The Man in the Mirror: A Life of Benedict Arnold

Brandt ( An American Aristocracy: The Livingstons ) convincingly portrays notorious colonial turncoat Arnold's (1741-1801) actions as the result of numerous insecurities, slights and ambitions. Though her psychologizing is at times overwrought, Brandt's lively account is multidimensional, based on a wealth of sources. She traces how young Arnold's hopes for a college education were dashed by his alcoholic father, and how as a New Haven, Conn., entrepreneur he craved wealth as a sign of his worth. Arnold continually battled his inner demons--as a militia officer arguing with rivals, as an ambitious soldier bereft of his dead wife, as a hero who saved his country from the British fleet but made numerous enemies among his compatriots and in congress. Stung by court-martial charges, Arnold turned to the British, but his plot to deliver the West Point garrison failed. Stripped of his image as ``Patriot-Hero,'' Arnold concocted rationalizations for his treachery and arguments for British military strategy. But his plans to restore his reputation went awry, and, intending only to visit England in 1792, he stayed there until his death. Illustrations not seen by PW. Author tour. (Jan.)