Something you may not be aware of, this past weekend The National Park Service and the City Of Richmond staged a reenactment of Benedict Arnold's raid on Richmond. Keep up the great work.
@@Unami0929 Go to Google Maps and search for history re-enacting, click search this area. March 5 Bentonville Battlefield, Four Oaks NC for example. And dang I missed the Christmas in the farmhouse evening.
The AMC series "TURN - Washington's Spies" has General Arnold as one of its central characters in the 4 seasons that it ran. While it is historic fiction, it seems to portray Arnold, Andre, Washington, and Henry Clinton in a very accurate manner. It includes scenes that are supposed to portray Arnold's raid of Richmond. Highly recommend.
I wish I could also have “enlisted” as a captain. It would have saved me a great many nights sweeping and mopping decks. For some reason the Navy did’t recognize my outstanding leadership skills right out of the gate.
In those days, one paid to be commissioned in the British military forces. US forces commissioned directly early on, but began to add educational requirements for one to be commissioned. Although, WWII did kind of knock that into a cocked hat with battlefield commissions and one of my uncles was offered a direct commission had he remained in the Army, which he declined. Still, you'd have had to pay for your own uniforms and that swill you ate in the chow hole would be paid for by you as well. Something I frequently reminded my commissioned officers of when our cooks yet again outdid their infamous best, "Well Sir, they pay me to eat this shit, alas, you get to pay for that privilege". Yeah, the reply, regardless of rank was predictable.
THAT : Was The First Thing In This Video I Heard That Made Me Do One Of Those Head Turning DoubLe-Tskes & Say • "WAIT, ••••••• WHAT" ! "ENLISTED" •••• **{As}** "A•CAPTAIN" .??????? 😮
It would be lovely to see a video about Tadeusz Kościuszko. Alongside Arnold, he greatly contributed to the victory in the Saratoga campaign and later designed the very fortifications at West Point, the plans of which Arnold leaked to the British.
@jjj1951 Yes. I didn't mention Casimir Pulaski (or more properly Kazimierz Pułaski) because he's less directly related to Arnold's story, and History Guy already made a video about him, twice, if I remember correctly.
His name is accursed to this very day but no one in my multi-generational family had any idea what he actually did. One thing i've learned from this channel, and my own research is that my conceptions of "well known" events is almost always wrong or extremely simplistic. Thanks for another great episode History Guy!
As a transplanted-resident of the city of Richmond, I was surprised to discover that Arnold had raided Richmond, this about 10 years ago. your article on Arnold was informative and well presented. Thank you, THG!
No member of the congress met George III before they signed the declaration and they had, according to us, more than enough cause to rebel. We dont question their derision or hate of a man all but 2 or 3 of them ever met. Arnold was familiar with the people he hated. And they despised him for wanting to socially climb. A thing they were all doing in earnest. He may have been prickly but he was a good commander with flashes of brilliance. Taking the time to be his friend would've shortened the war by 6 months and saved hundreds if not thousands of lives. Many more 'real' patriots would have survived if someone could've made room for him and taken him seriously. Instead they treated him the way they hated being treated: like a peasant. Not to belabor the point but that's what the congress swore they were trying to end. I'd feel betrayed by that. Especially if I took more bullets and forts than George Washington. Arnold lost 1 campaign. Washington lost nearly all of his going back to about 1755. He was a master of retreat, which is a very important skill to master, but Arnold had a mind for planning multi-pronged assaults. He also learned from his mistakes in Canada. We just hate him for using that learning to plan an attack on West point. Great strategic thinking on his part. If you believe he was an evil man or even a bad man you should know the same generation that made that idea popular also came up with the myths of Washington's childhood piety re: the apple tree. They were expressing feeling, not fact. Hate him all you want. It's exactly the kind of sentiment that made him turn traitor, but keep hating him in his grave all the same. He took two bullets and mounds of disregard for you and me. And frankly we don't know what else he did. The records pertaining to the sons of liberty are still sealed for a reason. Could a mythical traitor be a part of that spy network? One that definitely used double agents in the British procurement and support systems? Could that negatively impact our current relationship with britain; finding out we tricked them worse than anyone and that the people they took in worked for us. Might make them think those descendants of previous spies still living in England can't be trusted. Surely the sons of liberty, those vandals and extremists that so boldly courted death, would never be so bold as to manufacture americas most reviled traitor just to win their freedom. Thomas Paine, Paul Revere, and ol' Ben Franklin wouldn't dare, right? I'm not saying it's necessarily true, just that the story is a little threadbare and other plot lines have been deliberately buried. The reason given has always been ongoing security considerations. The truth would piss a lot of people off. Benedict Arnold being a double agent would piss you off I bet. And even if all that isn't true why do we hate a man that followed his conscience, same as his other rebels, simply because it led him somewhere else? People he knew had the means to rule the world. Not the most friendly but reliable and secure. The English and American rebels both promised to free any slave helped them fight. The English kept their word. We did not. We betrayed 30% of our population, at least, right off the jump. It wasn't all sunshine and roses. The course of freedom isn't illuminated like a city street its a dark and winding path at times. Hard to blame a man getting lost amidst the brambles and musket shot. Youd want it to be hard to blame you in that same situation. Anyone would. Benefit of the doubt.
@@pudgeboyardee32 According to 'Revolutions' podcast, Washington 'over complicated' all his plans of attacks and yes he was known as the master of the retreat.
@@pudgeboyardee32 it is rather interesting and distinctive though. When with our forces, he was twice wounded quite severely, once in each leg, resulting in one leg being much shorter than the other. But oddly, when he was with the British forces, he received not so much as a scratch. Given the range of muskets and their lack of accuracy at range, one ponders just where those shots may have originated, which would speak to his quality as an officer. Something more likely and actually probably, compared to your screed of suppositions, postulates and odd reading compared to well, actual recorded history of both sides. And his court martial was ostensibly for doing what the other officers were doing, but in reality, it was because he got caught profiteering, rather than keeping a lower profile with a restive and divided populace. A bit of trivia. George Washington had minimal to no pay during the revolution, instead being compensated with an expense account for the duration of the war. His income, rather higher than his British counterparts. After the Constitution was ratified and he was to become our first president, he offered to do so without salary, only a similar expense account. Congress gave a collective shudder, remembering said infamous expense account and rapidly assigned him a salary.
@@pudgeboyardee32 General Washington used espionage especially at West Point, where Arnold was in command. This type betrayal from one your Generals is never to be forgiven, treasonous. West Point today is the United States Military Academy and when the cadets are called up, they rub the bronze nose of Benedict Arnold in the archway. Needless to say, over the years Arnold’s Bronze face has to be replaced.
I was stationed on the USS City of Corpus Christi in Groton Connecticut back in 99-00. Some of the guys on my boat were renting his old house in a nearby town... not a museum or protected historical site, just a barely maintained rental property.
You should also do a vid about his raid on New London and Groton, Connecticut on September 6, 1781. The key part of the battle was the defense of Fort Griswold in Groton which resulted in the deaths of over 100 of the defenders - many of whom were killed after the garrison had surrendered. This battle is little known outside of Connecticut.
My source is a historian from New London CT. She pointed out that Arnold's first wife had died because of disease and his home was seized for taxes. He requested a pay increase but was denied. Arnold led an attack on the city of New London which inadvertently resulted in the burning of the city. The people were more pirate than patriot. They had a signal when a friendly privateer approached that two canon shots signaled that everyone come down and unload the ship. A party would follow. One shot for an enemy. When the British force approached a canon was fired and the British provided the second shot. The warehouses were fired including one containing gunpowder. The resulting explosion did two things; fire was spread through out the town and residents took the opportunity to loot their own town.
Arnold also spent a large part of his fortune building armed sailing sloops. Their purpose? To deter the British fleet in Boston to not invade New York City. They met in Long Island Sound and most were listening but the feckless British admiral fell back to Boston thinking the Americans must have more ships waiting for him.
