On September 25, 1780, General George Washington arrived at West Point to inspect the fort and meet with its post commander, General Benedict Arnold. As he was sitting down to breakfast, Arnold received a letter informing him that Major John Andre, his spy accomplice, had been caught and confessed Arnold’s plot. He immediately raced to the river and ordered his bargemen to take him downriver. A few hours later, Washington was informed of Arnold’s attempt to give away West Point to the British. Colonel Alexander Hamilton, who delivered the message, later stated he had never seen Washington so visibly shaken, simply uttering, “Arnold has betrayed us.”

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.

General Benedict Arnold married Peggy Shippen in April 1779 and they soon hatched a plan to make money by betraying their country. They sent word to Peggy’s friend, the British spy chief Major John Andre, that Arnold was willing to provide military secrets to the British for a price.

In June 1778, Major General Benedict Arnold, the new military commander of Philadelphia, moved into the lavish Penn mansion and began to use his position to make extra money. The following year, Joseph Reed, a powerful Pennsylvania politician who had taken a great dislike to Arnold, accused him of several illegal activities. While most charges were frivolous and dismissed, two were referred to General Washington.

In July 1777, General George Washington sent his most trusted field commander, Benedict Arnold, to New York to help stop the invading British Army. Arnold would reach the peak of his short but illustrious career on October 7, when he charged and captured a strongly defended enemy redoubt at the Battle of Bemis Heights, ensuring an American victory. Unfortunately, Arnold suffered a severe wound in his left leg that prevented him from participating in the next military campaign. Instead, Washington appointed Arnold military commander of the Philadelphia region, a situation that would prove ripe for abuse.

Between 1775 and 1777, Benedict Arnold helped capture Fort Ticonderoga, led a miraculous trek to Quebec and besieged that foreign city, fought a naval battle at Valcour Island, led a relief force to lift the siege of Fort Stanwix, and saved a battle that led to the surrender of a British army.

Benedict Arnold was born January 14, 1741 in Norwich, Connecticut, into a wealthy family, but his father lost his fortune when Benedict was a child. At twenty, Arnold moved to New Haven, where he opened a pharmacy, married and had three children. Arnold soon expanded into the trading business, sailing his own ship to the West Indies. When Parliament passed the Stamp Act in 1765, Arnold joined the Sons of Liberty and began a dangerous but lucrative smuggling operation. By the early 1770s, Arnold’s high-risk-high-reward business exploits made him the wealthiest man in New Haven and in 1774, Arnold formed a militia company and was elected captain by the men.

The Tryon County militia sent to relieve Fort Stanwix was repulsed at Oriskany, but General Phillip Schuyler was determined to send a second relief column. When none of Schuyler’s subordinates volunteered to lead the expedition, Major General Benedict Arnold agreed to do so.

General John Burgoyne’s British Army crossed to the west bank of the Hudson River in mid-September to continue its march towards Albany. General Benedict Arnold had placed American troops in a virtually unassailable position on high ground called Bemis Heights. On September 19, Burgoyne moved through heavy woods around the American flank, hoping to surprise the Continentals. However, Arnold, anticipating this move, sent Captain Daniel Morgan’s Virginia riflemen and Major Henry Dearborn’s light infantry to attack the British at Freeman’s Farm before they could deploy.

In the eight weeks since capturing Fort Ticonderoga, British General John Burgoyne had seen his army go from being invincible to facing starvation and defeat. The Americans were having issues as well. With the loss of Fort Ticonderoga, New Englanders in Congress had the perfect excuse to remove General Phillip Schuyler, who was strongly disliked, from command. He was replaced with General Horatio Gates, and General George Washington sent his best field commander, General Benedict Arnold, to assist as well. Unfortunately, Gates resented Arnold’s fame and that resentment would almost cost the Continental Army this campaign.

On December 26, 1775, General Richard Montgomery held a council of war with the officers of his army besieging Quebec. Colonel Benedict Arnold argued strongly that an assault on the city must be tried, despite the slim chances of success. The plan called for Montgomery to attack Quebec’s Lower Town from the south while Arnold attacked from the north. Five days later, in a driving snowstorm, Montgomery launched the attack, but within minutes, was killed by British fire.

On November 14, 1775, after arriving at Quebec City with his 600-man force, Colonel Benedict Arnold issued an ultimatum to the inhabitants of the city: surrender or face an assault. The Canadians, recognizing the weak condition of Arnold’s army, refused his demand.

On November 8, 1775, Colonel Benedict Arnold and his troops came to the bluffs across the St. Lawrence River from Quebec City. Forty-five days earlier, this group of hardy Americans had started out from Fort Western on the lower Kennebec River. The rivers had flowed faster, the heights had been higher, and swamps more extensive than any had imagined.

Colonel Benedict Arnold’s army reached the Great Carrying Place, a thirteen-mile portage, on October 11, 1775. They had been moving north on the Kennebec River for three weeks but had only advanced eighty-four miles towards Quebec. After overcoming many obstacles, Colonel Arnold held a council of war with the lead division to discuss next steps and persuaded the men to continue on. However, a few miles downstream, the rear division was holding its own council of war. Without the fortitude of Benedict Arnold to strengthen them, they opted to turn back and took most of the provisions.

Colonel Benedict Arnold’s expedition to Quebec in the fall of 1775 is regarded as one of the greatest military marches in history. Arnold planned to lead his men up the Kennebec River and then over land through the unmapped wilderness of Maine to attack Quebec. The distance was estimated at 180 miles, taking 20 days to complete. Both assumptions would prove to be terribly wrong.

During the American Revolution, Fort Ticonderoga was a strongpoint on the natural waterway between the American colonies and British-controlled Canada. The cannons captured there provided the heavy artillery General Washington needed to intimidate the British out of Boston.