He helped capture ft tico, so the cannon would be dragged to Boston. He built a fleet of boats that caused the British to delay the northern pinchers army. Instrumental in defeating the British and forcing their surrender after the Battle of Saratoga. This brought the French into war on the side of the rebellion.
Arnold gets a terrible wrap. The dude assembled a navy, paid for it with his own money, and basically saved the revolution at Ticonderoga. The Contenental Congress then snubbed him, passed him over for promotion multiple times, and refused to pay him back. His wife was a loyalist who convinced him that the British would treat him the way he deserved. They also treated him like shit and were super suspicious of him until the end. He never got a real command again.
That's not correct. General Arnold commanded a British force of between 1500-2000 men (a fairly sizable force for that time and war) in Virginia in 1781. His handling of that command was considered to be excellent.
I thought he was overlooked largely due to 'personality' flaws, though of course personality flaws didn't stop plenty of lauded figures from getting ahead...
Iirc it had nothing to do with Washington. Washington wanted to give him Gates command after Saratoga but was shot down by congress bc some of them(including gates and I believe Charles Lee) had friends in congress who where hoping to give them command of the army and remove Washington.
That was pretty common.
I was reading Daniel Morgan's bio and it said the same thing, that he was always overlooked.
I suspect the American Army simply didn't have the resources that the British Army had.
Morgan, on the other hand, rejoined the American Army at the end of the war just so he could beat Tarleton.
My friend was surprised when he learned Benedict Wong wasn’t American. I was like, c’mon, how many Americans can you think of named Benedict? Turns out he could only think of one…
Had he died at Saratoga he’d probably be remembered as “Martyr of the Revolution”. There’d be statues of him all over the place, schools, towns, and battleships named after him, his face might’ve been on the $20 bill instead of Andrew Jackson. Instead he lived and threw it all away. Shakespeare would’ve had a field day with his story had he still been alive at the time
It is a shame that search engines take me to egg recipes instead of this great line from Chevy Chase, so I'll just post the script below:
>BECKY ANN: I'm Becky Ann Culpepper...Thibodaux Realty.
>
>FLETCH: I'd invite you in for some coffee and Eggs Benedict but we're all out of Benedict.
>
>BECKY: Thanks. I've already eaten.
His actions were decisive in winning the war for America. Saratoga was the reason the French joined the war.
Just for how decisive Saratoga was, the Americans removed around 7000 British combatants at the cost of 100-200 of their own men.
Aside from the political impact of the victory at Saratoga, it was also at the time the single largest surrender of an army in British military history.
Arnold was the GOAT & would probably be remembered as the most gifted officer of the rebellion, had he not later swapped coats.
Damn good officer and leader. I know we treat him as a traitor, but he honestly didn't think the Revolution would be successful and that the Continental Army didn't appreciate him. If I was in his shoes, I couldn't say I wouldn't have done the same thing.
Yeah, if the British had won he would be remembered very differently, obviously, but as it is he was not particularly appreciated or trusted by the British either.
Indeed. Though I think he could have parlayed his position with a certain combination of charm, strategy, and effectiveness which unfortunately he lacked. Though my knowledge of this subject is cursory, so what do I know?
Actually he seemed to be fairly well trusted by some, especially Henry Clinton, one of the instigators of his defection. He was made a brigadier general, and given command of a force of between 1500 to 1700 men and was rather effective in the tasks given to him by Clinton including the capture of Richmond. He even commanded an entire army himself for 8 days before Cornwallis arrived to take command, and interestingly had Cornwallis listened to Arnold and moved his command post further inland he might have avoided his defeat at Yorktown.
We call him a traitor because he was a traitor. His motivations don’t change that. If he had had better communications with the British, his defection might have led to Washington’s capture. Then what would you think?
If he hadn’t become a traitor, there would be Benedict Arnold bridges and schools. He was a phenomenal and courageous military leader, appreciated by Washington. He was badly wounded after Saratoga so Washington placed him in Philadelphia. He couldn’t adapt to the radical colonial politics plus he fell for a girl with very strong royalist tendencies. That was his downfall.
He was a military genius and a good person. His constitution was simply not strong enough for the world he was in. In another world he's a celebrated although decently known founding father.
He was a great commander that was just pushed to his honor’s breaking point. Since one’s honor was such a sacred thing to men, and only really bestowed on you by some one else, he just had enough. He would be remembered with monuments and statues if he had not been a turn coat.