I used to visit a beach cottage in Arnolda, formerly Arnold family estate in Charlestown RI. He was a brilliant combat engineer, his chain across the Hudson is one of the "battles" that won the war, it kept the British from taking Albany and controlling the Mohawk and Hudson rivers. His wife had run up a huge debt partying.
It wasn't a chain across the Hudson, it was between Valcour Island and the mainland in Lake Champlain, by the time Carleton's forces saw it they were downwind. The insane part is he snuck what remained of his fleet past them during the night.
Excellent. I like how you focused on Richmond rather than getting mired in Arnold's activities at West Point. I'd like to know what happened to Peggy while he was with the British.
Very interesting. Having been born and raised in Philadelphia, I learned about his time in the city. I didn't know the details of his Richmond raid until now. As you noted, Richmond's Civil War history overshadows its Revolutionary War history.
Arnold effectively won the Battle of Saratoga, rather ironically, as it was the battle that secured the support of France and, arguably made ultimate success possible. He was wounded a second time in the same leg. There is a monument to his boot on the battlefield, his name being an anathema. The petty and vindictive politics, financially ruining one of the most active generals on the side of Congress while others made fortunes supplying the army, has always struck me as the unsung villainy of the story.
I certainly tried to discuss them here. Whether those “villains” justify his ultimate acts is a matter of discussion. Arnold seems to have been a man of notable talents, but failings as well. It has been said that great generals must also be great politicians to succeed, and perhaps that is the most obvious lesson from the life of Benedict Arnold. But,I ask, did Arnold rise above the politics of the Congress and Army, or did he simply play the game poorly?
He WON the Battle of Saratoga for Gates, while Gates hunkered down in a tent far to the rear, unaware of what was going on at the front. In an era where generals on horseback frequently took bullets next to privates, Gates was a terrible officer and leader, who conspired to replace Washington as leader of the Army before disgracing himself at Camden. Despite his later treachery, Arnold could not be accused of cowardice in combat.
I agree with most of what you have said, but Gates was aware of what was going on. Gates told Arnold to take troops meet the British during the Battle of Benis Heights. The Batcheller letter (Eric Schnitzer/Chief Historian at Saratoga) is a primary source that indicates that both Gates and Arnold had reconciled enough for Arnold to lead troops.into the decisive battle.
I was stationed in Norfolk area for 14 years. Never knew this about Richmond. My pre-Colonial ancestors arrived in Jamestown Settlement in 1611. My 7 times great grandfather, William Stone, was the 3rd Governor of Maryland 1649-1655 and my 5 time great uncle, Thomas Stone, signed the Declaration Of Independence
*Lincoln was right; **_"People will little note nor long remember..."_** unless you do something amazingly spectacularly good or spectacularly bad. I reckon the only reason I know anything about what an asset he was before his treachery is because I grew up in Northern New England and we have lots of field trips to sites of historical significance*
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel, it might be a shift in how history is taught. I'm 53 this July and I was definitely taught this part of Arnold's story in school, relatively (for what was known about it) in depth. My son, who graduated in 2023, I know it was mentioned, but not nearly in as much detail. We live adjacent to Chicago, so it isn't 'local' history to us, and I lived in a bit-further out suburb at the time, so different school districts along with a different era of teaching. Absolutely love your channel and content, I forward your stuff to all sorts of friends (including this piece). I'm (obviously, perhaps) a big history geek, and I might know more than some/many, but you manage to find a lot of nuggets, even within events I know (like this one) that have eluded me. Thank you for your work!
Thanks for this episode! I lived in Richmond for several years, and I was born just south of there. I don't know whether I'm happy or embarrassed to say that I'm usually pretty well versed in my Virginia history, but had never heard about this. I had always tried to at least see the other side of his coin and how he got treated (I know there were right and wrong in that too), But hearing how he burned Richmond now puts him solidly in the "where is he buried, and can we flip his grave upside down?" camp for me. 😊
You may or may not find poetic justice in the fact that you cannot flip his grave. He was buried at St Mary’s church in Battersea. But, owing to a clerical error, he was disinterred during a 19th century renovation and thrown into an anonymous mass grave.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Where did you get the evidence that he was disinterred and Put in an anonymous mass grave? Jim Martin (whm you know wrote a biography on Arnold) visited the crypt at St Mary's church where he is buried with Peggy Shippen. Good video
@@bbwng54 I got that information from Willard Sterne Randall’s book “Benedict Arnold: Patriot and Traitor.” (1990) But Randall gives no footnote or explanation. He says: “but the wrong name was entered on the parish records by an oblivious clerk, and when the church was renovated a century later, Arnold’s body was disinterred and reburied with hundreds of others in a jumbled unmarked grave.” However, online sources say his tomb is in the basement, where there are clear photos of a marker. I don’t know whether Randall is correct and Arnold isn’t in the marked tomb, or if Randall was simply mistaken. You’d have to convince the church to open it up to see…
Excellent video! Liked and subscribed. I've gotten a bit of an addiction to the Revolutionary War these last two years, and this was a sweet fix. I would really like to recommend the book "The British are Coming" by Rick Atkinson, I just wish he'd finish book 2 of the trilogy! But your video helped fill the void until then. Keep up the good work.
I was born in Richmond 75 years ago, and have lived here off and on for most of my life. I don't recall ever hearing about Arnold's connection to the city. We've been too occupied with Civil War history and removal of same within that time, I suppose. Thanks for the enlightenment!
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel That it is. As a reenactor and Connecticut native member of His Majesty's 54th Regiment of foot (Unit that was at Ft. Griswold) and writing a book that covers said battle. Lots of the history around it is quite propagandized. I do like how you look critically at the battle of Richmond and if indeed you do end up covering the battle of fort Griswold I have high hopes that we will finally have coverage of the fact that it wasn't a massacre nor did Major Montgomery skewer Ledyard with his surrendered sword.
@@TheWarblingRedcoat Yes, my understanding is that Montgomery was killed in battle. But I though Ledyard was killed with his own sword, but the identify of the British officer is not known. Was he killed by his own sword? If not, where did this orign story come from?
@@bbwng54 I think I misspoke. I believe the consensus is that the tale (false) is that a Captain Bromfield killed ledyard while surrendering. But there is no truth to it. In fact, according to knowledge gathered from multiple sources, Ledyard was most likely killed during the battle and not during the surrender. The first “source” telling of his death was recorded in the mid 1800’s which like most accounts of the battle make little sense given the circumstances. So in short, it is not clear who or what killed the man, but it is more than likely that the reports of ledyard’s death were fabrications or otherwise made in error after many years had past and certain events were muddled by survivors and made to follow a certain narrative. So in truth I say the event wasn’t a massacre and ledyard wasn’t killed with his own sword.
As a native Richmonder, I would say Arnold's raid is not forgotten. Obviously the Civil War is a bigger tourism draw. Both histories are fading though. There are much fewer native Richmonders nowadays as it is grown enormously in the last 50 years with an influx of Yankees :-). I do find it interesting that raids on Richmond rarely mention the Bellona Arsenal and the raid against it in nearby Chesterfield. Even the wikipedia article only references 19th century but I remember being taught about its first role during the American Revolution.
"True The Story of Washington's Spies" was a pretty good, tho highly fictionalized series, on AMC. Taught ME about the"Culpepper Ring" I was never taught about in school. 🤓😎✌🏼☮️🇺🇲
I live within a few blocks where there is a marker noting Arnold's most westward advance (in Richmond). I think you're right: Most people don't read it or notice it. People use it to throw their personal belongings around -- which is annoying.
I live in Richmond and 50 feet away from where the campaign was launched. There is a small monument on the spot where Arnold picketed his horse! HOOZAH!
