Description
Book Synopsis The life of Benedict Arnold, the American Revolutionary War general who attempted to surrender West Point to the British in 1780, didn''t end after he betrayed his American compatriots. In the newly formed United States, he was condemned as a conspirator and in Britain, he was suspected of the same. He quickly left America, spent a short time in London, and largely operated in Canada and the Caribbean as a smuggler, a mercenary and a pariah.
Although much has been written about Arnold''s famous fall from grace, this book is the story of a charismatic man of vaulting ambition. With new research and photographs, it delves into his last twenty years. Arnold remains fascinating as a toppled hero and a flagrant traitor. Another American general wrote in the 1780s that Arnold never does anything by halves; indeed, he lived on a big scale. This study documents each of the various points of the globe where the restless Arnold operated and lived, pursuing wealth, status, and rede
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- 1. Growing Up Benedict
- 2. How the General Viewed His Treason
- 3. John Champe's Ride
- 4. Peggy's Nerves
- 5. Maneuvers in the James River Valley and New London, Connecticut
- 6. Ups and Downs in London
- 7. Sanctuary Province
- 8. Arrival in Saint John
- 9. Benedict's Advance in the New Province
- 10. A Smuggling Culture
- 11. Elyseum: A Potential for the Gentry
- 12. The Benefit of Friendships
- 13. The Island of Welsh Squires
- 14. Benedict's Depot
- 15. Breaking Point and Departure
- 16. Challenging a Duke
- 17. Guadeloupe
- 18. Correspondents
- 19. Last Years in London
- Appendix: The Children and Hannah
- Chapter Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
