Jun 17

Jun 17 Gates and Arnold at Saratoga - Dispelling Historical Inaccuracy

Last weekend I attended the Fort Plain Museum American Revolution Conference where I was surrounded by the largest group of Founder Fans of my life.

It was an amazing experience for several reasons. I met great, informative people (some of whom had actually heard of Founder of the Day). I made connections within the industry. And, most importantly, I heard a whole slew of presentations on a wide variety of Revolutionary topics.

I'm sure several of these lectures will inform articles I write in the next few weeks, however, there is one issue which I wanted to address immediately...the story of Benedict Arnold at Saratoga.

Arnold at Saratoga

The story of Benedict Arnold at Saratoga has been told and retold in literature and film for 200 years.

Allegedly, after an argument with Arnold, Major General Horatio Gates relieved him from command. Benedict, whose sole purpose in life was honor, disobeyed these orders and took to the field.

Arnold's arrival sparked the Continental soldiers and America won the day. He received a bullet wound for his actions, as well as the praise of his men.

He was a hero.

Or was he….

Reconsidering the Argument

Yes, Arnold was a hero (which is what made his later treason so powerful).

The discrepancy in the story above is not regarding Benedict's actions in the field. What is in question concerns whether or not Arnold's argument with Gates ever took place.

Eric Schnitzer, who is a Park Ranger and Historian at Saratoga National Historical Park, opened last weeks events with a discussion regarding a letter he stumbled upon. This letter indicated that Arnold was actually ordered by Gates to take the field.

After studying every available contemporary source on the topic, Mr. Schnitzer found that for the first 40 years, every man familiar with the Arnold-Gates relationship who wrote about Saratoga contradicted the common story.

Instead of arguing, it appears that Arnold and Gates dined together just before the engagement.

This is not to say they were friends, but they were certainly professionals. These men were able to put their differences aside for the good of the nation.

Foundations of the Myth

So the question now becomes...where did this story originate?

Well, it turns out that James Wilkinson (the only man who might compete with Arnold as the biggest villain of the Revolution) wrote a memoir in 1816 which indicated the famous argument may have taken place.

From there, several soldiers retold the story in their pension applications. At the time, to request a pension, veterans had to recount their time in the Continental Army as verification of their service.

Perhaps in an effort to guarantee they receive the money, these men corroborated Wilkinson’s story. These pension applications seem to be the soil in which the roots of this story first took hold.

Takeaway

In conclusion, the well known tale of Benedict Arnold disobeying orders to take the field and save the day is a myth.

Thanks to the keen eye of Eric Schnitzer, we can now confirm that Horatio Gates made the wise decision to use Arnold and his military talents to secure victory.

It just goes to show that by further digging into history we can always find something new, even in the stories which have long thought to be true.

Benedict Arnold was an extremely interesting member of the American Revolution.

To learn more about Arnold, check out one of these articles:

Benedict Arnold Was an American Hero?

Benedict Arnold - 8 Reasons For His Treason

The Saratoga Campaign is often considered the turning point of the Revolutionary War.

Eric Schnitzer, who brought the subject matter of this article to light, participated in the creation of ‘Campaign to Saratoga’, which is an illustrated narrative surrounding this important event.

If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).