Representation of a Parade Condemning the Treason of Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold rose to the rank of major general in the Continental army during the Revolutionary War, but he became disenchanted with his fellow officers. Arnold also believed that his service was unappreciated. He decided to switch allegiances and in 1779 began to offer military secrets to the British through a spy, Major John André. Arnold eventually offered to help the British capture West Point in New York, a key military fort, in exchange for money and high rank in the Royal Army. However, André was captured by American forces on September 23, 1780, while carrying documents about the West Point plot. Arnold learned of the capture the following day and fled to British-controlled New York. The Americans offered to exchange André for Arnold, but the British refused. André was hanged on October 2. Arnold was appointed a brigadier general and led British forces against the Americans in the final years of the war. His name became synonymous with treason in the United States—to call someone a “Benedict Arnold” was to call them a traitor.