9. Growing Resentment Against the Patriots
Offended that his seniority was not restored, Benedict Arnold once again sought to resign, but was prevailed upon to remain. He performed brilliantly in halting the British advance into upstate New York in 1777, and played a key role in its defeat. It culminated in the British surrender at Saratoga, where Arnold fought courageously and suffered a serious leg wound. Crippled by his injury, Arnold was put in charge of Philadelphia. There, he began to socialize with families loyal to the British. He took to an extravagant life with lavish expenditures, financed through questionable methods that led to scandal. Arnold also married a much younger woman of loyalist sympathies, and her spendthrift habits soon drove him deep into debt. Between resentments and financial difficulties, he secretly approached the British to offer his services. As seen below, Arnold was perfectly positioned to deal the Patriots a fatal blow.
