The Tragedy of Benedict Arnold

by Joyce Lee Malcolm

Overview

History remembers this proud, talented, and conflicted man solely through the lens of his last desperate act of treason. Yet the fall of Benedict Arnold remains one of the Revolutionary period’s great puzzles. Why did a brilliant military commander, who repeatedly risked his life fighting the British, who was grievously injured in the line of duty, and fell into debt personally funding his own troops, ultimately became a traitor to the patriot cause? Throughout, Malcolm weaves in portraits of Arnold’s great allies—George Washington, General Schuyler, his beautiful and beloved wife Peggy Shippen, and others—as well as his unrelenting enemy John Adams, British General Clinton, and master spy John Andre. Thrilling and thought-provoking, The Tragedy of Benedict Arnold sheds new light on a man—as well on the nuanced and complicated time in which he lived.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681778167
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	05/01/2018
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Joyce Lee Malcolm is a professor at George Mason University School of Law. She is the author of Guns and Violence; Peter’s War; and To Keep and Bear Arms. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia.
Joyce Lee Malcolm is a professor at George Mason University School of Law. She is the author of Guns and Violence; Peter's War; and To Keep and Bear Arms. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

Editorial Reviews

04/15/2018
Malcolm (law, George Mason Univ.; Peter's War) reopens the case against American military general Benedict Arnold (1740–1801) and his wife, Peggy Shippen (1760–1804), suggesting that history has perhaps been too hard on the traitorous pair. Malcolm makes it clear that this book does not condone Arnold's actions during the Revolutionary War but rather attempts to place them within a broader historical context in order to understand his decisions, not attack them. In doing so, Malcolm presents a compelling case that Arnold was a man of his time and that Shippen was innocent, despite her characterization as a manipulative woman who tricked her husband into betraying his country. The author's research also reveals the deep divide inside the revolutionary cause itself and its impact on Arnold throughout his early life and career. Malcolm's research is rooted in the historiography of Arnold but is not derivative. Instead, this work acknowledges and builds on more than a century of writings on the subject, bringing a fresh perspective by making use of resources only recently discovered (Arnold's war correspondence, namely). VERDICT A compelling read for anyone interested in early American biographies.—Jessica Holland, Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington

Library Journal

03/12/2018
Malcolm (Peter’s War: A New England Slave Boy and the American Revolution) adds to the crowded field of Benedict Arnold biographies with a solid if unremarkable work whose stated intention is “not to condone Arnold but to understand” him. Malcolm starts with Arnold’s difficult upbringing in a household disgraced by his father’s business failures and alcoholism, before moving on to Arnold’s early business ventures, including starting a combination drugstore and bookstore in New Haven, and then tracing his evolution as a soldier. As Malcolm notes, Arnold’s growth into someone considered “the most brilliant officer on either side of the Revolutionary War” is all the more impressive given that he entered that conflict with no actual military experience. According to Malcolm, Arnold’s betrayal was the culmination of his “lifelong struggle for honor and respect,” and repeated professional slights, such as being passed over for promotions and the unwarranted micromanagement of his expenses, ultimately led from discontent to treason. Malcolm’s unsourced speculation about Arnold’s thoughts raises questions about methodology, and she never manages to make her subject come across as a living, breathing person. It’s a readable account of a remarkable life, but there isn’t much here to distinguish this from the many books about Arnold. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Joyce Lee Malcolm describes 'the most infamous man in American history' as a two-dimensional caricature in the minds of most Americans. Ms. Malcolm’s The Tragedy of Benedict Arnold does show that Arnold’s hunger for recognition and refusal to compromise embroiled him in conflicts that weakened his commitment to independence. Arnold was especially resentful, she notes, of the ill treatment he felt he had received from civilian politicians. She draws on colonial history and the outlook of the 18th-century Atlantic world to describe a profound civilian distrust of professional soldiers and standing armies. Ms. Malcolm, a historian at George Mason University’s law school, describes how tensions between George Washington and the Continental Congress, whose members had adopted this wary civilian view of the military, fueled ever greater discontent within the Continental Army. Ms. Malcolm suggests that Arnold—helped along by his prickly personality and the trauma of a crippling wound—reacted by switching sides.

