บท 12: Benedict Arnold
General Kim sifted through the small pile of papers on his makeshift desk as he looked over some paperwork sent to him by Congress. It had been three weeks since his arrival in Philadelphia, and there had been good and bad developments during his stay. For one, the Continental Congress favored the Declaration of Independence, though they were planning to wait for the Carolinas to come to a final decision. With Boston and New York unoccupied and the northeastern colonies secured, for the time being, the delegates from the northeast were less reluctant to ratify the declaration. Unfortunately, as the rumors of abolishing slavery and establishing a free nation spread throughout the colonies, Georgia boycotted the Congress. The southern colony was teetering on the verge of remaining loyal to Britain. Regardless, good progress was made between himself and the Continental Congress, and he was no longer starstruck every time he saw Jefferson or Franklin.
During the three weeks, more and more men from nearby colonies arrived in Philadelphia, seeking enlistment under the 1st Marine Regiment. His show of goodwill to the locals and his aggressive enlistment campaign paid off, and his unit was now 750 men strong, along with the soldiers of the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment. Instead of adding additional battalions, he expanded the currently existing chain of command, with the troops from Boston taking seniority in rank. Thankfully, General Kim was blessed due to his benefactor, as supplies, uniforms, and weapons never became a problem, and the benefactor was generous enough to provide a special uniform for the Pennsylvanian regiment as well. He also administered the vaccine to all the newcomers and administrated them to the members of the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment as well.
The new rifled muskets (which he explained as an experimental weapon brought from overseas) and the increased physical training and exercise made the marines a formidable fighting force. After several weeks of training, the marines looked much more disciplined and trained before. The 1st Pennsylvania Regiment was also training alongside their fellow patriots but lagged in many aspects except marksmanship. While the Pennsylvanian regiment lacked strength and hand-to-hand combat, it had many excellent marksmen and snipers. And due to many of them being frontiersmen, they worked with the marines quite well and preferred unconventional warfare over line battles.
Even more excitedly, General Kim was now in possession of a dozen artillery pieces. Through General Putnam, he acquired the artillery that the British left behind and "lent" it to the 1st Marine Regiment for use, along with ammunition. As such, the marine regiment also had a small artillery corps consisting of 50 members. Additionally, with his future knowledge, he assigned Major Knowlton a company of 100 marines to utilize as an independent, special company officially designated as the "Marine Recon Company." He was tasked with gathering intelligence and spying on the enemy activity as the invasion went underway. Due to the company's special status, they carried out their private and core marine training.
Meanwhile, the Continental Army under General Washington's command swelled in rank rapidly as continental regiments made their way to the commander to report for duty. General Washington had nearly 15,000 men under his command, many of them rough and unpolished militiamen or civilians. But with the assistance of General Kim and the marine regiment, the men were becoming a better fighting force, and nearly all of them were vaccinated (when the benefactor said a lot of medical supplies, she meant it). Thankfully, due to the increased amount of funds available, almost all the men were clothed in uniform and posessed firearms and ammunition.
It was almost time to leave Philadelphia, and General Kim felt prepared more than ever. He was waiting for one more final piece to arrive to begin his advance.
"General Kim, your guest has arrived." A marine called out from outside his tent.
"Send him in."
An average height, well-dressed man walked into the tent silently, tilting his head downwards towards General Kim before rising back again to full heights, "General Kim, it's an honor to finally meet the hero of Bunker Hill. I am Colonel Benedict Arnold, and I have been assigned to the 1st Marine Regiment."
General Kim rose from his seat and personally greeted the man, "Thank you, Colonel Arnold. And it's a pleasure to meet you. Please have a seat colonel; we have much to discuss."
Once the two settled into their seats, the general continued, "Colonel Arnold, I specifically requested your assignment into my regiment for a reason. What I am about to reveal to you must not be revealed to anyone, not even the men in the marine regiment. The Continental Congress is aware of what I am about to tell you, but do not mention that you have acquired this knowledge to them either."
