In October 1780, the Continental Congress of the United States issued a proclamation calling on the "several states to set apart Thursday, [December 7,] to be observed as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer" (note that this Thanksgiving Day was to be in December, not November). One of the reasons listed for giving thanks was "the late remarkable imposition of [God's] watchful providence, in rescuing the person of our Commander in Chief [George Washington] and the army from imminent dangers, at the moment when treason was ripened for execution" (see here for the full text of the proclamation). What were the authors of the proclamation referring to? They were referring to the discovery of Benedict Arnold's secret plan to hand over West Point to the British.
Historian Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy describes West Point, a fortress on the Hudson River in New York (now the site of the U.S. Military Academy), as "the strongest post of the Continental Army" (The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire, p. 235). According to O'Shaughnessy, control of West Point would have offered the British army, "the chance of severing the communications between Washington's army at Kingsbridge [in New York] and the French army at Newport [Rhode Island]. It was [also] a major depot of guns, ammunition, and provisions" (p. 235). Arnold had just been made commander of West Point. He was also "ready to betray the [American] cause" (p. 235). O'Shaughnessy notes that Arnold, a one-time hero of the Continental Army:
...thought the rebellion close to collapse, with many of the best officers resigning in disgust at the treatment of the army by Congress. He complained about the depreciation of the currency in which the army was paid, the token size of the navy, and virtual bankruptcy of the Treasury. His perception was skewed by his bitterness at being passed over for promotion by lesser men in decisions often based on political considerations rather than merit. He resented a court martial that had failed to clear him fully of charges of financial impropriety. He was physically crippled by his military service and felt unappreciated by his country. His wife's family was sympathetic to the loyalist cause. His defection was not least motivated by the monetary reward, which was all the more alluring because of his extravagant lifestyle and mounting debts. (p. 235)
On Sept. 27, 1780, Sir Henry Clinton, the British commander in chief in America, sent one of his most prized officers, Major John Andre, to meet secretly with Arnold. Arnold handed over vital information about West Point to Andre. However, as Andre was making his way back to British-controlled New York City, he was captured by men he mistook for loyalists. An American military court would find Andre guilty of being a spy and order his execution. In the meantime, Arnold escaped to the British and would be made an officer in the British army.
The discovery of Arnold's treachery had prevented a major disaster for the American cause. Thus, it is not surprising that the Continental Congress should call on Americans to give thanks for what they viewed as divine intervention in the Arnold affair. We may have less dramatic reasons for giving thanks, but--quoting the words of the 1780 Thanksgiving proclamation--we certainly have our own reasons for offering "devout and thankful acknowledgments" to "Almighty God, the Father of all mercies" on this day.
Image of Benedict Arnold by Thomas Hart
from Wikimedia Commons