The Boot Monument at Saratoga National Historical Park commemorates a Continental Army officer's severe injury, notably by omitting his name — a form of historical erasure. This monument honors Benedict Arnold, whose complex legacy makes him a controversial figure in American history.
Arnold was born January 14, 1741, in Norwich, Connecticut, to a family of declining fortune. His mother apprenticed him to Dr. Daniel Lathrop in 1754, providing eight years of medical training that would later influence his refusal to allow amputation of his wounded leg.
Arnold's early Revolutionary service was distinguished. He captured a powder magazine in April 1775 and, with Ethan Allen, took Fort Ticonderoga. He led an expedition toward Quebec, where he sustained his first leg wound in the same limb that would be shattered at Saratoga.
By 1777, General Horatio Gates had diminished Arnold's standing, promoting Benjamin Lincoln over him. On October 7, 1777, during the Saratoga campaign, Arnold joined the battle despite Gates's preference. He charged toward Balcarres Redoubt, then turned toward Breymann's Redoubt, where he planned a strategic flanking maneuver with Colonel Daniel Morgan's forces.
As Arnold breached the German fortifications, a musket ball fired by a Brunswicker killed his horse and shattered his left leg slightly above the ankle. Henry Dearborn, who had served under Arnold and practiced medicine, was among the first to reach him. A tourniquet was fashioned from Arnold's trousers, and he was transported to Albany on October 11.
At the military hospital, surgeon James Thacher documented treating Arnold through the night of October 12. Amputation was standard procedure, but Arnold refused, believing his apothecary knowledge exceeded the doctors' expertise. The surgeons applied bloodletting and Cinchona bark ointment to prevent gangrene.
Arnold's leg was placed in a fracture box for immobilization. The wound became infected by mid-November but began draining in December. By year's end, significant improvement appeared. After five months of suffering, Arnold's leg emerged two inches shorter than his right leg, leaving him permanently limping.
Arnold's greatest patriotic service occurred at the moment the bullet struck him. His subsequent convalescence, marked by perceived slights and stolen glory, may have contributed to what would today be recognized as post-traumatic stress disorder, ultimately transforming him into a traitor to the American cause.