Benedict Arnold: A Traitor in Our Midst

General, soldier, businessman, traitor: these are all words associated with the name Benedict Arnold. One of America’s greatest soldiers and most reviled traitors, he was also a significant and intriguing player in Canada’s history. In this work, Barry Wilson takes a fresh look at this controversial, fascinating, and legendary figure who left behind a legacy of colourful tales, a string of descendants, and a military coat that still hangs in a Saskatchewan farmhouse. While most biographies of Arnold concentrate on his revolutionary exploits and subsequent treason, Wilson explores his role in Canadian history and the routes that brought him to Canada. He takes the reader into rural Quebec in the 1760s and 1770s when Arnold toured the area as a Yankee trader and goes behind the scenes in 1775-76 when Arnold’s American forces almost captured Quebec after an amazing trek through the Maine wilderness. Wilson explores Arnold’s business exploits in Saint John, New Brunswick, the emerging Loyalist port town where for six years Arnold commanded an international trading network before returning to England. Written for those interested in unexpected tales from Canada’s colourful history, this text follows Arnold’s life from the battlefields of New England to the siege of Quebec, from the high seas to the day-to-day details of running a trading company in Saint John. Wilson offers a detailed, sometimes sympathetic, portrait of this controversial and complex man.