Existing comment:
Letter from Benedict Arnold to George Clinton, Governor of New York, August 22, 1780
This is the letter that made "Benedict Arnold" synonymous with "traitor." Arnold, a talented Continental Army general, had grown leery of the Continental Congress. He wrote for permission to make repairs at West Point, but really intended to weaken the fort and surrender it to the British. Arnold's plot was ultimately foiled, but his attempted treason shocked the nation. |