To this day being called a "Benedict Arnold" is considered a vile insult. No amount of "rehab-ing" his "reputation" can change that he willing betrayed his own troops, command, and honor.
Did you deem this a rehab of BA's good name? I didn't get that message at all. In fact, as one commenter remarked, THG's review paints BA as a sort of Shakespearean tragedy - a man ruined by his own ambitions.
My town is where Jack Peterson fired at a landing party from the British ship Vulture, preventing it from picking up Major Andre. Arnold had been just given information about West Point that Andre would bring to the Vulture! Croton is home to John Jacob “Rifle Jack” Peterson, an African/Kitchewan patriot who fired at the landing party. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Peterson_(American_Patriot)
The idea that you could raise loyalists in rebel territory was a regular mistake of the British, as the British did not control the territory their property would be burned and their families attacked, unsurprising the British inability to protect them meant that unless fanatical or already deprived of their property most loyalists would merely pray for them to take the territory over and only commit once they had. The British strategy was largely naive, and their belief that a large portion of the population were their own meant that they did not use devastation as they could very easily have. Unsurprisingly no rebellion lasts long that has no food, but instead they fought a gentlemen's war against traitors. As said, they were naive.
It is fair to say that loyalists could not count on the protection of the crown, and thus were not as enthusiastic in their support as British leaders hoped. While the war was a civil war, the patriots were, perhaps, the more enthusiastic side on that count. I think it a stretch to call British conduct throughout the war as “gentlemanly.” Had they chosen to scorch earth they would have been in a bit of a pickle of their own, what with an ocean between them and supplies. Frankly, the British were forced to walk a line, and a more brutal fight might have cost more militarily than it gained. It is an interesting counterfactual.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I've read a good deal on civil wars, notably this one always makes me think of the Indian Mutiny, the core difference really is the Cowpor massacre, before that and some time afterwards an overly retained policy was taken by the establishment and in both cases did not help the situation (in the latter the considerable distrust and resentment it would foster in the British colonial population would contribute to independence). It is unfortunate but people tend to back the winning horse and the most effectively brutal side tends to dominate, this was very much the case in the Russian civil war, the soviets had a brilliance to their utter evil, they organised the organs of violence exactly and heartlessly to their intentions. The British use of cavalry in this conflict is odd, they should have seen from the seven years war that a 'small war' of raids and plunder could even make up for a lack of formal military advantage (and so long as you can store it will lessen the strain on supplies), the Austrians had displayed this throughout (hussars even captured berlin). There is a possibility that they didn't have the expertise, and of course British doctrine towards civilian noncompliance was a long way off, I guess it's easy to look at in hindsight and with broader knowledge, especially as the type of populations useful for such tasks had largely been deliberately displaced long before (namely the Scottish borderers) and they never would have thought to have used them like Cossacks or Granzs nor to have engaged in resettlement programs in the middle of war. If John Nicholson had been there (only 50 years or so before birth) the whole thing wouldn't have lasted, but like many of these conflicts there was complacency and duel loyalties throughout the political leadership, some things never change, or in our case have only got worse.
@@vorynrosethorn903 The main limitation on British use of regular cavalry units was logistics. The horses required their own overseas transportation, and 6-9 weeks on a sailing vessel was frequently not good to the animals' health & well-being. Most of the cavalry were comprised of Loyalists and their mounts, which were raised locally. The "mounted infantry" concept used by both Patriot & Loyalist militias during the war (especially in the South) didn't catch on for regular service, which may have been a traditionalist blind spot. A main reason for not devastating the Colonies as a form of punishment was the legacy of the Thirty Years' War. After that had been wrapped up, the European nations generally agreed that wholesale wasting of land and city was bad for business. It was left to the occupation of Spain by Bonaparte's legions to let total war make a recurrence. The bitter proto-guerilla fighting in the South and the greater NYC area didn't lend much appeal to the British army command either. The best solution to the perpetually unruly rural areas was Cornwallis's series of posts across South Carolina supported by a small field army out of Charleston. Which is why Nathaniel Greene put so much effort into undoing it! (His Lordship had much better success with the plan in India, where it became the standard procedure for taming the ever-expanding Empire.)
@@observationsfromthebunker9639 Fascinating, I guess I'm too stuck in the Russian steppe context, having read a lot about Cossacks. Thinking about it I didn't account for the fact that western military horses tended to need a lot of care and feed, where as many steppe breeds can live off grass, and are incredibly hardy. Probably not feasible to set up a horse breeding program in the middle of a war. It's of personal interest as I'm related to Banastre Tarleton. Still need to read his book though.
@@vorynrosethorn903 Colonial America was doing well in breeding horses, especially those meant for riding. (Disney made a movie back in the day about Justin Morgan, who created the Morgan Horse on his own.) A good riding horse wasn't a luxury, it was frequently a necessity since getting business done or visiting family frequently meant traveling some distance over "unimproved" roads. The army of frontiersmen & Carolina partisans who fought at King's Mountain were all mounted men, who dismounted to fight. The prototype cow ponies of the Old West were working in the South, where cattle ranching was common. So cavalry capable mounts were available in the newly formed USA..
He’s a complicated figure. On one hand he almost took Quebec, won a naval battle on Lake Champlain the next year and was probably the best general we had at Saratoga, on the other his own ego got the better of him when he committed treason.
To ADD to this history Benedict Arnold's house in London , is across the road from the British Imperial War Museum ! There is a Brass sign indicating this On the house !
Arnold had some legitimate grievances against Connecticut, New London, and the Continental Congress but because of his temperament and narcissism, he handled them very poorly and thus there is no excuse for his treason. If he was so disgusted by his poor treatment then he should have resigned and went home and sulked, just like Andrew Lewis did in Virginia, instead of trying to hand over his friend Washington to the British (who would have surely hanged him) and then rampaging along the Connecticut Coast and the Virginia peninsula. If he had just swallowed his pride, shown some humility, and remained loyal then he would have been remembered as one of the military giants of the War for Independence, alongside Greene and Morgan, instead of the infamous traitor he was.
Friend? You do know it was how his "friend" treated him that he left the cause, right? It would be like Congress charging and financially ruining General Schwartzkopf during the Gulf War and getting upset that he told Sadam we were looking for him, because his "friend" George Bush sat back and let it happen.
He was born at what is now named Arnold Place, a dead end street that intersects with none other than Washington Street, a main road through Norwich. During their lives, no doubt Arnold and Washington had their differences. What an irony that their names will be forever together on the street sign at that corner.
My moms maiden name is byrd. Richard byrd who founded richmond and built the westover plantation is a great great....grandfather of mine. I traced the lineage. Pretty cool stuff. I hope to visit westover this summer.
Well, the 'suffering' during the Civil War was due to their own immorality, so not sure how much sympathy they want for THAT part of their history, but they shouldn't get any.
If Arnold had stayed loyal, he might have been remembered right alongside Washington among the founding fathers. His ego, though, was too great and that's why he made the choices he did.
If he would’ve stayed loyal to the Patriots, he would’ve been our third president. Highways would be named for him, cities, counties, schools, etc. what a foolish man!
Fair point, although I am not sure he had the political acumen for office. He certainly would have a different legacy had the ball at Saratoga struck his heart rather than his leg. By some accounts he finally regretted his decisions and asked to be buried in his American uniform.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I have seen this comment about being buried in an American uniform. However, Jim Martin (Arnold biographer) told me that he believes this to be a myth.
I had no idea BA burned Richmond! Or that he had even escaped the hangman’s noose. It sounds like he had some legitimate complaints. How little detailed history we non historians know. Literally billions of people over nearing 6,000 years of recorded history. An endlessly fascinating subject.
British calvary also Jefferson. 2 men asking how to get to Jefferson. A man got away warning & take Jefferson to safety. As they were riding off the Red Coat Calvary was riding up. They hit Madison home also. Virginia has so much history.
