CT, USA
Arnold Confronts Selectmen at Powder Magazine
April 22, 1775
When New Haven's selectmen refused to immediately release the militia powder stores after news of Lexington arrived, Benedict Arnold confronted them with his armed company. The selectmen argued that they should wait for orders from the colonial legislature. Arnold, characteristically, had no patience for deliberation.
The confrontation — resolved when the selectmen handed over the keys — was a small incident with large implications. It demonstrated the tension between established authority and revolutionary urgency that played out in towns across the colonies. Arnold's willingness to act without authorization foreshadowed both his military boldness and his contempt for institutional constraints.
People Involved
Before his military career and eventual treason, Arnold was a prosperous New Haven merchant and apothecary. He led a company of New Haven militia to Cambridge after Lexington and Concord, beginning the military career that would take him to Ticonderoga, Quebec, Saratoga, and infamy.