Skip to main content

Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1775–1890

West Point with its Fortifications in 1780

J. Smillie · c. 1775–1890

An engraved print of West Point's fortifications in 1780, the fort Arnold commanded and planned to surrender to the British.

Shows West Point in 1780, the fort Arnold commanded and plotted to surrender to the British that same year.

Ask Benedict Arnold about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Engraved print of a wide panoramic landscape with a river and hills, showing a fortified bluff on the left and a flat-topped mountain on the right. Title below reads: West Point, with its fortifications &c. in 1780. Small printer credit in lower right corner.
J. Smillie, West Point, with its fortifications &c. in 1780. New York Public Library.

About this source

What it is

This is an engraved print by J. Smillie, showing West Point and its fortifications as they appeared in 1780. It survives as a scan in the New York Public Library's collection, part of the Emmet Collection.

Why it matters

In 1780, Benedict Arnold was given command of West Point, a vital American fort on the Hudson River. He used his position to secretly negotiate its surrender to the British. This print shows the landscape and fortifications of the site at that very time, giving students a visual sense of what Arnold was prepared to hand over.

Look closer

  • What natural features of the landscape made this spot valuable for a fort?
  • How does seeing the actual site help you understand the stakes of Arnold's plot?
  • Why might this print have been made and collected later, long after the war?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Benedict Arnold on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Benedict Arnold sources

Meet the AI Benedict Arnold →
Printed reproduction of a handwritten page of cipher text on cream paper, with two columns of coded symbols and numbers, signatures at lower right, and the caption 'One of the Treason Letters in Cypher' beneath. A New York Public Library stamp appears at bottom.Letter

Primary source

Arnold Treason Cipher Letter

Benedict Arnold; Peggy Shippen Arnold · 1780

Scan of a handwritten oath of allegiance on aged, yellowed paper. Printed text declares allegiance to the United States of America and renounces King George the Third. Handwritten name 'Benedict Arnold, Major General' and office 'Major General' are filled in, with a signature 'B. Arnold' and a jurat reading 'Sworn before me this 30th May 1778 at the Artillery Park Valley Forge' signed by an officer.Document

Primary source

Benedict Arnold's Oath of Allegiance

Continental Congress · 30 May 1778

Colour print of a standing man in a tricorn hat with gold trim, a blue coat with gold epaulette and buttons, a tan waistcoat, a red sash, and a sword hilt. He gestures toward a town with church spires across a river, with palm fronds behind him.Painting

Primary source

Portrait of Benedict Arnold

Thomas Hart · 26 March 1776

A weathered wooden gunboat displayed in a museum gallery, with a cannon at its bow, a mast, and a placard reading 'Continental Gondola Philadelphia' in the foreground. Its hull planks are dark and worn.Artifact

Primary source

USS Philadelphia

1776

Black-and-white mezzotint portrait of a man in an 18th-century military uniform with a tricorn hat, standing before a dark wooded background and a town view on the left, gesturing with one hand. Caption text is printed below.Painting

Primary source

Colonel Arnold

Thomas Hart · 1776

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Benedict Arnold now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions