life—a lock of his hair. They also maintained,
at great personal risk, a steady and secret
correspondence.
By May 1778, the Americans reoccupied
Philadelphia, seat of the Continental Con-
gress. A military governor, Benedict Arnold,
was then appointed by Gen. George Washing-
ton to oversee city affairs. Arnold sought this
appointment, as he still needed to convalesce
from injuries sustained at Saratoga in October
- It was not long before the heady general
encountered the alluring Margaret Shippen at
a party and—like most men in her company—
was smitten. The 19-year-old lady was appar-
ently also taken in by this dark, ruggedly
handsome general, and the two fell in love.
They were married on April 8, 1779, over her
father’s objections. Nonetheless, once vows
were exchanged, Peggy Shippen became Mrs.
Benedict Arnold, wife of the most despicable
traitor in all of American history.
For many months previously, Benedict
Arnold smarted over what he considered a de-
liberate lack of recognition from Congress.
Worse, while military governor, he came
under charges of profiteering and was investi-
gated by a court of inquiry. His young bride,
an ardent Loyalist, apparently became a co-
conspirator in convincing him to defect to the
British. Given her close contact with Andre,
now head of British military intelligence at
New York, she was well-placed for such per-
fidious work. For a year and a half, the two
plotted and schemed while Arnold dithered
about making the break. Margaret, using all
the charms and guile she could muster, kept
encouraging him to reconsider. A turning
point was reached when Arnold underwent a
formal court-martial for his behavior and
General Washington, his longtime benefactor,
stood aloof. Margaret, meanwhile, composed
several carefully encrypted letters to Andre,
explaining her husband’s intention to defect
when the opportunity arose. Arnold subse-
quently provided the British with secret infor-
mation about troop deployments in the vicin-
ity of West Point, a strategic strong point on
the Hudson River. When the general finally de-
clared his intention to defect, Andre wrote
back confirming that they would meet his
price: 10,000 pounds and a general’s commis-
sion in the English army.
By April 1780, Arnold was ready to embark
on the road to treachery. Feigning disability,
he declined Washington’s offer to command
the left wing of the American army and sug-
gested that he take charge of West Point—a
highly flattering post given its significance.
Washington gladly obliged his old friend, and
Arnold arrived there on August 4, 1780. Mar-
garet then came up from Philadelphia, follow-
ing the birth of their first child, and joined
him. On the evening of September 22, 1870,
Arnold arranged a clandestine meeting with
Andre and passed along more secret informa-
tion about West Point’s defenses. He also in-
formed the British that Washington was due
in the region shortly and that they should
send some cavalry and try to capture him and
his entire staff. Such a move might bring the
entire rebellion to a halt—and considerable
lucre to the Arnolds from a grateful king. For-
tunately for the Americans, Andre was unex-
pectedly caught returning to British lines.
Arnold, when innocently informed of this de-
velopment, hastily consulted with his wife
and bolted out the door to escape. Margaret
then feigned hysteria as a cover. When news
of Arnold’s defection was made public, she
was subsequently banned from Philadelphia.
Washington believed her teary story of inno-
cence throughout these proceedings, and she
was permitted to rejoin her husband in New
York. There she learned for the first time that
her friend and first love, the gallant Major
Andre, had been executed as a spy. For sev-
eral weeks thereafter she was unable—or un-
willing—to attend social festivities hosted by
British commander in chief Henry Clinton.
After the war, the Arnolds relocated to
London, where Margaret was introduced to
King George III and Queen Charlotte. The
queen was so impressed by her daring deeds
on behalf of England that she arranged Mar-
garet to receive a pension of 1,000 pounds a
year for life. This made her the highest paidARNOLD, MARGARET