--- title: Treason in the US and What We Get Wrong on Benedict Arnold description: The story of U.S. history's most famous traitor is more complicated than it seems. Here's what you probably don't know about him. canonical: https://time.com/5351222/benedict-arnold-traitor/ author: Stephen Brumwell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-07-30T16:00:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:42:11.228Z article:section: History og:title: Treason in the US and What We Get Wrong on Benedict Arnold og:description: Rudy Giuliani's point about Benedict Arnold speaks to a key part of the history og:url: https://time.com/5351222/benedict-arnold-traitor/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff42fd8d136c0a53/698936837cdbac1dd6d5d867/benedict.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: Arnold At Saratoga og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Treason in the US and What We Get Wrong on Benedict Arnold twitter:description: Rudy Giuliani's point about Benedict Arnold speaks to a key part of the history twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff42fd8d136c0a53/698936837cdbac1dd6d5d867/benedict.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Benedict Arnold Is America’s Most Famous Traitor. But You Probably Don’t Know His Whole Story > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=67121830-ac7c-4e2a-92ee-f46e2baeeb61&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=67121830-ac7c-4e2a-92ee-f46e2baeeb61&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Breaking Down the Helsinki Summit [Watch (HLS stream): Breaking Down the Helsinki Summit](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/cpcg9AFD.m3u8) (4:16)  _Published 2018-07-18. The controversial comments, the bipartisan backlash, and global response._ by [Stephen Brumwell](https://time.com/author/stephen-brumwell/) ## Stephen Brumwell Jul 30, 2018 4:00 PM UTC  Illustration showing Major General Benedict Arnold (1741 - 1801) rallying the American troops and performing heroically during the Battle of Saratoga, during the American Revolutionary War, Oct. 7, 1777\. Published in Shinn's History of the American People, 1899. Illustration showing Major General Benedict Arnold (1741 - 1801) rallying the American troops and performing heroically during the Battle of Saratoga, during the American Revolutionary War, Oct. 7, 1777\. Published in Shinn's History of the American People, 1899. Interim Archives/Getty Images by [Stephen Brumwell](https://time.com/author/stephen-brumwell/) ## Stephen Brumwell Jul 30, 2018 4:00 PM UTC As [accusations](http://time.com/5348479/trump-cohen-tape/) of [treachery](http://time.com/5348987/pompeo-senate-trump-helsinki/) [continue](http://time.com/5349217/judge-trump-emoluments-clause-lawsuit/) to [swirl](http://time.com/5346297/donald-trump-security-clearances/) around Washington and the White House, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the specter of a stocky, limping, figure dressed in the tricorn hat and long-tailed coat of a Revolutionary War officer. Treason has become a talking point on both sides of the aisle. The chaotic [fallout](http://time.com/5342562/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-summit-crisis-cover/) from President Trump’s recent Helsinki summit with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, [prompted](https://twitter.com/JohnBrennan/status/1018885971104985093?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) former CIA director John Brennan to describe Trump’s behavior as “nothing short of treasonous” — and on Monday, Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani [mentioned](https://www.mediaite.com/tv/giuliani-defends-past-praise-of-cohen-george-washington-didnt-know-benedict-arnold-was-a-traitor/) by name the man who, in American history, is synonymous with that idea. “George Washington would have said that about Benedict Arnold at a certain point in time,” Giuliani said during a CNN interview, by way of explaining his earlier praise of Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen. “George Washington didn’t know that Benedict Arnold was a traitor.” Now, however, everyone does. Nearly 250 years after he defected to the British, Major-General Benedict Arnold remains among the most vilified figures in American history. Ever since Sept. 25, 1780, when his plot to betray the Hudson Valley fortress of West Point was exposed on the brink of being activated, Arnold has been branded a Judas, ready to barter his honor and country for enemy gold. What would he think of his name once again making news? We can only guess. But Giuliani’s point does in fact speak to an important element of the real story of Benedict Arnold. And if the testimony of this most notorious American turncoat is any indication, treason — and the motivations behind it — can be far less clear than the public may wish to believe, and history to remember. Not that the definition of treason is complicated. To the frustration of the President’s critics, [Article III, section 3 of the