Book Review of God Save Benedict Arnold by Jack Kelly

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book stats:

320 pages, to be published December 5, 2023 (I received an advanced copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

you may enjoy this book if you like:

U.S. History * American Revolutionary War * Biographies

travel inspiration:

God Save Benedict Arnold follows its subject through the course of his American Revolution exploits along the east coast and into Canada. The most central location is New York, home to historic moments at Fort Ticonderoga and Saratoga, both of which can be visited today as historical sites.

about the author: jack kelly

Jack Kelly is a historian and author of five other works: Valcour: The 1776 Campaign That Saved the Cause of Liberty (2021), The Edge of Anarchy: The Railroad Barons, the Gilded Age, and the Greatest Labor Uprising in America (2019), Heaven’s Ditch: God, Gold, and Murder on the Eric Canal (2017), Band of Giants: The Amateur Soldiers Who Won America's Independence (2014), and Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics: The History of the Explosive That Changed the World (2005). In addition to his historical works, he has written for national publications and has appeared on NPR, PBS, and The History Channel. He is a New York Foundation for the Arts fellow and lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.

review of god save benedict arnold: the true story of america’s most hated man by jack kelly

Benedict Arnold: It is a name that is immediately recognizable to most in the U.S. If you were to poll people about what they know about him, most would probably immediately describe him as a traitor and would hopefully also realize that the historic moment he was affiliated with was the American Revolution. Beyond that scratch on the surface of history, probably most people would come up blank with anything else to share about Benedict Arnold.

God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America’s Most Hated Man certainly has the title right. About a century and a half since Arnold’s time, we may not know much, but we know he should be hated for his betrayal during the infancy of the American experiment. What a way to go down in history, remembered for a dark moment in a full life. Jack Kelly seeks to open his reader’s eyes to the man behind the story, to add long-forgotten nuance and context to the tale, and provide long overdue recognition for heroic efforts Arnold displayed time-and-time again before his fateful decision to abscond to Britain.

Benedict Arnold was the fourth thus-named individual in his family tree, and he would father the man who would be the last to bear the name, a son who died in his late twenties after an injury, predeceasing his father by about six years. The fate and fortune of the family changed over the course of the generations. The earlier Benedict Arnolds were well off, the first of whom was governor of Rhode Island. By the time of the 3rd generation (the father to our subject), the family was established in the Colonial America society. Unfortunately, Arnold’s father lost much of the family fortune amidst alcoholism so by the time Arnold was a teenager, his circumstances had changed for the worst. Arnold joined the fight in the French and Indian War and then was able to leverage family connections to establish himself as a merchant. He spent time at sea, often commanding his own ships, an experience that established a specific type of leadership that probably also matched Arnold’s natural proclivities. As a result of the salty language typical of sailors, others in polite society found Arnold a bit vulgar compared to his contemporaries.

Kelly’s story really picks up steam in the dawn of the American Revolution, a moment that was uniquely shaped to Arnold’s strengths. His decisiveness in difficult situations and ability to lead men through horrific settings while near starvation are skills that in another time and another place would never have been evident. It is clear that Arnold thrived in situations of risk, moments ready-made for valor, and had a keen strategic sense. He played a pivotal role at Ticonderoga in upstate New York, leading a group to take the fort from the British. Arnold knew the fort was not heavily protected in the early days of the war and saw this prime opportunity to demonstrate the strength of the colonists. With nary a shot fired, Arnold and Ethan Allen’s troops took the fort.

From there, the momentum took Arnold up into Canada to Fort St Jean and then he encouraged his government to invest in building ships on Lake Champlain. He eventually met the British in a battle on the Great Lake and through cunning was able to stand his ground more than expected before a nighttime escape under the cover of darkness that saved countless lives.

Arnold’s strong personality and convictions became clear early in the military conflict. He had disagreements with his peers and with the government. These conflicts established what would continue to be an ongoing challenge over the course of Arnold’s life. Over time, a combination of disputes with individuals, who made formalized complaints about Arnold, and the politicization of military promotions in Congress, where non-soldiers made academic decisions about how to promote military leadership, created a perfect storm of dissatisfaction for Arnold. He was passed over for promotion several times. To add salt to the wound, people junior to him were promoted beyond his rank. Arnold was not shy in explaining his displeasure and contacted Congress for reconsideration.

Over time, Arnold became frustrated enough with what amounted to a lack of appreciation for his efforts that he even tried to and in fact did resign from the military. But every time he did that, a new conflict would emerge, and he would run off - title, rank, or standing be damned - to display continued heroism in the war effort.

Kelly explores several historic assumptions about Arnold’s defection, including the fact that he was motivated by money, and calls some of these into question when viewed against the larger backdrop of Arnold’s life and deeds. He also offers several thoughts on what may have been motivators for Arnold. And it is of course clear that no one other than the man himself will ever know what drove his thinking. In my read of it, Arnold seems like a man who more than anything else needs to be needed - whether by the women he sought to romance, by his soldiers, or by his country - and the early Americans definitely came up short in meeting Arnold halfway.

What I also really appreciated is how Kelly explored Arnold’s lasting negative legacy compared to others who could be comparable types of traitors, depending upon one’s vantage point. For example, several high profile Americans joined the American South at the start of the Civil War and were welcomed back in to the country afterwards. As it was, the British never fully embraced Arnold either. Kelly’s point is well taken when he indicates but for the random chance of time and circumstances, America could just as easily ended up with a situation where Arnold was remembered as a true patriotic hero with God Save Benedict Arnold on our lips instead of a sullied name.

Kelly set out to establish Benedict Arnold as a well-rounded, complex person instead of the archetype associated with his name. He was successful in leveraging tales from Arnold’s life - both military and non-military - to bring a clearer picture of the man. God Save Benedict Arnold is an important addition to the way we need to continue to evaluate history through updated thinking and knowledge. It is so easy for people to forget that historic people were truly just as human as any of us - with their own baggage, concerns, personal loss, and family histories that shape them as they meet the world events that happen to occur during their lives.

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