Target New London: Benedict Arnold’s Raid, Just War, and ’Homegrown Terror’ Reconsidered

On 6 September 1781 turncoat Brigadier General Benedict Arnold led a major British raid against the patriot privateer base of New London, Connecticut. The historical narrative of this undeniably destructive operation has largely mirrored contemporary rebel accounts emphasizing the violence and damage perpetrated under Arnold’s command. This article, however, maintains that Arnold fought within the generally recognized rules of engagement of jus in bello, the rules of “civilized warfare.” In this broadened context, the New Londoners, by actively providing a supporting physical and economic infrastructure for privateer operations in attacking and capturing British vessels, were hardly the innocents depicted in patriot propaganda and related presentations down to our own time.