The Threat Came from Within

Arnold was a great general
Philbrick doesn’t hide Benedict Arnold’s good qualities. General Arnold proved to possess a combination of fearlessness, strategic and tactical competence, and energy that made him a spectacularly successful field officer. From his capture of Fort Ticonderoga to his command of the so-called Mosquito Fleet of small boats patrolling Lake Champlain, Arnold proved again and again he was possibly the best military commander in the rebel army.
Washington was a bad general
Philbrick examines Washington’s generalship and finds it severely lacking. He concludes that, while the first president could be brilliant in smaller engagements, when it came to pitting army against army, Washington was consistently out-generaled by his British counterparts, and almost lost everything several times—in direct contradiction to Arnold’s brilliance.
Nobody liked Benedict Arnold
Philbrick reveals that Arnold, brilliant and useful as he was, was arrogant, insulting, and self-centered. His superiors distrusted him, and he had few friends or allies. Washington, on the other hand, was widely admired and effortlessly won the loyalty of those who served with him. Whereas any attempt to insult or remove Washington resulted in a wellspring of support, accusations against Arnold were often assumed to be true even if unproven, laying the groundwork for the man to feel consistently slighted by his country, government, and fellow officers.
Arnold may have been a psychopath
The crux of Arnold’s personality, Philbrick’s analysis suggests, is that he might have been a psychopath in the modern sense: he was antisocial, showed little remorse for or even understanding of the consequences of his actions, and was frequently bold to the point of insanity. While these qualities made him unusually effective while fighting a battle, they also made it difficult for him to cultivate personal relationships with the people who controlled his career.
Arnold invested his entire fortune into the revolution
The nascent American government was bankrupt almost from the beginning of the war, and its currency was virtually worthless by 1778. American officers had to invest their own money into the war effort, paying soldiers and purchasing supplies and even field cannons. Arnold was moderately rich when the revolution kicked off, but was penniless just a few years later—and Congress refused to consider his requests for reimbursement, leaving him broke and bitter, especially after he suffered a crippling leg wound while almost singlehandedly winning the Battle of Saratoga.
By 1779, the revolution had lost its way
One of the most interesting revelations of Philbrick’s book is how the men leading the revolution lost their way. By the time Benedict Arnold was named military governor of newly liberated Philadelphia in 1778, Congress was drawing a pathetic number of delegates and most of its business seemed taken up with petty squabbles and personal grudges. Class warfare was breaking out, and chaos was the watchword throughout the country.
Washington saved us, just not in the way you think
Philbrick argues that what saved the day for the Americans more than anything else was Washington’s plan for reorganizing the army, submitted to Congress after the near-disaster at Valley Forge. Washington assembled a think tank at his winter quarters and emerged with an incredibly detailed restructuring plan, outlining everything from the length of time militiamen served to the payment for and supplying of the army. It was this newly trained and organized force that truly won the war.
Benedict Arnold was sexy
Something often left out of other history books is the fact that Arnold was a pretty darn attractive man. Handsome, well-mannered, and visibly injured as a war hero, his arrival in Philadelphia to serve as governor set the female population’s hearts pounding. It’s no surprise, then, that he was able to marry one of the richest and prettiest young society women, the infamous Peggy Shippen, who very likely played a major role in nudging her husband toward treachery—especially as Arnold placed himself into massive debt in order to impress her parents and earn their approval for the marriage.
The Caribbean played a crucial role
Superficial analysis of the Revolution might conclude that France recognizing our young nation and joining the war against Great Britain turned the tide—which is true, but only because, at the time, the American Colonies weren’t worth much to Britain, while its holdings in the Caribbean were invaluable. The moment France entered the war, Britain panicked and began pulling forces out of the Colonies—and even offered a peace deal that granted everything the Colonists wanted short of official independence—because it was desperate to defend what it saw as its real priority in the Western Hemisphere.
There was a plot to replace Washington
As early as 1777, there was a whisper campaign underway to replace Washington as commander in chief of the army. His lack of victories, his indecision, and the factional nature of Congress all conspired to give rise to a cabal that worked behind the scenes to gain support for his replacement. Philbrick argues that the masterful way Washington fought back politically, destroying the cabal before it had a chance to gain real traction, provided the first glimpse of the leader who would not only go on to win the war, but help found the government that grew into the most powerful in the world.
Over time, historical figures become sketches, and then merely names. Washington and Arnold are two you think you know everything about—but Nathaniel Philbrick’s Valiant Ambition will change the look at these revolutionary figures forever.