“You’re nothing but a Benedict Arnold!” He screamed loudly, his voice shrill and piercing through the rushing of the wind.
Suddenly, he jumped at the other child tackling him to the ground. The two rolled around in the field. The sound of laughter filled the air.
As I sat back and looked across the horizon, purple and yellow wildflowers bloomed against a canvas of deep green. I slowly walked past the kids, chuckling to myself as they bantered. I walked closer to a fence and behind it stood a giant boot.
A monument to Benedict Arnold seems like a funny thing to have, considering his place in history, but this decisive battle in revolutionary history was won with the help of the soon to be infamous traitor. At the time he was Washington’s best infantryman commander. It was 1777 and the British forces were struggling to maintain the lead in this bloody war. But General John Burgoyne had been on a roll down New York from the Canada border, confidently retaking the lost foothold in the form of a victory a few miles north. As he continued south, Arnold joined the recently defeated Haratio Gates at Freemans farm and defying orders, pushed ahead and captured key points of the battlefield, leading to a 10 day standoff and eventually, Burgoyne’s surrender.
Shortly after the victory, Arnold infamously betrayed the republic, leaking battle plans to the British in hopes they would reward him if they won. History is in the records though, and this place is one of the only places to find that honors him.
Closest Supercharger Queensbury NY 31 mi
578 Aviation Rd, Queensbury, NY 12804
Saratoga National Historical Park
648 NY-32, Stillwater, NY 12170
