Benedict arnold education biography sample
•
Benedict Arnold
American-born military officer (–)
For other people named Benedict Arnold, see Benedict Arnold (disambiguation).
Benedict Arnold (14 January [O.S. 3 January ][1][a]&#;&#; June 14, ) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defecting to the British in General George Washington had given him his fullest trust and had placed him in command of West Point in New York. Arnold was planning to surrender the fort to British forces, but the plot was discovered in September , whereupon he fled to the British lines. In the later part of the war, Arnold was commissioned as a brigadier general in the British Army and placed in command of the American Legion. He led British forces in battle against the army which he had once commanded, and his name became synonymous with treason an
•
Benedict Arnold Biography
Listen
Early Years
Benedict Arnold was born on January 14, , in Norwich, Connecticut. He was one of five children, though only he and his sister survived to adulthood. While his family was fairly wealthy when he was a child, bad business decisions by his father plunged the family deep into debt. His father became an alcoholic, and Benedict was forced to drop out of school. At age fifteen, he ran away and joined the Connecticut militia, where he helped kamp against the French in the Seven Years' War. After the war, Benedict's mother and father died within two years of each other.
Benedict Grows Up
After the deaths of his parents, Benedict moved to New Haven and helped restore the family’s good name. He became a successful and enterprising pharmacist and soon made enough money to partner with a friend to buy three trading ships. Benedict and his partner established a profitable West Indies trade, and he often traveled throughout the Western Hemisphere c
•
Portrait of Benedict Arnold.
1. Arnold was a successful merchant and smuggler.
Benedict Arnold attended private schools during his adolescence, but was forced to end his education at age 14 after his merchant seaman father fell on hard times and slipped into alcoholism. Young Benedict spent the next eight years as an apprentice to an apothecary before settling in New Haven, Connecticut, where he opened his own general store. By his mids, he had purchased three sailing sloops and started a thriving business as a sea trader in Canada and the Caribbean. Arnold’s profits dried up with the introduction of the hated Sugar and Stamp Acts in the s, but like many colonial businessmen, he flouted the laws and took to smuggling untaxed rum and molasses, once publically whipping a man who tried to rat him out to the authorities. The budding patriot also became a leader in the local chapter of the Sons of Liberty and eventually took charge of a company of Connecticut militiamen.
This Day