Benedict Arnold was a General in the American revolutionary war. Arnold was one of America's most infamous traitors. At the age of 14 he was a druggist's apprentice, but he ran away twice to join the colonial militia during the French and Indian war. He was later named a Colonel.

Arnold led a force of 1,100 men through Maine in the dead of winter to invade Canada. He led an unsuccessful attack on Quebec in December and was wounded. For his courage he was promoted to a Brigadier General.

When Arnold was promoted to Major General in February 1777 , named Commander in Philadelphia he was accused of overstepping his authority.

His bitterness along with a need for money to pay off heavy debts led him to negotiate with the British. He conceived a plan to betray West Point, a post he commanded. Arnold's attempt to betray was discovered when a British General was caught with the plans. Arnold escaped to enemy lines and later became a Brigadier General in the British army. Arnold went to England and died in June, 1801 from a nervous disease.

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Bibliography:

Fritz, Jean. Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold. New York: Putnam and Sons,1981.

Benedict Arnold. Grolier multimedia Encyclopedia. 1995 ed.