"In the first contemporary biography of Benedict Arnold, prize-winning journalist and historian Willard Sterne Randall unearths startling new evidence on the most famous treason in American history, explaining why the man George Washington considered his best general changed sides in the American Revolution. Randall uncovers documents long considered lost in Europe and America and analyzes Arnold's agonized career as a patriot and soldier. Benedict Arnold nearly succeeded in conquering Canada for the Americans, built the first American fleet, and repeatedly battled the British to a standstill. Then, crippled in combat, Arnold turned bitter as he became embroiled in conflicts with other generals, politicians in Congress, and Washington himself. Humiliated by public court martial, he plotted to betray his closest comrades in a conspiracy with his wife. Defecting to the British, he savagely attacked his native land, very nearly capturing Thomas Jefferson. In exile, Arnold was spurned by his old friends and enemies, becoming a man without a country."--Provided by the publisher.