The March of Benedict Arnold Through the District of Maine An address by Charles J. Nichols, Esq of Portland, Maine, before the Society of Daughters of the American Revolution (part 1) Printed in John Sprague's Journal of Maine History vol 11 page 144-150 & part 2, Vol 11 page 195-208 Courtesy of the Androscoggin Historical Society (c) 1997 by David C. Young PO Box 152 Danville, Maine 04223 Part 2 Note: In the preceding issue of the Journal appeared the first instalment wherein the author told the departure of Arnold from his native town at the head of a small number 196 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY of provincials known as the "Governor's Foot Guards;" of the appointment of the first Major-Generals by Continental Congress; of the hurried capture of Ticonderoga, in which Arnold took a prominent part; of the plan to invade Canada through Maine; of the selection of Arnold as the leader; of the arrival of the forces at Fort Western; of the trip up the Kennebec and across the "Great Carry," so called, and up the Dead River nearly to Flagstaff. To crown his injustice and meanness of character, be- fore the second day's battle, Gates deprived Arnold of his division and gave it to Gen- eral Lincoln, so that on that famous day, the seventh of October, 1777, he, "the bravest of the brave," won for freedom her decisive victory, riding at the head of troops without even authority to give a command and with- out his own division of soldiers which he had so gallantly led eighteen days before. He, who deliberately plans the ruin of others acting in the common cause of liberty, whose shoe strings he is unworthy to untie, is not only the basest coward in all history, but commits an act of treason under the guise of patriotism, that should fix a deep and damning curse upon his name forever. When men shudder at the name of Benedict Arnold, let them turn abhor- rent from the grave of Horatio Gates. Charles Lee, who took a prominent part in the English expedition against Louisburg in 1757, was made the second Major General by Continental Congress after, however, he went through the ridiculous formality of taking a solemn oath to be faithful to the cause of the colonies. Monmouth was the only great battle in which he led the command, and had it not been for the shout "Long live Wash- ington" that rent the air upon the unexpected and timely THE MARCH OF BENEDICT ARNOLD 197 presence of the Commander in Chief as he galloped upon the field and hurled back the colonists on the hottest summer day a battle was ever fought in any land, Monmouth would have been an overwhelming defeat, through no other cause than the deliberate design on the part of Lee to give a rebuke to Wash- ington for ordering the attack. In this way he could show Congress and the revolutionists that Washington was no longer a fit man to be at the head of the army. Such treachery is on a par with the selling of a garrison for eight hundred pounds English money. Lee's animosity to Washington em- bittered his feeling toward the whole country and he lived and died in almost as much obscurity as did Arnold. (Photo by A. W. Gordon. This tablet marks the headquarters of Col. Benedict Arnold in the town of Pittston, Me., Sept. 21-23, 1775, when he was the guest of Major Colburn during the transfer of his army of 1100 men and supplies for the expedition to Quebec. To commemorate the event the tablet is placed by the Samuel Grant Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, 1913. is placed here) The last of our English born officers, Conway, had no important command in any action. Holding a minor position at Ticonderoga and Crown Point while Gates was the superior officer, he is known chiefly by the conspiracy which bears his name-The Conway Cabal-a mad attempt to force Con- gress to make Gates Commander in Chief in place of Washington after the battle of Saratoga. Had he accom- 198 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY plished this he had hoped and been promised to hold the second position in the land. Such pernicious wickedness, and nefarious schemes are nothing else than the betrayal of the common cause, although the price is ambition instead of gold. Like other traitors this land was not a comfortable place for Conway, and he went to France where he sank into that dis- grace he so richly merited and died an unknown and unwept death. About the time of the "Boston Tea Party" Arnold formed in his native town, a company of militia of fifty-eight men known as the "Governor's Foot Guards," receiving at their hands the unanimous appointment of Captain. When the news of Concord and Lexington reached New Haven, Arnold was one of the most conspicuous persons there. He immedi- ately offered to lead any number of volunteers to the field of combat. The next day he found sixty-many of them from the Guards-willing to put themselves under his command. After a delay of a few hours in getting the ammunition from the selectmen of the town, the little band marched forth from that village, never to return. On their arrival at Cambridge he went to the headquarters of the army, with a proposal to lead an expedition against Ticonderoga. His plan was accepted and he received the appointment of "Colonel" with authority to enlist four hun- dred men for the undertaking. Here the military genius of the soldier began to show itself. Within three days after receiving his commission, he had raised the required number of men and was in Stockbridge near the border between Massachusetts and New York, travelling over fifty miles a day in his haste to the scene of action. How with Ethan Allen, he captured Ticonderoga at day- break