Everyone needs to go check out the Peggy Shippen episode of the Significant Others podcast by Conan O'Brien's wife Liza. Her story is just as wild as Benedict's!
Even more so that the endlessly misled & propagandized US public are still unaware of the deep betrayals that made a hero completely uninterested in a cause he passionately fought for for years. Being clueless about the main underlying cause of this episode in our history is the most American thing I've ever heard.
I assume to "enlist" as a Captain there is some sort of criteria. I figure you have to provide your own food, horse and gear. Bring in your own batman as well as one to twenty(?) recruits who you at least partially support for a while. Feel free to correct me, or add to what was needed. And thanks THG.
It is interesting to contemplate the effects of Arnold burning Richmond, particularly on the opinions of the slave population on the British cause. With the Somerset decision in 1772 (which undermined the legal authority to hold an escaped slave under the habeas corpus laws in England, along with the prior attempt to put escaped slaves into the British army by Dunmore, as well their general position as slaves, the majority population was a strong candidate to revolt in favor of the British. The All men are created equal phrase in the Declaration can be viewed as a clever piece of propaganda to convince not just the Europeans but also the slaves that their cause was the just one, not simply a rebellion to preserve an institution which all admitted at the time immoral. However, by burning their cities and plantations, their goodwill toward the British likely evaporated overnight. This could help explain, for example, James Lafayette being willing to act as a double agent, which lead directly to the British being trapped at Yorktown.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannelIf you do an episode on it, my book, The Traitor's Homecoming: Benedict Arnold’s Raid on New London, Connecticut, September 4-13, 1781 covers a lot of it. Plus it’s packed with loads of new information.
Lol. The etymology of eggs Benedict is uncertain. There are many possible Benedicts after which the dish may be named, but Benedict Arnold is not among them.
@TheHistoryGuyChannel thank you! I had heard it has nothing to do with him but my head cannon is that it's a "turned" open faced sandwich of eggs, with creamy hollandaise sauce
Arnold was the most capable field commander America had. On more than one occasion while being a subordinate commander he saved American forces from crushing defeats by routing the British from the field. Politicians drove Arnold to switch sides
Can we please clarify the first second or third? Can we please clarify that not he had a brother..his name was STEPHEN/Steven..and my Great..up there somewhere..and his will is congressional record..kind of like the MAGNA carte.. congressional record.. congress dot gov..
Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor (TV Movie 2003), with Kelsey Grammer as George Washington, gives you some insight into his story. The frustration and betrayal were mainly because of the friendship the men shared. As one documentary put it if he'd died at Saratoga you'd be talking about him as one of America's greatest heroes. He lacked character though and his name means traitor. I'd like to think in those final days he truly regretted his mistake.
Benedict Arnold’s Treason was one of taking compensation (money or otherwise) - this ought become the standard for Treason in modern times - all who take compensation from foreign sovereigns or those aligned with those sovereigns ought be so charged.
An unfortunate betrayal that really highlights the idea that American beaurocracy is our own worst enemy. Obviously, the blame ultimately lies with Arnold, but the betrayal would have been far less likely were he not constantly mistreated by the system. We almost lost a lot of good generals to beaurocracy throughout our history, but especially in the Revolution, Morgan being a notable example as well.
Something you may not be aware of, this past weekend The National Park Service and the City Of Richmond staged a reenactment of Benedict Arnold's raid on Richmond. Keep up the great work.
I am totally aware. I briefly quoted a newspaper story on it.
So, were there great plumes of tobacco smoke?
🤣👍
Dang I live 2 hours from there.....
How do I known that I would have attended?
@@Unami0929 Go to Google Maps and search for history re-enacting, click search this area. March 5 Bentonville Battlefield, Four Oaks NC for example. And dang I missed the Christmas in the farmhouse evening.
Arnold's transformation from hero to villain feels almost Shakespearean. His bitterness and ambition seem to have consumed him entirely.
Best comment so far.
When you include the story of his wife, the whole thing is absolutely wild. Really one of the great stories that deserves a good adaptation!
Treason or patriot. If you British or a loyalist he's a patriot an if your a rebel he's a traitor.
Dude. He got railroaded over politics. I think we'd all be bitter if that happened to us.
@@mattt233 Hard to break people from a spell they have been told for generations.
They probably still think George Washington "could never tell a lie"
The AMC series "TURN - Washington's Spies" has General Arnold as one of its central characters in the 4 seasons that it ran. While it is historic fiction, it seems to portray Arnold, Andre, Washington, and Henry Clinton in a very accurate manner. It includes scenes that are supposed to portray Arnold's raid of Richmond. Highly recommend.
I wish I could also have “enlisted” as a captain. It would have saved me a great many nights sweeping and mopping decks. For some reason the Navy did’t recognize my outstanding leadership skills right out of the gate.
I know, right? Back to swabbing sailor.
HAH! Advanced Electronics Technician. Did a little less swabbing than the poor newbie BM!
In those days, one paid to be commissioned in the British military forces. US forces commissioned directly early on, but began to add educational requirements for one to be commissioned.
Although, WWII did kind of knock that into a cocked hat with battlefield commissions and one of my uncles was offered a direct commission had he remained in the Army, which he declined.
Still, you'd have had to pay for your own uniforms and that swill you ate in the chow hole would be paid for by you as well.
Something I frequently reminded my commissioned officers of when our cooks yet again outdid their infamous best, "Well Sir, they pay me to eat this shit, alas, you get to pay for that privilege".
Yeah, the reply, regardless of rank was predictable.
Well, a captain in the navy, as you know, is quite a bit higher than a captain in the Army! But I totally get your cheeky point! hahaha
THAT : Was The First Thing In This Video I Heard That Made Me Do One Of Those Head Turning DoubLe-Tskes & Say • "WAIT, ••••••• WHAT" ! "ENLISTED" •••• **{As}** "A•CAPTAIN" .??????? 😮
AMC had an EXCLLENT period drama depicting much of this! "Turn: Washington's Spies" was a really great show! I super highly recommend it!
Washington's secret six by Brian Kilmeade is a great read on this , I highly recommend it.
It would be lovely to see a video about Tadeusz Kościuszko. Alongside Arnold, he greatly contributed to the victory in the Saratoga campaign and later designed the very fortifications at West Point, the plans of which Arnold leaked to the British.
Don't forget a fellow Pole Casimir Pulaski considered the father of American cavalry
@jjj1951 Yes. I didn't mention Casimir Pulaski (or more properly Kazimierz Pułaski) because he's less directly related to Arnold's story, and History Guy already made a video about him, twice, if I remember correctly.
His mustard is great!
The highest mountain in Australia is named after him
I've lived in central Virginia for 20+ years and this is the FIRST I've ever heard that Arnold raided Richmond. Thanks for the education.
Really? It's not that unknown. That's surprising.
His name is accursed to this very day but no one in my multi-generational family had any idea what he actually did.
One thing i've learned from this channel, and my own research is that my conceptions of "well known" events is almost always wrong or extremely simplistic. Thanks for another great episode History Guy!
Really, I guess my family nows history. Because I always thought it was pretty common knowledge.
As a transplanted-resident of the city of Richmond, I was surprised to discover that Arnold had raided Richmond, this about 10 years ago. your article on Arnold was informative and well presented. Thank you, THG!
The History Guy should be played in all our school systems .
Greetings from Central Connecticut, fellow students. Yes, we had a Benedict Arnold, but we also had a Nathan Hale and many other
Patriots. Real ones.
No member of the congress met George III before they signed the declaration and they had, according to us, more than enough cause to rebel. We dont question their derision or hate of a man all but 2 or 3 of them ever met.
Arnold was familiar with the people he hated. And they despised him for wanting to socially climb. A thing they were all doing in earnest.