"You can trust me, general. I will ensure that I will not discuss this matter without your presence," Colonel Arnold stated, straightening his posture.
"The truth is, colonel, I am a man from the future; the year 2016 to be exact."
He then went on to support his claims through the use of his laptop and his futuristic equipment. Colonel Arnold looked startled, but he looked excited once he realized General Kim was speaking the truth. "Did you request my commission because I was considered a capable leader in the future? Does history see me as an officer worthy of commendation and praise?"
"Yes and no, colonel," General Kim typed in the name "Benedict Arnold" into Wikipedia and then turned the screen to the colonel, "I believe you should read it yourself. Your history was... complicated, to say the least."
The colonel took approximately five minutes to skim through his biography, his eyes darting back and forth. By the time he reached the end of his memoir, Colonel Arnold's expression had changed from excitement to disbelief and horror, "I betrayed the colonies, and my name was forever synonymous with the word "traitor." Why would I ever turn against my countrymen like this?"
"You were passed for promotions several times, unrecognized for your heroics despite placing your life on the line each time you fought. You were also heavily injured and coaxed by a colonial loyalist when you were recovering from your wounds. While I could not condone your behavior in this history, I can understand the reasoning behind it."
Colonel Arnold looked at his superior nervously, "And did you ask for my presence to place an eye on me, general. Or even worse, kill me?"
General Kim frowned and shook his head, "No, colonel. I've called you here for another reason. I hope that you will serve under my command and oversee the leadership of the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment."
The colonel's eyes widened, but General Kim continued to clarify, "The man in the other history is not you. You have not gone through the things the "other" Benedict Arnold has, and you have not betrayed Congress in this history. I believe, and I hope, that the tragedy of the other history can be avoided and that you and your skills can be recognized and rewarded in this history. We need talented military leaders, and you were one of the best the patriots had before your defection."
"Is Congress aware of my history?"
"No, it is one of the few things I am keeping from them. I'm willing to give you a chance colonel so that you avoid what happened to you in the other history" General Kim leaned in with his hands folded, "Do you know the history of Admiral Yi Sun-shin, colonel?"
"I can't say I'm familiar with that name, general," Colonel Arnold answered.
"Well, he was similar to your other self in many ways. Admiral Yi was a man from a country called Joseon, where my ancestors were born. He was a skilled and brilliant leader, able to seize victory even from the jaws of defeat. Like your other self, he was unrecognized and even mocked despite his abilities. He never lost a single battle during his entire life, yet he was demoted because of his rivals and his government. He went from the greatest admiral in the Joseon Navy to a lowly private in the army. Yet he was not discouraged from being unrecognized or demoted and kept on fighting, and eventually achieved the rank of admiral once again before dying in battle. In Joseon, he is considered one of the most legendary military leaders, and his name is highly revered."
"I just want you to remember this," General Kim turned the laptop back towards him and closed it, "I will do my best to ensure that the others recognize you for your abilities, should you be able to achieve success in battle. However, even if you are unrecognized or mocked by others, remember that history will not forget your deeds. You may be treated harshly now, but you will go on to be recognized by future generations, for achievements such as money and rank are temporary. But your legend, your results are eternal. I will not treat you any differently than others under my command and ensure you are given a fair chance to prove yourself."
"I...I will take some time to think about this issue, general. If you don't mind," The once proud and excited colonel looked downtrodden. General Kim nodded and showed him the way to a private tent for him to go over his thoughts. After the general returned, he sighed and rubbed his temple.
The general knew that if he revealed Colonel Arnold's story to Congress, Congress would attempt to execute him for treason immediately. Especially so since General Washington did not have a good relationship with Colonel Arnold. Even so, Colonel Arnold wasn't irredeemable, far from it actually. The man lost his wife while fighting for the colonial cause, suffered various illnesses and diseases, always endured difficulties to achieve victory, and was loyal initially. If anything, his story and his betrayal were a bit tragic, though the treachery was still unacceptable. Nevertheless, he was going to give the man a chance.
Whether the colonel accepted it was up to his own devices...
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