121. Benedict Arnold was born on January 14, 1741 in Norwich, Connecticut. When the conflict between the Colonies and the home country erupted, Arnold was a prosperous trader even though he was severely affected by the trade restrictions imposed by Parliament. He was elected captain of the Connecticut Militia in March of 1775, he participated in the Siege of Boston, then volunteered to attack Fort Ticonderoga in northern New England. After being appointed colonel, he then distinguished himself during the Invasion of Quebec and during the siege of the city of Quebec. He fought valiantly during the American retreat south (the Battle of Valcour Island), then in the defense of Rhode Island (the Battle of Ridgefield). His role in the American victory of Saratoga was crucial even though he was severely wounded. Thus, Arnold was recognized for military feats. Popular within the troops, he had nonetheless built up a large number of political enemies. He was, for that matter, ruled out as a candidate for promotion several times in favor of other officers. He committed himself financially to the Tories, and married a young woman, Peggy Shippenn, who had relations with a certain Major John André, Chief of Intelligence Services to General Clinton. Discontented and pessimistic, unpopular with Congress, Arnold progressively entered into negotiations with Clinton with the goal of changing sides, to get the much sought-after position of brigadier general, with a large financial compensation. He was in charge of the West Point fortress in August 1780, and suggested to Clinton that he hand this strategic point over to the English forces. But the plot was discovered when the messenger, John André, was captured. Made aware of his capture very early, Arnold had time to run, just a few hours before an unexpected visit from Washington. News of the treason was an immense shock for the Americans, and for Washington who had trusted that officer and had considered him as his friend. Despite the plot’s failure, Clinton named Arnold brigadier general, then sent him to Virginia with 1,600 men. Arnold captured the city of Richmond and led a campaign of pillaging through Virginia. Although Arnold's troops may have committed abuse during a military campaign marked by pillaging, and the fight against the Virginia militia, nonetheless it seems that the misdeeds described by Flohr (see above) are exaggerated and were attributed to this person due to his poor reputation. Arnold headed this English detachment unit until the arrival of Cornwallis in Virginia (August 20, 1781), he was then dismissed from any commander's function. Arnold died in London on June 14, 1801, alone and penniless.

122. At the end of the eighteenth century, the art of war was much more than mere savoir-faire. Even though the idea of considering war as an art was not new, the systematization of military science reached new heights at the time. To theorists like Vauban, the Marshall de Saxe or the Chevalier de Folard, names such as Guibert, Montalembert or even Ménilmontant can be added. Furthermore, this theorization illustrated in the Défense du système de guerre moderne by Guibert (1779) extended to the whole of Europe. In Germany, Bülow wrote his The Spirit of the Modern System of War (Der Geistes des neuen Kriegssystems) a few years later, pushing the application of mathematics to warfare to new heights. Therefore, the art of war was a particularly popular notion during the American conflict, and constituted one of the great subjects of military reflection of the time.