with eighty men is familiar to every school-boy. You recall Allen's command as he pushed by the sentry, "Surren- der this fort instantly." "By what authority?" inquired the astonished sentinel. "In the name of the great Jehovah and the Continental Congress," screamed Allen. This reply ap- pears to us, at this late day, as especially ludicrous when it THE MARCH OF BENEDICT ARNOLD 199 is remembered that the first Continental Congress did not convene until six hours after Ticonderoga was captured. A fortress which had cost Great Britain eight million pounds sterling was captured in ten minutes by eighty undis- ciplined provincials under the leadership of two dare-devils from opposite parts of New England. Soon after this, Arnold returned to Cambridge just at the time when a project for the invasion of Canada through the forests of Maine was being considered. It was decided that ten Com- panies of Musketmen from New England, three of riflemen from Virginia and Pennsylvania, making in all eleven hundred men, be selected for this hazardous enterprise. Washington, who knew that the leader must be of indom- itable courage, appointed Arnold Commander in Chief of the forces with the rank of Colonel. That was the same rank given him when he set out for Ticonderoga four months before. To an ordinary man this undertaking would have been any- thing but acceptable, but Arnold never hesitated to measure his strength with any obstacle. As there was nothing he dare not do, so there was nothing he would refuse to attempt. In September, 1775, the expedition reached Old Fort Western, opposite the present city of Augusta. The difficulties now commenced and the tremendous energy of Arnold began to develop. His headlong impulses sobered into stern resolution. He was not ignorant of the perils before him, nor the uncer- tainty of success. The dark and silent forest received into its bosom, the brave little band over whose sad fate the country was yet to weep. At Norridgewock Falls, all the boats, luggage and artillery had to be carried a mile and a quarter through the woods. In coming thus far the boats had sprung a leak and between repairing them and transporting baggage, seven days were lost in going this mile and a quarter. At length after incred- ible toil, they reached the Great Carrying Place, extending from the Kennebec to the Dead River-fifteen miles of forest, swamp or mountains, inhabited only by the beasts of prey. No bugle note cheered their march, yet those men panted on 200 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY without a murmur. If this had been a retreat from a victori- ous enemy and the flight had been from danger toward safety, such sturdy resolutions would not have been so strange. But for men untrained for the march, to go from their homes at the beginning of a New England winter after an enemy, through such a wilderness, carrying their entire provisions, making retreat impossible, their destination being a walled city which they must take or perish in the attempt, was an exhibition of courage and endurance without parallel in history. The names of the thousand heroes have been buried in the dead past, yet their noble example of bravery and suffering for the liberty of their fellow-men is recorded in a higher book than any human history. It may be of interest to know that among those who trod the soil of our native state on that expedition, was a young volunteer destined to become after- ward a Vice-President of the United States,-Aaron Burr. Among the associate officers were Henry Dearborn, afterwards of Pittston, Maine, and later Secretary of War during the two terms of President Jefferson; Samuel McCobb of Georgetown' Maine, afterwards Brigadier-General, and Ralph J. Meigs, the father of the Postmaster-General bearing the same name who served under both President Madison and President Monroe. John Getchell of Vassalborough was one of the guides a por- tion of the way after leaving Fort Western. Several historians have stated that Captain Lamb with a Company of heavy artillery was on this expedition, but it appears from the weight of modern authority that Captain Lamb with the artillery went with Major-General Mont- gomery and joined the Arnold forces at Quebec. It would be practically impossible to convey heavy guns over the route travelled by Arnold, or to transport them over the steep precipices at the head of the Chaudiere, with the equipment of the expedition. No doubt it was first planned that Captain Lamb should accompany Arnold, but on later consid- eration, he was sent with the detachment under Montgomery- While the army was wending its way over the silent waters of the Dead River, a terrible storm arose lasting nearly three THE MARCH OF BENEDICT ARNOLD 201 days. Suddenly the heretofore currentless waters began to swell with a roar like that of an ocean tide. Instantly all was confusion. Boats drifted into the forest and as far as the eye could see, the level ground was one broad lake out of which rose tall trees, like succesesive columns of the Parthenon. The waters had risen six feet in nine hours. But Arnold could not wait for it to subside as the food was almost gone. Those soldiers had for a month been fighting nature beyond the sight of civilization, and now famine began to stare them in the face. But the greater the danger that presented itself, the greater energy Arnold began to put forth. His was one of those terrible natures that may be broken but never will yield. Here Colonel Enos with three companies deserted and re- turned to Cambridge, where on his arrival, he was received with curses for having left his comrades to perish in the wilderness. Arnold gathered his remaining forces and pitched his camp at Flagstaff Plantation and raised the first flag after leaving Fort Western. Here he cared for the sick and fa- tigued. He took this opportunity to send Captain Bigelow upon the rugged mountain which now bears his name, still a beacon to trappers and hunters, for the purpose of discover- ing from its lofty eminence, the spires of Quebec, but higher mountains obscured his view, and in five days the brave soldiers plunged again into the wilderness, their number reduced by sickness and death. On the summit that divides the Kennebec from the Chau- dier, the watershed of Maine, he shared the last provisions with his comrades and told them their only safety lay in following him. Without a guide or any knowledge of the dis- tance, he led them on for four days more. The last of the food had been consumed, the men tore off mooseskin moccasins and gnawed at them for the little nourishment they contained. Yet in this depth of misery they showed themselves worthy of their leader. He was an inspiration in life, an inspiration in the face of death. As he passed along, the river before him, as far as the eye could reach, was filled with his toiling army, as nearly to their armpits in the water, they shoved the heavy 202 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY boats against the current. Loud cheers rent the silent forest as his frail canoe came in sight of those brave fellows, who seemed suddenly to have caught his energy and determination. At night they would go on shore and kindling a blazing fire, lie down to rest. The morning sun saw them again plunge into the river and push eagerly forward. Never in the tumult of battle, as he galloped to the charge, did Arnold appear to better advantage than here, away from the habitation of men, he struggled to lead that army through the woods of the Dis- trict of Maine. After having marched over eighty miles during the last four days they suddenly emerged into a French settlement. Arnold's first thought was his suffering troops now slowly sinking from hunger and fatigue. Here was a scene equal to Valley Forge two years later. Arnold among those weak comrades ministering with his own hand to their wants, band- aging frozen limbs and fingers, smoothing fevered brows, feeding the starving, yes, even burying those who had succumbed to death. Washington, himself, was not a more sublime figure than this man, as with aching heart he looked into the pale faces of those who had risked their lives to follow him through one of the most remarkable marches on record. The crossing of the Alps by Napoleon with twenty thou- sand men will not compare with it. He had an open path, no uncertainty about the way, a short distance and abundance of provisions. True, it was a large army, but he could sub- divide it. The Great Saint Bernard pass is only a few miles over, three days, possibly four is ample time to make it. While there was an army marching for forty-five days through fearful solitude, wading streams, climbing mountains, scaling preci- pices, drenched with rain and wasted with toil,-making beasts of burden of themselves, enduring cold, hunger and famine, all to place two hundred miles of desolate forest be- tween them selves and safety. Men making a retreat may take such chances. Ney leading the "Old Guard" back from Moscow, Julian retreating across the desert, Suwarrow over the Alps, are wonderful accomplishments in the history of warfare, but the feat would have been far, far greater had they THE MARCH OF BENEDICT ARNOLD 203 voluntarily entered into those perils in marching to meet an enemy instead of fleeing before a victorious one. Human beings will dare any peril if it less than the one which threatens from behind, and that march to Quebec is a lasting monument of the daring, energy and firmness of the character of Benedict Arnold. Had not the Indian to whom were entrusted the letters to General Schuyler, delivered them into the hands of the gover- nor of the city, the result of that expedition might have been different. But the British being thus warned and prepared for an attack, had cut off every avenue whereby the Ameri- cans could obtain provisions, and had removed all boats from the river and strengthened the fortifications. One night, however, Arnold succeeded in transporting five hundred men across in canoes before he was discovered by the guard boats. Undismayed, he rallied these five hundred and boldly ascended the precipice to the Plains of Abraham, where Wolfe, sixteen years before, had fallen in the successful attempt to wrest this city from the grip of France. Here Arnold led his men within five hundred feet of the wall and sent a summons to the com- mander of the fortress to surrender. This summons, received in derision, they answered by the cannon. Arnold pitched his tents and waited for the arrival of Montgomery. The union of the remnants of the two armies, the gallant assault upon the city, the tragic death of Montgomery, the bravery and the wounding of Arnold and the capture of Morgan after night's fighting against fearful odds, are all familiar to every student of American history. For his gallant conduct in storming Quebec, Congress promoted Arnold to the rank of Brigadier-General,-but the parchment containing the commission was never received by him. Congress withheld it on one pretext and another until it was too late. He who had won promotion on the field of battle, left the colonies with the mere Colonel's commission given him by the State of Massachusetts at the time he set out for Ticonderoga, on an expedition of his own undertaking. How bravely Arnold fought at Saratoga, the