The Wall Street Journal

Since the fall of Lucifer,’ Nathanael Greene, a general in the Continental Army, wrote after the Revolutionary War, ‘nothing has equaled the fall of Arnold.’ Joyce Lee Malcolm knows this story, and yet she has embraced the thankless, if not Sisyphean, task of contextualizing America’s first traitor in her new and aptly named biography, The Tragedy of Benedict Arnold. Malcolm has written a fine biography—the best in recent memory, in fact.

Alexis Coe - The Washington Post

Malcolm does for Benedict Arnold what Ron Chernow did for Alexander Hamilton, reexamining and redeeming a complex historical figure. Though Malcolm’s tome is not as lengthy as Chernow’s, she does an excellent job of transforming American history’s best-known villain into a war hero who loved his country so much that he gave his heart, soul, and body to the American cause during the Revolutionary War. This adventurous, entertaining read will appeal to a broad audience, and book clubs will thoroughly enjoy this game-changer, a multilayered reassessment of a long misunderstood American.

Booklist (starred)

A work of genuine excellence, as persuasive in its argument as it is unsettling in its implications. Malcolm’s prose is both vigorous and elegant.

American Historical Review [praise for Joyce Lee Malcolm]

Malcolm makes a forceful case, clearly and fairly.

The Wall Street Journal [praise for Joyce Lee Malcolm]

Shows that Arnold’s hunger for recognition and refusal to compromise embroiled him in conflicts that weakened his commitment to independence. Ms. Malcolm draws on colonial history and the outlook of the 18th-century Atlantic world to describe a profound civilian distrust of professional soldiers and standing armies and how tensions between George Washington and the
Continental Congress, whose members had adopted this wary civilian view of the military, fueled ever greater discontent within the Continental Army.

Wall Street Journal

Since the fall of Lucifer,’ Nathanael Greene, a general in the Continental Army, wrote after the Revolutionary War, ‘nothing has equaled the fall of Arnold.’ Joyce Lee Malcolm knows this story, and yet she has embraced the thankless, if not Sisyphean, task of contextualizing America’s first traitor in her new and aptly named biography. Malcolm has written a fine biography— the best in recent memory, in fact.

Washington Post

2018-03-19
An attempt to bring understanding, if not forgiveness, to the story of Benedict Arnold (1741-1801).Examining a variety of primary sources, including Russell M. Lea's 2008 publication of Arnold's war correspondence and other Arnold papers "recently discovered in Quebec," Malcolm (George Mason Univ. School of Law; Peter's War: A New England Slave Boy and the American Revolution, 2009, etc.) dives further into the psyche of the man synonymous with the word "traitor." His ability as a soldier, acknowledged even by the British, and continued heroics indicate a truly talented, heroic patriot who dedicated his life, lost his fortune, and suffered crippling injury for the American cause. Arnold was also rash and impetuous, and his pride and successes made many enemies. The micromanaging of the Army by the Congress made such rivalries more common, as they often appointed ill-qualified but well-connected leaders. After Ticonderoga, Arnold led a heroic trek through the bleak winter landscape to meet up with Gen. Philip Schuyler at Montreal. But Col. Roger Enos abandoned that trek and left with a third of Arnold's force. Even so, Arnold was successful at Montreal and then built a fleet of shallow draft boats on Lake Champlain to block the British. At Saratoga, Gen. Horatio Gates disliked him intensely and confined Arnold to his tent. Not to be held back, he led the leaderless army to turn the battle, but he was also grievously injured. George Washington sent him to Philadelphia to lead, a huge mistake since Arnold had very little political ability. He was often denied pay and promotions, and a series of false accusations pushed him over the edge. Others would suffer similarly and resign their commissions, but Arnold felt the war was lost and turned to the British. The author does her best to paint her subject as underappreciated—and is mostly successful in that endeavor—and she rejects the accusations that his wife drove him to treason.Readers will decide if Arnold's choices were forced upon him or if he was, indeed, flawed. Malcolm provides plenty to consider.

Kirkus Reviews