Bloody Road to Tunis.Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole
Books, 2001; Watson, Bruce A. Exit Rommel: The
Tunisian Campaign, 1942–1943. Westport, CT:Praeger, 1999; Whiting, Charles. Kasserine Pass:
Anatomy of Slaughter. New York: Scarborough
House, 1984.ARNOLD, BENEDICT
Arnold, Benedict
(January 14, 1741–June 14, 1801)
Army General/Traitor
B
enedict Arnold was
unquestionably the
finest tactical com-
mander in the Continen-
tal Army and directly re-
sponsible for several
important American vic-
tories. However, his tem-
pestuous, mercurial dis-
position alienated friends
and superiors alike and
culminated in the most
notorious episode of trea-
son in U.S. history.
Arnold was born into a
prosperous family in Nor-
wich, Connecticut, on Jan-
uary 14, 1741. In 1758, he
served briefly with the
New York militia during
the French and Indian
War. Following the death
of his parents, he relo-
cated to New London,
Connecticut, and established himself as a
wealthy merchant. In April 1775, news of the
Battle of Lexington prompted Arnold to lead a
company of militia to Cambridge, Massachu-
setts, and he convinced the Committee of Pub-
lic Safety to mount an expedition against Fort
Ticonderoga, New York, where valuable muni-
tions and ordnance were stored. Permission
was granted, but en route the newly commis-
sioned Lieutenant Colonel Arnold encountered
a force under Colonel Ethan Allen engaged in
the same object. Arnold
joined the force, and when
Ticonderoga was subdued
on May 10, he personally
mounted an expedition up
Lake Champlain that cap-
tured the outpost at St.
John’s, Quebec. The weak-
ness of Canadian defenses
encouraged Arnold; re-
turning to Cambridge, he
prevailed on the new com-
mander in chief, Gen.
George Washington, to
allow him to mount an at-
tack against Quebec City.
In September 1775,
Arnold, now a full colo-
nel, led 1,100 men through
the trackless Maine wilder-
ness on an epic march.
Despite incredible hard-
ships, he pushed 700 sur-
vivors onward and sur-
rounded Quebec on November 8. The
weakened, exhausted men were in no condi-
tion to attack, so Arnold settled in for a siege
until reinforcements arrived. The following
month he was joined by 300 men under Gen.
Richard Montgomery, and they decided to
storm the city on the night of December 31,- Although covered by a blizzard, the at-
tack floundered badly when Montgomery was
killed and Arnold sustained a severe leg in-
jury. He reinstated his siege to await develop-
Benedict Arnold
National Archives