Arnold's Treason and Flight
- When
- 1780
- Where
- West Point fort; West Point, New York; American-controlled territory between the meeting point and British lines; British-held New York
- Episodes
- 4
In September 1780, Major General Benedict Arnold, commanding West Point, secretly offered to surrender the fort to the British through Major John André, head of Britain's intelligence operations. After meeting Arnold, André was captured in civilian clothes carrying papers exposing the plot, and Arnold fled to British-held New York.
Episodes
- Arnold Secures Command of West Point
Arnold obtained command of West Point on August 3, 1780, positioning himself to facilitate a British takeover of the forts.
- Arnold Offers West Point to the British
In September 1780, Arnold secretly negotiated with Major John André, offering to turn over control of West Point to the British.
- André Captured with Incriminating Papers
André, traveling through American territory in civilian clothes, was captured by American militiamen carrying papers that revealed Arnold's plot.
- Arnold Flees to British-Held New York
After the plot was exposed, Arnold fled to the British lines in September 1780.
Background and detail
Background. Arnold, a major general who had fought with distinction for the Continental Army, obtained command of West Point on August 3, 1780. As the summer of 1780 ended, he had at last taken command and was positioned to facilitate a British takeover of the forts. He had already been providing the British with troop locations and strengths since 1779.
The Plot with André. In September 1780, Arnold negotiated with Major John André, the British Army officer who headed Britain's intelligence operations, secretly offering to turn over control of the American fort at West Point, New York, to the British. Arnold planned to surrender the fort to British forces.
Exposure and Flight. Due to a series of mishaps, André was forced to return to British lines from a meeting with Arnold through American-controlled territory while wearing civilian clothes. American militiamen captured him carrying papers revealing the plot, exposing Arnold's plan to surrender the fort. Arnold fled to the British lines.
People involved
- Benedict Arnold · Continental Army major general who plotted to surrender West Point to the British and fled to British lines
- John André · British Army major and adjutant general, head of Britain's intelligence operations, who negotiated with Arnold and was captured
Sources
- John André Wikipedia, revision of 2026-05-04
- Benedict Arnold Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-02
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.