U.S. Constitution](https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/articles/article-iii) narrowly defines treason against the United States as consisting “only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid or comfort.” Americans shared this understanding of treason, rooted in English common law, even before the Constitution was written. Yet if Arnold had been executed for that crime — in reality, he escaped to the British in New York — some of those who witnessed him swing would surely have felt mixed emotions. Before turning his coat from Continental blue to British scarlet, he’d served the Patriots with conspicuous bravery, helping to ensure that the Declaration of Independence amounted to more than bold words. Without his contribution as a dynamic and resourceful soldier, it’s debatable whether today’s USA would even exist. Two episodes stand out. In 1776, when a British army was poised to advance south from Canada, Arnold assembled a fleet on Lake Champlain that forced the enemy to halt and construct warships of their own. That October, Arnold’s flotilla was destroyed, but his willingness to fight against heavy odds bought the Americans crucial time — and earned George Washington a timely reprieve. If Britain’s northern force had rolled south as planned, he would have been trapped. Without Arnold’s energy and determination, there would have been no ripostes against Trenton and Princeton, victories that revived the Patriot cause when it was at low ebb. In the summer of 1777, after the British resumed their stalled advance from Canada under General John Burgoyne, Arnold’s role was even more significant for the future of the fledgling republic. By helping to rebuff a British advance along the Mohawk Valley, he clipped one wing of the invading army. When Burgoyne’s depleted forces pushed on for Albany, and encountered the army of General Horatio Gates near Saratoga, Arnold’s aggressive tactics transformed a stand-off into a decisive Patriot victory. That outcome convinced the French to enter the war against Britain, vastly improving the prospects for American independence. Badly wounded, Arnold was appointed military governor of Philadelphia. But — ironically, considering his own role in bringing the French over to the Patriot side — he soon became convinced that British peace commissioners offered his countrymen a better option than alliance with their traditional enemy. In May 1779, Arnold opened negotiations with the redcoats in New York. In fact, this was Arnold’s second brush with treason. Like George Washington and other supporters of American independence, when he first took up arms against his legitimate sovereign King George III, he became a rebel, guilty of high treason under English law dating back to 1351\. By the Royal Proclamation of Rebellion, issued in London on Aug. 23, 1775, all Crown officers were obliged to use “their utmost endeavours to suppress such rebellion and to bring the traitors to justice.” The official punishment for treason was execution by hanging, drawing and quartering**.** But though Patriot prisoners-of-war died by the thousands from disease and neglect, they were never hanged as rebels. Britain was reluctance to unleash the full force of its Treason Act on the American insurgents — though several rebel states (notably Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey) had no such qualms about employing their own harsh laws against Loyalists who clung to their allegiance to the Crown. When his conspiracy was uncovered, Arnold was immediately accused of selling his soul for British cash. Since then, historians have acknowledged the role of his prickly, proud personality, and his mounting resentment against politicians who failed to appreciate and reward his services. But a careful reading of all the evidence suggests that Arnold committed treason for what _he_ believed to be honorable reasons, and in the best interests of his distressed fellow Americans. As the British general Sir Henry Clinton reminded him soon after his first approach, “you proposed your assistance for the delivery of your country.” Over the years, Arnold consistently maintained that he’d defected to save America from an ineffective Congress, a cause that had lost its way, and a bloody and protracted civil war. As late as 1792, while exiled in London, he complained about the “illiberal” comments that he’d endured because of the prevailing misconception that his conduct in America had been influenced by “mercenary,” rather than “just,” motives. But in seeking to justify himself, Arnold was inevitably fighting a losing battle against lingering accusations of cynical betrayal. In 1784, when he applied in vain for a military posting with the East India Company, one of its governors, George Johnstone, underlined the harsh rule that history is written by the winners: “Under an unsuccessful insurrection all actors are rebels; crowned with success they become immortal patriots.” While Johnstone had no doubt of the “purity” of Arnold’s conduct, “the great vulgar herd” thought differently. As a rebel who’d led his countrymen in a successful war for independence, George Washington was hailed as a national hero, not condemned as a traitor to his lawful king. But Benedict Arnold ultimately picked the wrong side in the Revolutionary War. Irrespective of its motives, his plot had failed. In the eyes of posterity, he would be forever defined — and tainted — by treason.  