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Lecture

Jack Kelly, God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America's Most Hated Man

Tuesday, January 30, 2024 - 6:00 PM | Members' Room | open to the public | $15 per person | registration required

Benedict Arnold committed treason. For more than two centuries, that’s all that most Americans have known about him. Yet Arnold was much more than a turncoat - his achievements during the early years of the Revolutionary War defined him as the most successful soldier of the era. God Save Benedict Arnold tells the gripping story of Arnold’s rush of audacious feats - his capture of Fort Ticonderoga, his Maine mountain expedition to attack Quebec, the famous artillery brawl at Valcour Island, the turning-point battle at Saratoga - that laid the groundwork for our independence.

Arnold was a superb leader, a brilliant tactician, a supremely courageous military officer. He was also imperfect, disloyal, villainous. One of the most paradoxical characters in American history, and one of the most interesting. God Save Benedict Arnold does not exonerate him for his treason - the stain on his character is permanent. But Kelly’s insightful exploration of Arnold’s career as a warrior shines a new light on this gutsy, fearless, and enigmatic figure. In the process, the book offers a fresh perspective on the reasons for Arnold’s momentous change of heart. A starred review in Kirkus calls it "A dazzling addition to the history of the American Revolution."

Jack Kelly is a journalist, novelist, and historian, whose books include Band of Giants, which received the DAR's History Award Medal. He has contributed to national periodicals including The Wall Street Journal and is a New York Foundation for the Arts fellow. He has appeared on The History Channel and interviewed on National Public Radio. He lives in New York's Hudson Valley.