Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-10-06
TARRYTOWNS CENTENNIAL.
The Critical Moment Of the american
Revolution.

The Critical Moment Of the Americai
! Revolution.
In the month of September, 1870
the prospects of the independence o
the thirteen colonies of America wer,
not encouraging. More than five year
had elapsed since the outbreak of tn,
war, and the American arms lad a
yet gained but single important vic
tory, that of Saratoga, which had beer
chiefly due to the unexampled valor o
Major-General Benedict Arnold.
The other leading battles or sieges
of the war had been either decided
British victories like the battles o
Long Island, Washingt, n Heights
Brandywine, Germantown, Charleston
and Camden, or indecisive engage.
ments like Bunker Hill and Mon
mouth, while the undoubted American
success, such as Bennington, Trenton
Princeton and Stony Point had beer
On comparatively small scale. 1t was
very doubtful whether an actual ma
jority of the citizens of the thirteen
colonies had ever been in favor of in
dependence, and there could be nc
question that the bitter experience ot
five years of financial ruin, Legislative
incompetence and military failures had
turned the scale in favor of peace with
England upon the best attainable
terms.
A GLOOMY PROSPECT.
Washington had confessed under his
own hand more than year before that
the American cause was 'on the brink
of destruction" and since then the
greater part of the Southern States had
been lost by the unsuccessful advance
of Cornwallis. True, an alliance had
been effected with France, and war
had been declared upon England by
Spain and Holland, but the latter two
Powers rendered no direct aid to the
struggling colonies, and France had toe
long been considered deadly enemy
of the colonies for the mass of the peo.
pie to place any implicit confidence in
the loyalty of her friendship. 1t was
instinctively and correctly felt that
France could only be animated by q
desire of revenge against Great Bri-
tain, that her aims in America would
be directed to reconquest of Canada
and the Ohio Valley and assuring fol
herself the control of the fisheries
Rather than submit to the vassalage
of the hereditary enemy many patriots
felt that it would be advisable to come
to terms with the mother country
England, for her part, was in concil.
iatory mood and had offered by beI
commissioners reconciliation far more
favorable than the demands of the
American patriots themselves at the
outbreak of the war These facts, while
they cannot palliate the treason oi
General Arnold to his flag and his hon.
or as a soldier, 60 far to explain how
it was possible that an intelligent man,
who had been fervent patriot, could
in September, 1880, consider the cause
of independence so far ruined that he
expected to terminate the war by his
perfdious act and could hope to exert
decisive influence upon his country
men by his proclamations and ad
dresses.
The career of General Arnold haC
been, in q military sense, the most
brilliant of any officer. There is nc
reason to doubt the fervency of his
patriotism at the outset and up to with
in short period of his treason. No!
need it be questioned while the imme
date incentive to his crime was the
sense of bitter personal wrong done
him by the Continental Congress anG
by clique of envious military rivals
he would never have taken the fata
step which has forever blighted his
name and fame had he not believed
that the cause of American independ
ence was a lost cause. Benedict Ar
mold was not fool. He had no inten
tion of forfeiting his American citizen
ship, and doubtless believed that upor
the expected re-establishment of peace
upon the basis of colonial selfgovern
ment, as offered by the British Com
missioners, his violation of military
honor would be hailed as the Genera
Monk of this modern restoration. TIE
objectionable sin of Arnold was tht
employment of reprobate means fol
fastening an end which he believed t
be inevitable.
NATIONS FATE IN THE BALANCE.
Had Major Andre not been arrested
by the three "skinners" of Westches
ter, and had he carried out his pro
jected delivery of West Point to Sil
Henry Clinton, il is exceedingly prob
able that the war of American indie
pendence would have resulted in fail
ure for the colonies. Nothing succeeds
like success. Had Arnold's plans no
been frustrated the United States would
have remained another score or two o
years under the nominal rule of Bri
tannia, and who can tell what far-reach
ing effects this denouement woult
have had upon the course of the Frencl
Revolution and its consequent wars
1t is probable that the career of Ma
poleon Bonaparte would never hav,
| been run.
For the due understanding of tn,
military, political and personal situa
tion in September, 1880, it is necessa
ry to pass in rapid review the pre-
vious career of Benedict Arnold, AM
this is the more requisite since all tht
earlier historians have cast RETROSPECT
tive condemnation upon services of
highly meritorious character, ant
have imputed to him sins of which b.