Yale University Press _Stephen Brumwell is the author of_ [Turncoat: Benedict Arnold and the Crisis of American Liberty](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030021099X/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time037-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=030021099X&linkId=ff15879debc1b3aea98e09b9859051dd) _(Yale University Press, 2018)._ ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Set against the backdrop of Helsinki, Finland, this week's meeting between Trump and Putin was the seventh official summit between leaders of the United States. And Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The two leaders have met before an international gatherings like the 2017 at G20 Summit and have spoken at least eight times over the phone. What began with a handshake and an apparent. Front of the eyes of the world continued with an unprecedented, off the record meeting with just Putin, Trump and their translators for two hours. After later bringing in their top aides for joint talks, the two leaders re- emerged side by side at a news conference that rattled many across party lines in the US. [ MUSIC ] Do you hold Russia at all accountable for anything in particular? Yes, I do. I hold both countries responsible. I think that The United States has been foolish. I think we've all been foolish. Trump's remarks were in sharp opposition to The Justice Department's decision to charge 12 Russian intelligence officers for their interference in US elections this past Friday. The indictment charges 12 Russian military officers by name for conspiring to interfere with the 2016 presidential election. And just hours after the Trump / Putin press conference, American prosecutors charged a Russian woman for trying to influence U. S. lawmakers. My people came to me, Dan Coats came to me, and Some other's said they think it Russia. I have President Putin, he just said it's not Russia. I will say this, I don't see any reason why it would be. I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that president Putin was extremely strong and powerful [ MUSIC ] In his denial today. But Trump backtracked on his original remarks clarifying at a recent press conference this. I accept our intellgence community's conclusion that Russia's meddling in the 2016 Election took place. Could be other people also. There's a lot of people out there. I said the word would instead of wouldn't. And the sentence should have been, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia. Sort of a double- negative. Still, Trump's original comments on his own country's intelligence and alignment with Russia was met with swift, furious reactions from many. Former CIA Director John Brennan called Trump's performance treasonous. Dan Coats, the Director of National Intelligence nominated by Trump We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling. Former 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain said it was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory. The damage inflicted by President Trump's naivet ��, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake. Tragic mistake. Commentators on Fox News, often supporting of the President, had a critical response to Trump's behavior too. This was the time and the place for the President to look Putin squarely in the eye and say, you will be punished for what you did in 2016, and don't ever think about doing that again. But he didn't, and that's what made it disgusting. A US President on foreign soil, talking to our biggest enemy. Adversary or competitor, I don't know how we define them these days, is essentially letting the guy get away with this. And not even offering a mild criticism. That sets us back a lot. Trump was interviewed by Fox's Sean Hannity after his meeting with Putin and shared successes he believed to be overshadowed. I think it's a shame. We're talking about nuclear proliferation. We're talking about Syria and humanitarian aid. We're talking about all of these different things and we get questions on the witch hunt. And while there were no tangible results from the summit, the two leaders are framing this As the first of many meetings to come. But after a contentious week abroad, where Trump was also a polarizing force with NATO allies in Brussels, his apparent alignment with Putin and Russia has left the US political world unsettled. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5351222/benedict-arnold-traitor/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5351222/benedict-arnold-traitor/"},"headline":"Benedict Arnold Is America’s Most Famous Traitor. 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