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Benedict Arnold Facts & Worksheets

Benedict Arnold was an American Senior Officer during the Revolutionary War. He was a war hero who persistently fought for America's independence.

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Benedict Arnold was an American Senior Officer during the Revolutionary War. He was a war hero who persistently fought for America’s independence. However, his betrayal overshadowed his accomplishments in the wars he fought and won. Arnold’s name had become synonymous with the word traitor.

See the fact file below for more information on the Benedict Arnold or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Benedict Arnold worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY

  • Benedict Arnold was born on the 14th of January, 1741. He was the second of six children of his namesake, Benedict Arnold, and Hannah Waterman King.
  • His ancestors were equivalent to royalty in Rhode Island, and the subsequent generations helped established their name as respected citizens of the colony.
  • He was the third Benedict Arnold in his family line with his father and great grandfather as the first two. His mother was a wealthy widow before her marriage to his father.
  • They were living a prosperous life, but poor business dealings caused them major financial problems. Additionally, his siblings, two sisters and one brother, died from yellow fever. His father found solace in the taverns due to his family’s circumstances.
  • He stopped schooling due to their financial difficulties. He would always find himself in trouble.
  • His mother asked his uncles to take Arnold under their wings. They made him an apprentice of their successful apothecary business.
  • In his mid-30s, he also found success in the same industry and was able to build a fine home in New Haven. He wed Margaret Mansfield in 1767 and had three sons.

MILITARY CAREER

  • He joined the army while being employed in his uncles’ business, eventually becoming the Captain in the Governor’s Second Company of Guards.
  • When the Revolutionary War broke out in 1775 between Great Britain and its 13 American Colonies in 1775, the Massachusetts Committee of Safety allowed Arnold, upon his request, to lead a campaign in Fort. Ticonderoga.
  • Ethan Allen refused to give up his command to Arnold. The latter ended up helping Allen and his troops in capturing Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775. It was a strategic and the first major win for America during the Revolutionary War.
  • Arnold also argued with Colonel James Easton, who would announce the victory of the capture to Massachusetts. He made sure to diminish Arnold’s participation in it.
  • Despite this, Arnold gained George Washington’s trust and considered him one of his best generals. The Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army would always propose to the Congress to give Arnold position in different campaigns against the British.
  • One of them was the attack in Quebec, in December 1775, where Arnold showed bravery and fortitude. He refused to leave Quebec unless they were victorious even though he was nursing battle injuries. He requested reinforcements, but they were not enough to beat the British. George Washington promoted him as Brigadier General and was thoroughly impressed by what Arnold had shown.
  • He led a campaign to recapture the northern side of the Fort St. Lawrence River known as The Cedars. With five hundred Americans being captive, he successfully traded their captured British soldiers. They returned to Montreal, but retreated when the British reinforcement arrived, and the Americans got infected by smallpox.
  • In 1777, he wrote a letter to George Washington intending to resign after the Congress promoted several junior officers to Major General while he remained a Brigadier.
  • He went back to New Haven. On April 1777, while staying there, a British reinforcement raided a Connecticut town, Danbury.
  • Arnold took charge, leading the militiamen in the Battle of Ridgefield to fight the British troops until they fled to their ships.
  • The Congress finally appointed him as major general but without his seniority. This decision effectively made him a subordinate to the previously promoted major generals who were his inferiors before their promotion.
  • George Washington fought for Arnold by commending Arnold in a written letter to Congress. The convention refused, which made Arnold deliver his resignation in July 1777.
  • Before his resignation, Washington recommended Arnold to participate in the campaign defending the North. Arnold asked to hold his resignation upon knowing this and took the opportunity. On August 8, Congress voted not to reinstate Arnold’s seniority, which deeply upset Arnold.
  • Arnold did not disappoint Washington. In the first days of August 1777, he cleverly spread the rumour among the British that thousands of American soldiers were heading to the Fort Stanwix. The British left the fort upon hearing it.
  • He found himself under the leadership of General Horatio Gates. They immediately found themselves of differing opinions in tactical priorities at the Battle of Freeman’s Farm in September 1777.
  • It was Arnold’s strategy that made them victorious, but Gates lessened Arnold’s participation in his report to Congress. He then removed Arnold’s troop in his command and made them his. Arnold confronted General Gates and Gates relieved Arnold of his command for insubordination.
  • Despite having no official command, Arnold still charged into battle during the Battle of Bemis Heights, also known as the Second Battle of Saratoga, on October 1777. His former troops saw him and followed his lead.
  • America won this battle, which became a significant turning point in the Revolutionary War. However, Arnold got wounded, which left him with a permanent limp.
  • Arnold’s disability thoroughly affected his pride. He refused the Congress’s offer to restore his seniority as he never forgave them for denying it to him earlier.
  • Arnold signed an Oath of Allegiance to his country on May 30, 1778. Washington appointed him as the commandant of Philadelphia after the British evacuated the colony.
  • However, a Pennsylvanian radical patriot and an ambitious attorney named Joseph Reed did not like this appointment.

