Benedict Arnold is a name synonymous with the word “traitor.”
If you’re a history buff (or if you just paid attention in high school), you’ll know that Arnold fought in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War between Great Britain and the 13 colonies.
Over the years, Benedict Arnold had been given increasing levels of responsibility. He proved that he could be brave and skilled in battle, having helped with the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775.
But like all villains, Arnold had a major flaw. His was jealousy.
Arnold was passed up for promotion and watched low-ranking men given opportunities that he felt should have been his. He became resentful that he wasn’t moving up the ranks as fast as others.
That’s why Benedict Arnold became a turncoat.
By 1780, Arnold was put in charge of the northern forts, including West Point. And that’s where he came up with a brilliant plan to take down George Washington and hand him over to the British.
Arnold would give detailed plans of West Point to the British so they would know the fort’s weak points. Arnold plotted with a man named John Andre. Andre hid the plans in his boot and set out to deliver them to the British while Arnold would move supplies out of the fort to make it weaker.
Benedict Arnold knew he had to act fast because George Washington would be arriving at West Point in just a few hours. Arnold planned to have Washington killed and America destroyed.
There was one problem – Benedict Arnold never expected to be taken down by ordinary citizens.
After John Andre left to deliver the plans to the British, he was stopped at a checkpoint that was set up by three Americans. They asked Andre for his papers and searched him. That’s when they found the plans for West Point hidden in his shoe and they knew they had discovered a spy.
When they reviewed the papers, they saw the signature of Benedict Arnold. At first they thought that Andre stole the papers and so they decided to turn him over to Arnold to deal with the spy.
But what the Americans didn’t realize was that Andre and Arnold had been working together. On the way to deliver Andre over to Arnold, the three Americans happened to run into Major Benjamin Tallmadge who was Washington’s chief intelligence officer. Tallmadge had intelligence that a high-ranking officer was planning on defecting to the British but didn’t know who it was. Tallmadge made the connection and intercepted Andre before he could be turned over to Benedict Arnold.
The men were experiencing divine providence.
George Washington arrived at West Point a few hours later and by then, Benedict Arnold had already escaped but Andre was in custody, the fort was secure, and the president was safe.
What stands out to me in this story is the three ordinary citizens who decided to set up a checkpoint in British territory. You may have never heard of John Paulding, Isaac Van Wart, and David Williams, but their decision to set up that unofficial checkpoint that nobody asked them to set up saved a president’s life and stopped what could have been a major turning point in the war.
What a small, simple role they played. It must have seemed inconsequential to them at the time.
But it ended up being the reason why America was saved from certain defeat that day in 1780.
The next time you think that you can’t make a difference, remember the story of the three ordinary citizens who did their part in faith and ended up saving George Washington’s life and America as we know it. You may not know how your actions and decisions fit in the bigger picture, but they do.
Play your part in what you feel called to do. Believe that divine providence will take care of the rest.