His contemporaries dubbed him “the American
Hannibal” for his tactical genius. Yet today Benedict Arnold is remembered not
as a brilliant combat officer, a hero whose laurels include the capture of Fort
Ticonderoga, the Battle of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain, and the Battle of
Saratoga, but as America’s most infamous traitor, as the vain and aggressive
commander who sold out his countrymen, secretly plotting with the British to
surrender West Point.
Of
his role in this conspiracy there is no doubt. His British contact, Major John
Andre, was caught with incriminating documents in Arnold's handwriting,
including routes of access to the fort. Arnold, fleeing down the Hudson River on a British ship, defended his treason in a letter to Washington, stating
that "love to my country actuates my present conduct, however it may
appear inconsistent to the world, which very seldom judge right of any man's
actions."
But
judge we must. Why did Arnold desert the cause for which he had fought so
gallantly and twice been wounded? Was there any justification for his conduct? On
Saturday, November 13, in Princeton, New Jersey, five excellent historians will
offer presentations on Benedict Arnold and attempt to answer these and other
questions about this most enigmatic man of the American Revolution.
In our first
presentation, Jay Jorgensen will address us on Benedict Arnold and
the Battle of Valcour Island. During this battle,
waged on Lake Champlain on October 11, 1776, Arnold led a small navy in a
delaying action against the formidable British fleet. This engagement, while technically an American defeat, nonetheless was crucial for the American side. The
significance of Arnold’s delaying action was best summed up by Admiral Alfred
Mahan in his "War of American Independence" when he wrote..."The
little American navy on Champlain was wiped out: but never had any force, big
or small, lived to better purpose nor died more gloriously, for it had saved
the Lake for that year."
Next, William M. Welsch will present Arnold in 1777: A Hero Still, which will
tell the tale of Arnold’s imaginative, daring and courageous leadership in the
Battle of Saratoga where he led a dangerous assault against the center of the
British line, incurring a leg wound in the process.
In our third
presentation, Benedict Arnold: No Longer the Hero, Rich Bellamy will tell the
story of the why and how of Arnold’s treason. If Arnold had died at the
battle of Saratoga he would be remembered as one of America's greatest heroes
but as we know that is not the way it turned out.
In
the afternoon, we will go back to an earlier chapter in Arnold’s life as noted
author Arthur S. Lefkowitz addresses us on The 1775 Arnold Expedition. Hand-picked by George Washington for this mission, Colonel Arnold
successfully led more than 1,000 freezing and famished men up and over the Appalachian mountains to the fortress city of Quebec in one of the greatest exploits in
American military history. Mr. Lefkowitz’s presentation will be based on his
book, Benedict Arnold’s Army: The 1775 American Invasion of Canada During the Revolutionary War.
The
topic of our next presentation, by Todd W. Braisted, will be The
British Military Career of Brigadier General Benedict Arnold. Few
people know much of Arnold’s career after his dramatic defection to the British
in September, 1780. He not only raised his own Provincial regiment, but led
major British expeditions to Virginia and Connecticut. This talk will be an
examination of Arnold’s corps (the American Legion), his military campaigns of
1781, and his proposals to win the war in 1782.
Our
final session will be a panel discussion, featuring all five of our faculty
members, on the topic of Assessing Benedict Arnold..
On Sunday, November 14, we will offer a tour of Washington’s Crossing, Trenton and Princeton led by Jay Jorgensen and Bill Welsch.
Please see tour information on the adjacent post. Our headquarters for both the
conference and tour will be the comfortable, full-service Holiday Inn
Princeton.
We
hope you’ll join us at the second annual New Jersey Conference on the American
Revolution as we ponder the most notorious figure of the American Revolution.
Faculty
Richard Bellamy is an experienced tour guide of American
Revolutionary War sites, and a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park.
Todd
W. Braisted has appeared as a guest
historian on the PBS series “History Detectives” and the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation’s “Who Do You Think You Are?” He is the co-author of Moving On:
Black Loyalists in the Afro-Atlantic World; The Revolutionary War in
Bergen County as well as numerous journal articles.
Jay
Jorgensen is an experienced tour
guide of American Revolutionary War sites and Civil War battlefields. He is the author of many articles on the Revolution and several books on the Civil
War including Gettysburg’s Bloody Wheatfield.
Arthur
S. Lefkowitz is the author of Benedict
Arnold’s Army and the 1775 American Invasion of Canada; The Long Retreat,
the story of the 1776 British invasion of New Jersey, considered the definitive
work on the events leading up to Washington’s Christmas night raid on Trenton; George
Washington’s Indispensable Men, the first history of the 32 men (mostly
lawyers) who served as aides-de-camp to Washington during the Revolution; and Bushnell’s
Submarine: The Best Kept Secret of the American Revolution. He is now
completing Benedict Arnold in the Company of Heroes, due for release in
2011.
William
M. Welsch is an
experienced tour guide of American Revolutionary War sites with special
expertise on New Jersey sites. He is the founding and current president of the American
Revolution Round Table of Richmond, Virginia.
Program
Schedule - Saturday, November 13
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM Benedict Arnold and the Battle of Valcour Island – Jay
Jorgensen
9:45 AM – 10:45 AM Arnold in 1777: A Hero Still - William M. Welsch
11:00 AM - 12:00 N Benedict Arnold: No Longer the Hero – Richard Bellamy
12:00 N – 1:00 PM Group Lunch
1:15 PM - 2:30 PM The 1775 Arnold Expedition – Arthur S. Lefkowitz
2:45 PM – 3:45 PM The
British Military Career of Brigadier General Benedict Arnold.
- Todd W.
Braisted
4:00 PM – 4:45 PM Assessing
Benedict Arnold
– a
Panel Discussion featuring all five faculty members
Registration Fee per Person (lodging not
included): $195
Please Note: If You Must Cancel, Your registration fee will be 100% refunded.
What is Included in your Registration:
· the services of expert historians
chosen for their knowledge and experience
· Saturday lunch
· refreshments during the conference
Location
& Lodging: Our program will be based at the Holiday Inn Princeton, 100 Independence Way, Princeton, New Jersey where we have reserved a block of sleeping rooms at the special
nightly rate of $89.00 – Single or Double. To reserve a room under our
block, call 609-520-1200 and identify yourself as a registrant for the American
History Forum program.
Directions: From Princeton, New Jersey, take Route 1 North for
about 2 ¼ miles. Turn right onto Independence Way.
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