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Benedict Arnold

Revolutionary Albany: The Battles of Saratoga & Loyalist Opposition

March 21, 2022 by Peter Hess 1 Comment

Battle of SaratogaIn the first days of August, 1777, Albany seemed doomed to be overrun by the British. General John Burgoyne had taken Crown Point, Fort Ticonderoga, Fort George, Fort Anne, Fort Edward and Fort Miller, the last substantial fortified place protecting the city from the north.  To the west at Fort Stanwix, a siege was underway requiring many of General Philip Schyuler’s troops being sent to that fort’s defense from their camp on Van Schaick Island, now in the city of Cohoes.

Burgoyne however, had severely stretched his supply line. He was now having problems bringing up food and supplies over primitive roads that had been severely rutted and nearly destroyed by the Revolutionaries. He had to slow down to wait for food and had to keep his supply line protected all the way back to Canada, spreading his troops more thinly. [Read more…] about Revolutionary Albany: The Battles of Saratoga & Loyalist Opposition

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Albany, Albany County, American Revolution, Battle of Bennington, Battle of Saratoga, Benedict Arnold, Columbia County, Fort Edward, Horatio Gates, Hudson River, Indigenous History, Iroquois, John Burgoyne, Military History, New York City, Philip Schuyler, Political History, Revolutionary Albany, Saratoga County, Schuyler Mansion, Schuylerville

Revolutionary Albany: Supplying Ticonderoga, Dealing With Loyalists & Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Relations

March 2, 2022 by Peter Hess Leave a Comment

Idealized version of the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga attributed to Alonzo Chappel probably ca 1853 (courtesy Fort Ticonderoga)In early May, 1775 the Revolutionary War was underway on largely local scale. The attack on the British forces leaving Lexington and Concord had happened less than a month earlier, and 4,500 British troops had landed in Boston.

The lightly defended Fort Ticonderoga was taken on the morning of May 10, 1775, in a surprise attack by the Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, with the help of Benedict Arnold. The fort had been held by the British for 16 years, since it was taken from the French in 1759. [Read more…] about Revolutionary Albany: Supplying Ticonderoga, Dealing With Loyalists & Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Relations

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, History, Mohawk Valley Tagged With: Albany, Albany County, American Revolution, Benedict Arnold, Essex County, Fort Ticonderoga, German Flatts, Guy Johnson, Haudenosaunee, Military History, Mohawk, Mohawk River, Oneida Indian Nation, Philip Schuyler, Revolutionary Albany

Did the Nation Betray Benedict Arnold?

February 18, 2022 by Bob Cudmore Leave a Comment

The Historians LogoThis week’s guest on The Historians Podcast is James Kirby Martin, executive producer of the documentary Benedict Arnold: Hero Betrayed.

The film is based on Martin’s 1997 book Benedict Arnold Revolutionary Hero. The documentary, streaming on several TV platforms, is narrated by Martin Sheen and stars Peter O’Meara. Three men from the Mohawk Valley area created the documentary: Niskayuna native Chris Stearns, Saratoga Springs native Tom Mercer and Fort Johnson native Anthony Vertucci. [Read more…] about Did the Nation Betray Benedict Arnold?

Filed Under: History Tagged With: American Revolution, Benedict Arnold, film, Military History, Podcasts

New Film Seeks To Rehabilitate Benedict Arnold

November 1, 2021 by Editorial Staff 4 Comments

Benedict Arnold_Hero BetrayedLegacy Distribution will debut Benedict Arnold: Hero Betrayed, a documentary that claims to capture “the brutal hardships of the revolutionary war and the heroic deeds of a man scorned by history.”

The feature-length film challenges the long-standing narrative of Benedict Arnold as a traitor and places him among the names of American war heroes, with its in-depth interviews with historians and re-enactments featuring Peter O’Meara (Knightfall, Band of Brothers) and narrated by Martin Sheen (The West Wing, The Departed). [Read more…] about New Film Seeks To Rehabilitate Benedict Arnold

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: AmRev, Battle of Saratoga, Benedict Arnold, Crime and Justice, Documentary, film, Military History, West Point

Andre-Arnold Project Highlighting Westchester Co Treason Sites

August 1, 2021 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

This Man's A SpyFrom Philadelphia, on July 3rd, 1776, John Adams mailed a letter to his wife, Abigail, in Boston. The letter explained the historic decisions agreed upon by the Continental Congress and the plans for celebration.

