Benedict Arnold was not always a traitor. In fact, he was quite a hero before he went over to the dark side. His resume included several noteworthy accomplishments. He helped Ethan Allen captured Fort Ticonderoga. He followed this up with a proposal to capture Quebec. He pointed out to the Continental Congress that its capture would deprive Britain of a launching point for an invasion of New York and might foment a rebellion by French Canadians. Congress turned down the hare-brained plan, but then reconsidered and ordered Gen. Schuyler to attack Quebec via Lake Champlain. An enraged Arnold went to George Washington and convinced him to approve a second expedition via Maine. Arnold was given 1,100 men, including Lt. Col. Daniel Morgan’s riflemen. A holdup in pay pushed the departure back to September which meant worse weather. That was only part of the problem. The bateaux were built by a closet loyalist and they leaked badly, damaging food and supplies. The faulty map indicated the journey would be 180 miles and could be made in 20 days. It was actually 350 miles. 350 miles of the worst territory imaginable. They had to portage (carry a boat across land) the boats around a water fall and a later portage was 12 miles through swampy ground. They were often lost. It rained heavily and the men were miserable in the wet and cold. Due to the high current in some of the rivers, the men sometimes had to pull the boats upstream. Several bateaux overturned causing a shortage of provisions. The men were forced to eat shoe leather and candle wax. 450 men turned back, but Arnold kept the rest going through his inspirational leadership. When they arrived at Quebec on Nov. 9, Arnold had about 600 starving men with him. It had taken twice as long as planned. The men recuperated and they were joined by reinforcements led by Gen. Richard Montgomery. On the night of New Year’s Eve in 1775, Arnold and Montgomery led an attack on the well-defended city in a snow storm. Montgomery was killed by a cannon-blast and Arnold was seriously wounded in the leg. The Battle of Quebec was a fiasco, but Arnold had proven himself an incredible leader. Unfortunately, the lack of credit for this and for his subsequent heroism at Saratoga would feed into his personality flaws.
https://www.history.com/news/benedict-arnold-canada-invasion-revolutionary-war
https://www.thoughtco.com/arnold-expedition-2360178
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_Arnold%27s_expedition_to_Quebec
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