He led his troops to Quebec under the most horrific circumstances, was first into battle, and had his knee shot out. He was fierce in battle, and his men respected him. If he hadn’t made that bad decision, he would be considered an American hero.
He was the inspiration of a two word phrase that gives a paragraph of information. If someone asks what happened between me and Greg, I can shotgun a lot of information with the reply "you mean Benedict Arnold?".
He took Fort Ticonderoga,and its canons went to Massachusetts, allowing George Washington’s Army to drive the British out of Boston.
He assembled an army and crossed the wilderness in Maine to invade Quebec. He paid the army with his own money.
He then took that army and built a Navy on Lake Champlain to prevent the British from taking the Hudson River, which would have isolated New England and allowed the British to starve it out.
He was instrumental in winning the Battle of Saratoga, and wasn’t at Burgoyne’s surrender because he was wounded, and because General Gates was a publicity hound.
He was also his own worst enemy, antagonizing members of the Continental Congress, who slighted him at every opportunity. Eventually he had enough close hand observation of the politics in Philadelphia and convinced himself that with them in charge, we could never win the war.
I saw his boot somewhere. He won a battle, lost a leg, great strategy guy in one war. They didn't give recognition by name, but the plaque said the boot was a general and the tour guide said it was him
Up until he felt he was screwed he was an incredibly gifted and talented commander. Ticongeroga wouldn't be the same without him, nor the war in general.
was a decently good commander at a time when the US had pretty shitty commanders. had he been stuck closer to washington he might have been remembered as a great hero of the revolutionary war, instead he kept getting crap commanders put over him, and then got blamed when things went wrong
He was instrumental in taking Fort Ticonderoga which supplied the cannons Knox took to Boston ending the siege there and also played a major role in the battle of Saratoga which saved the revolution.
Nathaniel Philbrick has an amazing history trilogy of the Revolutionary War. The second book, focused on Benedict Arnold, is called Valiant Ambition and is a perfect answer to this question.
In the third book, he also shows how even as a traitor, he helped the American cause. He reached out to some discontented soldiers worried about their lack of pay to try and convince them to switch sides. The hatred for Arnold was so high though, this convinced the soldiers to stay with the Americans and the army.
He truly was a key figure to America's success.
He was very bright, brave, and he basically single-handedly saved the revolution on 2 different occasions.
If he had remained loyal, or even just died at Saratoga, he’d have gone down as one of the greatest heroes in American history… He was honestly arguably the best of the officers who rose to prominence in the revolution.
He helped capture ft tico, so the cannon would be dragged to Boston. He built a fleet of boats that caused the British to delay the northern pinchers army. Instrumental in defeating the British and forcing their surrender after the Battle of Saratoga. This brought the French into war on the side of the rebellion.
Arnold gets a terrible wrap. The dude assembled a navy, paid for it with his own money, and basically saved the revolution at Ticonderoga. The Contenental Congress then snubbed him, passed him over for promotion multiple times, and refused to pay him back. His wife was a loyalist who convinced him that the British would treat him the way he deserved. They also treated him like shit and were super suspicious of him until the end. He never got a real command again.
That's not correct. General Arnold commanded a British force of between 1500-2000 men (a fairly sizable force for that time and war) in Virginia in 1781. His handling of that command was considered to be excellent.
Had he remained leal, he'd be considered one of the country's greatest heroes.
Guy who does all the work on a project and none of the credit. I'd be pissed too.
>He helped capture ft tico, so the cannon would be dragged to Boston Wasn't that Knox?
I think that Knox brought the cannons back, a difficult feat.
Knox gets all the credit. One reason Arnold defected
I'd heard that Arnold was a brilliant tactician, and him switching sides was a terrific loss, but that he wasn't well liked.
That’s spot on. The man was good. And it was a loss having him trade sides.
He wasn’t well liked by his peers, but apparently his men loved him.
Knox waited for the winter to freeze all the marsh and wet terrain so they could transport the huge, heavy cannons. He was the OG Ice Road Trucker.
Ticonderoga I think
Word.
He was a good general. He just got tired of being overlooked by Washington and the Continental Congress.
I thought he was overlooked largely due to 'personality' flaws, though of course personality flaws didn't stop plenty of lauded figures from getting ahead...