shattering of his leg after the signal victory, the furlough at Philadelphia, 204 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY while his wound was healing, his marriage to Miss Shippen, the daughter of a Tory merchant, his being stationed at West Point, his attempted surrender of the entire garrison for eight hundred pounds sterling, his narrow escape to the British lines and the capture and tragic death of Andre, are all matters of later familiar history upon which much has been said and written. But when we realize that, had this con- spiracy been perfected, which was prevented only by a hair's breadth, all our generals, officers, soldiers and members of Continental Congress and sympathizers with the American cause, would have died on the gibbet as did the revolutionistts of France, we shudder at the magnitude of the attempted crime. Prevented, I say, only by a hair's breadth. It was merely the strangest chance that Andre was cap- tured. His passports were complete and truly vouched for. His mission had been performed and his return to the "Vulture" under cover of night had been faultlessly planned. He, himself, made the error which cost him his life and saved the American colonists. First it was planned that Arnold should go on board the "Vulture" which came up the Hudson for that purpose and meet Andre there, but fearing that suspicion would rest upon him, he sent one Joshua Smith with two boatsmen to the "Vulture," who took Andre on shore and met Arnold at Smith's house where the papers regarding the surrender and the payment of the money were drawn up and signed, and then the following night Smith was to accom- pany Andre on the White Plains road as far as Pines Bridge, but the night being exceedingly dark, they stopped about three miles north of Pines Bridge at the "Robinson Tavern' so- called. Before reaching that house, however, they were stopped by Captain Boyd who called for their passports, and after examining them, allowed both to pass, believing them to be colonists and told them to keep on the White Plains Road as the Tarrytown road was filled with British cowboys. The cowboys were, as their name indicates, Tories or sympathizers of the British side who engaged in plundering cattle from the colonists and driving them to New York to supply the British food. They were unprincipled and in every way an exceed- ingly rough set of people. So when Andre and Smith parted THE MARCH OF BENEDICT ARNOLD 205 the next morning near Pines Bridge after proceeding a short distance, Andre, instead of keeping the White Plains road as he had intended, turned into the Tarrytown road, having in mind that the cowboys or Tory sympathizers were on that road, and that -he would be among his friends. The cowboys were also known as the "lower party" in the common Darlance of the day. By chance on the same morning seven Americans, among whom were John Paulding, David Williams and Isaac Van Wirt took it into their heads to watch the Tarryvtown road and intercept any suspicious stragglers of droves of cattle that might be passing to New York. About a mile north of the village of Tarrytown and a few hundred yards from the banks of the Hudson the road crosses a brook and in the thick bushes on the side of the brook the men were hidden. I quote from records at Washington of the testimony of Paulding taken at the time of the Court Martial of Andre, in which Paulding says:- "We saw several persons whom we were acquainted with, pass, and by and by a gentlemanly looking man with boots on Was seen hurrying along. Williams said to me, 'You better stop him.' Upon that I presented my tire-lock to him and told him to stand. lie replied, "I hope that you belong to our party,' and I asked him what party and he said, 'To the lower party, the cowboys.' Upon that I told him that I did. He said, 'I am a British officer out of the country and I hope you will not detain me a minute.' Upon that I told him to dis- mount; he looked surprised at such a request from a Tory, but finally pulled out Arnold's pass made to John Anderson. I could not understand why he should have a pass of Arnold if he was a British officer, but I should certainly have let him gone if he had not before called himself a British officer. We took him into the bushes and on searching him found nothing of any writings. Finally we told him to pull off his boots, to which he seemed indifferent. We got one boot off but found nothing. Finally we found some papers in the bottom of his stocking next to his foot. I looked at the contents and said, 'He is a spy.' He then offered us any sum of money if 206 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY we would let him go. He said he would give us his saddle, bridle, watch and a hundred guineas and I replied, 'If you will give us ten thousand guineas you shall not go.' He begged us not to ask him any questions. He said when he came to the commander he would reveal all." Arnold would never have betrayed his country had Con- gress treated him with justice. The traitor has now no advocate and nothing can be said against him that is not readily believed. His best actions have been belied, his daring victories have brought on him insults from his powerful enemies. His brilliant career seemed only to fan the flame of jealousy. Finding five junior and inferior officers made Major Generals in place of him, and none of these had seen any real fighting up to that time, envy and hatred pierced his haughty nature and aimed the first arrow at his bosom. This was a gross insult to one who had won his laurels, not in the tilting yard, not at the tournament, not in any kind of mimic warfare, but by a