Which American general turned traitor and joined the British?

Which American general turned traitor and joined the British? Benedict Arnold. He began the American Revolution as a talented Continental Army commander and helped win the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, one of the war’s most important American victories.

Despite his battlefield success, Arnold felt overlooked for promotion and resented accusations of financial misconduct. He secretly negotiated with British officials and agreed to surrender the American fort at West Point, New York. His plot was exposed in September 1780 when British major John André was captured carrying documents connected to the scheme. Arnold escaped to the British lines before he could be arrested.

Arnold received a British commission and later led troops against American forces, including operations in Virginia and Connecticut. The betrayal destroyed his reputation in the United States, although he remained a respected British officer for a time. A common mix-up is confusing him with Benedict Arnold’s namesake descendants; the traitor was the Revolutionary War general born in 1741.