In the early morning hours of this date in 1780 Benedict Arnold concluded negotiations with John Andre, British General Henry Clinton's adjutant, to surrender Fort West Point to the British. Hours later Andre was captured with incriminating papers by members of the New York militia and was executed as a spy a couple of weeks later. Arnold barely escaped West Point before a visit from George Washington.
By coincidence I finished a book about this today, "Valiant Ambition " by one of my favorite authors, Nathaniel Philbrick. He makes clear that he doesn't excuse what Arnold did but he did a good job of explaining how pitifully the Continental Congress abused its army, soldiers and officers alike. It really is a miracle, even with the vast support of the French navy and army, that the colonies were able to win independence.
The British had just taken Charleston with 2500 American prisoners and if Arnold had succeeded in surrendering the 3000 men at West Point, who knows what would have happened? John Paulding was the New York militiaman that Andre couldn't fool, had just escaped from a prison in New York himself, and turned out to be one of the most important characters of the revolution.
By coincidence I finished a book about this today, "Valiant Ambition " by one of my favorite authors, Nathaniel Philbrick. He makes clear that he doesn't excuse what Arnold did but he did a good job of explaining how pitifully the Continental Congress abused its army, soldiers and officers alike. It really is a miracle, even with the vast support of the French navy and army, that the colonies were able to win independence.
The British had just taken Charleston with 2500 American prisoners and if Arnold had succeeded in surrendering the 3000 men at West Point, who knows what would have happened? John Paulding was the New York militiaman that Andre couldn't fool, had just escaped from a prison in New York himself, and turned out to be one of the most important characters of the revolution.