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A Prank Led to America’s First Nominated Female to Office, and Other Lesser Known American History Facts

Khalid Elhassan December 13, 2019 33 min

8. America’s Greatest Traitor Was Also the American Revolution’s Best Fighting General

Benedict Arnold (1741 – 1801), the American Revolutionary War general, is the United States’ most infamous traitor, and one whose name has become an epithet, synonymous with treason and betrayal. However, before his name became mud, Arnold had been a leading patriot in the fight against the British. He was perhaps the most capable combat leader on the rebels’ side, before a combination of resentments over slights, coupled with financial distress, led him to sell out to the enemy.

Before turning traitor, Arnold had provided valuable service to the American side, and played a leading role early in the war in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga. He then led an expedition through extremely rough terrain in an attempt to capture Quebec. The expedition failed in its ultimate aim, but Arnold exhibited remarkable leadership in getting his men to the outskirts of Quebec.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.