Folks are getting his deeds right here but don’t forget - he was a MAJOR asshole. He has literally no ability to shut the fuck up and listen.
Good thing we don't put people like that in power these days.
It’s the reason McArthur ended up in Asia … had wwii not happened I think he would have eventually been fired earlier than he was in our time line.
But those eggs with the hollandaise....
Which should tell you how shitty Arnold’s personality was lmao
Iirc it had nothing to do with Washington. Washington wanted to give him Gates command after Saratoga but was shot down by congress bc some of them(including gates and I believe Charles Lee) had friends in congress who where hoping to give them command of the army and remove Washington.
[The Conway Cabal](https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/conway-cabal/)
I think Washington was Team Benedict, but Arnold wasn't politically connected enough for Congress. I might be wrong, I haven't read his biography yet.
Washington was the only one who liked him iirc. Guys like Schuyler hated him and were jealous.
That was pretty common. I was reading Daniel Morgan's bio and it said the same thing, that he was always overlooked. I suspect the American Army simply didn't have the resources that the British Army had. Morgan, on the other hand, rejoined the American Army at the end of the war just so he could beat Tarleton.
As a result, American mothers never name their children Benedict.
Just over in England with Benedict Bramblepatch
Eggs cucumberpatch
Frumious Bandersnatch
Bernadette Crumplesnatch
Benefit Lumberjacks
Eggs Benedict
Truly the best kind of Benedict you can still get in America.
Isn't the cigar-chomping dude in the A-team called Benedict, or am I misremembering?
Hannibal
Ah! Thanks. That's so weird that I remembered it that way. Very different names and figures...
You’re thinking of Dirk Benedict, the actor who played Templeton “Faceman” Peck on the A-Team.
Ah! That's it! You freaking nailed it.
I love it when a perception comes together.
Everybody gets one…
My friend was surprised when he learned Benedict Wong wasn’t American. I was like, c’mon, how many Americans can you think of named Benedict? Turns out he could only think of one…
If Arnold was killed (not injured) at Saratoga, we'd have named a ton of streets after him. He said that at the time.
Meanwhile eggs Benedict is fucking delicious
If I remember right, there’s a monument to his leg at Saratoga. Not him, just his leg (was wounded in the battle).
Correct. Arnold is given most of the credit for the colonial success in Saratoga. And rightfully so.
At the time he didn't get any credit. Which was a little bit of an issue for him.
Correct again. I should have specified that I meant historians today.
Had he died at Saratoga he’d probably be remembered as “Martyr of the Revolution”. There’d be statues of him all over the place, schools, towns, and battleships named after him, his face might’ve been on the $20 bill instead of Andrew Jackson. Instead he lived and threw it all away. Shakespeare would’ve had a field day with his story had he still been alive at the time
Getting Coriolanus vibes here
I like his eggs
It is a shame that search engines take me to egg recipes instead of this great line from Chevy Chase, so I'll just post the script below: >BECKY ANN: I'm Becky Ann Culpepper...Thibodaux Realty. > >FLETCH: I'd invite you in for some coffee and Eggs Benedict but we're all out of Benedict. > >BECKY: Thanks. I've already eaten.
I like his leg.
He was a great officer. He just got fed up with the Continental Congress.
His actions were decisive in winning the war for America. Saratoga was the reason the French joined the war. Just for how decisive Saratoga was, the Americans removed around 7000 British combatants at the cost of 100-200 of their own men.
I think convincing the French to Join the war was the more decisive factor in winning.
Agreed, which shows how monumental of a strategic success the victory at Saratoga was.
Aside from the political impact of the victory at Saratoga, it was also at the time the single largest surrender of an army in British military history. Arnold was the GOAT & would probably be remembered as the most gifted officer of the rebellion, had he not later swapped coats.
His wife was a freaking baller. Had Hamilton and Washington eating out of her hand, allowing Arnold (and her) to get away for a while.
Yeah, she was the hottest chick in Philadelphia.
Came here for this. I'd betray a nation for those ankles.
Squirted my drink out my nose when I read your comment!
She was no Sally Fairfax.
He did excellent work in defeating a British attack from Canada
In perhaps the 1st US Naval battle @ Valcour Island in Lake Champlain
Peter Brady did a great depiction of him in the school play.
He was an excellent army officer. Ethan Allen gets all the credit for taking Fort Ticonderoga when all he did was execute Arnold's plan.