He may have been prickly but he was a good commander with flashes of brilliance. Taking the time to be his friend would've shortened the war by 6 months and saved hundreds if not thousands of lives.
Many more 'real' patriots would have survived if someone could've made room for him and taken him seriously.
Instead they treated him the way they hated being treated: like a peasant. Not to belabor the point but that's what the congress swore they were trying to end.
I'd feel betrayed by that. Especially if I took more bullets and forts than George Washington. Arnold lost 1 campaign. Washington lost nearly all of his going back to about 1755. He was a master of retreat, which is a very important skill to master, but Arnold had a mind for planning multi-pronged assaults. He also learned from his mistakes in Canada. We just hate him for using that learning to plan an attack on West point.
Great strategic thinking on his part.
If you believe he was an evil man or even a bad man you should know the same generation that made that idea popular also came up with the myths of Washington's childhood piety re: the apple tree.
They were expressing feeling, not fact.
Hate him all you want. It's exactly the kind of sentiment that made him turn traitor, but keep hating him in his grave all the same. He took two bullets and mounds of disregard for you and me. And frankly we don't know what else he did.
The records pertaining to the sons of liberty are still sealed for a reason. Could a mythical traitor be a part of that spy network? One that definitely used double agents in the British procurement and support systems? Could that negatively impact our current relationship with britain; finding out we tricked them worse than anyone and that the people they took in worked for us.
Might make them think those descendants of previous spies still living in England can't be trusted.
Surely the sons of liberty, those vandals and extremists that so boldly courted death, would never be so bold as to manufacture americas most reviled traitor just to win their freedom.
Thomas Paine, Paul Revere, and ol' Ben Franklin wouldn't dare, right?
I'm not saying it's necessarily true, just that the story is a little threadbare and other plot lines have been deliberately buried. The reason given has always been ongoing security considerations.
The truth would piss a lot of people off. Benedict Arnold being a double agent would piss you off I bet.
And even if all that isn't true why do we hate a man that followed his conscience, same as his other rebels, simply because it led him somewhere else? People he knew had the means to rule the world. Not the most friendly but reliable and secure. The English and American rebels both promised to free any slave helped them fight. The English kept their word. We did not.
We betrayed 30% of our population, at least, right off the jump. It wasn't all sunshine and roses. The course of freedom isn't illuminated like a city street its a dark and winding path at times. Hard to blame a man getting lost amidst the brambles and musket shot. Youd want it to be hard to blame you in that same situation. Anyone would. Benefit of the doubt.
@@pudgeboyardee32 According to 'Revolutions' podcast, Washington 'over complicated' all his plans of attacks and yes he was known as the master of the retreat.
@@pudgeboyardee32 it is rather interesting and distinctive though. When with our forces, he was twice wounded quite severely, once in each leg, resulting in one leg being much shorter than the other.
But oddly, when he was with the British forces, he received not so much as a scratch.
Given the range of muskets and their lack of accuracy at range, one ponders just where those shots may have originated, which would speak to his quality as an officer.
Something more likely and actually probably, compared to your screed of suppositions, postulates and odd reading compared to well, actual recorded history of both sides.
And his court martial was ostensibly for doing what the other officers were doing, but in reality, it was because he got caught profiteering, rather than keeping a lower profile with a restive and divided populace.
A bit of trivia. George Washington had minimal to no pay during the revolution, instead being compensated with an expense account for the duration of the war. His income, rather higher than his British counterparts.
After the Constitution was ratified and he was to become our first president, he offered to do so without salary, only a similar expense account. Congress gave a collective shudder, remembering said infamous expense account and rapidly assigned him a salary.
@@pudgeboyardee32
General Washington used espionage especially at West Point, where Arnold was in command. This type betrayal from one your Generals is never to be forgiven, treasonous.
West Point today is the United States Military Academy and when the cadets are called up, they rub the bronze nose of Benedict Arnold in the archway. Needless to say, over the years Arnold’s Bronze face has to be replaced.
I lived in Richmond for over a decade and I never knew BA had burnt it, Thanks THG.
I was stationed on the USS City of Corpus Christi in Groton Connecticut back in 99-00. Some of the guys on my boat were renting his old house in a nearby town... not a museum or protected historical site, just a barely maintained rental property.
@@RandyCampbell-fk3pf thats far out
You should also do a vid about his raid on New London and Groton, Connecticut on September 6, 1781. The key part of the battle was the defense of Fort Griswold in Groton which resulted in the deaths of over 100 of the defenders - many of whom were killed after the garrison had surrendered. This battle is little known outside of Connecticut.
I believe the American commander of the fort tried to surrender, but was run through with his own sword. A dirty English trick as my father remarked
If he does he might find my new book, The Traitors Homecoming helpful.
My source is a historian from New London CT. She pointed out that Arnold's first wife had died because of disease and his home was seized for taxes. He requested a pay increase but was denied. Arnold led an attack on the city of New London which inadvertently resulted in the burning of the city. The people were more pirate than patriot. They had a signal when a friendly privateer approached that two canon shots signaled that everyone come down and unload the ship. A party would follow. One shot for an enemy. When the British force approached a canon was fired and the British provided the second shot. The warehouses were fired including one containing gunpowder. The resulting explosion did two things; fire was spread through out the town and residents took the opportunity to loot their own town.
Arnold also spent a large part of his fortune building armed sailing sloops. Their purpose? To deter the British fleet in Boston to not invade New York City. They met in Long Island Sound and most were listening but the feckless British admiral fell back to Boston thinking the Americans must have more ships waiting for him.
@@lavern007
Biden ancestors?
@@lavern007This part confuses me, this was after he defected? Or before, when the British fleet were in Boston before they invaded New York?
@ yes, when he was an unsung hero of the revolution.
You have a talent for bringing the details out and making sense of history. Thank you.
I used to visit a beach cottage in Arnolda, formerly Arnold family estate in Charlestown RI. He was a brilliant combat engineer, his chain across the Hudson is one of the "battles" that won the war, it kept the British from taking Albany and controlling the Mohawk and Hudson rivers. His wife had run up a huge debt partying.
That last sentence fills me with not surprised 😐
Margaret Shippen is my great aunt some times over. Not our favorite ancestor or connection.
It wasn't a chain across the Hudson, it was between Valcour Island and the mainland in Lake Champlain, by the time Carleton's forces saw it they were downwind. The insane part is he snuck what remained of his fleet past them during the night.
Excellent. I like how you focused on Richmond rather than getting mired in Arnold's activities at West Point. I'd like to know what happened to Peggy while he was with the British.
Very interesting. Having been born and raised in Philadelphia, I learned about his time in the city. I didn't know the details of his Richmond raid until now. As you noted, Richmond's Civil War history overshadows its Revolutionary War history.
Arnold effectively won the Battle of Saratoga, rather ironically, as it was the battle that secured the support of France and, arguably made ultimate success possible. He was wounded a second time in the same leg. There is a monument to his boot on the battlefield, his name being an anathema.
The petty and vindictive politics, financially ruining one of the most active generals on the side of Congress while others made fortunes supplying the army, has always struck me as the unsung villainy of the story.
I certainly tried to discuss them here. Whether those “villains” justify his ultimate acts is a matter of discussion. Arnold seems to have been a man of notable talents, but failings as well. It has been said that great generals must also be great politicians to succeed, and perhaps that is the most obvious lesson from the life of Benedict Arnold. But,I ask, did Arnold rise above the politics of the Congress and Army, or did he simply play the game poorly?
I've seen the boot, Saratoga is a wonderful battlefield, best seen in warm weather 😉
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I often hear people say they don't care what other people think. But yeah, you kind of have to.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel-General Douglas MacArthur is a valid example of Generals trying to play Politicians. He played the game poorly in Korea,
The American government was a bunch of corrupt hypocrites from day zero.
