Major General Arnold — Wounded Dec. 31, 1775, at the Attack of Quebec
From An Impartial History of the War in America
London, 1780
Copperplate engraving — Frame: 8 7/8 x 6 1/8 inches ; sight: 7 1/4 x 4 1/2 inches 
 
A full-length engraved portrait of Benedict Arnold, shown in military dress and identified in the caption as “Major General Arnold. Wounded Dec. 31, 1775 at the attack of Quebec.” The composition depicts Arnold standing in uniform with sword at his side, commemorating the dramatic assault on Quebec during the early stages of the Revolutionary War, in which he sustained a severe wound to the leg.
 
The engraving was published in London in 1780 in An Impartial History of the War in America, a contemporary account of the conflict intended for British readers. At the time of the Quebec campaign, Arnold was widely regarded as one of the most daring officers of the Continental Army, having earlier distinguished himself in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga alongside Ethan Allen and in the arduous expedition through the Maine wilderness to Quebec. Although later remembered primarily for his defection to the British in 1780 and the failed plot to surrender West Point, contemporary prints such as this reflect Arnold’s earlier reputation as a bold and celebrated American commander.
 
An evocative Revolutionary War portrait engraving illustrating the complex legacy of one of the conflict’s most controversial figures.
 
Condition: Excellent.