r/AskReddit • u/DrCompenomics • 12h ago

Who’s the best real-life example of “you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain,” and what happened?

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u/Saxhleel13 9h ago

I'm familiar with the historians in upstate New York and those guys love to point this out about him. Valcour, Ticonderoga, Saratoga.

The Plattsburgh history museum's original idea for an America 250 exhibit up until basically the last minute of planning was "Benedict Arnold: Hero of Lake Champlain" (now History of Lake Champlain, with a section dedicated to him).

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u/ocient 7h ago

and in New London Connecteicut we burn his effigy every year

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u/stanley604 4h ago

Just because he burned your town and was responsible for the slaughter of the surrendering troops at Fort Griswold? Give the guy a break

Norwich ain't too proud of him, either.

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u/trilobyte-dev 1h ago

I grew up in Saratoga and we would regularly take field trips to the battlefield (though the battlefield is in Schuylerville and not Saratoga).