Thursday, March 19, 2009
Saratoga National Historical Site, New York
The best stories about war monuments often are the ones left unsaid. Remember that when you visit the battlefield in Saratoga, which is located eight miles south of Schuylerville north of Albany. (Note, it's a ways from the Interstate, if you are driving in that direction.)
Saratoga is remembered as one of the turning points of the American Revolution. The colonies defeated the British in 1777 and prevented them from taking control of the Hudson River, which would have split the colonies in two.
One of the central figures on the American side was a man named Benedict Arnold, who fought the British with great valor. Therefore, this monument was raised ... but if you look carefully, you'll notice that Arnold's name is never mentioned. Only his achievements are discussed. As you might remember, Arnold tried to hand West Point over to the British in 1780. His name has gone hand-in-hand with the word traitor in the U.S. ever since.
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