Good episode. I've lived in Richmond all my life and while I knew Arnold had captured the city, that's about the extent of it.
Me too! Happy snow/slush day
He would have been better off hanging out at Bambu with all of the other aging hipsters.
@skeeterd5150 yeah this stuff is the worst. I got wet socks walking to work.
He wouldn't have much trouble turning Richmond today.
There's a neighborhood on Broad Rock Rd in Southside called British Camp. Named for the house and land used by the British army.
He WON the Battle of Saratoga for Gates, while Gates hunkered down in a tent far to the rear, unaware of what was going on at the front. In an era where generals on horseback frequently took bullets next to privates, Gates was a terrible officer and leader, who conspired to replace Washington as leader of the Army before disgracing himself at Camden. Despite his later treachery, Arnold could not be accused of cowardice in combat.
I agree with most of what you have said, but Gates was aware of what was going on. Gates told Arnold to take troops meet the British during the Battle of Benis Heights. The Batcheller letter (Eric Schnitzer/Chief Historian at Saratoga) is a primary source that indicates that both Gates and Arnold had reconciled enough for Arnold to lead troops.into the decisive battle.
Thanks for the additional info. But it's Bemis Heights. With an m. I was just there a couple summers ago. An obelisk on top of a hill, iirc.
I was stationed in Norfolk area for 14 years. Never knew this about Richmond. My pre-Colonial ancestors arrived in Jamestown Settlement in 1611. My 7 times great grandfather, William Stone, was the 3rd Governor of Maryland 1649-1655 and my 5 time great uncle, Thomas Stone, signed the Declaration Of Independence
Did you know about the Burning of Norfolk? Doofus governor Lord Dunmore fires on rebels, accidentally burns the whole city down.
Great episode covering General Benedict Arnold 😊. Thank you
Stonewall Jackson's troops may well have marched through my back yard but I didn't know about this one. 👍
Neither did I.
And I live in Virginia.
*Lincoln was right; **_"People will little note nor long remember..."_** unless you do something amazingly spectacularly good or spectacularly bad. I reckon the only reason I know anything about what an asset he was before his treachery is because I grew up in Northern New England and we have lots of field trips to sites of historical significance*
There is that small part of the northeast that still remembers when he was the hero of Saratoga.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel, it might be a shift in how history is taught.
I'm 53 this July and I was definitely taught this part of Arnold's story in school, relatively (for what was known about it) in depth. My son, who graduated in 2023, I know it was mentioned, but not nearly in as much detail.
We live adjacent to Chicago, so it isn't 'local' history to us, and I lived in a bit-further out suburb at the time, so different school districts along with a different era of teaching.
Absolutely love your channel and content, I forward your stuff to all sorts of friends (including this piece).
I'm (obviously, perhaps) a big history geek, and I might know more than some/many, but you manage to find a lot of nuggets, even within events I know (like this one) that have eluded me.
Thank you for your work!
Fascinating! Thank you.
I didn't know Richmond was burned twice. I knew of the Civil War burning but not during the Revolution.
Can’t trust a traitor no matter who he helps or betrays
I knew he was a traitor, but I didn’t know that he had such a cruel streak in him.
Thanks for this episode! I lived in Richmond for several years, and I was born just south of there. I don't know whether I'm happy or embarrassed to say that I'm usually pretty well versed in my Virginia history, but had never heard about this. I had always tried to at least see the other side of his coin and how he got treated (I know there were right and wrong in that too), But hearing how he burned Richmond now puts him solidly in the "where is he buried, and can we flip his grave upside down?" camp for me. 😊
You may or may not find poetic justice in the fact that you cannot flip his grave. He was buried at St Mary’s church in Battersea. But, owing to a clerical error, he was disinterred during a 19th century renovation and thrown into an anonymous mass grave.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Where did you get the evidence that he was disinterred and Put in an anonymous mass grave? Jim Martin (whm you know wrote a biography on Arnold) visited the crypt at St Mary's church where he is buried with Peggy Shippen. Good video
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Hear, hear! A coincidence of History that should also be remembered!
@@bbwng54 I got that information from Willard Sterne Randall’s book “Benedict Arnold: Patriot and Traitor.” (1990) But Randall gives no footnote or explanation. He says: “but the wrong name was entered on the parish records by an oblivious clerk, and when the church was renovated a century later, Arnold’s body was disinterred and reburied with hundreds of others in a jumbled unmarked grave.”
However, online sources say his tomb is in the basement, where there are clear photos of a marker.
I don’t know whether Randall is correct and Arnold isn’t in the marked tomb, or if Randall was simply mistaken. You’d have to convince the church to open it up to see…
Excellent video! Liked and subscribed. I've gotten a bit of an addiction to the Revolutionary War these last two years, and this was a sweet fix. I would really like to recommend the book "The British are Coming" by Rick Atkinson, I just wish he'd finish book 2 of the trilogy! But your video helped fill the void until then. Keep up the good work.
THG, you rock! Love the channel and content. Peace ❤
I was born in Richmond 75 years ago, and have lived here off and on for most of my life. I don't recall ever hearing about Arnold's connection to the city. We've been too occupied with Civil War history and removal of same within that time, I suppose. Thanks for the enlightenment!
Spent some time in New London/Groton CT, Benedict led a battle there as well the site is now Fort Griswold state park.
Fort Griswold is its own story.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel That it is. As a reenactor and Connecticut native member of His Majesty's 54th Regiment of foot (Unit that was at Ft. Griswold) and writing a book that covers said battle. Lots of the history around it is quite propagandized. I do like how you look critically at the battle of Richmond and if indeed you do end up covering the battle of fort Griswold I have high hopes that we will finally have coverage of the fact that it wasn't a massacre nor did Major Montgomery skewer Ledyard with his surrendered sword.
@@TheWarblingRedcoat Yes, my understanding is that Montgomery was killed in battle. But I though Ledyard was killed with his own sword, but the identify of the British officer is not known. Was he killed by his own sword? If not, where did this orign story come from?
@@bbwng54 I think I misspoke. I believe the consensus is that the tale (false) is that a Captain Bromfield killed ledyard while surrendering. But there is no truth to it.
In fact, according to knowledge gathered from multiple sources, Ledyard was most likely killed during the battle and not during the surrender.
The first “source” telling of his death was recorded in the mid 1800’s which like most accounts of the battle make little sense given the circumstances.
So in short, it is not clear who or what killed the man, but it is more than likely that the reports of ledyard’s death were fabrications or otherwise made in error after many years had past and certain events were muddled by survivors and made to follow a certain narrative.
So in truth I say the event wasn’t a massacre and ledyard wasn’t killed with his own sword.
I have always been curious about this part of our history .. thanks for this.
I'm digesting what you are telling and showing us. ...
We should not forget the massacre of Colonial militia by Arnold near New London, Connecticut.
As a native Richmonder, I would say Arnold's raid is not forgotten. Obviously the Civil War is a bigger tourism draw. Both histories are fading though. There are much fewer native Richmonders nowadays as it is grown enormously in the last 50 years with an influx of Yankees :-). I do find it interesting that raids on Richmond rarely mention the Bellona Arsenal and the raid against it in nearby Chesterfield. Even the wikipedia article only references 19th century but I remember being taught about its first role during the American Revolution.
He is remembered in my hometown Portsmouth and not in a go way
"True The Story of Washington's Spies" was a pretty good, tho highly fictionalized series, on AMC. Taught ME about the"Culpepper Ring" I was never taught about in school. 🤓😎✌🏼☮️🇺🇲
Sounds like he didn’t play well with others. Guess he was never given a formal performance appraisal.
As someone who grew up in Richmond, I had to watch this.
I live within a few blocks where there is a marker noting Arnold's most westward advance (in Richmond). I think you're right: Most people don't read it or notice it. People use it to throw their personal belongings around -- which is annoying.
