Benedict Arnold in the Company of Heroes: The Lives of the Extraordinary Patriots Who Followed Arnold to Canada at the Start of the American Revolution

by Arthur S. Lefkowitz

This "gripping" history recounts the lives of American patriots who were a part of Arnold's failed Canadian invasion during the Revolutionary War (Thomas Fleming, author of Liberty! The American Revolution).

Hundreds of men followed Col. Benedict Arnold in an expedition to capture Quebec in 1775. After Arnold was wounded, his troops found themselves outnumbered and trapped inside the city. Award-winning author and Revolutionary-era historian, Arthur S. Lefkowitz takes a close look at some of the brave veterans who fought in Arnold's failed campaign and explores the extraordinary lives they led afterward.

In Benedict Arnold in the Company of Heroes, Lefkowitz paints vividly detailed portraits of early American patriots who continued their fight for independence after Arnold's campaign. Some of the men portrayed include Charles Porterfield (who led troops at Brandwine); Daniel Morgan (the hero of Cowpens); Henry Dearborn and Timothy Bigelow (who fought alongside Arnold at Saratoga); Christian Febiger and Return Jonathan Meigs (who were at the forefront of the attack on Stony Point); Simeon Thayer (who refused to surrender at Fort Mifflin); and Col. Aaron Burr (whose wartime record was overshadowed by his later political career and duel with Alexander Hamilton). Benedict Arnold in the Company of Heroes "will delight readers who are looking for something new about the War of Independence" (John Ferling, author of Almost a Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence).

492 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 19, 2012

Reviews

[Donna Pingry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a great lover of historical fact...the little known tidbits, the curious nuances, the people behind the people most of us think we know. This book is a great example. I received this book as a giveaway copy from Savas Beatie LLC. I was thinking perhaps this would help me understand the man who so easily betrayed his country after so valiantly defending it. That answer never came. Instead, I got the backdoor tour of the men behind the man. It was intriguing to be a tiny fly on the wall of history. The author, Arthur Lefkowitz, filled this book with such incredible footnotes that I soon became sure that he didn't have "an agenda". The facts were interesting enough on their own that he didn't really need to create one. Instead, what he got was another reader who will be waiting to read more of his well documented novels. On the other hand, I lost a lot of respect for many of the men I learned about in school, marveled at the misinformation in so many textbooks, and have a greater appreciation for many of the true heroes that should have had more place in our education. I'd have consumed this book in my early teens on up to my senior years so if you love history, it's a great reference book to read and add to your library.

[Charles Heckman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed and carefully referenced while still a good read.

Unlike most Revolutionary history books, the author does not limit the story to Washington's army. Following the officers and men of Arnold's Expedition into Canada throughout their war careers introduced me to a deeper understanding of the Revolution.

[June Baer · Rating 3 out of 5]

What came through most was how much the author disliked Arnold. He really did not come to the point until the last chapter and then I had already lost interest in the book.