THE MOST FAMOUS BETRAYAL

  • Arnold’s first wife died in 1775. He left his three sons to his sister in New Haven.
  • In Philadelphia, he met an eighteen-year-old girl named Peggy Shippen, the youngest daughter of Judge Edward Shippen. The Shippens were also considered an equivalent to royalty in Philadelphia.
  • He pursued her and they got married in April 1778. Their marriage upgraded his social status, but he couldn’t afford to live an extravagant lifestyle.
  • He entered into shady business dealings and used the government supplies for his personal needs.
  • Joseph Reed became the president of the state’s Supreme Executive Council, making him the most powerful man in Philadelphia. He was made aware of Arnold’s business dealings.
  • He conducted an investigation and put together a list of eight charges, most of them based on rumor.
  • The Congress court-martialed Arnold in June 1779. Arnold furiously defended himself, as in every argument he had. He was found guilty on only two of the eight charges.
  • Peggy was friends with John Andre and other British officers even before they geo married. During the time of Arnold’s court-martial proceedings, he started negotiating with the British. Arnold offered West Point for 10,000 pounds and a commission in the British Military.
  • John Andre, who worked as an intelligence officer of Sir Henry Clinton, served as a messenger between Arnold and Clinton.
  • Andre was captured on one of his journeys to Philadelphia carrying a document from Clinton on his sock. Upon knowing about Andre’s capture, he and his family were able to escape using The Vulture, the ship Andre had used on his way to Arnold.
  • Andre was sentenced to death as a spy. Arnold, on the other hand, received a handsome pay, land in Canada, pension for himself and his family including his children in his first marriage, and a military commission as a British Provincial brigadier general.
  • However, the British did not trust Arnold entirely. Arnold did not receive a critical military command. He and his family moved to London, but the community did not wholly accept them.
  • He returned to the shipping business when they moved to Canada, but the majority of the people there disliked him.
  • He and his family returned to London. He tried to join the military service during the war between France and England but failed. He eventually lost his shipping business also.
  • Benedict Arnold died on June 14, 1801, and was buried at St. Mary’s Church in Battersea, London.

Benedict Arnold Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Benedict Arnold across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Benedict Arnold worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Benedict Arnold who was an American Senior Officer during the Revolutionary War. He was a war hero who persistently fought for America’s independence. However, his betrayal overshadowed his accomplishments in the wars he fought and won. Arnold’s name had become synonymous with the word traitor.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Benedict Arnold Facts
  • Arnold’s Profile
  • The General’s Life
  • Arnold In Four Words
  • The Battles He Fought
  • The General’s Rivals
  • The Arnold Inquiry
  • Military Achievements
  • Is Treason Justifiable?
  • The Most Famous Betrayal
  • A Patriot’s Poem

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Use With Any Curriculum

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