The Hero of Saratoga

American Revolution
Written By Tom Hand

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.

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, explores how Benedict Arnold became the hero of Saratoga, and why he still matters today.

Images courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brown University Library, New York Public Library, New York Historical Museum and Library, Library of Congress, Yale University Art Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Wikipedia. 

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In June 1780, Benedict and Peggy Arnold asked two old acquaintances who were congressmen from New York, Robert Livingston and Phillip Schuyler, to request that General George Washington give Arnold the command of Fortress West Point. Unaware of Arnold’s true motives and wanting to help their friend, both congressmen complied. Arnold was now certain West Point would soon be his to give away.

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The Benedict Arnold who was named military commander of the Philadelphia region in 1778 was not the same man whose battlefield exploits had made him an early American legend. When Arnold had led his contingent of New Haven militiamen to the siege of Boston in April 1775, he was a wealthy, incredibly athletic man intent on helping the United States gain its independence.

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General John Burgoyne had captured Fort Ticonderoga on July 6 and was advancing south. General George Washington requested that Congress send his most trusted field commander, Benedict Arnold to stop Burgoyne. Washington informed Congress that without Arnold “the most disagreeable consequences may be apprehended.”

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With the capture of Montreal by General Richard Montgomery and the presence of Colonel Benedict Arnold’s force of 600 men on the Plains of Abraham, Britain’s foothold in Canada had dwindled to about one square mile, the area within the mighty walls of Quebec City. Now the defenses of that fortress would be tested by a band of determined Americans.

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When Colonel Benedict Arnold’s army reached the Great Carrying Place on October 11, 1775, they had been moving north on the Kennebec River for almost three weeks and had advanced eighty-four miles. The American militiamen were on their way to assault Quebec City, the crown jewel of British Canada. The time originally estimated for the entire journey to Quebec was about twenty days, and the anticipated distance was 180 miles. Neither Arnold nor the men were aware they had another 300 miles to go.

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Tom Hand
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