Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold was definitely not your average man. He was both a hero and traitor to the country. There was not a general as brave, daring, and imaginative as he was. Though he was infamous for being a traitor, he still had traits that could've made him the father of our country.

Named after his deceased brother, Benedict Arnold V was born on January 14, 1741. He proved to be stronger than his older brother. He quickly became the leader amongst the boys of Norwich, Connecticut. He was always up for competition with his friends regardless of what the challenge was. Outrageous as he seemed, Benedict Arnold had a mother who was very religious. She taught him things that he carried all throughout his life. She taught him respect, especially towards women. He was very cautious of them and they made up his life. His mother also wanted Arnold to receive the best education possible, so she enrolled him in the Canterbury Academy. He was a good student that always did well. Once the family went into debt, Arnold left the school. He was set up to become an apprentice to a local druggist who ran the largest retail store between Boston and New York. During that time, Arnold dreamed of going into battle. After getting caught twice to join the fight, the doctor finally let him go fight in the French and Indian War. The day before going into battle, he was notified that his mother caught yellow fever. Risking execution for deserting his unit, he hurried home. She died soon after. Arnold was now forced to become a man of his own.

At the time of the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party, Arnold saw himself as one of the rebels. He could picture himself fighting for American Rights. April 1775, tensions exploded when British regulars and Massachusetts militia men fired at each other in Lexington and Concord. The Revolutionary War had begun. Seeing that nothing was going to happen, Arnold talked to the Massachusetts authority to make him into a colonel. He also wanted to have the authority to raise troops and to capture Fort Ticonderoga to grab the cannons. He fought side by side Ethan Allen and captured the fort. This brought great confidence to the whole country. Since America wanted to capture Montreal and Quebec, Arnold began an epic journey known as the March to Quebec. Reaching the city on the St. Lawrence River, he had Canada in the palm of his hands. He also joined forces with Richard Montgomery and waited until a snowstorm to attack the city. Attacking from opposite ends, Arnold stormed through the gates but got pinned down by the British. He tried desperately to carry it through but got hit in the leg.

Despite his heroics and great leadership in combat, the continental congress refused to recognize Arnold and was denied a promotion he deserved. Feeling like he got slapped in the face by the government, he went back to New Haven to prepare for his resignation. Little did he know that the war followed him home. Arnold then led