The Men Who Saved West Point

By Raymond C. Wilson

It is widely known that Major General Benedict Arnold conspired to hand the American fortress at West Point over to the enemy for 20,000 British pounds and a brigadier general commission in the British army. The plot also included the possibility of capturing General Washington while he was visiting with Major General Arnold at West Point. Sadly, it has been all but forgotten that there were three New York militiamen who foiled Arnold's treasonous plot to turn over the strategic fortress at West Point (and General Washington as a bonus) to the British in September 1780. The purpose of this book is to retell the story of Major General Benedict Arnold's treasonous act and shine a spotlight back on the three New York militiamen who saved West Point (and possibly General Washington) from falling into British hands during the Revolutionary War.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raymond C. Wilson
• Release date: May 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005503208

Raymond C. Wilson

Raymond C. Wilson is a military historian, filmmaker, and amateur genealogist. During his military career as an enlisted soldier, warrant officer, and commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for twenty-one years, Wilson served in a number of interesting assignments both stateside and overseas. He had the honor of serving as Administrative Assistant to Brigadier General George S. Patton (son of famed WWII general) at the Armor School; Administrative Assistant to General of the Army Omar Nelson Bradley at the Pentagon; and Military Assistant to the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon. In 1984, Wilson was nominated by the U.S. Army Adjutant General Branch to serve as a White House Fellow in Washington, D.C. While on active duty, Wilson authored numerous Army regulations as well as articles for professional journals including 1775 (Adjutant General Corps Regimental Association magazine), Program Manager (Journal of the Defense Systems Management College), and Army Trainer magazine. He also wrote, directed, and produced three training films for Army-wide distribution. He is an associate member of the Military Writers Society of America. Following his retirement from the U.S. Army in 1992, Wilson made a career change to the education field. He served as Vice President of Admissions and Development at Florida Air Academy; Vice President of Admissions and Community Relations at Oak Ridge Military Academy; Adjunct Professor of Corresponding Studies at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College; and Senior Academic Advisor at Eastern Florida State College. While working at Florida Air Academy, Wilson wrote articles for several popular publications including the Vincent Curtis Educational Register and the South Florida Parenting Magazine. At Oak Ridge Military Academy, Wilson co-wrote and co-directed two teen reality shows that appeared on national television (Nickelodeon & ABC Family Channel). As an Adjunct Professor at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Wilson taught effective communications and military history for eighteen years. At Eastern Florida State College, Wilson wrote, directed, and produced a documentary entitled "Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence" for the Chi Nu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. Since retiring from Eastern Florida State College, Wilson has devoted countless hours working on book manuscripts.

Book preview

The Men Who Saved West Point

Written by

RAYMOND C. WILSON

Author of

Martyr of the Race Course

Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume One)

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Two)

The Men Who Saved West Point

Published by Raymond C. Wilson at Smashwords

Copyright 2021 Raymond C. Wilson

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Table of Contents

The Men Who Saved West Point

Introduction

Benedict Arnold (Pre-Treason)

Margaret ‘Peggy’ Shippen (Pre-Treason)

John André (Pre-Treason)

The New York Militiamen (Pre-Treason)

The Treasonous Act

Benedict Arnold (Post-Treason)

Margaret ‘Peggy’ Shippen (Post-Treason)

John André (Post-Treason)

The New York Militiamen (Post-Treason)

Bibliography

Afterword

About Raymond C. Wilson

Introduction

The Capture of Major André (Courtesy: Currier and Ives)

The American Revolution was such a divisive event that once the struggle was over, a generation did its best to remove all traces of the truth. Although it later became convenient to portray Benedict Arnold as a villain from the start, the truth is far more complex and far more disturbing. Without the discovery of Arnold’s treason in September 1780, the American people might never have been forced to realize that the real threat to their liberties came not from without, but from within.

West Point during the American Revolution circa 1780 (Courtesy: New York Magazine)

In 1778, the Continental Army moved cannons captured in the Battle of Saratoga in upstate New York down the Hudson River to defend West Point. General Washington’s engineer and the designer of West Point’s fortification, Colonel Thaddeus Kosciuszko, built this fort at the west point along the Hudson River and its strategic position is obvious. This fort clearly commands the Hudson River, overlooking the entire bend that the river makes around the point. General Washington considered the site of West Point to be so strategic and significant during the American Revolution that he called it the key to the continent. Washington felt that if the British ever commanded the fortifications at West Point they would have a stranglehold on the colonies. General Washington spent a significant portion of his tenure as Commander of the Continental Army at West Point and nearby Newburgh.

Maps of West Point in 1780 (Courtesy: Wikipedia)

Colonel Kosciuszko installed these cannons in Fort Arnold (now Fort Clinton) at the east edge of The Plain and in the other works ringing the main forts. By the end of the war, West Point contained the majority of the Army’s heavy artillery pieces, some 160 guns.

Fort Putnam at West Point (Courtesy: Hudson Valley Magazine)

After 1778, Fort Arnold and Fort Putnam at West Point were the southern-most, defensive positions on the Hudson River. They were considered very strong and they presented a considerable challenge to the British at New York City. If the Americans could hold the British back at what is now West Point, where an S-curve in the Hudson River forced ships to slow down and tack, the American Revolution had a chance of success. However, if the British could sail up the Hudson River unimpeded, they would split the industrial Northern colonies from the breadbasket Southern colonies, dooming the American Revolution.

The British were open to other ways of acquiring West Point other than an armed assault and it was Major General Benedict Arnold (West Point’s commander) that would offer one.

It is widely known that Major General Benedict Arnold conspired to hand the American fortress at West Point over to the enemy for 20,000 British pounds and a brigadier general commission in the British army. The plot also included the possibility of capturing General Washington while he was visiting with Major General Arnold at West Point.

Sadly, it has been all but forgotten that there were three New York