arnold, 122. ClFAMnLAY, 95. CiiAMPLAiN. Lake, description of 105; naval battle on, 112-114. Ciivmim;, Sergeant. Agi>nt of Maj. Lee to kidnap Arnold, 33G ; his attempt, 337. CiiKSTKU, Major, 183, CiiuRciiiLL, Duke of Marlborough, 273. Clinton, Henry, Sir, conspiracy with Arnold, 284; realizes impor- tance of West Point, 287; in- formed by ArnoKl of Andre's capture, 302; his letter to Wash- ington in regard to Andre, 'MH) ; his letter tj Lord (Jeorge Ger- main on behalf of Arnold, .358. Cochran, Maj.. report of, describ- ing Arnold's battle on the 19th Sept., 186. Congress, of Massachusetts, thanks Arnold for his services, 43. Congress of United State.?, ap- points Commissioners to Canada, 'JO; elects five Major-Generals, 126; presents a horse to Arnold, 133; passes a resolution of thanks, 133; declares charges of I.^rown cruel, but refuses his proper rank, 135; action in regard to Warren's children, 2'20. Connecticut, Arnold returns from, 284. 43G INDEX. Cooi'Kii, James Fenimoue, 299. L"nHN\v.\i,i,is, Lord, fiiun'iuli'rs to WaHliiiif^ton, ;?•'»•'); a ft;llow pas- senger wiih Arnulil to Eiij,'liincl, \m; MU'va of Arnold to, ;J8S; ii8<'s his intori'stH in beliiilf of Ar- nold's sons, IJ'JJ. Chamaii.v, Liouteniint Governor, 77. CiiowN Point, 37; Arnold pro- ceeds to, OR; retreat from, 'J6. CuosKiE, Captain, duel with Ar- nold, 31. CuHTis, Geohoe Wii.ijaw, ora- tion on IJeniis' Heights, IGl. D. Davfs, MatiieW L., bioprraiiher, of Burr, :U6; charges ayainst Mrs. Arnold, ill. Danbury, 130. DeANE, HAnXABAS, 45. Deane, Silas, writes of the bad treatment of Aniold, 45. Dead Ri\ kh. the. 53. Deai!1J)1{X, Captain, in the expe- dition to Quebec, GO; 1!J7. Debuois, Miss, Arnold in love with, D. Description', personal, of Arnold, by Downing, 29; by John C. AVarren, 221; by Rev. J. L. Leake, 29. Downing, personal description of Arnold, 29; on Arnold's condact in battle, 190. Dccondray; a French oflRcer, 129. Duel, Arnold's with Captain Cros- kie, 31; with Etu'I of Lauderdale, 37G. E. KnrcATioN, Arnold's early, 23. Km.iot, Anduew, Lieutenant Gen- eral, 308. Knolisk, view of Arnold's conduct, 273. KiNos, RooEU, al)andons Arnold's expiMlition, 05; trial put under arrest by Washinf,'ton, 69. Expeditions, Arnold's, to Ticon- deroga, 37; to Quebec, 5:!; into Virj^inia, 342; into Connecticut, 318. F. Family, of Arnold, 405. Faiufiei.d, 130. FoiiT Dayton, council held at, 155. FoHT GuiHWOLD, SO Called nuissa- cre at, 'MS. FouT TuuMuuLL, :]48. FosTEU, Senator, n-lates incidents of Arnold's conduct at Saratoy:a, 204. Fox. CiiAULKS James, the second of the Earl of Lauderdale, in duvl with Arnold, 378. FuANKLiN, Benjamin, coimnis- sioned by Congress to Canada, 90; at Arnold's Head-Quarters, 90. Franks, Major, declared innocent by Arnold, 300; denial of Mrs. Arnold's knowledge of her hus- band's treason, 318; accompanit s Mrs. Arnold to Philadelphia, 310. Frazer, Major-General, 143; at Saratoga mortally wounded, 199; his death— picked off by Mor- INDEX. 437 pan's rifliMnon at AmokVs sug- yi'sHon, 'JOG; burial, 207. KiiKENfAHONS, Washington & Ar- nold at lodge oF, 14S. FuKNcii Wak, the old, 24. G. (Jansevoort, at FortStanwix, in- invested by St. Leper, 149; re- fuses to surrender, 149; Arnold relieves him, 158. (Jatks, (ieneral, letter to Arnold, 51; at Crown Point, 9G; supports Arnold in affair of Col. Ha/.en, 101 ; iufurnis Congress that Ar- nold has undertaken to connnand fleet, 107; returns thanks to Ar- nold alter buttle of Valcour Is- land, 120; supersedes Hehuyler, IGo; concentrates the Northern army on Bemis Heights, IGO; thinks of superseding Washing- ton, 168; not on the field at Uemis Heights, 174; in report to Congress makes no mention of Arnold, 177; Pique against Liv- ingston, 183; desires the wholt; credit against Rurgoyne, 19;!; drives Arnold to demand a pass to Washington, 194; indebted to Arnold for his laurels, 209; Uur- goyne surrenders, and Gates is thanked by Congress, 210; Con- gress votes him a medal, 21.3. Genealogy, of the Arnold family, 18. Germain, Lord, Burgoyne reports condition of American army to, 144; letters to, from f^ir Henry Clinton, in behalf of Arnold. 