Benedict Arnold (January 14, 1741 - June 14, 1801) was a Major General in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. In 1780, under the influence of one of Judas' shekels, Arnold defected and became a Brigadier General in the British Army.
History[]
Continental Army[]
Elected as a Captain in the Connecticut militia in March 1775, Arnold found early success in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga from its British garrison on May 10 with the help of Ethan Allen. Arnold followed this up by playing key roles in the invasion of Quebec and the battles of Valcour Island, Ridgefield, and Saratoga. He also served as military governor of Montreal and Philadelphia. During this time, he developed a friendship with Ichabod Crane. Crane found him to be a brave soldier who deeply loved his country. Despite his success, he felt that he was unfairly passed over for promotion by the Continental Congress.
Defection[]
In the aftermath of a raid he and Crane led against a British counterfeiting organization for George Washington, Arnold came into possession of one of the thirty silver shekels paid to Judas Iscariot. He and Crane were told to specifically find the batch of 30 coins, but only knew that the silver was planned to be melted down to make more counterfeits. This artifact magnified Arnold's resentment of the Continental Congress, leading him to plot his defection to the British Army. In 1780, he plotted with Major John Andre to surrender West Point to the British. After Major Andre was captured in Tarrytown, Arnold fled. He was granted the rank of Brigadier General and fought for the British Army until 1781, when he left for England. Before he left, Arnold saw Captain Crane once again and spared his life from his troops, possibly because he knew about Crane's role as a Witness.
Legacy[]
Benjamin Franklin would say soon after the defection that "Judas sold only one man, Arnold three millions". Crane later realized he probably knew of the shekels' role in Arnold's turning. Learning of the historical memory of Arnold as a "most notorious traitor" from Abbie Mills, Crane considered the perception to be a bit harsh and most unfortunate, as he knew the man and didn't understand his sudden betrayal at the time. [1]</ref>
Appearances[]
| Season Two | |||||||||||||||||||
| "This Is War" | "The Kindred" | "Root of All Evil" | "Go Where I Send Thee..." | "The Weeping Lady" | |||||||||||||||
| "And the Abyss Gazes Back" | "Deliverance" | "Heartless" | "Mama" | "Magnum Opus" | |||||||||||||||
| "The Akeda" | "Paradise Lost" | "Pittura Infamante" | "Kali Yuga" | "Spellcaster" | |||||||||||||||
| "What Lies Beneath" | "Awakening" | "Tempus Fugit" | |||||||||||||||||