If This Be Treason: Benedict Arnold and George Washington’s Spies

It is 1777 and Benedict Arnold is a hero. Although famous for his victories over the British during the War of American Independence, Major Arnold is unhappy. Forced into single fatherhood and distraught that Philadelphia has fallen to the enemy, it is all Arnold can do to stay sane. But he has not yet met Peggy Shippen,. After Arnold and Shippen marry, he has no idea that she has eyes for British spymaster, John André. But when Washington’s spies, the Culper Ring, eventually uncover a conspiracy by the Arnolds and André to hand over the West Point fort to the British, American patriots immediately brand Arnold’s defection as treason—while the British and some Americans see him as a patriot. As the fates of Peggy and her two men hang precariously in the balance, now only time will tell how history will label each of them. In this historical tale, three fascinating characters in America’s history personify the maxim that one man’s traitor is another man’s patriot.