Benedict Arnold spent years becoming a respectable merchant in Connecticut and the coming of the American War of Independence presented him with an opportunity to increase his standing even further. His bravery in battle was unquestioned, but his desire for reward led him to dubious actions. Congress had little money to pay the soldiers, so Arnold decided to pay himself through the sale of captured goods. His temper, greed, and arrogance created enemies within American ranks. Fellow officers wished to see him fail and forwarded complaints to Congress.

The victory at Saratoga should have been Arnold’s crowning achievement, but his severe wound at the moment of triumph opened the door for his rival, Horatio Gates, to receive the credit. Wounded and disgusted with these events, Arnold became military governor of Philadelphia and quickly resumed his schemes. He came into conflict with the firebrand Joseph Reed and events began to spiral out of control. He found love in the arms of the loyalist Peggy Shippen and began to consider alternative paths to regain his prosperity.

This episode was written by Michael Gabbe-Gross 

Michael received his Masters’s Degree in History from the California State University, Sacramento. His thesis project analysed the Phoenix Program, a CIA counterinsurgency operation during the Vietnam War.