Benedict Arnold and Revolutionary War Treason Vocabulary

Key terms, historical figures, locations, and concepts surrounding Benedict Arnold's military career, his grievances, and his treasonous plot involving West Point.

Battles of Saratoga

A major turning point in the American Revolution that caused the surrender of thousands of British troops and prompted France to formally join the war as an American ally.

Boot Monument

An 1887 monument erected at the Saratoga battlefield to honor Benedict Arnold's valor and severe leg injury without explicitly mentioning his disgraced name.

Horatio Gates

The American general who took credit for the victory at Saratoga and viewed Benedict Arnold as an insubordinate thorn in his side.

Regionalism

The Congressional practice of balancing military officer appointments across different states rather than promoting solely based on seniority or individual merit.

Honor Culture

An 18th-century social system in which personal reputation was public and heavily dependent on the esteem and opinions of others.

Executive Council of Pennsylvania

The radical governing body of Pennsylvania, led by Joseph Reed, that brought multiple charges of corruption and abuse of power against Benedict Arnold.

Joseph Reed

The president of the Executive Council of Pennsylvania who levied numerous official charges against Benedict Arnold in February 1779 for shady business dealings and misuse of authority.

Peggy Shippen

The daughter of a wealthy Philadelphia loyalist merchant who married Benedict Arnold in April 1779 and actively assisted in facilitating his treasonous correspondence with the British.

Joseph Stansbury

A Philadelphia loyalist poet who acted as an initial secret go-between to establish communications between Benedict Arnold and the British military.

Major John Andre

The chief intelligence officer for General Sir Henry Clinton who coordinated the West Point surrender plot with Benedict Arnold and was executed as a spy in October 1780.

Sir Henry Clinton

The commander-in-chief of British forces in America who negotiated with Benedict Arnold to secure the surrender of West Point.

Numerical Ciphers

A secret coding method used by Benedict Arnold and British intelligence where numbers corresponded to specific pages, lines, and words in a shared book.

West Point

A strategically vital American fortification on the Hudson River controlling supply and communication lines between New England and the rest of the colonies, which Arnold attempted to betray to the British.

HMS Vulture

The British warship that Benedict Arnold escaped to after his treasonous plot was exposed to Washington's forces.

Nathan Hale

An American patriot spy who was executed by the British without a court-martial, prompting George Washington to refuse Major John Andre's request to be executed by firing squad instead of hanging.