Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution

Best-selling author Philbrick (Bunker Hill; The Mayflower) recounts details of Revolutionary War battles in the context of Gen. Benedict Arnold's character traits as well as his relationships with George Washington and others that affected his successes and downfalls and ultimately led to his defection from the Continental to the British Army. Philbrick sympathetically explains but doesn't excuse the complicated factors resulting in Arnold's treason. He observes that initially the general was patriotic, loyal, trustworthy, and valued by Washington. His battlefield valor was impressive, but his impertinence engendered animosity from scornful, opportunistic officials. By 1779, starvation, mutiny, Washington's indecisiveness, and the combination of Congress's meddling and lack of support made America's outlook appear dismal. Philbrick argues, nonetheless, that his subject's impetuosity, arrogance, self-interest, and insolence, coupled with his financial distress and growing bitterness impelled him (with his wife's support) to sell secrets to the British. The general didn't consider himself a traitor but claimed that his defection supported the United States by hastening the return to normalcy. Philbrick believes that Arnold's actions vitalized the revolutionary spirit and helped create a mythical history of the period.