In June he was given command of Philadel phia, where he became engaged to a beautiful girl of a loyalist family, Margaret Shippen. The testimony is conclusive that she had nothing to do with his fall ; but her family and the always powerful loyalist society of Phila delphia had for the next two years in fluence over him. The prospects of the United States grew so bad that even Washington well nigh lost all hope; the English government offered such seductive proposals that many pa triotic citizens considered it wanton wickedness to prolong bloodshed and misery, when all that the war was waged to obtain was offered with fair guarantees. Congress was so faction-rid den and incompetent that many more thought the future of independence most calamitous even if it could be obtained; the soldiers were unpaid and unclothed, deserting fast and near ing a dangerous mutiny which soon broke out. In this state of things, every influential officer at odds with Congress was besieged with ex pressions of loyalist opinion, and Arnold was in the thick of all that could shake his resolution. As always, he lived beyond his means, and as always he was in bitter feud with the other powers. He had determined to retire and settle on a New York land grant, when he was as sailed with a series of charges by the State authorities, headed by Joseph Reed, president of the executive council. , Most of the charges were frivolous, but two — that he courted the loyalists at the- expense of the patriots, and that he had used his position to make illegal purchases — were serious. A committee of Congress acquitted him absolutely except on two foolish counts, and advised ignoring them. Arnold was satisfied and resigned his command. Reed protested on the ground that he had more evidence, a fresh committee referred the charges to a court-martial, and Arnold spent month after month urging a speedy trial. Reed with equal pertinacity delayed his °evidence" till more than a year after the first indictment; the court-martial returned its verdict 26 Jan. 1780. The court returned the same verdict as the committee, but recommended that Arnold be reprimanded for two frivolous counts, and Washington was compelled to discharge this odious office. He did it in the mildest of terms, however, and offered Arnold the post of honor in the next campaign.
But it was too late; the public disgrace im posed on Arnold after his magnificent services, wounds and losses filled him with determina tion for revenge, justified to himself by the reasons above stated. Inviting examples were put before him: chiefly of Monk, who had re stored Charles II and been rewarded by honors and gratitude; more pertinently, of Marlbor ough s betrayal of James II by taking his whole army over to William; and others. He really seems to have argued himself into believing that he should be playing the part of a patriot by ending the war at a blow, restoring peace and prosperity, giving the colonies a much better government than they had now or before the war, and practically secure independence under the English offers; and that this once done, all parties would thank and honor him, as he could control negotiations with the English govern ment. This decisive blow would be the putting
of the English in control of the Hudson, gain ing at a stroke the object of Burgoyne's and other campaigns,— severing the New England colonies from the rest and giving the enemy New York, the central colony. For this end he asked of Washington the command of West Point, the key of the Hudson, with its mass of military stores; the colonies could hardly hold out after such a loss, aside from the strategic gain. He pleaded ill health for asking this in stead of the proffered command; and Washing ton accorded it to him. After the capture of Andre he escaped to the Vulture, and issued a proclamation justifying himself and asking his countrymen to do likewise, making glowing offers to deserters. The British made him a brigadier-general, and on 20 December he sailed for the James River, where he burned Rich mond, entrenched himself for the winter at Portsmouth and in June 1781, returned to New York. In September he was ordered to raid New London, Conn., 14 miles from his birth place. He burned a quantity of shipping and stores, which set fire to and partially destroyed the town; and the of Fort Griswold was achieved by a detachment on the other side of the river Thames.
Shortly after the surrender of Cornwallis in October, be was sent to London to confer with the ministry on the further conduct of the war. The King and the court received him well; but the Liberals denounced him as bitterly as the Americans, and a large share even of the Tories distrusted a renegade and detested a betrayer of his trust. The officers in the British army despised a colonial as heartily as in Brad dock's days, and therefore it was found im possible to give him the employment in the army he eagerly coveted. In 1787 he removed to New Brunswick and engaged in the West India trade, with two sons; but in 1791 he returned to London. The next year he fought a bloodless duel with the Earl of Lauderdale, for a stinging insult of the latter in debate in the House of Lords. In 1794 he went to the West Indies to settle, but the Anglo-French wars made it impossible, and he was twice ex tricated from great personal danger by his alert resource. He rendered great service to the British commanders and in 1795 was thanked by the committee of West India planters, with the wish that he might remain in public service. He also formulated plans for the British cap ture of the Spanish West Indies; and in 1798 asked for military service, but his request was not granted, even after personal solicitation. The refusal helped greatly to break him down; his unthrifty habits had drained his purse and he had intense pecuniary embarrassments. He was active in fitting out privateers, a specula tion which gave him more anxiety than profit; and he died at 60, a worn-out, harassed, un happy man, seeing that his crime was also a colossal blunder. But that he had first saved the country he tried to ruin, that he was grossly wronged and greatly tempted on his best as well as on his worst side, and that he deserves far more pity than hate, cannot be doubted. Consult (Lives' by Sparks (Boston 1838) ; I. N. Arnold (Chicago 1880) ; Todd (New York 1903).