that his military career ended then
and there, and the remainder of his life was spent upon his estate in
Virginia.

No doubt his petty and ignoble spirit rejoiced at the downfall of the
brilliant man who had won for him his victories over Burgoyne. Let us
speak of him for a moment. In remembering Arnold the traitor, we are apt
to forget Arnold the general. There is, of course, no excuse for
treason, and yet Arnold had without doubt suffered grave injustice. He
was by nature rash to recklessness, at home on the battlefield and
delighting in danger, with a real genius for the management of a battle
and a personality whose charm won him the absolute devotion of his men.
But he was also proud and selfish, and these qualities caused his ruin.

Let us do him justice. Two days after the battle of Concord, he had
marched into Cambridge at the head of a company of militia which he had
collected at New Haven; it was he who suggested the expedition against
Ticonderoga and who marched into the fortress side by side with Ethan
Allen; it was he who led an expedition against Quebec, accomplishing one
of the most remarkable marches in history, and, after a brilliant
campaign, retreated only before overwhelming numbers; on Lake Champlain
he engaged in a naval battle, one of the most desperate ever fought by
an American fleet, which turned back a British invasion and delayed
Burgoyne's advance for a year; while visiting his home at New Haven, a
British force invaded Connecticut, and Arnold, raising a force of
volunteers, drove them back to their ships and nearly captured them;
then, rejoining the northern army, he rendered the most gallant service,
turned Saint Leger back from Oriskany and won virtually unaided the two
battles of Saratoga, which resulted in Burgoyne's surrender.

It will be seen from this that, to the end of 1777, no man in the
American army had rendered his country more signal service. Indeed,
there was none who even remotely approached Arnold in glory of
achievement. But from the first he had been the victim of petty
persecution, and of circumstances which kept from him the credit rightly
due him; and a cabal against him in the Congress prevented his receiving
his proper rank in the service. We have seen how Gates made no reference
to him in reporting the brilliant victory at Saratoga; and the same
thing had happened to him again and again. His close friendship with
Washington caused the latter's enemies to do him a