Arnold betrayed American Revolution

It is the birthday of traitor General Benedict Arnold (1741), whose plot to surrender West Point to the British during the American Revolutionary War earned him the enmity of the fledgling nation. In the 19th century, his name became synonymous with traitor. Scholars say he was embittered against the Americans after being accused and acquitted of corruption and being passed over for promotion in the American Continental Army He was in command of fortifications at West Point, New York. His plot was revealed when American forces captured a British major who was carrying papers about Arnold’s planned defection.