The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-02-15
Benedict Arnold,s Descendants.

The sins OF 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
ants of Benedict Arnold. The Hon.
Isaac n. Arnold of Illinois, a namesake
Of Benedict Arnold, and a distant con
nection of the same family was recently
in England, and while there made the
acquaintance of several Of the descend
ants of the traitor.
They are living in honor and album
dance, connected by marriage with fam
lilies of mobile" rank, and cherish the
conviction hat their ancestor, in betray-
ing the great trust assigned him by hi
country, was aUtuated by the modest
motives. Mr.. Arnold gives q highly in
teresting account OF his visits to them
in the Magazine OF American History:
Be4cliCt Arnold had four sons, all of
whom entered the British army as
officers. Some of the ms Of these sons
also obtained commissions in the public
service, the army, the navy, or the
church, and several of them are still liy-
ing.
The second son of the traitor, James
r. Arnold, won great distinction in the
army, and seems to have been a man of
amiahle and elevated character. He
was q baby in arms when the family
went to England, alter the war, and, at
twenty three, was u 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 q
storming party in the assault OF some
almost ~impregnable forts, Lieut.. Arnold
offered his services, and said to the
commanding general
81 beg the privilege Of guiding and
leading this a sault. You know the
history of my father. No Drawer man
than he ever lived; but he has been bit
terly assaiied Tor the affair of West Point.
Give me a chance, I beg of you, to re-"
deem the name"
That shows what he thought OF "the
affair of West Point" and, also, what
the British army thought of it. His
honorable request was granted, and he
FELL severely wounded, at the head of
his troops. He recovered to enter upon
a great career, ending with the rank of
Lieutenant General. For his gallantry
on this occasion, the merchants and
bankers of London presented him with
q magnificent sword, which vas shown
TO Mr. Isaac N. Arnold.
A grandson of Benedict, Capt. w. I.
Arnold, fell in action at Sebastopol in
1866, and had distinguished mention
III the dispatches of his general, Lord
Raglan. another grandson is o q
lieutenant in the British navy.
The present head of the family In Eng
land is Rev. Edward Gladwyn Arnold,
also a grandson of Benedict, who is rec
tor of Great Massingham In the County
of Norfolk. His wife is Lady Charlotte,
q daughter of the Marquis of Cholmon-
deley, known in America from the SIM
gular difference between the spelling
and the pronunciation of his name. lit
is pronounced CHUNKY.
This clergyman, of whom nothing but
good is spoken, preserves the papers of
his grandfather, and gave his American
visitor q letter written bv Sir Henry
Clinton to him in l772, 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
Naturalization. / thought it an act Of
justice, as well as duty, to offer you six
thousand pounds-not as an indemnii-
cation for all your losses, for they had
not been ascertained, bat / thought it
was all | could give In that prudence
with which ! was obliged to temper
~liberality."