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Benedict Arnold: An American Hero

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Throughout the history of the United States, there has been many persons wishing to do us great harm and betray the nation. Perhaps the most famous person in history that is known for being a traitor, is Benedict Arnold. We are taught from a very early age about his betrayal, but what we are not taught much about are his many feats on the battlefield which played a great role in winning the war against the British. It is quite conceivable that if Benedict Arnold perished in the Battle of Saratoga that he would have looked at quite differently by history today and would most likely be considered an American hero. The question that arises for most people after learning of his significant participation in the war for independence is, how did …show more content…
It was the hopes of Arnold that he would be the commander of the forces that would march to Quebec and attack but he was eventually passed up. This did not sit well with Arnold, so he met up with General George Washington and again presented the idea for a second attack on Quebec. Washington went along with the plan and Benedict got the opportunity he desired. He was given the rank of Colonel in the Continental Army and orders to attack Quebec in the winter of 1775. It was not an easy feat to attack Quebec as it had been in capturing Ticonderoga. The trek alone caused three hundred men to turn back while hundreds more died en route to their destination. Upon arriving in Quebec and after the battle ensued, Benedict Arnold suffered a bullet to his leg. He was forced to recover while a soldier by the name of Daniel Morgan aggressively took over the fight and was quickly forced to surrender the forces that Arnold was supposed to command. Although Arnold was injured and recovering, he refused to end the attack entirely and instead requested reinforcements. They came in only small groups and were not enough to complete the mission of seizing the city. Although he later demanded the surrender of the city by the British, the British would not budge. Arnold resided to forming an ineffective blockade to corner the opposing forces. It was soon realized that the battle was lost and it might be an opportune time to retreat and regroup. Although Arnold led an unsuccessful siege of the city, he was rewarded with a promotion to Brigadier General feeding into his desire for recognition and respect. Arnold maintained the blockade until the eventual reinforcements arrived the following spring of 1776 when he then moved on to Montreal and found himself facing attack from a large British contingent of forces where the only option was to retreat. He would go on to lead

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