Benedict Arnold was a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War who later defected to the British Army. He was born in Connecticut in 1741 and fought for the American side early in the war, but his military career was marked by controversy and he became disillusioned with the Patriot cause. In 1780, Arnold began exchanging secret information with the British and plotted to surrender the fort at West Point, New York, but his plan was foiled and he fled to the British lines, becoming one of the most notorious traitors in American history.