Anaxagoras
Banned
I see nothing on this in the search function. I'm surprised it hasn't been done before.
In September of 1780, Benedict Arnold had just been appointed to command of West Point and had secretly confirmed his planned defection with British General Henry Clinton. On the 18th of that month, Arnold entertained George Washington and much if his staff (including Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton, and Henry Knox) to dinner at the town of Peekskill. This was close to British-controlled territory, but since there was no reason to suspect that the British knew that Washington was nearby, it was not seen as dangerous.
Arnold sent word to via the HMS Vulture, anchored nearby, to a party of British dragoons that Washington had arrived. However, because of a delay in the message, the troopers set out too late to catch Washington before he finished dinner and went on his way.
What if the message hadn't been delayed and Washington, Lafayette, Hamilton, Knox and the rest of them had found themselves prisoners of the British?
To say that this would have been a disaster for the American cause is to understate the case. I assume Nathaniel Greene would have taken command of the Continental Army. This begs two questions. First, could Greene have dealt with the mutinies soon to break out? Second, who would take command of the Southern army (a post which, IOTL, was given to Greene)? Could Gates have been kept in place, the disaster at Camden notwithstanding?
In the fall of 1780, the American cause was at a very low ebb. George and South Carolina had been largely reconquered by the British. The economy had basically collapsed. The French and Spanish were becoming disillusioned with the Americans. War-weariness was everywhere. The treason of Benedict Arnold was a severe shock to morale. If Washington had been captured, what would the results have been?
In September of 1780, Benedict Arnold had just been appointed to command of West Point and had secretly confirmed his planned defection with British General Henry Clinton. On the 18th of that month, Arnold entertained George Washington and much if his staff (including Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton, and Henry Knox) to dinner at the town of Peekskill. This was close to British-controlled territory, but since there was no reason to suspect that the British knew that Washington was nearby, it was not seen as dangerous.
Arnold sent word to via the HMS Vulture, anchored nearby, to a party of British dragoons that Washington had arrived. However, because of a delay in the message, the troopers set out too late to catch Washington before he finished dinner and went on his way.
What if the message hadn't been delayed and Washington, Lafayette, Hamilton, Knox and the rest of them had found themselves prisoners of the British?
To say that this would have been a disaster for the American cause is to understate the case. I assume Nathaniel Greene would have taken command of the Continental Army. This begs two questions. First, could Greene have dealt with the mutinies soon to break out? Second, who would take command of the Southern army (a post which, IOTL, was given to Greene)? Could Gates have been kept in place, the disaster at Camden notwithstanding?
In the fall of 1780, the American cause was at a very low ebb. George and South Carolina had been largely reconquered by the British. The economy had basically collapsed. The French and Spanish were becoming disillusioned with the Americans. War-weariness was everywhere. The treason of Benedict Arnold was a severe shock to morale. If Washington had been captured, what would the results have been?