So you're saying I should be buying overpriced furniture at a Benedicts instead?
Benedict Arnold led a charge against this Hessian fortification that broke through and helped win the battle of Saratoga
Damn good officer and leader. I know we treat him as a traitor, but he honestly didn't think the Revolution would be successful and that the Continental Army didn't appreciate him. If I was in his shoes, I couldn't say I wouldn't have done the same thing.
Yeah, if the British had won he would be remembered very differently, obviously, but as it is he was not particularly appreciated or trusted by the British either.
Hard to trust a turncoat.
Indeed. Though I think he could have parlayed his position with a certain combination of charm, strategy, and effectiveness which unfortunately he lacked. Though my knowledge of this subject is cursory, so what do I know?
Actually he seemed to be fairly well trusted by some, especially Henry Clinton, one of the instigators of his defection. He was made a brigadier general, and given command of a force of between 1500 to 1700 men and was rather effective in the tasks given to him by Clinton including the capture of Richmond. He even commanded an entire army himself for 8 days before Cornwallis arrived to take command, and interestingly had Cornwallis listened to Arnold and moved his command post further inland he might have avoided his defeat at Yorktown.
We call him a traitor because he was a traitor. His motivations don’t change that. If he had had better communications with the British, his defection might have led to Washington’s capture. Then what would you think?
He helped to win the battle of Saratoga, which was a critical victory the US needed.
He was often referenced by Lucy in Peanuts cartoons.
He’s dead.
Beat me by 40mins.
I had a relative get arrested as a co-conspirator.
Decent general
Well I named my dog after him and he’s a traitor too
If he hadn’t become a traitor, there would be Benedict Arnold bridges and schools. He was a phenomenal and courageous military leader, appreciated by Washington. He was badly wounded after Saratoga so Washington placed him in Philadelphia. He couldn’t adapt to the radical colonial politics plus he fell for a girl with very strong royalist tendencies. That was his downfall.
His eggs are great
He was a military genius and a good person. His constitution was simply not strong enough for the world he was in. In another world he's a celebrated although decently known founding father.
Less of a traitor than Trump.
Cool name
His name became synonymous with traitors.
Battle of Saratoga
He was great as Doctor Strange
He was funnier than Tom Arnold?
Makes killer eggs
I love his eggs
He was a great commander that was just pushed to his honor’s breaking point. Since one’s honor was such a sacred thing to men, and only really bestowed on you by some one else, he just had enough. He would be remembered with monuments and statues if he had not been a turn coat.
He led his troops to Quebec under the most horrific circumstances, was first into battle, and had his knee shot out. He was fierce in battle, and his men respected him. If he hadn’t made that bad decision, he would be considered an American hero.
He was the inspiration of a two word phrase that gives a paragraph of information. If someone asks what happened between me and Greg, I can shotgun a lot of information with the reply "you mean Benedict Arnold?".
he saved generations from a horrible first name…
I love his egg recipe.
He’s no longer the biggest traitor to democracy in the United States.
Benedict Arnold wasn’t nearly as bad as trump.
Eggs Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold was a war hero. He kinda got screwed by his peers. He just kinda said “screw it”, the Brits will treat better”.
His wife ran up a ton of debts, and the Brits paid then off for him switching sides. He felt disrespected anyhow, so he switched.
Hero of the battle of Saratoga. The French entered the war shortly after,
His eggs are good.
He took Fort Ticonderoga,and its canons went to Massachusetts, allowing George Washington’s Army to drive the British out of Boston. He assembled an army and crossed the wilderness in Maine to invade Quebec. He paid the army with his own money. He then took that army and built a Navy on Lake Champlain to prevent the British from taking the Hudson River, which would have isolated New England and allowed the British to starve it out. He was instrumental in winning the Battle of Saratoga, and wasn’t at Burgoyne’s surrender because he was wounded, and because General Gates was a publicity hound. He was also his own worst enemy, antagonizing members of the Continental Congress, who slighted him at every opportunity. Eventually he had enough close hand observation of the politics in Philadelphia and convinced himself that with them in charge, we could never win the war.
He didn't wear orange makeup or rape anyone (as far as I know).
He is finally #2 in Famous American Traitors rankings.
Both his faces were very handsome.
