# Talk:Benedict Arnold

Search for this string: “and som historians characterize” Pdshelton68 (talk) 21:17, 11 November 2024 (UTC)

 Fixed. TornadoLGS (talk) 21:19, 11 November 2024 (UTC)

Change: "Benedict Arnold (14 January 1741 [O.S. 3 January 1740][1][a] – June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War." to "Benedict Arnold (14 January 1741 [O.S. 3 January 1740][1][a] – June 14, 1801) was an American-born military officer who served with the Continental Army and the British during the American Revolutionary War.
Change: "Arnold was planning to surrender the fort to British forces, but the plot was discovered in September 1780, whereupon he fled to the British lines." to "Arnold planned to surrender the fort to British forces, and even promised the British a chance at capturing Washington when doing so, but the plot was discovered in September 1780, whereupon he fled to the British lines."
Change: “He led British forces in battle against the army which he had once commanded, and his name became synonymous with treason and betrayal in the United States.” to “Labeled as “America’s first traitor,” he led British forces in battle against the army which he had once commanded, and his name became synonymous with treason and betrayal in the United States.”
Change: “In 1776, he employed defensive and delay tactics at the Battle of Valcour Island in Lake Champlain that gave American forces time to prepare New York's defenses.” to “In 1776, he employed defensive and delay tactics through his construction of America’s first naval fleet at the Battle of Valcour Island in Lake Champlain that gave American forces time to prepare New York's defenses.”
Change: “, and key actions during the pivotal 1777 Battles of Saratoga, including commanding the left flank in which he sustained leg injuries that put him out of combat for several years.” to  “. His most revered contribution to the American Continental Army was his role as commander, with control of the left flank, during the pivotal 1777 Battle of Saratoga, in which he sustained leg injuries that put him out of combat for several years.”
Change: “he opened secret negotiations with André, and she relayed their messages to each other.” to “she opened and relayed secret negotiations with André, and drove Arnold to desperation by putting him into crippling debt with her spending habits.”
Change: “His plan was to surrender the fort to the British, but it was exposed in September 1780 when American militiamen captured André carrying papers which revealed the plot. Arnold escaped and André was hanged.” to  “He planned to surrender the fort to the British, and sweetened the deal by offering the potential capture of Washington. However, his plans were exposed in September 1780 when American militiamen captured André carrying papers which revealed the plot. Arnold escaped and André was hanged.”
Add to the “Legacy” section: “Arnold dismantles the narrative that the American Revolution was a tale of good against evil and exposes the nuance that is both inherent to history and often unrespected by American culture and education. His contributions to the side of the colonies likely did more to affect the war than if West Point had been captured as a direct result of Arnold’s treason, which it wasn’t. He challenges our instinct to categorize people, an instinct necessary to suppress while analyzing historical figures.”
Sources:
"Benedict Arnold." George Washington's Mount Vernon. Accessed October 24, 2024. 

    https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-revolutionary-war/ 
    george-washington-benedict-arnold/benedict-arnold.

"Benedict Arnold: A Name Synonymous with Treason." Intel.gov. Accessed October 

    24, 2024. https://www.intel.gov/evolution-of-espionage/revolutionary-war/ 
    british-espionage/ 
    benedict-arnold#:~:text=Though%20he%20was%20largely%20exonerated,begin%20spying%2 
    0for%20the%20British.

History.com Editors, ed. "Benedict Arnold." History.com. Last modified October 

    27, 1009. Accessed October 24, 2024. https://www.history.com/topics/ 
    american-revolution/benedict-arnold.

Seven, John. "Why Did Benedict Arnold Betray America?" History.com. Last 

    modified July 17, 2018. Accessed October 24, 2024. https://www.history.com/ 
    news/why-did-benedict-arnold-betray-america. 1Leopold (talk) 01:28, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

 Not done for now: A few things, @1Leopold: for one, you need to supply a source that supports each edit you wish to make, cited after each change. Second, according to WP:RSPSS, history.com is considered 'generally unreliable' and can't be used to support your edits. Lastly, many of your suggestions seem to make little semantic change to the text; I don't know if your school project requires a certain number of edits made, but you might consider other improvements like finding sources for unreferenced material rather than minor wording changes. DrOrinScrivello (talk) 17:21, 26 November 2024 (UTC)

The third paragraph of this article says “Some in his military and political circles charged him with corruption and other bad acts.” Surely there’s a better or more specific way to word this? This sounds a little silly. ITeoti (talk) 19:43, 28 November 2024 (UTC)

Agreed, and there's nothing in the body to substantiate "other bad acts". I tweaked the wording some to better match what's in the body. DrOrinScrivello (talk) 20:13, 2 December 2024 (UTC)

Is there a reason why it is emphasised that Arnold was born a British subject? Surely this is axiomatic- everyone born in the colonies at before 1781 was a British subject. I note that, for example, George Washington's wikipedia entry does not state that he was born a British subject. I propose that this is removed. HenryPulleine (talk) 08:46, 2 May 2025 (UTC)