Arnold’s Scheme Goes Awry

American Revolution
Written By Tom Hand

In June 1780, General George Washington gave the command of West Point to Benedict Arnold. Arnold swiftly took steps to weaken the fort’s defenses and arranged to meet with Major John Andre, the British spy chief, to turn over documents on the fortress. Arnold and Andre conferred until the early morning hours, but when ordered to take Andre back to his waiting ship, two local farmers hired by Arnold refused to go until they got some sleep. That would prove to be a fateful decision because while they slept, an American shore battery fired on and drove off Andre’s waiting vessel, leaving him no alternative but to make his way back to British lines on horseback.

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, explores how Benedict Arnold’s scheme to surrender West Point failed, and why it still matters today.

Images courtesy of Yale University Art Gallery, Library of Congress, The New York Public Library, National Army Museum, Royal Museums Greenwich, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wikipedia. 

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Tom Hand
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