Benedict Arnold Trail

THE BENEDICT ARNOLD WALKING TRAIL 

Length 2 Miles, 40 Minutes
Type: Culture
Difficulty Level: Easy, some uneven terrain

Benedict Arnold is Norwich’s most infamous native son. Discover the story of a controversial and complicated man who greatly impacted our nation’s history during the Revolutionary War. The tour gives a glimpse into Benedict Arnold’s complex childhood and discusses prominent Norwich figures that played a role in the Revolutionary War. Many of the stops on the trail are located  in the Norwichtown Local Historic District. The tour can be explored in any order. Enjoy!

Setting the Stage

The Mohegan Tribe were the original stewards of the land where the City of Norwich now stands. Norwich can trace its origins to the year 1659, when Chief Uncas gave a gift of 9 miles square of his native homeland to the immigrant people surrounding him. The early English settlement surrounded the Norwichtown Green and included the prominent Huntington, Lathrop, and Leffingwell families. The English settlers aided the Mohegan tribe numerous times throughout the 1640s – 1650s during the Mohegan and Narragansett Wars. Sachem Uncas sold a nine by nine- square mile tract of land to the settlers, which includes present-day Norwich and parts or all of the towns of Bozrah, Franklin, Griswold, Lisbon, Preston, and Sprague in appreciation of the settlers’ aid in lifting a Narragansett siege at Shantok.

In the 18th century, Norwich was a prominent manufacturing community, which boasted numerous factories and mills powered by Norwich’s three rivers – the Yantic, the Shetucket and the Thames. Norwich was a thriving seaport; crops and livestock were traded for rum, sugar and molasses from the West Indies at Chelsea Landing. Norwich was a major shipbuilding center and provided supplies, munitions and soldiers during the American Revolution. By 1774, Norwich was the twelfth largest city in the colonies.

A Note on Norwich Architecture

The variety of architectural styles in Norwichtown is much greater than is found in surrounding towns in Eastern, CT. The two plans one typically encounters in the “country towns” during the 18th century are the “center chimney” plan (typically 1 ½ or 2 ½ story houses with three large rooms each with a fireplace plus two smaller rooms) and the “center hall twin chimney” plan (typically 2 ½ story house with four large rooms each with a fireplace and a center hallway, offering a more gracious floor plan.) Norwichtown has examples of these two styles, but, being a wealthy city, there are several other styles evident.

One interesting architectural style in historic Norwichtown is a “double saltbox” (two center chimney houses attached by half of a hip roof.) The Leffingwell Inn and the Joshua Lathrop House are good examples of this style. A second slightly atypical plan is a “center hall, twin end chimney” house plan; two and a half story house with a central hallway and two end chimneys with corner fireplaces. The third interesting style is the “Norwich Plan” house (all c. 1760) in which there are nine corner posts versus the more typical twelve, the center chimney is rotated 90 degrees, the footprint is smaller and there is one less room per floor than the typical center chimney house. Many houses such as the Thomas Williams, Christopher Huntington Home and the Lord Tavern follow this pattern.

Aftermath

There were many other turncoats during the Revolutionary war, such as Dr. Benjamin Church, Surgeon General of the Continental Army, who was briefly jailed in Norwich for giving secrets to British General Gage. However, Arnold’s defection is so notorious because he was a celebrity and one of Washington’s trusted generals. Arnold fought courageously at the Battles of Quebec, Ridgefield and Saratoga, but political and personal attacks made him bitter. Arnold, once agile, became crippled following his injury at Saratoga, further demoralizing his spirits. When he failed to gain vindication, he began to question the patriot cause.

In 1779, with the assistance of his second wife, Peggy Shippen, Arnold negotiated with British Major John Andre to hand West Point over to the British. However, the plot was discovered when Andre was captured and the incriminating documents were found in his boot. Arnold fled to the British lines. Washington, devastated by his friend’s betrayal, attempted to trade Andre for Arnold. To Washington’s disappointment, the British refused and Andre was hung on October 2, 1780. British and American officers alike lamented Andre’s death. According to witnesses, Andre placed the noose around his own neck. Alexander Hamilton wrote of Andre, “Never perhaps did any man suffer death with more justice, or deserve it less.”

While serving the British, Arnold raided Richmond, burned New London and his army devastated Ft. Griswold in Groton. Arnold was mistrusted and seen as a failed spy. Arnold became a man without a country and drifted between St. John’s, Canada and London, trying unsuccessfully to revive his mercantile business. His health declined and a miserable Arnold died in London on June 14, 1801. Some records claim that as Arnold lay on his deathbed, he said, “Let me die in this old uniform in which I fought my battles. May God forgive me for ever having put on another.”

Today, the name of Benedict Arnold has become synonymous with the word traitor. All of the good contributions, the physical injuries and financial sacrifices he made to the Revolution were quickly forgotten. If Arnold died at Saratoga instead of being wounded, he would be known as a military hero as opposed to an evil villain. Benjamin Franklin wrote that “Judas sold only one man, Arnold three millions”, and that sentiment became a common theme through the rest of American history writings up to today.

Script Writers -Sara deBeer and Carolyn Sterns of the Connecticut Storytelling Center  – New London, CT

Chris Bell – Norwich settler/resident/citizen/gossip; Ebenezer Punderson; CT Historian; Political Observer; Alexander Hamilton

Tom Callinan- Benjamin Franklin; Norwich Packet Reporter

Bill Champagne – Norwich resident/citizen; Son of Liberty; Daniel Lathrop; Apothecary advertisement

Damien Cregeau – narrator

Pamela Hall – Hannah Arnold; Sarah Kemble Knight; Daughter of Liberty

Ken Lamothe- Norwich settler/resident/citizen; Seth Miner; Town Gossip; Benedict Arnold; Charles Carpenter

Regan Miner – Lydia Huntley Sigourney; Norwich woman

Ann Shapiro – Frances Manwaring Caulkins

Recorded and mixed by Tom Callinan ~ Crackerbarrel Entertainments ~ Norwich, CT

Mastered by Bob Nary~ Suite Audio ~ Clinton, CT