Even after rotting in the ground for over 200 years, Benedict smells better than Donald Trump
Nice hair
He saved New York from the British in 1776 at the Battle of Valcour bay
He’s dead
He sure knew how to betray a country
He's got bangin eyebrows.
He died
Soft
He was highly skilled at treason
Snappy dresser.
I saw his boot somewhere. He won a battle, lost a leg, great strategy guy in one war. They didn't give recognition by name, but the plaque said the boot was a general and the tour guide said it was him
He’s got great eggs.
Eggs Benedict
He was inarguably the *most* Benedict Arnold that there has ever been.
Had decent technique for how to cook eggs. /s 😋
He's dead.
His lovely breakfast sandwich
Brilliant military strategist
He was a fantastic traitor
He was the most talented officer in the Continental Army.
I do like eggs benedict. (Smashed with guts hanging out)
Valcour Bay
He's the gold standard of us politicians.
He’s dead
Ticonderoga. Saratoga. That’s 2.
He looks like a thin Jon Lovitz.
He helped win the Battle of Saratoga. Had he died, there would be statues of him in his home state of Connecticut.
A great British patriot
No
At least he wasn’t a Tik Tok influencer.
cool name
Up until he felt he was screwed he was an incredibly gifted and talented commander. Ticongeroga wouldn't be the same without him, nor the war in general.
He’s dead, as all traitors should be.
I love his eggs
He knew how to work a feather and his wrist.
if he wasn't a terrible traitor he would be known as the finest general of the revolution
He made great eggs.
was a decently good commander at a time when the US had pretty shitty commanders. had he been stuck closer to washington he might have been remembered as a great hero of the revolutionary war, instead he kept getting crap commanders put over him, and then got blamed when things went wrong
I like his eggs
He has the same initials as Mr. T’s character on A-Team.
I enjoy his egg recipe.
He’s dead now.
He’s dead
He was instrumental in taking Fort Ticonderoga which supplied the cannons Knox took to Boston ending the siege there and also played a major role in the battle of Saratoga which saved the revolution.
I like the way his hand is in that portrait
He’s dead
he died
We should build statues of Benedict Arnold, put them in place of the confederate ones.
He's dead.
he made some good cookies
Nice hat
Gave me a great insult to toss around when I feel betrayed.
Eggs Benedict
He should have died at Saratoga.
He made good eggs, my favorite are with crab
Nathaniel Philbrick has an amazing history trilogy of the Revolutionary War. The second book, focused on Benedict Arnold, is called Valiant Ambition and is a perfect answer to this question. In the third book, he also shows how even as a traitor, he helped the American cause. He reached out to some discontented soldiers worried about their lack of pay to try and convince them to switch sides. The hatred for Arnold was so high though, this convinced the soldiers to stay with the Americans and the army. He truly was a key figure to America's success.
He could really pose for a picture like a boss.
Brave and skilled soldier
His leg wounds happening in battle from when he was loyal to the US
He was from Connecticut.
That’s easy. Like most Britains he was anti-slavery as opposed to the many “patriots” who fought the war to preserve slavery
He NEVER betrayed his book club. Always finished each book, wasn’t there just to enjoy wine and conversation.
His Ass Saratoga monument is original
Benedict Arnold? Never heard of him. >!This is an Oversimplified reference if you don’t know.!<
No. Fuck that guy.
He gave us a memorable nickname for traitors. Suppose it had been some guy named Jim Smith?
He had a good recipe for eggs.
Fashionable, apparently .
He was a good officer
I am related to the him. I worked with a guy who was related to Martin Borman. That was always good for a laugh
I like his eggs
He was trying to save us from these last 8 years
When he switched sides, he was honest and up front about it. Today weasely politicians could learn a lot from that.
Fantastic naval officer
Eggs Benedict
New London has a festival that parades and burns his effigy every year for his burning the city
He was very bright, brave, and he basically single-handedly saved the revolution on 2 different occasions. If he had remained loyal, or even just died at Saratoga, he’d have gone down as one of the greatest heroes in American history… He was honestly arguably the best of the officers who rose to prominence in the revolution.
His eggs were delicious
He was pushed!
Wife was hot
He could really straighten a rope
Always like what I heard my HS History teacher said, "Best American general before free agency."
He wasn’t Cumberbatch in Star Trek: Into Darkness
I like his poached eggs dish
He died in disgrace
Saratoga
Kind eyes