358. GER.MAN Flats, 155, Ginsov, Mr. .318. Green, Natiianikl, requests per- mission to retire from the service, 129; eonfer.H with Knglish oflicers who came to Washington on bo- half of Anilre, 3)8; note to Gen- eral Robertson, informing him of Washington's decision, :iu.S. 'Green Mountain Boys,' 40. II. Hat,k, Nathan, hanged as a spy by the British, 31/). Hamilton, Col. Alex., can-ies Washington's message to Mrs. Aniuld,29.''); aide to Washington. 299; attempts to capture Arnold — fails, 299; his letter touching Mrs. Arnold — declares her inno- cent — letter on Andre's doatli, 309; refuses to propose to Andre his exchange for Arnold, 311. Hampton Roads, Arnold at, 342. Harrington, Earl of, 376. Hawke, Lord, Arnold's second in duel, 378; endorses Arnold's statc- mtmt of the duel, 381. HartI'-ouo, Washington visits French officers at, 294. Hazex. Col., charges made against by Arnold — his trial by Court- Martial, 9S. Heath, General, Statement of, in regard to Arnold's treatment of crew of his barge, 297; his ac- count of expedition against New London, 353. Henry's Journal, 62, 65, 6G to 70. Henry, Patrick, 35. 438 INDEX. IlEnKiMEU, General, advances to tlio relief of Fort Schuyler, 149; caught in an ambush, 151 ; battle of Oriskany; death of, 152; county and town named for him, 152. IIonYost, Sciiuylku, sentenced to death as a spy, 159; his ruse to relieve Fort Schuyler, 161. HoNiTON, 27;3. HoitsExiANsiiir, Arnold's, 27. Howe, General, threatens Philadel- phia, but retires to Brunswick, i;57; with a Briash army takes possession of I'hiladelphia, 222; he and his officers pass a gay win- ter in that city, 223. Hudson, Arnold offerd commend of the, l;M. I. luviNG, Washington, the conduct of Arnold in naval affairs on the lakes, 105; battle of Bemis Heights, 187; Arnold's dispute with authorities of Philadelphia, 238; Reed's personal hostility to Arnold, 243: time when Arnold first entertained thoughts of trea- son, 283. J. Jameson, Lieut. Col., Andre brought prisoner to, — sends to Washington papers found on An- dre, 292: sends to Arnold state- ment of the arrest of John Ander- son, 292. Jay, John, Colonel Livingstone goes to Spain as his secretary, 185; letter in regard to Arnold, 241. Jamestown, 343. James Riyeu, The, 343, Jefkeuson, 341; Governor of Vir- ginia, 34:3; offers reward for Ar- nold, 347. Jewett, Dr., Arnold at school of, 24. Johnson, Sir John, with St. Leger in the valley of the Mohawk, 141 Johnson, Sir Wiixiam, a Tory on the Mohawk, 142. K. Kennebec, river, 50. King George, the Fourth, Ar- nold's reception by, 359. King's Fehky, 284. Knox, Gen., resigns conditionally, 329; with Washington at Hart- ford, 294. Knox, Mrs, Arnold's letter to, 125. L. LaFayette, aide to Washington, with Washington at Hartford, 294; at West Point, 294; Wash- ington discloses Arnold's treason to, 299; instructed to execute Ar- nold, if captured, 338; sent against Arnold, 343. Lake George, 41, Lamb, Gen'l, in the assault on Que- bec, 82; Arnold's i'riendship for, 125; Arnold procures his ex- change, and furnishes £1,000 to- wards expenses of raiding his reg- iment, 125; his defense of Arnold at Gates' dinner, (note) 206, Larvey, Corporal, his reply to Ar- nold, 297, INDEX. 439 Lacdehdale, Earl of, duel with Arnokl, 376. Laukens, Col, Henuy, Fnmilton's letter to, on Andre's Irial, oOG President of Congress — ex- changed for Cornwallis, 358. Leauned, General, UA. Lee, Major, undertakes to kidnap Arnold,. 