One of the most interesting of characters in American history is Benedict Arnold. On one hand he was the hero of battles performing bravely beyond brave, and on the other he was nothing but a base traitor of America.
Benedict Arnold began life like all Americans, and Englishman, and in service to the Crown in the army. Arnold though deserted from the British military and took up residence in the hinterlands of America where at New Haven, he was a shopkeeper, who was said not to pay his debts to creditors.
In all of this, enters Colonel John Brown, a Yale graduate, attorney and Massachusetts Citizen, whose sister was wed to a cousin of Benedict Arnold, Oliver, who was Attorney General of Rhode Island.
John Brown was athletic and intelligent and was one of many Patriots who are forgotten to history for they laid down their lives for America.
Brown actually maded a sojourn in winter to Canada to ascertain for America as to what the Canadians would embark upon in the war. He would return the next year and be pursued by police for his activities.
Brown would be part of the invasion of Canada and Quebec. It is interesting to note that even that with Benedict Arnold, that Brown wrote he thought he might be a Uriah, as in the Bible in put to the front and left to die by Arnold.
Arnold would denounce Brown and in that John Brown would appeal to Congress with counter charges and a demand for a hearing on Brown's innocense.
Congress though, the budding nation and General Washington were not listening to what John Brown was warning of, as Brown stated in the winter of 1776 on a hand bill which Brown was distributing that Benedict Arnold was treacherous and would for money sell out America.
Quote:
"Money is this man's God, and to get enough of it he would sacrifice his country."
Unquote.
Brown would at Saratoga, where Arnold would rise to the heights of bravery in winning that battle after disregarding his own General's orders to stay in camp, denounce Arnold before the officers for all what he knew Arnold to be.
The following appeal to Congress by Colonel Brown follows.
Quote:
To the Honorable Horatio Gates, Esq., Major-General in the Army of the United States of America, commanding at Albany.
Humbly sheweth, that, in the month of February last, Brig.-Gen. Arnold transmitted to the honorable Continental Congress, an unjustifiable, false, wicked, and malicious accusation against me, and my character as an officer in their service, at the time when I was under his immediate command; that, had there been the least ground for such an accusation, the author thereof had it in his power—indeed, it was his duty—to have me brought to a fair trial by a general court-martial in the country where the pretended crime is said to have originated; that I was left to the necessity of applying to Congress, not only for the charge against me, but for an order for a court of inquiry on my own conduct in respect thereto; that, in consequence of my application, I obtained a positive order of Congress to the then general commanding the Northern Department for a court of inquiry, before whom I might justify my injured character; that the said order was transmitted to your Honor at Ticonderoga, in the month of August last; and, notwithstanding the most ardent solicitations on my part, the order of Congress has not yet been complied with; that, upon my renewing my application to your Honor for a court of inquiry, you were pleased to refer me to the Board of War.
Thus I have been led an sive dance, from generals to Congress, and from Congress to generals; and I am now referred to a Board of War, who, I venture to say, have never yet taken cognisance of any such matter; nor do I think it, with great submission to your Honor, any part of their duty.
I must therefore conclude, that this information, from the mode of its origin, as well as from the repeated evasions of a fair hearing, is now rested upon the author's own shoulders. I therefore beg that your Honor will please to order Brig.-Gen. Arnold in arrest for the following crimes,
1. For endeavoring to asperse your petitioner's personal character in the most infamous manner.
2. For unwarrantably degrading and reducing the rank conferred on your petitioner by his (Gen. Arnold's) superior officers, and subjecting your petitioner to serve in an inferior rank to that to which he had been appointed.
3. For ungentlemanlike conduct in his letter to Gen. Wooster, of the 25th of January last, charging your petitioner with a falsehood, and in a private manner, which is justly chargeable on himself.
4. For suffering the small-pox to spread in the camp before Quebec, and promoting inoculation there in the Continental army.
