250 Years Ago Today...
The would-be traitor Benedict Arnold was still on the American side; he was a general in the Continental Army, in command of troops at Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point on Lake Champlain under Horatio Gates. The divisions that Arnold commanded had just retreated from the failed invasion of Canada, in dwindling numbers and ravaged by smallpox and other diseases. They likely had few supplies. It was a time of discouragement and frustration. The British, Arnold knew, would be preparing to send an invasion force down the lake. Arnold would spend the rest of that summer and early autumn building and arming a fleet of galleys and gondolas to hold back that advance.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal" are fine ideals, but Arnold likely would have wondered why Congress was so occupied with these sentiments when he needed soldiers and sailors with food and supplies, and why Congress and other politicians were listening to his critics...
In truth, America's statesmen, while imperfect, laid out the principles of our nation and our government, principles which Arnold failed to fully embrace or understand. But the values espoused in the Declaration and Constitution were affirmed and defended by men who, like Arnold and those who fought with him, gave their efforts and their talents to fight in a terrible war under difficult conditions. Arnold gave his leg with its wounds at Quebec and Saratoga; many gave their lives.
Photo: Monument at Crown Point, New York State Parks
