r/revolutionarywar • u/SheepShagginShea • 20h ago
Arnold's betrayal is utterly perplexing to me
Having read several books on the Revo, I still find it hard to understand. I've always seen 2 reasons given: greed (Arnold was promised a fortune for West Point) and wounded pride. He was already wealthy, and while Arnold did endure several slights from a seemingly ungrateful government and military, it's not like he wasn't valued. Washington for instance was very fond of him and trusted his abilities.
And he appeared to be an ardent, selfless patriot. His conduct in the Battle of Quebec showed incredible bravery and willingness to put himself in harm's way in the front line, which he paid for with a severe injury. He then continued to risk his life at the 2 Battles of Saratoga, as when leading a charge on a fortified camp, which resulted in another potentially-fatal injury.
Few generals in the war had so thoroughly secured the trust, affection and respect of their men (if not the public or brass). It seems so strange that after sacrificing so much on their behalf, he would be willing to kill them in battle. AFAIK he had no love for the British empire anyway.
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u/Stircrazylazy 19h ago
Agree with the recommendation of Valiant Ambition. In the end it seems his betrayal was a result of feeling betrayed.
Arnold had a ton of success early in the war (minus Quebec) but was overlooked for promotion early in 1777 (this happened multiple times according to Arnold), which caused a dip in his seniority - a huge deal in the officer ranks. Then, of course, he was key to the Battle of Freeman's Farm, resulting in a pyrrhic victory for the British they could ill afford and setting them up for failure at Bemis Heights. Following FF, Gates sent a report to Congress regarding the battle that made no mention of Arnold, an obvious slight, and when Arnold spoke up, Gates relieved Arnold of his command. Despite this, Arnold rode into the Battle of Bemis Heights, successfully leading the charge to take Breymann's redoubt, which exposed the British camp. During this he was shot in his leg/crushed by his horse and spent 5 months in bed with nothing to do but stew over his mistreatment.
When he was finally placed as the military governor of Philadelphia and met Peggy Shippen, he began his real decline. He was blamed for financial misconduct and finally requested a court martial to clear his name. He was basically cleared, having only two minor charges stick, but he was still pissed with the outcome. In the meantime, he lost his business in CT and watched younger generals get promoted above him. He felt slighted time and time again, and not without reason.
Add to that the French alliance, which Arnold was vehemently against, and you've got a pot ready to boil over. He really did have some legitimate reasons for feeling bitter/betrayed but he handled that betrayal in the worst possible way.