The American Revolution, ended two centuries of British rule over most of the North American Colonies, resulting in the formation of the United States of America. The various causes of the American Revolution can be traced to the end of the French and Indian War, when Britain had succeeded in gaining territory from France at the expense of increasing its already enormous national debt. In an attempt to relieve Britain of its financial burden, British Parliament decided that the American Colonists would have to help pay for their own defense, despite the fact that a French invasion was no longer a real threat.

Toward this end, Parliament passed the first of several tax laws, the Stamp Act, which taxed all paper products in the colonies. The Americans declared it was unfair to tax them when they had no representation in Parliament, and protests eventually escalated to open hostilities in 1775, when the British Regulars fired on the Minutemen of Lexington, Massachusetts.

This conflict contributed to the formation of the Continental Congress (which directed the American war effort) and to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The first years of the war saw major defeats for American forces, who were outnumbered 3-1 by the British army, but the tide soon turned as nations such as France, Spain and the Netherlands offered troops and assistance, elevating the conflict to the status of an international war.

Eventually, George Washington's army and a force under the French Count de Rochambeau trapped Lord Cornwallis, the leader of the British army, in Yorktown. After a siege, Cornwallis surrendered his army of more than 7,000 men on October 19, 1781. However, it wasn't until the Treaty of Paris in 1783, a full eight years after the initial outbreak of violence, that Great Britain signed the formal peace treaty recognizing the former colonies as an independent nation.

In 1776 Arnold repeatedly demonstrated his military prowess against British forces. Yet, Arnold threatened to resign when other brigadiers were promoted to major generals, but not him. At the encouragement of Washington, he again joined the army to stop the advance of General Burgoyne, Colonel Barry St. Leger, and Sir William Howe from the north. Arnold twice made two heroic attacks (once independently) against the British, leading to Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga on October 17, 1776. During these forays, he was shot in the same leg as before, giving him a serious limp thereafter. Arnold's successes conflicted with his superior, General Horatio Gates, and he was temporality removed from his command.

In 1778 Washington appointed Arnold the military commander of Philadelphia after the British evacuated. In Philadelphia patriots accused him of using using public wagons for private profit and for making money for himself after he closed all the shops down in Philadelphia. Patriots also accused him of being to friendly with loyalists. After all, the British had just evacuated Philadelphia, and tensions were high between loyalists and patriots. Arnold then faced a court martial for corruption and resigned his post on March 19, 1779. Soon after resigning, Arnold sold his services to the British.

In May 1779 Arnold sent for Joseph Stansbury, who lived in Philadelphia and opposed armed resistance. Stansbury, with the help of Jonathan Odell, met with John André, the aide de camp of General Henry Clinton. In the following months, Arnold provided the British with a variety of military and political secrets. Arnold's treachery was revealed when André was captured on September 21. Arnold escaped to New York once the Americans discovered he was a spy. Arnold published a statement to encourage other Americans to join his cause. When this failed, we was made a British brigadier and sent on raids in Virginia. His successful attacks against forts in Virginia and New York permanently marked him as a traitor. After General Charles Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia in October 1781, Arnold and his family sailed back to England with Cornwallis. In Britain, he was not trusted with any military commands and failed as a merchant. He died in London in 1801.

Yet he is a man little known today as a human being. He possessed a kind of natural reserve and dignity while "on the job" that was almost impenetrable, and held positions of public service most of his life. There was a more relaxed, private side to Washington that family members and close personal friends often saw. He had an ironic sense of humor. Although his own lifestyle was refined and aristocratic, he liked people and had exceptional rapport with the common man. But existing documentation provides only hints and glimpses of it. Any sort of understanding of the man was made difficult during his lifetime by the idealization that society demanded of it's first leader. Americans of the time needed a hero to rationalize the acts of inhumanity and deep personal sacrifice they had to make to bring the United States into existence.
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In 1853, near Patriot's Park, a monument was erected to honor the three heroic militiamen. At a later dedication, the monument was increased and a bronze stature of John Paulding was added. There is a dedication in stone on the south side of the monument which reads "On this spot the 23rd day of September, 1780, the spy, Major John Andre, Adjutant General of the British Army, was captured by John Paulding, David Williams, and Isaac Van Wart, all natives of this county. History has told the rest. The people of Westchester County have erected this Monument, as well to commemorate a great Event, as to testify their high estimation of that Integrity and Patriotism which, rejecting every temptation, rescued the United States from most imminent peril by baffling the arts of a Spy and the plots of a Traitor. Dedicated October 7, 1853." On the north side of the block an inscription reads, "Their conduct merits our warmest esteem. They have prevented, in all probability, our suffering one of the severest strokes that could have been meditated against us" written by George Washington.

Inclosed in a cover addressed to M[r.] Anderson / Two days since I received a letter without date or Signature, / informing me that S[ir]. Henry ------ was obliged to me for intelligence / communicated, and that he placed a full confidence in the Sincerity / of my intentions, etc. etc. On the 13th Instant I addressed a letter / to you expressing my Sentiments and expectations, viz, that / the following Preliminaries be settled previous to cooperating. - / First, that S[ir]. Henry secure to me my property, valued at ten thou- / sand pounds Sterling, to be paid to me or my Heirs in case of / Loss; and, as soon as that happens [strike out] shall happen, ---- hundred / pounds per annum to be secured to me for life, in lieu of the / pay and emoluments I give up, for my Services as they shall / deserve - If I point out a plan of cooperation by which S[ir}. H[enry]. / shall possess himself of West Point, the Garrison, etc. etc. etc. twenty / thousand pounds Sterling I think will be a cheap purchase for / an object of so much importance. At the same time I request / thousand pounds to be paid my Agent - I expect a full / and explicit answer - The 20th I set off for West Point. A / personal interview with an officer that you can confide in / is absolutely necessary to plan matters. In the mean time / I shall communicate to our mutual Friend S[tansbur]y all the / intelligence in my power, until I have the pleasure of your answer. / Moore / July 15th [1780] / To the line of my letter of the 13th / I did not add seven.