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A Hero and Then A Traitor

A Hero and Then A Traitor

ARC Review of the New Biography "God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America's Most Hated Man"

Steve's Book Stuff
December 06, 2023

God Save Benedict Arnold by Jack Kelly

Ask Americans who Benedict Arnold was and just about every one of them will know that he was a traitor to America during the Revolutionary War. But unless they are students of the Revolutionary time period, they may not realize that Arnold was a well-regarded and accomplished Revolutionary War hero before he betrayed the new nation.

In fact, he was one of our most successful war leaders, taking the fight to the British in Canada, then fending off a British invasion from there. He also played a critical role at the battle of Saratoga, a turning point in the war and the first time an entire British army had surrendered.

Historian and author Jack Kelly says at the start of the book that Americans “have hated Benedict Arnold for 250 years”, as he gives us a chance to take another look at both the good and bad of a man whose name is synonymous with “traitor”.

The cover of the new biography God Save Benedict Arnold

You can find other books, like Nathaniel Philbrick’s Valiant Ambition, that cover much of the same subject matter as God Save Benedict Arnold. Philbrick’s book, like all his books, is an excellent read, but it is a history not a biography of Arnold as Kelly’s book is.

In Kelly’s account we follow Arnold from his boyhood to his days of business success as a high seas trader, and then right onto the battlefields of the Revolution. He puts us at the scene as Arnold narrowly escapes death or serious injury in countless clashes with the British. He provides insights into Arnold’s genius at battle, both in planning and in taking advantage of opportunities once the battle has been joined.

Author Jack Kelly (photo courtesy of the author’s web site)

Arnold’s prickly pride and quickness to take offense are also on full display in Kelly’s book. His pride was often wounded by the actions of the Continental Congress, which kept for itself the prerogative of promoting and awarding the officers of the Continental Army. Congress was full of men who did not know battle, and their rationale for their dealings with the Army’s generals were often at odds with the feelings of those leaders - up to and including George Washington himself. Congress’s actions in not promoting Arnold, while they did promote others around him, is seen by many historians as a major contributing factor (given Arnold’s prickly pride) to his eventually turning traitor. In this Kelly seems to particularly blame John Adams.

This is an excellent book, but if Kelly’s hope was that the reader might feel more sympathy for Arnold after reading it, I’m not quite sure he succeeds. Knowing more of his contributions, and the crucial nature of his successes for the American side before he agreed to spy for the British gives me more of an understanding, not less, for why Americans have hated Arnold for 250 years.

RATING: Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating Comment: A well written and easy to read biography of Benedict Arnold. Worth reading for those who don’t have an understanding of Arnold’s contributions to the Revolution, or those looking for a refresher on the events in the northern colonies during the Revolution.

NOTE: I read an advanced ebook copy courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. The book became available to the public yesterday, December 5, 2023.

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