Peggy Shippen

Peggy Shippen and daughter, by Sir Thomas Lawrence

Peggy Shippen, or Margaret Shippen (July 11, 1760 - August 24, 1804), was the second wife of General Benedict Arnold (following Margaret Mansfield, who died in 1775).

Early life

Peggy was the daughter of Edward Shippen of a prominent Philadelphia family. She was the youngest of the family, though there were two other boys born later who died in infancy. She grew up the baby of the family, but soon became the favorite of her father. When she was very young, she learned that she could get anything she wanted from her sister, Elizabeth, by throwing a tantrum. Either her mother or father would give in and allow her to have what she wanted. She used this to her advantage throughout her life.

When her family heard that Philadelphia was about to become a war zone, Peggy and her father left their house in the city to live on a farmhouse in the country, a few miles northeast of Philadelphia. They came back when they thought it safe. The state had passed a law that all Loyalists, even Neutralists could be arrested. Judge Shippen thought they would be safer in their city home, since the country near Philadelphia was dangerous and had been the scene of numerous battles and skirmishes. After the British took control of Philadelphia, she met British Major John Andre during visits to her home. They became good friends, some even say there were mild flirtations. When he left, he gave her a lock of his hair in a golden locket.

Shortly after the Americans retook control of Philadelphia, Benedict Arnold came to reside in Philadelphia. Peggy met him at a dance and offered to dance with him, even though he had a lame leg. The two flirted. Near the time of Elizabeth's wedding, Arnold sent a letter of engagement to Peggy. At this time, Peggy did not know that the same letter had been sent to Arnold's first love. This happened about 2-3 months before he came to Philadelphia.

In 1779, the 19-year-old Shippen married the 38-year-old Arnold. Due to her social position, Arnold began living beyond his means and was subsequently court-martialed for misusing government wagons and issuing a pass improperly to a ship.

Historic stories

It is now believed that Peggy Shippen may have instigated the correspondence between Arnold and Major John André, her friend and previous suitor, who served as aide-de-camp to General Henry Clinton. She may also have been sending information to the British before she married Arnold. Other suspects in Philadelphia, for whom there is evidence in the form of letters of correspondence with André, are loyalists Rev. Jonathan Odell and Joseph Stansbury.

General Arnold attempted to hand over pertinent information regarding the fortifications at West Point along the Hudson River. During a rendezvous with Major John Andre, a series of delays caused Andre to remain on shore and subsequently have to hide himself in a house whose owner was friends with General Arnold. General Arnold encouraged the Major to don a coat that was not his 'regimental' uniform coat, and as he rode on horseback to Manhattan to hand over the information to General Sir Henry Clinton, he was stopped and searched, resulting in the discovery of the plot.

After hearing the news of Andre's capture, Arnold fled to escape his own capture. Shippen remained for a short time at West Point, long enough to convince George Washington and his staff that she had nothing to do with her husband's betrayal. From West Point she returned briefly to her parents' home in Philadelphia and then joined her husband in New York City. New evidence suggests that she confided to her friend Theodora Prevost, the widow of a British officer, that she had always hated the American cause and had actively worked to promote her husband's plan to switch allegiance.

Eventually, after a military trial, Major John Andre was condemned to death as a spy and was hanged in Old Tappan, NY. He was later reinterred in London's Westminster Abbey in "Poet's Corner".

Peggy Shippen rejoined Arnold and followed him to London in 1781 and resided with him in New Brunswick (now part of Canada) from 1787 until 1791 before returning to London again. Shippen loyally remained at her husband's side in spite of financial disasters and the cool reception he received in Britain and New Brunswick. After his death in 1801, she used his estate to pay off his bad debts.

In 1788 Shippen returned to the United States to care for her parents and then returned to England. She died in England in 1804, and was buried with her husband at St. Mary's Church, Battersea, Surrey, on 25 August 1804.

Children, birth and death years

Benedict Arnold had eight children total, three with Margaret Mansfield (his former wife who died in 1775) and five with Shippen, whom he married in 1779.

The children of Margaret Mansfield and Arnold:

Benedict VI Arnold (1768-1795)

Richard Arnold (1769-1847)

Henry Arnold (1772-1826)

The children of Peggy Shippen and Arnold (all sons serving in the British Army):

Edward Shippen Arnold (1780-1813) (Lieutenant)

James Robertson Arnold (1781-1854) (Lieutenant General)

Sophia Matilda Arnold (1785-1828)

George Arnold (1787-1828) (Lieutenant Colonel)

William Fitch Arnold (1794-1846) (Captain)

References

3. Beauty and the Traitor

Further reading

• Finishing Becca by Ann Rinaldi is a historical fiction novel based on the life of Peggy Shippen and Benedict Arnold, an army man. It gives much information of Peggy's life in Philadelphia during the American Revolution through the eyes of Peggy's fictional maid girl, 15-year-old Becca Syng.