Summer Lecture: Benedict Arnold and the Letter That Changed History
A husband’s letter home to his wife might not seem like a big deal – but when it changes what we know about history, it certainly is.
On Sunday, August 18 at 1 p.m. the Old Stone Fort Museum will host Saratoga National Battlefield Park Ranger Eric Schnitzer for a lecture on how one such letter changed what we know about one the most pivotal battles of the American Revolution and one of its most controversial figures, General Benedict Arnold.
The letter was written by Nathaniel Bacheller, a militia adjutant from New Hampshire, to his wife, Suzanna, on Oct. 9, 1777. It was discovered by historians when it appeared on the auction site eBay this past winter and was sold to an unknown buyer for $2,925. Thankfully, a digital copy was downloaded and a transcript of the letter was made before it went to the buyer and joined their private collection.
What it holds is a first-hand and, perhaps more importantly, historically unbiased account of the conversations, command decisions and field actions of General Horatio Gates and General Benedict Arnold during the ongoing Battle of Saratoga.
It’s an account which runs opposed to previously held narratives which painted Arnold as being reckless and insubordinate on the battlefield as Gates remained in his headquarters letting others do the fighting.
One reason for that difference, said Schnitzer, was unlike subsequent accounts, it was written before Benedict Arnold attempted to betray the revolutionary army at West Point and defected from the new nation in 1780.
Admission to the lecture is $5 for adults and free for students and Schoharie County Historical Society members. Refreshments will be provided.
The Old Stone Fort Museum Complex is located in the village of Schoharie at 145 Fort Road, off NY State Rt. 30, 2.5 miles south of Interstate 88 Exit 23.
For more information on the 2019 Lecture Series and other events, contact the museum at (518) 295-7192 or visit their website at TheOldStoneFort.org
