Benedict Arnold
StoryIllustrationHistorical Account★★★★At age fourteen, he ran away from home and fought in the French and Indian War. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, he joined the American army as a colonel, and in 1775, he shared a command with Ethan Allen in the capture of Ticonderoga. Later, he led 1,000 men into Canada where he fought in the battle of Quebec. His courage in battle won him a promotion to brigadier general.
But something went wrong. Thoughts of compromise ate away at his patriotic zeal. Soon the unthinkable happened. He offered his services to the British, and in 1780, he devised a plan to surrender West Point to British control.
Today, instead of being remembered as a national hero, Benedict Arnold is synonymous with “traitor.”
Louis Torres, Today in the Word, 10.
The point
Benedict Arnold began as a courageous war hero but allowed compromise to erode his patriotism until he betrayed his country.