5. For depriving a part of the army under his command of their usual allowance of provisions, ordered by Congress.
6. For interfering with and countermanding the order of his superior officer.
7. For plundering the inhabitants of Montreal, in direct violation of a solemn capitulation, or agreement, entered into with them by our late brave and worthy Gen. Montgomery, to the eternal disgrace of the Continental arms.
8. For giving unjustifiable, unwarrantable, cruel and bloody orders, directing whole villages to be destroyed, and the inhabitants thereof put to death by fire & sword, without any distinction to friend or foe, age or sex.
9. For entering into an unwarrantable, unjustifiable & partial agreement with Capt. Foster for the exchange of prisoners taken at the Cedars, without the knowledge, advice, or consent of any officer then there present with him on the spot.
10. For ordering inoculation of the Continental Army at Sorel, without the knowledge of, and contrary to the intentions of the general commanding that Northern Department; by which fatal consequences ensued.
11. For great misconduct in his command of the Continental fleet on Lake Champlain, which occasioned the loss thereof.
12. For great misconduct during his command from the camp at Cambridge, in the year 1775, until he was superseded by Gen. Montgomery, at Point Aux-Tremble, near Quebec.
13. For disobedience of the orders of his superior officers, while acting by a commission from the Provincial Congress of the Province of Massachusetts Bay; and for a disobedience of the orders of a committee of the same Congress, sent from that State to inspect his conduct, and also for insulting, abusing, and imprisoning the said committee; as also for a treasonable attempt to make his escape with the navigation men, at or near Ticonderoga, to the enemy at St. Johns, which oblidged the then commanding officer at Ticonderoga and its dependencies to issue a positive order to the officers commanding our batteries at Crown Point, to stop or sink the vessels attempting to pass that post, and by force of arms to make a prisoner of the said Gen. Arnold (then a colonel), which was accordingly done.
John Brown, Lieutenant-Colonel. Albany, 1st Dec., 1776.
Unquote.
General Benedict Arnold would betray America at West Point by returning to the British side. America would then fully comprehend the warning of John Brown.
Colonel Brown though would continue his service in New England, and it was believed that intelligence provided by Benedict Arnold to one of the most heinous characters of the war for Independence in, Sir John Johnson, a literal terrorist in employing terrorist Indians in a war of genocide on Americans in the Mohawk Valley were he was known to invade and destroy all in sight.
One event being so heinous Sir John destroyed 60,000 dollars worth of one Senator's property.
It was at Point Arabia that John Brown commanded, and once again in treachery some locals led Colonel Brown and his Soldiers from Point Arabia to a clearing where they were slaughtered.
Brown's body was scalped and stripped of clothes, except a ruffled shirt.
It is this type of reality which was America, beyond the Congress and the notable warriors, where people in the hinterlands suffered under terrorism and died from the treachery of Tories and turncoats.
It was said Benedcit Arnold often looked at the sword awarded him from Saratoga and lamented all he had thrown away. The life of Colonel John Brown and other Americans were something General Arnold should have indeed lamented as they threw nothing away, but had life stolen from them.
As of note, Colonel Brown as were all his men, outfitted by themselves at their own cost with the following:
Quote:
Each soldier was equipped at his own expense with a good fire-arm, with a steel or iron ramrod and a spring to retain the same, a worm priming wire and brush, and a bayonet fitted to his gun, a scabbard and belt therefor, and a cutting sword or a tomahawk or hatchet, a pouch containing a cartridge-box that will hold fifteen rounds of cartridges at least, a one-hundred buckshot, a jack-knife and tow for wadding, six flints, one pound of powder, forty leaden balls fitted to his gun, a knapsack and blanket, a canteen or wooden bottle sufficient to hold one quart.
Unquote.
There are too many Patriots dead and not remembered in these American wars. I close this with a letter from General Anthony Wayne concerning Benedict Arnold and the reply of Mr. Sheel, which is a Lame Cherry exclusive and of note.
General Anthony Wayne to H. A. Sheel.
Haverstraw near Stoney Point 2d Oct 1780.
