Boot Monument

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Boot Monument
Arnold-boot.jpg
Monument to Benedict Arnold's injured foot at Saratoga National Historical Park
Boot Monument
43°0′30.2″N73°38′21.7″W / 43.008389°N 73.639361°W / 43.008389; -73.639361
Location Saratoga National Historical Park [1]
Designer George Edwin Bissell [2] [3]
Dedicated to Benedict Arnold, although it does not mention his name [1]

The Boot Monument is an American Revolutionary War memorial located in Saratoga National Historical Park, New York. Erected in 1887 by John Watts de Peyster, it commemorates Major General Benedict Arnold's service at the Battles of Saratoga in the Continental Army, but does not mention him on the monument because Arnold betrayed the Continental Army for the British Army. Instead, it commemorates Arnold as the "most brilliant soldier of the Continental Army". The monument was sculpted by George Edwin Bissell.

Contents

While fighting at the Battle of Bemis Heights, Arnold was severely wounded after being shot in his leg. His horse, who was shot as well, fell on Arnold's leg and shattered it. After this, Arnold continued to grow more bitter towards the Continental Army when he was passed over for promotion, lost his business, and was court-martialed for abusing his power as military commander of Philadelphia. He later attempted to help the British capture the fortification of West Point but was discovered and fled to the British army.

Background

American Major General Benedict Arnold had contributed to both Battles of Saratoga, although the extent of his contributions to the first battle, the Battle of Freeman's Farm, are disputed. [4] [5] However, in the second conflict, the Battle of Bemis Heights on 7 October 1777, General Arnold unexpectedly joined the fighting [6] [7] even after hostilities between him and Major General Horatio Gates resulted in Arnold's command being removed and given to Major General Benjamin Lincoln. [8] Gates attempted to send Arnold back to camp, but Gates's orders did not reach Arnold until the battle was over. Arnold led the American Continental Army in taking a redoubt commanded by Lord Balcarres. [9] However, at the end of the conflict, Arnold's leg and horse were shot. When the horse fell, Arnold's leg shattered. [4]

Gates did not make much mention of Arnold's contributions in his report of the aftermath of the battle, [10] which contributed to Arnold's bitterness, along with his combat wounds, business troubles, Congress having promoted some rival and younger generals ahead of him, and a court martial after being convicted of two minor charges of using his role as military commander of Philadelphia to make a profit. [11] This, along with the fact that his wife, Peggy Shippen, came from a family of Loyalists, caused Arnold to start making communications with the British army, with Sir Henry Clinton finally offering Arnold £20,000 for the capture of West Point, [12] a fortification that was important to the control of the Hudson River. [13] Arnold met with British Major John André so he could pass on information on how to best attack West Point, and André was later captured on his way back to New York with the plans for West Point being discovered. [12] Arnold fled to the British army, and remained as a general there until the war ended. [14] [15]

History

In a Saratoga Monument Association (SMA) meeting in July of 1882, there was an announcement by Ellen Harden Walworth, chairman of the Committee of Tablets, that the spot where Arnold injured his leg was marked by a stake. There were no objections to the stake. [2]

John Watts de Peyster, a former major general for the New York State Militia during the American Civil War, [16] writer of several military histories about the Battle of Saratoga, and a vice president of the SMA, [2] wanted to commemorate Arnold's contribution to the Continental Army's victory over the British [1] and was unsatisfied with the Saratoga Battle Monument, where the niche where a statue of Arnold should have gone would remain empty. [17] De Peyster considered Arnold a traitor, but still recognized his contributions at Saratoga. He wanted to "honor some of Arnold's deeds without honoring the man" [1] but thought that simply a slab of granite to commemorate Arnold "would not do." [2]

De Peyster decided on a boot for the monument because he had heard of a story where Arnold asked an American he met in London what the Americans thought of him, to which the American said that they would make a monument out of Arnold's leg and hang the rest of his body in effigy. [18] [19] Historian Michael L. Lear said that he decided on Arnold's boot as a suitable monument because "the leg was the only part of Arnold not to later turn traitor and since it was sacrificed in winning the battle of Saratoga, it should be commemorated." [1] He commissioned George Edwin Bissell, [2] [3] who had designed other statues that Peyster had erected, [1] to sculpt a marker in white marble. [2] The monument was then erected in 1887. [1] It is the only monument to Arnold in the United States [20] and the only monument in Saratoga National Park that does not say the name of its honoree. [3]

College boys on a trip stole the toe from the Boot Monument, [21] [22] and they were only discovered when an anonymous informer (described as "a graduate of a New York State educational institution") told the battlefield official that the toe was stolen. [23] The monument underwent restoration after Adolph S. Ochs, publisher of The New York Times , financed it. [24] [25]

The monument was originally located at the top of the hill at the Breymann Redoubt site, but was later moved after further research to where Arnold injured his leg, which was the more southern end of the main redoubt line. [26] The time at which this happened is disputed with some sources saying 1975, [3] [27] while others say 1972. However, the monument was still at the Breymann Redoubt before the time of its move, and is still at the southern end of the redoubt. [1] [28] [29]

Appearance

The Boot Monument from the back, where the inscription is written The Boot Monument Uncovered (a3ffc30d-9e26-44a7-8d69-87b8b8957f3b).JPG
The Boot Monument from the back, where the inscription is written

The inscription on the monument reads:

Erected 1887 By
JOHN WATTS de PEYSTER
Brev: Maj: Gen: S.N.Y.
2nd V. Pres't Saratoga Mon't Ass't'n:
In memory of
the "most brilliant soldier" of the
Continental Army
who was desperately wounded
on this spot the sally port of
BURGOYNES GREAT WESTERN REDOUBT
7th October, 1777
winning for his countrymen
the decisive battle of the
American Revolution
and for himself the rank of
Major General.

—  [17] [30]

The monument never mentions Arnold by name because of Arnold's defection to the British army, [4] [31] [32] and De Peyster was worried that the monument would be defaced if it mentioned Arnold directly. [33] [22] It features a howitzer barrel, with a left-footed horseman's riding boot [4] [31] [32] and a two-star epaulette for a major general on top of the barrel. [34] [35] A laurel leaf wreath sits atop the howitzer. [36] As a sign of dishonor, the howitzer barrel is pointed downwards. [37] One error in the inscription was that Arnold did not earn the rank of Major General after, and because of, Saratoga, but he did regain his seniority. [1] The inscription was edited after its erection to say "erected 1887 by" before De Peyster's name to make it clear that he is not the honoree of the boot. [38] The monument faces the battlefield. [39]

Similarly to how Arnold's name does not appear on the Boot Monument because of his betrayal to the British side, [40] [41] the Saratoga Battle Monument honors Gates, General Philip Schuyler, Arnold, and Colonel Daniel Morgan, but the place where Arnold's statue should stand in the monument is an empty niche. In an old cadet chapel at West Point, Revolutionary War generals are honored with a plaque on the wall, but Arnold's plaque does not have his name on it, and only mentions his birth and death dates. [42]

The monument is made of white marble [2] [43] and is 4 feet (1.2 m) tall. [44]

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

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Works cited

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