Description du produit

"Often crosses paths with Kenneth Roberts's historical novels Arundel and Rabble in Arms and it makes a fine successor to those splendid books."
--Allen D. Boyer, New York Times Book Review

"Both a biography and an extended meditation on the ironies of the Revolution, Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary Hero is in many ways a remarkable example of the historian's craft. . . . .[an] indispensable guide."
--Los Angeles Times

"Martin discloses a new and entirely credible Benedict Arnold."
--The William and Mary Quarterly

Benedict Arnold stands as one of the most vilified figures in American history. Stories of his treason have so come to define him that his name, like that of Judas, is virtually synonymous with treason.

Yet Arnold was one of the most heroic and remarkable men of his time, indeed in all of American history. A brilliant military leader of uncommon bravery, Arnold dedicated himself to the Revolutionary cause, sacrificing family life, health, and financial well-being for a conflict that left him physically crippled, sullied by false accusations, and profoundly alienated from the American cause of liberty. By viewing Arnold's life backward through the prism of his treason, we invariably succumb to the demonizations that arose only after his abandonment of the rebel forces. We thereby overlook his critical role as one of the influential actors in the American Revolution.

Distinguished historian James Kirby Martin's landmark biography, the result of a decade's labor, stands as an invaluable antidote to this historical distortion. Careful not to endow the Revolutionary generation with mythical proportions of virtue, Martin shows how self-serving, venal behavior was just as common in the Revolutionary era as in our own time. Arnold, a deeply committed patriot, suffered acutely because of his lack of political savvy in dealing with those who attacked his honor and reputation. Tracing Arnold's life, from his difficult childhood through his grueling winter trek across the howling Maine wilderness, his valiant defense of Lake Champlain, and his crucial role in the Quebec and Saratoga campaigns, Martin has given us an entirely new perspective on this dramatic and exceptional life, set against the tumultuous background of the American Revolution.

Détails sur le produit

• Publié le: 2000-08-01
• Langue d'origine: Anglais
• Dimensions: 1.74 livres
• Reliure: Broché
• 544 pages

Amazon.com
The name Benedict Arnold survives today as a synonym for treachery. Author James Kirby Martin points out that Arnold's life, however, was not a simple black-and-white morality play--high-school textbook narratives to the contrary. Indeed, under different circumstances the American Judas might have gone down in history as the most revered military leader of the Revolutionary War, save George Washington. "His treason was shocking because of the magnitude of his contributions to the Revolutionary effort," writes Kirby, a professor at the University of Houston. In this revisionist account, Kirby suggests that Arnold was more a victim of his own inept political skills than a slave to base motives. A complex psychology was at work as well: Arnold always felt underappreciated by his colleagues, especially after victories at Saratoga. Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary Hero presents a detailed account of an often misunderstood man.

From Library Journal
Arnold is the best-known traitor in U.S. history. In this revisionist study, Martin (history, Univ. of Houston) directs attention to a less-well-known period of his subject's life. During the years before he became a turncoat, he was a devoted, skilled, and courageous Revolutionary officer. Had the war ended in 1780, the year Arnold switched allegiance, he would have likely been remembered as one of the most accomplished American military leaders of the War for Independence. However, he rightfully believed his contributions were undervalued and insufficiently rewarded. Martin presents an outstanding analysis of Arnold's pretreason years; his grasp of the details of Arnold's life and the context of the era are extraordinary. Readers will be frustrated by the author's failure to provide more than a brief summary of Arnold's years after treason, but this work is strongly recommended.?Charles K. Piehl, Mankato State Univ., Minn.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The New York Times Book Review, Allen D. Boyer
...a frankly sympathetic reassessment of Arnold's career as a patriot general. As it covers the northern campaigns of the Revolution, the book often crosses paths with Kenneth Roberts's historical novels Arundel and Rabble in Arms--and it makes a fine successor to those splendid books.