Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-02-15
Benedict Arnold's Descendants.

The sins 81 the fathers are not always
visited upon their posterity, SO that the
visitation is apparent to the world. AT
least, this is the case with the descend.
a-ts ns Ranadics Arnold. The Hon.
Isaac N. Arnold of Illinois, a namesaks
Of Benedict Arnold, and & distant con-
.,entinn of the same family WAS recently
! in England, and while there maGt ins
acquaintance of several of the descend
ants of the traitor.
They arc living in honor and album
dance, connected by marriage with fam
lilies of "noble" rank, and cherish the
conviction that their ancestor. in betray-
ing the great trust assigned him by his
country, was artuated BY the nobless
motives. Mr.. Arnold gives highly in
teresting account of his visits to them
in the Magazine of American History:
Benedict Arnold had four sons, all OF
whom entered the British army as
officers. Some of the sons of these sons
also obtained commissions i'll the public
service, the army, the navy. or the
church, and several Of them are still lv-
ing.
The second son of the traitor, James
r. Arnold, won great distinctions in the
army, and seems to. have been man of
a1niable and elevated character. He
went to England, alter the war, and, at
twenty three, was lieutenant serving
in Surinam.
There he performed the act which
proved at once how deeply he felt his
fathers infamy, and how much Of his
fathers better nature he had inherited.
Volunteers being called for to head g.
storlning party in the assault OF some
almost i'm pregnable forts, Lieut.. Arnold
offered his services, and said to the
commanding general
II beg the privilege Of guiding and
leading this sault. You know the
history of nay father. No Drawer man
than he ever lived; but he has been Bit
terly assailed for the affair of West Point.
GIVE me chance, l beg Of you, to re-
deem the name"
That shows what he thought Of t'the
affair of West Point" and, also, what
the British army thought of it. Hia
fell, severely wounded, at the head of
his troops. He recovered to enterupon
great career, ending with the rank Of
Lieutenant General. For his gallantry
on this occasion, the merchan and
bankers of London presented him with
a magnificent sword. which was shown
to MIR. Isaac N. Arnold.
A grandson of Benedict, Capt. w. T.
Arnold, fell in action at Scbastopol in
1865, and had distinguished mention
in the dispatches Of his general, Lord
Raglan. Another grandson is now q
lieutenant IN the British navy.
The present head of the family in Eng
land is Rev. Edward Gladwyn Arnold,
also grandson OF Benedict, who is rec
tor of Great Massingham in the County
of Norfolk. His wife is Lady Charlotte,
a daughter of the Marquis Of Cholmon"
deley, known in America from the Sill
gular difference be ween the spelling
and the pronunciation OF his name. 1t
is pronounced Cnumly.
This clergyman, of whom nothing but
good is spoken. preserves the papers of
his grandfather, and gave his American
visitor a letter written by Sir Henry
Clinton to him in 1772, in which Sir
Henry declares that, in surrounding
West Point. Benedict Arnold stipulated
for no reward. Sir Henry wrote
"You never gave me reason to suppose
you expected anything more than an
indemnification. l thought it an act OF
justice, as we'll as duty, to offer you six
thousand pounds-not as an indemniti-
cation for all your losses, fox they had
not been ascertained, but thought it
! was all could give in that prudence
with which l was obliged to temper
liberality." 90,