336. Lee, Riciiahd Hexuy, writes to Jeti'erson of Arnold's persecution, 135. liExtNGTOK, battle of, 35. LrviNGSTON, writes to Schuyler, 169; explains cause of quarrel be- tween Arnold and Gates, 169; letters to Schuyler from Bemis' Heights, 180; marries sister of John Jay, 1S5; becomes justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 185. Lincoln, General, elected Major General, 126; given by Gates' command of right wing at sec- ond battle of Saratoga, 195; at Albany, 213. London Chronicle, 273. Lord, Kev. Dr., restores Arnold to his mother, 24. LossiNG on General Arnold at Yal- cour Island, 117; his conduct at Bemis Heights, 1S8; "officers and soldiers had lost confidence in Gates," 191. Loyalists, during the Revolution, 340. Luzerne, 282; his interview with Arnold, as given by Marbois, M. Macauley, Lord, on Churchill's desertion of James, 279. Mahon, Lord, condemns Washing- ton for ordering the execution of Andre, 322. Mansffeld, Margaret, first wife of Arnold, 27; death of. 47. Marrois, states tliat a letter writ- ten by Robinson was found among Arnold's i apers, 27o; that Arnold Iried to obtain 'a loan from Lu- zerne, 282, 283. Marriage, Arnold's first, 27; sec- ond, 231. JIartin, Prof., Law of Nations re- lating to a spy, 324. Massachusetts, commissions Ar- nold Colonel, US; commissioners of, sent to 'lionderoga, 44. Marshai.l, John, on the expedi- tion to (^lebec, 89; battle of Val- cour Island, 120; distress of troops at time of Arnold's treason, 273. McLain, Colonel, 77. McCrea, Jane, story of, 145. McDougal, General, letter of Washington to, in regard to Ar- Lold, i:}4. MiDDLETOWN, 213. Misciiienza, the famous, 224. MiFFT.ix, elected nuyor-general, 126. Mohawk, valley of the, 141. MoRRisTOWN, Arnold at, 34. Morgan, Daniel, a captain in Ar- nold's I'xpedition to Quebec, 51; leads his riHemen in the assault 440 INDEX. on, 82; taken pnsor.er, 83; at battle of Saratx)ga directs rifle- men to pick off Fraser, 200. MoNTGOMEUY, Captures St. Johns and Montreal, 79; joins Arnold, 79; killed in assault upon Que- bec, 81; his friendship for Ar- nold, 80. MoNTUESOR, Colonel, 50. Montrose, 273. Montreal, Allen's unfortunate dash at, 46; Wooster in command at, 83; Arnold takes command of, 88. Natanis, an Indian chief, 55. Nelson, Lord, 164. New Castle, Andre prisoner at, 291. New Haven, 19; 130; 303. Newark, 336. New London, expedition against, 348. New York, Arnold aiTives at, 302. North, Lord, 355. NoRWALK, Tryon at, 132. Norwich, 19; occupants of the old Arnold mansion at, 19; Arnold ordered to, 124. o. OuisKANY, Battle of, 151. Oswego, 141. P. Paine, Thomas, 341. Papers, found in Andi-o's boots, 291; sent on to Washir jn, 292. Parsons, Col. Samuel IL, letter to Governor Trumbull, about Ticon- deroga, 42. Pass, should Arnold's pass protect Andre? 324. Paulding, John, one of the cap- tors of Andre, 291. Peace, between United States and Great Britain, 367. Peace Commissioners, New, rec- onmiendod by Arnold, 361. Peekskill, 134. Pellew, afterwards Viscount Ex- mouth,at battle of Valcour Island, 112. Peters, Rev. Samuel, gives anec- dote of Arnold, 35. Pktersburgii, Arnold at, 361. Phillips, General, under Bur- goyne, 143; sent to Arnold in Virginia, 343; captured with Bur- goyne — and death of, 347. Philadelphia, evacuated by the British, 222; life in that city, 223. Pitt, Mr., 376. Point Levi, Arnold at, 75. Point-aux-Trembles, Arnold's camp at, 79 Point- a-Peter, Arnold at, 386. " Poor Bex, " General Arnold's old- est son, 404; death of, 405. Portland, Duke of orders the grant of lands to Arnold, 389. Portsmouth, Virginia, Arnold marches to, 343. Provost, Mrs., wife of Colonel Burr. 317. Putnam, General, leaves his plough INDEX. 441 and joins Arnold, 36; at dinner with Lamb, &c., (note) 206. Q. <.^:ei!kc, tlie Gibraltcr of America, ■id; details of Arnold's expedition to 53-73; assault on, 80-83. 