Benedict Arnold 14 January 1741 - June 14, 1801 was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defecting to the British side of the conflict in 1780. George Washington had given him his fullest trust and had placed him in command of West Point in New York. Arnold was planning to surrender the fort there to British forces, but the plot was discovered. Currently a redhead boy