Colonel Arnold, Who Commanded the Provincial Troops Sent against Quebec, through the Wilderness of Canada and Was Wounded in Storming that City, under General Montgomery

Benedict Arnold fought with distinction early in the Revolution, leading patriot troops through frigid backcountry to attack Quebec on December 31, 1775; later, at the Battles of Saratoga, he was severely wounded. By 1780, Arnold was a brigadier general in command of West Point, a site whose fortifications prevented British ships from moving up the Hudson River. Resentful that he had not been granted a more prominent military position, Arnold betrayed his allegiance, accepting twenty thousand pounds to cede West Point to the British and delivering the fort’s plans to Major John André, the intelligence agent. André’s capture two days later alerted Arnold, who fled to the HMS Vulture, leaving West Point safe in American hands.