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... preached Dobbs Ferry when a swift British gunboat suddenly appeared from the eastern shore. Then the ship began to open fire about him. Arnold was by complete surprise, wondering if it had been a trap or was he merely caught off-guard. All afternoon he paced the shoreline, searching the river for a signal from Major Andr. He quickly wrote a note to General Washington, who was only three miles away, explaining his attendance.
Soon after he fled back to headquarters. On September 14 th, three days after his narrow escape at Dobbs Ferry, Arnold again embarked on his journey heading south. Only this time he was to meet up with his beloved Peggy at Joshua Smiths house in Haverstraw. Soon after, a courier delivered Arnold a confidential letter from General Washington requesting a exceptional guard to be sent to Kings Ferry the subsequent evening, September 17 th, to cover the commander in chiefs voyage with his suite. Washington planned to spend the night in Peekskill en route to Hartford for a covert discussion with the French general and admiral. Immediately following, Benedict informed Andr of his diplomacy.
Unfortunately for Arnold, Andr would not receive the news in time to organize an abduction of the commander in chief. The purpose was to inform Andr to delay his destination upriver until the coast was clear. Following this, Major Andr and Arnold met to discuss their plan of attack on West Point. Predictably, it was when the subject turned to money that obscurity arose. Benedicts interests had focused on money, thus extending the meeting for three hours. It was too late to row the major back to his ship safely, so Andr mounted his horse and set off with Arnold for Haverstraw.
Suddenly, the boom of cannon reached there, and from the window they witnessed flashes and a thick cloud of smoke arising from the Vulture. The cannon was being fired from Tellers Point. At the request from James Livingston, John Lamb sent a few rounds of ammunition from West Point. Andr appeared disgruntled upon finding himself stranded behind American lines. Arnold paid little attention to his behavior, since he was already distraught with the major for holding out on the negotiations with reference to the money. On Saturday, September 23 rd, Joshua Smith arrived midday to report that he had taken Major Andr overland through Westchester County.
Following the morning of September 26 th, Arnold came face-to-face for the first time with the commander in chief of British services in North America, Sir Henry Clinton. The congregation was awkward to say the least. General Clinton had counted heavily on the capture of West Point to end the war and signify his glory, so he extremely disappointed to hear that Arnold's plan had failed. Also word of Andr falling into enemy hands sent him into a disturbing tailspin. Clinton promptly called upon his advisers to organize a full-proof campaign to obtain Major Andr's release. The same evening Sir Henry Clinton instructed Arnold to compose a formal memorandum stating the legal argument of Andr's release.
General Washingtons reply to the document reached New York on September 30 th. In the letter, Washington informed General Clinton that he was going to refer the case to the board of generals office. Major Andr confessed that with the greatest candor that it was impossible for him to suppose that he came on shore under the sanction of the flag, (Major Andr) This left the board no choice but to sentence him to death as a spy. Shock and disbelief spread through British headquarters. Clinton ordered the preparation of a new round of appeals, but to no avail. Major Andr, his hopes of salvation dashed by the return to Jamestown headquarters, broke down under pressure and wrote a confessional to General Washington.
On the morning of October 5 th, the majors personal servant returned to New York to announce that Andr had been hanged three days before, at noon in the presence of the officers and men of the Continental Army. Originally, Andr suggested to General Washington that he wished to be shot like a soldier. In New York, word had reached Sir Henry Clinton of Andr's death. Like everyone else in New York, Arnold was deeply affected by the news of Andr's death. However, Arnold was emotional for a reason different from the others. He felt that if Andr had lived, he could have received a generous reimbursement from the British for services rendered.
Arnold concluded that whatever he received now would be grudgingly given to him. On October 9 th Sir Henry Clinton bestowed upon Arnold the rank of brigadier general in his Majesty's army with authority to raise his own regiment. Arnold wasnt satisfied with the money he had received. Then he wrote one of the most insensitive letters in his career. In the letter Arnold asserted that Major Andr promised him ten thousand pounds sterling for his services. He then stated that Andr was commissioned to promise him only six thousand pounds but would use his influence and recommend the amount he had asked for.
Arnold then reiterated that no amount of money was worth the sacrifices he had to make in betraying his own country. However, Clintons response was swift and to the point. He remitted Arnold a draft of 6, 000 pounds. Generous as the British were to Arnold, they never completely trusted him as an officer in their service. Though he conducted a raid into Virginia and led the tragic expedition to New London, the British declined to give him a high command. After Cornwallis surrender at Yorktown, Arnold took his family to London, where he received both respect and admiration, but no employment.
Later, he moved to Canada- to St. John, New Brunswick and entered the shipping business. Eventually, Arnold moved his family back to London and tried to secure command when the war with revolutionary France broke out. Denied an opportunity to return to military, he traded with the West Indies, where he was greatly appreciated. Rejected once more in an effort to help the military, Arnold died in 1801, forlorn and almost forgotten in Britain. His wife out lived him by three years, but had the satisfaction of seeing her children have respectable careers and attain mild fame.
If none has achieved such military importance as their ancestor, the tireless Dark Eagle as the Indians called him, none has put self-interest or injured pride before honor.
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Research essay sample on Commander In Chief Sir Henry
