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| Henry Bryan Hall [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
My first thought was, how predictable! But then I realized
that those are the kinds of stories I like: the ones where the bad guys get
their just deserts. Perhaps that kind of story has its appeal because we can
all think of someone (or several someones) who seem to be winning when we know,
we just know, they are awful people.
A long-term view and an understanding of history can add
some perspective. Take the case of Benedict Arnold, for example.
If you’ve had at least a rudimentary, American public school
education, you should be able to identify Benedict Arnold as a traitor from
the American Revolution. If you paid attention in class, you might also remember
that he tried to sell West Point to the British. This is before it became the military
academy that we think of today. Back then, it was a fort strategically located
on the Hudson River about sixty miles north of New York City. (I think it still
is located at that spot, but the point is, back then it was a strategic defense
position, and if Arnold had succeeded, it could have lost us the war. J )
But, what you might not know is that, before he became a
traitor, Arnold was a hero of the Revolution. Among other things,
he helped capture Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 (providing the Rebels with
much-needed artillery) and was instrumental in the victory at Saratoga in 1777
that was a key turning point in the war. The victory at Saratoga paved the way
for the French to openly provide aid to the Americans, an event which I mention
in my novel Le Chevalier.
So, if you’re like me, you have to ask: If Arnold was having
so much success, why did he turn traitor and try to do the unthinkable? I
believe part of the answer is the same reason so many people make poor
decisions today: ego.
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(Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
Even though Arnold had been promoted to Major General, he
was passed over for promotion to higher ranks several more times, and other men
were given credit for his accomplishments. As someone who has had that happen a
number of times, at this point, I can’t help but feel a little sympathy for the
guy. Still, it doesn’t seem like reason enough to sell out your country,
especially when it’s not like you’re being totally overlooked. There has to be
another reason.
Here’s where the romance novelist in me comes out. I think
the catalyst that pushed Arnold over the edge is the same one that pushes so
many men from the light to the dark: a woman.
In this case, the woman is none other than his wife, Peggy Shippen.
I have no hard and fast evidence of this, but given the way
Peggy tends to be treated in the popular literature that mentions her at all, I’m
probably not the only one who has drawn this conclusion. Let’s consider a few
pieces of evidence:
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| By Daniel Gardner (Wikimedia Commons) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons I think of her as "the woman." |
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Peggy was the fourth daughter and last child of
her family. By all accounts, she was a daddy’s girl. By itself, this isn’t terribly
incriminating, but it doesn’t help her case.
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Her family was prominent with loyalist leanings.
Daddy was probably a Tory, but since he was a judge, he wasn’t vocal about it.
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Her family entertained British officers, most
notably John Andre, who will pay the ultimate price for his friendship with
Peggy.
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When she married, Arnold was already facing
financial issues. Nothing like financial concerns to take the bloom off the
rose of young love.
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Peggy was known to be dissatisfied with life as
a Revolutionary war-bride. Instead of living the lifestyle she had grown up with,
they lived at military headquarters.
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They married in 1979, just months before Arnold tried
to sell West Point.
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She is strongly suspected of being complicit in
her husband’s schemes.
Finally, consider that history is rife with stories of men
who do stupid things in their desire to win – or keep – the love of a woman.
Or, just get her between the sheets. Something tells me Arnold was not immune to
any real or imaged pressure exerted by his wife. He may just have felt guilty
for convincing her to marry him when he couldn’t live up to his billing, but
for some men, that’s enough.
In the end, Arnold was convicted of being a traitor, but he
managed to escape to England. In his stead, Major John Andre – by all accounts,
a far more likable character even if he was a British officer – was hanged. Under
normal circumstances, a trade would have been made, and Andre would have been
spared. However, enraged by Arnold’s deceit, Washington decided to set an
example of the poor major. Incidentally, Andre has a fairly decent size monument in New York, something which would probably have just burned Arnold if it hadn't been erected some three-quarters of a century after his death.
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via Wikimedia Commons |
Arnold was not well received in England, either. Sure, they
appreciated his attempt to sell West Point, but apparently the British were
sticklers for honor – something they deemed Arnold to be lacking. He started a
few business ventures in New Brunswick, with little success. When the French Revolution
started, he tried his hand at being a Privateer, but ironically was captured by
the French and accused of spying for the British. Once again, he narrowly
escaped being hanged. He eventually does in 1801 in England from gout – an ignominious
end if ever there was one. (Though so common that I wonder if gout wasn’t used
as a catch-all for other conditions that weren’t yet understood.)
Today, there is one reminder of Arnold’s instrumental role
in winning American Independence. At the Saratoga battlefield, there is a
monument of a boot. The inscription leaves little doubt that the tribute is to
Arnold, but it never names him explicitly. Quite a befitting monument for a man
who achieved much, but never quite got the glory he desired most.
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