I remove those "belongings" continuously! There is no respect for history in this city. It's shameful.
@@M1890ebay Thanks for doing that. It's nice to know there's a kindred spirit lurking around. 🙂
Arnold was from a well-to-do family that went down hill financially,
So he never stopped being a disappointed rich kid
I've herd that his father 'drank' the family money.
@@HLStrickland, you gather animals into an enclosed area?
@@cynicallydepressed1 🤣🤣🤣 *heard (dang it)
Always educational. I learned today that Benedict Arnold died from gout and dropsy. Quite interesting! Thanks for the video!
An interesting exploration of largely unknown history.
You know, I'm beginning to think this guy was a real Benedict Arnold.
thank you for this information!
Haven lived in Richmond it amazed me that only history to be found is the Civil War people don’t know of Patrick Henry’s speech
Al lot of people think the "Liberty or Death" speach was made in Williamsburg because it was re-enacted there for years by Colonial Williamsburg.
I live in Richmond and 50 feet away from where the campaign was launched. There is a small monument on the spot where Arnold picketed his horse! HOOZAH!
Where is this?
@@colinwells5040 On the corner of Mulberry and Grove Streets.
@@colinwells5040 By the way...they have removed ALL of the monuments here. They missed this one!
To this day being called a "Benedict Arnold" is considered a vile insult. No amount of "rehab-ing" his "reputation" can change that he willing betrayed his own troops, command, and honor.
Did you deem this a rehab of BA's good name? I didn't get that message at all.
In fact, as one commenter remarked, THG's review paints BA as a sort of Shakespearean tragedy - a man ruined by his own ambitions.
It would be cool if THG did one on the Battle of Huck’s Defeat in SC a short time before Kings Mount.
Oh, Benedict, if your problem is with everybody, on 2 continents and both sides of a war, maybe you are the problem.
Love your videos
Thank you.
My town is where Jack Peterson fired at a landing party from the British ship Vulture, preventing it from picking up Major Andre. Arnold had been just given information about West Point that Andre would bring to the Vulture!
Croton is home to John Jacob “Rifle Jack” Peterson, an African/Kitchewan patriot who fired at the landing party.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Peterson_(American_Patriot)
Excellent, I learned alot thanks
The idea that you could raise loyalists in rebel territory was a regular mistake of the British, as the British did not control the territory their property would be burned and their families attacked, unsurprising the British inability to protect them meant that unless fanatical or already deprived of their property most loyalists would merely pray for them to take the territory over and only commit once they had. The British strategy was largely naive, and their belief that a large portion of the population were their own meant that they did not use devastation as they could very easily have. Unsurprisingly no rebellion lasts long that has no food, but instead they fought a gentlemen's war against traitors. As said, they were naive.
It is fair to say that loyalists could not count on the protection of the crown, and thus were not as enthusiastic in their support as British leaders hoped. While the war was a civil war, the patriots were, perhaps, the more enthusiastic side on that count.
I think it a stretch to call British conduct throughout the war as “gentlemanly.”
Had they chosen to scorch earth they would have been in a bit of a pickle of their own, what with an ocean between them and supplies. Frankly, the British were forced to walk a line, and a more brutal fight might have cost more militarily than it gained. It is an interesting counterfactual.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I've read a good deal on civil wars, notably this one always makes me think of the Indian Mutiny, the core difference really is the Cowpor massacre, before that and some time afterwards an overly retained policy was taken by the establishment and in both cases did not help the situation (in the latter the considerable distrust and resentment it would foster in the British colonial population would contribute to independence). It is unfortunate but people tend to back the winning horse and the most effectively brutal side tends to dominate, this was very much the case in the Russian civil war, the soviets had a brilliance to their utter evil, they organised the organs of violence exactly and heartlessly to their intentions.
The British use of cavalry in this conflict is odd, they should have seen from the seven years war that a 'small war' of raids and plunder could even make up for a lack of formal military advantage (and so long as you can store it will lessen the strain on supplies), the Austrians had displayed this throughout (hussars even captured berlin). There is a possibility that they didn't have the expertise, and of course British doctrine towards civilian noncompliance was a long way off, I guess it's easy to look at in hindsight and with broader knowledge, especially as the type of populations useful for such tasks had largely been deliberately displaced long before (namely the Scottish borderers) and they never would have thought to have used them like Cossacks or Granzs nor to have engaged in resettlement programs in the middle of war. If John Nicholson had been there (only 50 years or so before birth) the whole thing wouldn't have lasted, but like many of these conflicts there was complacency and duel loyalties throughout the political leadership, some things never change, or in our case have only got worse.
@@vorynrosethorn903 The main limitation on British use of regular cavalry units was logistics. The horses required their own overseas transportation, and 6-9 weeks on a sailing vessel was frequently not good to the animals' health & well-being. Most of the cavalry were comprised of Loyalists and their mounts, which were raised locally. The "mounted infantry" concept used by both Patriot & Loyalist militias during the war (especially in the South) didn't catch on for regular service, which may have been a traditionalist blind spot.
A main reason for not devastating the Colonies as a form of punishment was the legacy of the Thirty Years' War. After that had been wrapped up, the European nations generally agreed that wholesale wasting of land and city was bad for business. It was left to the occupation of Spain by Bonaparte's legions to let total war make a recurrence. The bitter proto-guerilla fighting in the South and the greater NYC area didn't lend much appeal to the British army command either. The best solution to the perpetually unruly rural areas was Cornwallis's series of posts across South Carolina supported by a small field army out of Charleston. Which is why Nathaniel Greene put so much effort into undoing it! (His Lordship had much better success with the plan in India, where it became the standard procedure for taming the ever-expanding Empire.)
@@observationsfromthebunker9639 Fascinating, I guess I'm too stuck in the Russian steppe context, having read a lot about Cossacks. Thinking about it I didn't account for the fact that western military horses tended to need a lot of care and feed, where as many steppe breeds can live off grass, and are incredibly hardy. Probably not feasible to set up a horse breeding program in the middle of a war.
It's of personal interest as I'm related to Banastre Tarleton. Still need to read his book though.
@@vorynrosethorn903 Colonial America was doing well in breeding horses, especially those meant for riding. (Disney made a movie back in the day about Justin Morgan, who created the Morgan Horse on his own.) A good riding horse wasn't a luxury, it was frequently a necessity since getting business done or visiting family frequently meant traveling some distance over "unimproved" roads. The army of frontiersmen & Carolina partisans who fought at King's Mountain were all mounted men, who dismounted to fight. The prototype cow ponies of the Old West were working in the South, where cattle ranching was common. So cavalry capable mounts were available in the newly formed USA..
Happy new year
Thank you History Guy
If a rebel rebels from a rebellion; can it really be treason? Jokes aside thanks for another informative video.
LOL Of course it can.
He’s a complicated figure. On one hand he almost took Quebec, won a naval battle on Lake Champlain the next year and was probably the best general we had at Saratoga, on the other his own ego got the better of him when he committed treason.
Hearing your program today I am strongly reminded of Button Gwinnett for some inexplicable reason 😅
An interesting fellow and largely forgotten founding father.
I don't recall hearing about him before I'll have to look him up.
@@armandhammer9617he was from Georgia. Gwinnett County is named for him. He died in 1777, so he wasn’t around much longer.
Got killed in a duel with Lachlan Macintosh if I remember correctly.
Gwinnett's autograph is the most valuable of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence.
To ADD to this history Benedict Arnold's house in London , is across the road from the British Imperial War Museum ! There is a Brass sign indicating this On the house !
appropriate release date
Timed merely because this is the anniversary of the burning of Richmond.
Richmond is a nice city. Nice architecture.
Learn something new everyday
You should do Arnold's march to Quebec.
Maybe someday.
Great video.