11. Kalle, Father, 59. Kkdiesel, General, 143. Keed, General, persecution of Ar- nold; makes charges against; letter to Gen. Green, 240; circu- lar with charges widely circu- lated; his hostility personal, 243. KicHMOND, Arnold at, 343. HicHMOND, Duke of, 376. KoiiEUT.sox, Lieut. General, 308. Konixsox, Beverly, Loyalist, tra- dition of meeting between him ard Arnold, 274; their conversa- tion, 277; has the confidence of Sir Henry Clinton, 285; intercedes for Andre, 308. KoMTLLY, the English jurist, con- siders Andre a spy, 326. S. Sabixe, says that Robinson was in communication with Arnold be- fore the latter went to West Point, 275; the number of the Loyalists according to, 3 !5. Says " Ben " was driven from the service, 405. Sahatoga, Battle of, 19th Sept., 171; second battle of, 196. Haroext, did Arnold offer to sur- render himself for Andre? 311 312. Scott, Major, 100. Scott, Sir Walter, 338. SciiUYEER, Philip, General, com- manding a provincial company, 25; leads an army into Canada, 50; writes to Washington of the assault on Quebec, 85; with Ar- nold and Gates at Crown Point, and retreat to I'iconderoga, 96: supports Arnold in difficulty with Colo >el Brown, 103; glad to hear Arnt .d is to command the fleet, 107; is censured for retiring be- fore Burgoyne, 145; retreats to Stillwater, 148; determines to re- lieve Fort Stan wix, 1-53; his call for volunteers to conduct the ex- pedition, 154; superseded by (iates, 105; letter to Vi'.rick in re- gard to Arnold, 193; letter to Arnold after his trial, 203. ScHi'Yr.EK, Miss, engaged to Col. Ilaniiltun,30i; letters from llam- iltonto, 301,309. Sexier, Dr., his journal, 83. SiiiPi'EX, Edward, Chief Justice, 224; his daughters, 227; portrait of, 393; death of, 413. SiiirPEN, Miss Peogy, in the Mis- chienza, 224; her beauty, 227. SiLLiMAN, General, assists in re- pelling Tryon, 130. "Six Natioxs, The," 150. Skexe, Major, 41. Smith, Chief Justice, 303. Smith, Joshua ITitt, statemrnt of, regarding correspondence be- iv, jen Arnold and Beverly Rob- inson, 270; Arnold and Andre 442 INDEX. lireakfast at house of, 28^; Ar- nold g-ivos pass to, 288; Andre passes the day at house of, 290; acts as guide to Andre, 290. Si'.vuKs, on letters of Hannah Ar- nold, 28; explains Arnokl's seiz- ure* of goods at Montreal, 101; praises Arnold's l)ravery at Val- cour Island, 117; pr.iises his mag- nanimity in volunteering: aj^ainst liurg'oyne, lo9; his account of second battle of Saratoga, 2();i Spy, was Andre a, 322; Vattel's definition of, 324. • Stanwix Fout, where city of Rome, N. Y., now is, 14S; sie^; letters to Reed and Arnold about his trial, 248; reprimands Arnold, 2(51; anxious about final succe.s8, 273; gives Arnold couiniand of West Point, 2'^4; visits the Fn'uch otHcers at Hartford— at West Point, 294; Hamilton hands to him the papers found on Andre, 29 »; " whom can we trust now? '' 299; refers Andre's case to a board of general officers, 306; his 'etter to 8u- Henry Clin- 444 INDEX. ton, 307 ; receives second letter from Clinton, 308; might not Washington have spared Andre ? ■\21; approves of plan to kidnap Arnold, :3;JG; his letter to Major Lee, 337; Cornwallis surrenders to, 355. Wateh.man, Hannah, maiden name of mother of Arnold, 17; her genealogy, 18; her character, 20. Webb, Col., 4"). West Indies, Arnold sails to, 33; 369; 385; 389. West Point, military position. 2>^i; Washington gives comnumd of, to Arnold, 284; the Robinson House, 287. Westminstek Abbey, Andre's re- mains removed to — his monu- )uent, 315; Arnold at, 365, Wilkinson, Adjutant-general to (Jates, 175; his statement regard- ing the battle of 19th September, ITo; wi'ite his memoirs thirty jears after the battle, 177. Williams, David, one of the cap- tors of Andre, 291. Williams, Rooeu, 17. Willett, Mahinus, Col., under Gansevoort at Fort Schuyler, 149. Wolfe, death of, 76. WooDUUFF, Samuel, 200. WoosTEU, Gen., wants Arnold to wait for regular orders, 36; in command at Montreal, 83: in connnand at Quebec, 88; refuses Brown's demand for court of in- quiry, 103; mortally wounded at Kidgefield, 130. WYN'COor, refuses to obey orders of Arnold, and ordered by Gates to bo put under arrest, 110; through Arnold's request, not cashiered, 111. Y. YonK, Duke of, Arnold appeals to, for military service, 390. Yorktown, Lord Cornwallis sur- renders at, 358.