Arnold, Benedict

1741 – He was born on the 14th day of January of this year in in Norwich, Connecticut.

1754 - Benedict was forced to withdraw from school because the family no longer could afford the cost.

1756 - At 15, Arnold enlisted in the Connecticut militia. The militia marched to Albany and Lake George to oppose the French invasion from Canada at the Battle of Fort William Henry.

1759 - Benedict's mother, to whom he was very close, died in this year. The youth took on the responsibility of supporting his ailing father and younger sister. His father's alcoholism worsened after the death of his wife; he was arrested on several occasions for public drunkenness and also was refused communion by his church.

1762 - With the help of the Lathrops, Arnold established himself in business as a pharmacist and bookseller in New Haven, Connecticut.

1764 – He formed a partnership with Adam Babcock, another young New Haven merchant. Using the profits from the sale of his homestead, they bought three trading ships and established a lucrative West Indies trade.

1765 - The Stamp Act of 1765 severely curtailed mercantile trade in the colonies. Arnold initially took no part in any public demonstrations but, like many merchants, conducted trade as if the Stamp Act did not exist—in effect becoming a smuggler in defiance of the act.

1767 - On the night of 31st of January of this year, he took part in a demonstration denouncing the acts of the British Parliament and their oppressive colonial policy. The effigies of local crown officials were burned. In the same year, he married Margaret, daughter of Samuel Mansfield. They had three sons: Benedict, Richard, and Henry. She died on June 19, 1775.

1775 - Arnold distinguished himself as a hero of revolution early in the war through acts of cunning and bravery in the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga, the Invasion of Canada in this year.

1776 – He participated in the Battle of Valcour Island in Lake Champlain in this year, the battles of Danbury and Ridgefield in Connecticut.

1777 – He was promoted to Major General in the Battle of Saratoga in this year.

1780 - In September of this year, he formulated his scheme. If he had succeeded, British forces would have controlled the Hudson River valley and split the colonies in half. The plot was thwarted, but Arnold escaped to British forces. He received a commission and a small reward. The British gave him small commands, but did not trust him.

1801 - After the war, he lived in Canada and Britain, dying poor and obscure on the 14th day of June this year.