The Life of Benedict Arnold: His Patriotism and His Treason

What it is

This 1880 book by Isaac Newton Arnold is a biography of Benedict Arnold, covering both his service as an American military officer and his later treason.

Why it matters

Written decades after Arnold's death, this book shaped how later generations understood him, presenting him as a figure who was both patriot and traitor. It reflects 19th-century efforts to make sense of a man whose heroism and betrayal seemed hard to reconcile.

Look closer

• Why might the author have chosen to title the book with both 'Patriotism' and 'Treason'?
• What does the choice of an epigraph about not extenuating wrongdoing suggest about the author's approach?
• How might writing almost a century later change the way Arnold's story is told?