Boot Monument

Coordinates: 43°0′30.2″N 73°38′21.7″W / 43.008389°N 73.639361°W / 43.008389; -73.639361
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Boot Monument
Monument to Benedict Arnold's injured foot at Saratoga National Historical Park
Map
43°0′30.2″N 73°38′21.7″W / 43.008389°N 73.639361°W / 43.008389; -73.639361
LocationSaratoga National Historical Park[1]
DesignerGeorge Edwin Bissell[2][3][page needed]
Dedicated toBenedict 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 of Arnold's betrayal to the British army. Instead, it commemorates Arnold as the "most brilliant soldier of the Continental Army". The monument was sculpted by George Edwin Bissell.

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 his leg shattered. 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 give crucial information about the fortification of West Point to the British but was discovered and fled to the British army.

Background[edit]

American General Benedict Arnold had contributed significantly to both Battles of Saratoga, although his contributions to the first battle, the Battle of Freeman's Farm, are disputed.[4][5] However, in the second battle, the Battle of Bemis Heights on October 7, 1777, General Arnold unexpectedly joined the battle[6][7] even after hostilities between him and General Horatio Gates resulted in Arnold's command being removed, and having it given to 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 battle, Arnold's leg and horse were shot. When the horse fell, Arnold's leg shattered. British General John Burgoyne, on October 17, surrendered.[4]

Gates did not mention much of Arnold's contributions in his report of the aftermath of the battle,[10] which contributed to Arnold's bitterness, along with his battle 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. Arnold met with British Major John André, who Arnold had solicited communication through, and André was later captured on his way back to New York with the plans for West Point being discovered.[12][13] Arnold fled to the British army, and remained as a general there until the war ended.[14][15]

History[edit]

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".

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 on an 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][page needed] 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][page needed]

A few college boys on a trip stole the toe and spur from the Boot Monument,[21][22] and they were only discovered when an anonymous informer informed the battlefield official that the toe was stolen by "a graduate of a New York State educational institution."[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,[27][3][page needed] while others say 1972. However, the monument was still at the Breymann Redoubt before the time of its move, and is still at the redoubt, which is Tour Stop #7.[1][28]

Appearance[edit]

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.

— [29][17]

The monument never mentions Arnold by name because De Peyster was worried that the monument would be defaced if it mentioned Arnold directly[30][22] and because of Arnold's defection to the British army. It features a howitzer barrel, with a left-footed horseman's riding boot[31][4][32] and a two-star epaulette for a major general on top of the barrel.[33][34][page needed] A Laurel leaf wreath sits atop the howitzer.[35] As a sign of dishonor, the howitzer barrel is pointed downwards.[36] One error in the inscription was that Arnold did not earn the rank of Major General prior to, and because of, Saratoga, but he did regain his seniority.[1] The monument faces the battlefield.[37]

Similarly to how Arnold's name does not appear on the Boot Monument because of his betrayal to the British side,[38][39] 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 there with a plaque on the wall, but Arnold's plaque only mentions his date of birth and death date, but not his name.[40]

The monument is made of white marble.[2][41]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Murphy (2007) pp. 2, 3, 235
  2. ^ a b c d e f Strange (2015) pp. 194–221
  3. ^ a b c d Holmes, Smith-Holmes (2012)
  4. ^ a b c Martin (1997) pp. 378–381, 514
  5. ^ Ketchum (1997), p. 515
  6. ^ Luzader (2008), p. 285
  7. ^ Frothingham, Nickerson (1928), p. 362
  8. ^ Ketchum (1997), pp. 284–285
  9. ^ Frothingham, Nickerson (1928), p. 365
  10. ^ Palmer (2006) pp. 254–255
  11. ^ Philbrick (2016) pp. 321–326
  12. ^ "The Shrine of the Memorial Museum". The Putnam County Courier. November 28, 1963.
  13. ^ Randall (1990) pp. 448–540
  14. ^ Brandt (1993), p. 252
  15. ^ Randall (1990), p. 589
  16. ^ Leopold, Robert. A Guide to Early African Collections in the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution, August 1994.
  17. ^ a b Watson, Elmo Scott (1941-01-31). "Time Softens the Harsh Verdict of His Contemporaries on an American Military Genius who was Born Just 200 Years Ago". The Pentwater News. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-03-11.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ "Arnold's Toe Stolen". Lawrence Journal-World. 28 July 1931. p. 5. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Find Clue to Missing Monument". The Telegraph (Nashua, New Hampshire). 28 July 1931. p. 6. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  20. ^ Tonsetic (2013) p. 144
  21. ^ "General's Boot Lured Students". The Spokesman-Review. 29 July 1931. p. 2.
  22. ^ a b "Nameless Monument For Benedict Arnold". The Lewiston Daily Sun. 22 August 1927. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  23. ^ "Find Clue to Missing Monument". The Telegraph. 28 July 1931. p. 6. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  24. ^ "At Last! Clue to Last Part of Monument to a Man's Leg". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 31 July 1931. p. 24.
  25. ^ "May Find Toe of Only Statue to a Left Leg". Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal. 28 July 1931. p. 11. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  26. ^ Griswold, Linebaugh (2006), pp. 30, 94, 101
  27. ^ Gruse, Doug (2015-08-11). "Famed traitor gets a leg up". The Post-Star. Archived from the original on 2024-03-12. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  28. ^ Thompson, Bob. "Revolutionary Saratoga Springs: Details". Boca Ration News. Archived from the original on 2024-03-03. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  29. ^ "Digital Collections : Still Image : Monument dedicated by John Watts de Peyster, Brev: Maj. Gen. S.N.Y. [NYSA_14297-87_3626]". digitalcollections.archives.nysed.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  30. ^ "Not Quite Forgotten". The Evening Tribune (Hornell). 28 August 1927. p. 9. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  31. ^ Middleton, Drew (1977-10-08). "Oct. 7,1777: The Beginning of the End at Saratoga". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2024-03-09. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  32. ^ Coe, Alexis (14 July 2020). "Yes, take down the Confederate statues. But the founders are different". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  33. ^ Duling (2021) p. 166
  34. ^ Aryes (2008), section "Monument To A Traitor"
  35. ^ Brumwell, Stephen. "'God Save Benedict Arnold' Review: Hero First, Traitor Later". WSJ. Archived from the original on 2024-02-29. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  36. ^ "Palance Recalls Arnold Heroism at Saratoga". Schenectady Gazette. 11 September 1985. p. 11. Archived from the original on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  37. ^ "Proposal to Honor Arnold Frowned Upon". Schenectady Gazette. 4 August 1930. p. 17. Archived from the original on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  38. ^ Williams (2013) p. 1769
  39. ^ MacIvor, Ivor (March 20, 1954). "The Hero Who Got The Boot". The Saturday Evening Post. p. 98.
  40. ^ Groark, Virginia (21 April 2002). "Beloved Hero and Despised Traitor". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  41. ^ "Monument To Leg Honors Traitor". Kentucky New Era. 28 June 1956. p. 3. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.

Works cited[edit]

External links[edit]