Arnold’s life in exile was a lonely one be-
cause his reputation as a traitor preceded
him. Despite his best efforts, he was neither
accepted nor trusted by his new peers. Over
the next two decades, he tried and failed to
conduct merchant affairs in Canada and the
West Indies. Arnold died in obscurity in Lon-
don on June 14, 1801, friendless, countryless,
and unmourned. He remains the consummate
American traitor.
Bibliography
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“The Making of a Traitor,” American History36 (Au-
gust 2001): 22–31; Lundeberg, Philip K. The Gunboat
Philadelphia and the Defense of Lake Champlain in
1776.Basin Harbor, VT: Lake Champlain Maritime
Museum, 1995; Martin, James K. Benedict Arnold,
Revolutionary Hero: An American Warrior Recon-
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Raid, 1781.Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications,
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Midst.Ithaca: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2001;
Zehner, John R.Crisis in the Lower Hudson Valley.
New York: J. R. Zehner, 1995.ARNOLD, MARGARET
Arnold, Margaret
(June 11, 1760–August 24, 1804)
Loyalist Spy
B
eguiling and winsome, Peggy Arnold
was once the belle of Philadelphia soci-
ety. But her graceful and lilting persona
belied a steely resolve and an appetite for
danger. Completely devoted to England dur-
ing the American Revolution, she convinced
her husband, Gen. Benedict Arnold, to
change sides.
Margaret Shippen was born in Philadelphia
on June 11, 1760, into one of America’s fore-
most colonial families. Her father, Judge Ed-
ward Shippen, was a merchant of some re-
pute and chief justice of the colony of
Pennsylvania. Margaret matured during the
turbulent decades just prior to the American
Revolution, and her father, a stout Tory, im-
bued her with a sense of loyalty to the English
Crown. She was also studious, highly atten-
tive, and excelled at mathematics, so she was
instructed in bookkeeping, accounting, and
real estate. It was unusual for a woman, at
this time in American history, to be running a
business. Just as striking was her profound
beauty, and men she encountered, particu-
larly young military and naval officers, were
captivated by her lilting persona. Shippen was
just acquiring her reputation as the belle of
Philadelphia’s genteel society when that city
was occupied by British troops under Gen.
William Howein the fall of 1777. At that time
she met and apparently fell in love with Maj.
John Andre, a dashing young blade who re-
turned her attention with witty conversation,
gifts, and pencil portraits. By April 1778, the
British had decided that Philadelphia was too
exposed to a French attack from the sea, so
they withdrew to New York. Before departing,
General Howe was feted in an extravagant
farewell called Mischianza,which was clev-
erly staged by Andre. Margaret and her sisters
were also featured in the outlandish ensem-
ble, bedecked in lavish costumes reminiscent
of a Turkish harem. Before parting a last time,
Andre bequeathed her a token she carried for