Arnold had some legitimate grievances against Connecticut, New London, and the Continental Congress but because of his temperament and narcissism, he handled them very poorly and thus there is no excuse for his treason. If he was so disgusted by his poor treatment then he should have resigned and went home and sulked, just like Andrew Lewis did in Virginia, instead of trying to hand over his friend Washington to the British (who would have surely hanged him) and then rampaging along the Connecticut Coast and the Virginia peninsula. If he had just swallowed his pride, shown some humility, and remained loyal then he would have been remembered as one of the military giants of the War for Independence, alongside Greene and Morgan, instead of the infamous traitor he was.
Friend? You do know it was how his "friend" treated him that he left the cause, right?
It would be like Congress charging and financially ruining General Schwartzkopf during the Gulf War and getting upset that he told Sadam we were looking for him, because his "friend" George Bush sat back and let it happen.
Old Ben, from Norwich CT.,the "Rose of New England", a city that has seen glory days... and unfortunately years of decline
He was born at what is now named Arnold Place, a dead end street that intersects with none other than Washington Street, a main road through Norwich. During their lives, no doubt Arnold and Washington had their differences. What an irony that their names will be forever together on the street sign at that corner.
My moms maiden name is byrd. Richard byrd who founded richmond and built the westover plantation is a great great....grandfather of mine. I traced the lineage. Pretty cool stuff. I hope to visit westover this summer.
Richmond has been a city that has constantly suffered throughout its history; possibly more than any other city in the United States.
Well, the 'suffering' during the Civil War was due to their own immorality, so not sure how much sympathy they want for THAT part of their history, but they shouldn't get any.
@, “south man bad” is a tiresome moralization argument that makes no sense when you consider the excessive immoral acts the Union did during the war.
If Arnold had stayed loyal, he might have been remembered right alongside Washington among the founding fathers. His ego, though, was too great and that's why he made the choices he did.
If he would’ve stayed loyal to the Patriots, he would’ve been our third president. Highways would be named for him, cities, counties, schools, etc. what a foolish man!
Fair point, although I am not sure he had the political acumen for office. He certainly would have a different legacy had the ball at Saratoga struck his heart rather than his leg.
By some accounts he finally regretted his decisions and asked to be buried in his American uniform.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I have seen this comment about being buried in an American uniform. However, Jim Martin (Arnold biographer) told me that he believes this to be a myth.
I had no idea BA burned Richmond! Or that he had even escaped the hangman’s noose.
It sounds like he had some legitimate complaints.
How little detailed history we non historians know.
Literally billions of people over nearing 6,000 years of recorded history.
An endlessly fascinating subject.
He did have his reasons. We shouldn't forget that. In the end, he made enormous sacrifices for his convictions.
British calvary also Jefferson. 2 men asking how to get to Jefferson. A man got away warning & take Jefferson to safety. As they were riding off the Red Coat Calvary was riding up. They hit Madison home also. Virginia has so much history.
First time here. This was extremely interesting and I'm looking forward to more of your videos!
Thanks! There are about 1600 more if you want to catch up. ;)
Nobody got along with Gates!
Richmond had a population of less than 4000 at the time, compared to 120,000+ in 1865, thus the historical significance is comparatively muted.
Everyone needs to go check out the Peggy Shippen episode of the Significant Others podcast by Conan O'Brien's wife Liza. Her story is just as wild as Benedict's!
I appreciate the timing of this post. History may not repeat, but it rhymes.
The timing is merely because this is the anniversary of the burning of Richmond. Per usual, I take no stand on current politics.
It is so fitting that we only know of him because his name is used today as a synonym for betrayal.
Even more so that the endlessly misled & propagandized US public are still unaware of the deep betrayals that made a hero completely uninterested in a cause he passionately fought for for years.
Being clueless about the main underlying cause of this episode in our history is the most American thing I've ever heard.
-Never heard of him!
(ouch!)
I assume to "enlist" as a Captain there is some sort of criteria. I figure you have to provide your own food, horse and gear. Bring in your own batman as well as one to twenty(?) recruits who you at least partially support for a while. Feel free to correct me, or add to what was needed. And thanks THG.
In the Militia it might simply have meant that he was a man of means and education. Likely he helped to raise the company.
It is interesting to contemplate the effects of Arnold burning Richmond, particularly on the opinions of the slave population on the British cause. With the Somerset decision in 1772 (which undermined the legal authority to hold an escaped slave under the habeas corpus laws in England, along with the prior attempt to put escaped slaves into the British army by Dunmore, as well their general position as slaves, the majority population was a strong candidate to revolt in favor of the British. The All men are created equal phrase in the Declaration can be viewed as a clever piece of propaganda to convince not just the Europeans but also the slaves that their cause was the just one, not simply a rebellion to preserve an institution which all admitted at the time immoral. However, by burning their cities and plantations, their goodwill toward the British likely evaporated overnight. This could help explain, for example, James Lafayette being willing to act as a double agent, which lead directly to the British being trapped at Yorktown.
I appreciate you and thank you for making content.
You missed an opportunity to mention the traders murder of Colonel Ledyard at Fort Grizzwald in Groton across the river from New London.
Fair point, although a full accounting of the massacre at Fort Griswold deserves more time than would fit into this episode.
Yet another fair point. I live in Groton, and it's still a BIG deal here.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannelIf you do an episode on it, my book, The Traitor's Homecoming: Benedict Arnold’s Raid on New London, Connecticut, September 4-13, 1781 covers a lot of it. Plus it’s packed with loads of new information.
@ thank you Matthew. I purchased from Amazon. Perhaps an episode in October. Best!
If you have to poop in London, Arnold is buried at Saint Mary's Church, Battersea.
Good to know if I ever cross the pond.👍
are you 12?
Great. I would like to see more. Thomas Jefferson as Virginia Governor and his predecessor Patrick Henry.
Bruh, the idea that privates could enlist and suddenly be captains and placed in charge of entire companies of soldiers sounds horrifying.
History guy you said he “enlisted as a captain” you should have said he commissioned as a captain.
Love me some Eggs Benedict
Lol. The etymology of eggs Benedict is uncertain. There are many possible Benedicts after which the dish may be named, but Benedict Arnold is not among them.
@TheHistoryGuyChannel thank you! I had heard it has nothing to do with him but my head cannon is that it's a "turned" open faced sandwich of eggs, with creamy hollandaise sauce
Arnold was the most capable field commander America had. On more than one occasion while being a subordinate commander he saved American forces from crushing defeats by routing the British from the field. Politicians drove Arnold to switch sides
Can we please clarify the first second or third? Can we please clarify that not he had a brother..his name was STEPHEN/Steven..and my Great..up there somewhere..and his will is congressional record..kind of like the MAGNA carte.. congressional record.. congress dot gov..
Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor (TV Movie 2003), with Kelsey Grammer as George Washington, gives you some insight into his story. The frustration and betrayal were mainly because of the friendship the men shared. As one documentary put it if he'd died at Saratoga you'd be talking about him as one of America's greatest heroes. He lacked character though and his name means traitor. I'd like to think in those final days he truly regretted his mistake.
Benedict Arnold’s Treason was one of taking compensation (money or otherwise) - this ought become the standard for Treason in modern times - all who take compensation from foreign sovereigns or those aligned with those sovereigns ought be so charged.
10%
An unfortunate betrayal that really highlights the idea that American beaurocracy is our own worst enemy. Obviously, the blame ultimately lies with Arnold, but the betrayal would have been far less likely were he not constantly mistreated by the system. We almost lost a lot of good generals to beaurocracy throughout our history, but especially in the Revolution, Morgan being a notable example as well.
'' I'll have eggs, benedict , waitress ''.....
This illustrates how one man’s loyalist can be another man’s traitor.
Benedict Arnold??? What a QUISLING!😮. 🤓😎✌🏼☮️🇺🇲