Turncoat: Benedict Arnold and the Crisis of American Liberty

General Benedict Arnold was a celebrated hero of the American Revolution whose 1780 attempt to betray the fortress of West Point to the British became one of the most infamous episodes in American history. His defection shocked contemporaries, who attributed it to greed, while historians have suggested resentment over lack of recognition for his contributions and sacrifices. Stephen Brumwell's study challenges these interpretations, drawing on unexplored archives to identify other factors behind Arnold's abandonment of the revolutionary cause. Tracing Arnold's path from enthusiastic support of American independence through his traitorous acts and escape, Brumwell's research reaches an unexpected conclusion: Arnold's betrayal was motivated by a conviction that America's interests would be best served by ending the bloodshed and reuniting the fractured British Empire.