Thursday; July 27
In a modern discussion of traitors among United States citizens two people are apt to come to the forefront: Judas and Benedict Arnold. Benedict Arnold was a military leader in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War who would eventually change sides and command some of the British Forces. Among the theories presented for his actions, one of the most prolific seems to be his ego – he felt underappreciated by his contemporaries. No one will know for certain when and why he decided to change sides, but his discouragement seems to be present as early as 1776 when he wrote to another Continental general, “ The drafts from the regiments at Ticonderoga are a miserable set; indeed the men on board the fleet, in general, are not equal to half their number of good men.” and “We have a wretched motley crew, in the fleet; the marines the refuse of every regiment, and the seamen, few of them, ever wet with salt water.” These observations might be true, but in light of his future