Dear Sheel
I am confident that the perfidy of Genl. Arnold will astonish the multitude—the high rank he bore—the eclat he had obtained (whether honestly or not) justified the world in giving it him. But there were a few Gentlemen who at a very early period of this war became acquainted with his true character! when you asked my opinion of that officer I gave it freely & believe you thought it rather strongly shaded.
I think I informed you that I had the most despicable Idea of him both as a Gentleman & a Soldier—& that he had produced a conviction on me in 1776 that honor & true Virtue were Strangers to his Soul and however Contradictory it might appear—that he never possessed either fortitude or personal bravery—he was naturally a Coward and never went in the way of Danger but when Stimulated by liquor even to Intoxication, consequently Incapacitated from Conducting any Command Committed to his charge.
I shall not dwell upon his Military Character or the measures he had adopted for the surrender of West Point—that being already fully Elucidated but will give you a small specimen of his peculate talents.
What think you of his employing Sutlers to retail the publick Liquors for his private Emolument & furnishing his Quarters with beds & other furniture by paying for them with Pork, Salt, Flour &c. drawn from the Magazine—he has not stopped here, he has descended much lower—& defrauded the old Veteran Soldiers who have bled for their Country in many a well fought field—for more than five Campaigns among others an old Sergeant of mine has felt his rapacity by the Industry of this man's wife they had accumulated something handsome to support them in their advanced age—which coming to the knowledge of this cruel Spoiler—he borrowed 4500 dollars from the poor Credulous Woman & left her in the lurch.
The dirty—dirty acts which he has been capable of Committing beggar all description—and are of such a nature as would cause the Infernals to blush—were they accused with the Invention or Execution of them.
The detached & Debilitated state of the Garrison of West Point—Insured success to the assailants—the enemy were all in perfect readiness for the Enterprise—& the discovery of the treason only prevented an Immediate attempt by open force to carry those works which perfidy would have effected the fall of, by a slower & less sanguine mode.—Our army was out of protecting distance the troops in the possession of the Works a spiritless Miserabile Vulgus—in whose hands the fate of America seemed suspended in this Situation his Excellency (in imitation of Cæsar & his tenth legion) called for his Veterans—the summons arrived at one o'clock in the morning & we took up our line of March at 2.
Hugh A. Sheel to General Wayne.
Phila Oct. 22, 1780
My dear General ... the character you gave me in confidence of Arnold several months ago made a strong impression on my mind it has been verified fully—his villainy & machinations never could have been carried on but through the medium of his Tory acquaintance in the place.....
*From Colonel John Brown, the Brave Accuser of Benedict Arnold
So there you have it my American children, the reality from three American Patriots. Colonel Brown murdered perhaps from information given by the traitor Benedict Arnold by a Tory terrorist.
Gen. Mad Anthony Wayne, stating that Benedict Arnold was a coward, and only found courage in being drunk. So Saratoga's victory apparently was due more to American whiskey from the keg than from love of nation.
That part is most interesting in King George personally assisted in the tactics of the entire British invasion of America from Canada to cut off and kill the New England colonies, with General Burgoyne, and the result of it all was the elimination of the Burgoyne army, in probability brought about by a small keg gallon of whiskey.
...and Hugh Sheel writing in confidence that the Tories, or those loyal to the British Crown were the real culprits in assisting Benedict Arnold in all his treason and treachery.
Benedict Arnold was infatuated with the wife of a Britisher, and was "promised" money, position and sex by her if he returned to the fold. As exclusively posted here previously, Arnold got nothing for his betrayal of America, and she was only part of British intrigue to undo America.
This ruse came from King George's Court by direction.
Another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter. The battle of Saratoga, one of the 15 epic battles of antiquity to change the world, was one where the consumption of over half a gallon keg of whiskey by Benedict Arnold is what was the turning point in that battle and the world for American Independence.
Yes, you get all the history through inquiry here as in no other place, nor will you ever.
agtG