march through a virgin forest, by the severest hardships and sufferings beneath the walls of Quebec; on the Lake against the most decisive odds, and on the field in the midst of carnage and blood, until he stood radiant and glittering far above the others, side by side with Washington. Bitter as the disappointment must have been, he still possessed the character of a noble man. He addressed a letter to Congress in the following words: "My commission was conferred unsolicited and received with pleasure only as a means of serving my country. With equal pleasure I will resign it when I can no longer serve with honor." Would that he had given up his command and saved himself from the curse of his countrymen and the scorn of the world! But Washington who knew his true worth and value as a soldier, earnestly requested him to remain. It is well for his enemies that his career terminated as it did, for had he remained true to his country and survived the tumult and chaos of the Revolution, they would have cowed before the light which history would have thrown on their actions. Arnold's treason cast the pall of oblivion over all his noble deeds, covered his career with infamy and fixed a THE MARCH OF BENEDICT ARNOLD 207 deep and damning curse on his name forever. That may be right and just, but there is another lesson beside the ignominy of treason to be learned from his history, namely, that it is nothing less than criminal, to let party spirit or personal friendship promote the less deserving over their superiors. On the exposure of his treason, Arnold became an outcast and an outlaw. Every pen denounced and every tongue cursed him. There should be no desire to change the indignation and resentment felt toward him by his countrymen for that act. In that, he should be "sadly conspicuous to the end of time." Not one drop of pity should be poured into the biter cup of denunciation which has been so constantly heaped upon his head for the selling of his soul. Had all this been confined to his treason, none would question its justice. He, who had been the trusted friend of Washington, Warren and Schuyler, was now declared guilty of every crime and denied a single virtue, even bravery. To Arnold, sharper than a serpent's tooth was the ingrati- tude of his countrymen, and maddened by his wrongs, real or imaginary, when the tempter came, he fell. His life is full of dramatic interest, and while true to his flag, the career of no soldier of the Revolution is more full of thrilling incidents, heroic deeds and daring bravery, but when driven to des- peration, crazed by injustice, disappointed and chagrined, he became bitter and revengeful and was willing to sacrifice the cause for which he had so often bled, that his enemies in his native land might be crushed, like Samson, in the ruins. That proud and determined spirit, full of resolution and will, was never made to bend to the unworthy. The storm that struck must leave him standing unharmed or utterly wrecked. Sub- mission was a word he never learned and a virtue he never practiced. That quality made him resistless in combat and made him also desperate under restraints which he deemed unjust. One great cause of his success was his celerity of movement. His blow was no sooner planned than it fell, and in the heat of a close fight, he was prompt and deadly as a bolt from heaven. "Shattering that he might reach, and shattering what he reached," he was one of those fearful men 208 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY in the world that make us tremble. A braver man never led an army. He not only seemed unconscious of fear, but loved excitement of danger and was never more at home than when in the smoke of the conflict. Place a column of ten thousand troops under him and Napoleon himself could not carry it farther nor hurl it with greater strength and deadly terror upon an enemy than he. Caught by no surprise, patient and steady under trials, energetic and determined amid obstacles, equal to any emergency, even to rashness, he was a terrible man on the battle field. But he fell like Lucifer, never to rise again. When the writer of future history gathers the great events of warfare in the various ages of our world, as he gleans the great marches under the great leaders, as he recalls Xerxes with that vast army in his unsuccessful attempt to conquer Greece; as he notes Alexander the Great encountering no opposition in the acquisition of the East or Hannibal seven days crossing the Pyrenees; Julius Caesar suffering only two defeats in his invasion of Gaul and Briton, or Tamerlane leading his ruthless armies across the provinces of Asia; as he tells the story of the Crusaders with every possible equip- ment marching forth to reclaim the Holy land; as he sees Charlemagne and Frederick the Great, driving the Slavs from their borders; as he beholds Bonaparte crossing the Alps with the flower of France: as he pictures Sherman in his devastat- ing march to the sea; as he hears the million Japanese shouting as they fall upon Port Arthur, or listens to the cries of the helpless as the conquering Germans surge through Belgium, he will place above them all, as the most daring in its conception, the most dangerous in its undertaking, the most painful throughout its endurance, the most marvelous in its perfection, and the most perilous at its completion of all the voluntary attacks in the world's history of warfare, the forty-five days march of more than two hundred miles through the trackless wilds of Maine in the winter of 1775. * * * * NOTICE: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. 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