San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-10-24
The Last Days OF Benedict Arnold.

The Last Days Of Benedict Arnold
IJohn Fisk in the Atlantic.
All the family traditions goes to
show that the last years of Benedict
Arnold In London were years of bit
ter remorse and self-reproach. The
great name which he had SO CALAMITY
/, won and so wretchedly lost, left him
no repose by night or day. The
\ iron frame, which had with
stood the fatigue of so many
trying battle fields and still more try
ing marches through the wilderness,
broke down at last under the slow
torture of lost friendships and mer-
tied disgrace. In the last sad days
in London, in June, 1901, the family
tradition says that Arnold's mind
kept reverting to his old friendship
with Washington. He had always
carefully preserved the American
uniform which he wore on the day
when he made his escape to the Vul-
ture; and now as. broken in spirit and
weary in life, he felt the last moment
coming, he called for this uniform
and put it on, and decorated himself
with the epaulets and sword-knot
which Washington had given him
after the victory of Saratoga. "Let
me die" said he, Sin this old uniform
in which 1 fought my battles. May
God forgive me for ever putting on
another!"
AS we thus reach the end of one of
the saddest episodes in American his
tory, our sympathy can not fail for
4 he TO fnvu rd 4.
ferer, nor can we help contrasting
these passionate dying words with
the last cynical scott of that other
traitor, Charles Lee, when he begged
that he might not be buried within a
mile of any church, as he did not
wish to keep bad company after death.
From beginning to end the story of
Lee is little more than q vulgar melc.
drama; but into the story of Arnold
there enters that element of awe and
pity, which, as Aristotle pointed out,
is an essential part OF real tragedy.
That Arnold had been very shabbily
treated, long before any thought of
treason entered his mind, is not to be
denied. That he may honestly have
come to consider the American cause
hopeless, that he may really have
lost his interest in it because of the
French alliance-all this is quite pos
sible. Such considerations might
have justified him in resigning his
commission; or even, had he openly
and frankly gone over to the enemy,
much as wo should have depl0red
such q step, some persons would al
ways have been found to judge him
leniently, and accord him the credit
of acting upon principle. But the
dark and crooked course which he
did choose left open no alter
native but that of unqualified con-
domination. If we feel less of con-
tempt and more of sorrow in the
case of Arnold than in the case of
such q weakling as Charles Lee, our
verdict is not the less unmitigated.
Arnold's fall was by far the more
terrible, as he fell from q greater
height, and into depth than which
none could be lower. 1t is only fair
that we should recall his services to
the cause of American independence,
which were unquestionably greater
than of any other man in the Con-
tinental army except Washington and
Greene. But it is part of the natural
penalty that attaches to backsliding
such as his, that when we hear the
name of Benedict Arnold these are
not the things which it suggests to
our minds, but the name stands, and
will always stand, as symbol of I'M
faithfulness to trust.