“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.” ~ John Adams

[Read more…] about Andre-Arnold Project Highlighting Westchester Co Treason Sites

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, New York City Tagged With: America's 250th Anniversary, American Revolution, Benedict Arnold, Military History, Revolutionary Westchester 250, Semiquincentennial, West Point, Westchester County

Jack Kelly Talks About His New Book On Battle of Valcour Island

May 14, 2021 by Bob Cudmore Leave a Comment

The Historians LogoThis week on The Historians Podcast, Jack Kelly discusses his new book Valcour: The 1776 Campaign That Saved the Cause of Liberty (St. Martins Press, 2021).  Rebel forces were led by Benedict Arnold in this key naval battle with Great Britain around Valcour Island on Lake Champlain in Northern New York. [Read more…] about Jack Kelly Talks About His New Book On Battle of Valcour Island

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: American Revolution, Battle of Valcour Bay, Benedict Arnold, Books, Lake Champlain, Maritime History, Military History, Plattsburgh, Podcasts

A Benedict Arnold Letter That Changed History

August 15, 2019 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

Engraving of Benedict Arnold by HB HallOn October 9th, 1777, Nathaniel Bacheller, a militia adjutant from New Hampshire, wrote a letter to his wife, Suzanna. It was discovered by historians when it appeared on the auction site eBay this past winter and was sold to an unknown buyer for $2,925. A digital copy was downloaded and a transcript of the letter was made before it went to join the buyer’s private collection.

What the letter holds is a first-hand, historically unbiased account of the conversations, command decisions and field actions of General Horatio Gates and General Benedict Arnold during the ongoing 1777 Battle of Saratoga. [Read more…] about A Benedict Arnold Letter That Changed History

Filed Under: Events, History, Mohawk Valley, Western NY Tagged With: American Revolution, AmRev, Battle of Saratoga, Benedict Arnold, Military History, Old Stone Fort, Schoharie Co Hist Soc

An 1880 Bio of Benedict Arnold, By A Sympathetic Relative

July 28, 2019 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Benedict Arnold: His Patriotism and His TreasonWas Benedict Arnold a real “Benedict Arnold?”

His distant realtive, Isaac N. Arnold, has a different take on the famous traitor in the book Benedict Arnold: His Patriotism and His Treason. Now republished by HVA Press, the defense of Arnold had not been available in bookstores for over a hundred years.

Isaac Arnold describes the man behind the myth. Until his attempted betrayal — which ended in failure — Arnold was recognized as “The bravest of the brave,” by George Washington, and many others.

Author Isaac Arnold was a two-term Congressman who introduced the first resolution in Congress proposing a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery in the United States. He wrote a general history of Lincoln’s abolition of slavery in 1867, and the biography of Benedict Arnold in 1880. [Read more…] about An 1880 Bio of Benedict Arnold, By A Sympathetic Relative

Filed Under: Books, History Tagged With: Benedict Arnold, Books

Benedict Arnold and the Crisis of American Liberty

May 22, 2019 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

ben_franklins_worldBenedict Arnold is an intriguing figure. He was both a military hero who greatly impacted and furthered the American War for Independence with his bravery on the battlefield and someone who did something unthinkable: he betrayed his country.

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Stephen Brumwell, an award-winning historian and the author of Turncoat: Benedict Arnold and the Crisis of American Liberty (Yale University Press, 2018), joins us to explore the life and deeds of Benedict Arnold and Arnold’s stunning metamorphosis from hero to traitor. [Read more…] about Benedict Arnold and the Crisis of American Liberty

Filed Under: Books, History Tagged With: American Revolution, AmRev, Benedict Arnold, British Empire, Early America, Early American History, Military History, Podcasts

Turning Points of the American Revolution

October 24, 2018 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

ben_franklins_world

2018 marks the 241st anniversary of the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga and the 240th anniversary of the Franco-American Alliance. But was the victory that prompted the French to join the American war effort, truly the “turning point” of the War for Independence?

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World: A Podcast About Early American History, National Book Award-winner Nathaniel Philbrick joins us to explore the two events he sees as better turning points in the American War for Independence: Benedict Arnold’s treason and the French Navy’s participation in the war. You can listen to the podcast here: www.benfranklinsworld.com/208

[Read more…] about Turning Points of the American Revolution

Filed Under: Books, History Tagged With: American Revolution, AmRev, Benedict Arnold, Books, George Washington, Maritime History, Military History, Naval History, Podcasts, Yorktown

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