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	• Rabble in Arms Kenneth Roberts Down East Books, 1996 - 586 pages average customer review:based on 29 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

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Comparing Rabble in Arms to Arundel misses the point. They are, for all their shared themes and characters, different books. Simply put, Peter Merrill's voice and perspective in this novel differ in many respects from those of Steven Nason in Arundel. Cap Huff, who returns as the errant knight, is integral: he is to Roberts as Falstaff is to Shakepeare. I do recommend reading Arundel first, since you will derive extra benefit from the character development that has already taken place in the first installment of this series.

Rabble in Arms is another great work by a very talented and prolific author. Perhaps Roberts' sympathetic treatment of Benedict Arnold and his ambivalence concerning patriotism and loyalty have kept his work out of the classroom. Whatever the reasons, it is tragic that Roberts and his novels are not better known. They deserve to be widely read.

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Great read, but there is a "However"

I thoroughly enjoyed "Rabble in Arms" and its sister novel, "Arundel." The characters come alive, there is much to learn about the Revolution, and I for one enjoyed Roberts' occasional meditations on the nature of war and the pros and cons of certain historical figures. I won't detail the contents of the book because others have done that already on this site, but will say that no one can read these books and not come away with an appreciation what the men (and women!) who fought on our behalf in the Revolution did for us.

There is a "however," however... Roberts is terribly pro-Benedict Arnold, to an unreasonable degree. I wonder if that wasn't simply to add interest to his book - by giving us an alternate Arnold as a counterweight to one of history's most notorious traitors, he does add an intriguing element to his novel that draws the reader in. The Arnold he produces is seductive, a "prodigy" of great military skill and selfless honor. Arnold, Roberts would have us believe, only turned traitor to save the colonies from French domination (a viewpoint he pushes heavily in his other Revolutionary War novel, "Oliver Wiswell.") Roberts reports Arnold was despised and ill-treated beyond all reason by mediocre fellow officers and Congress out of jealousy... and yet, high-minded principle was the only reason he defected.

Now, I spent only a few minutes on the Internet reading up on Arnold to learn a few things that do not jibe with Roberts' view of him: for example, one might well wonder if it was true that Arnold was so ill-used. It's probably true that Arnold was deprived of proper credit for the victory at Saratoga by his commanding general, Gates. And its true he had his share of enemies. But the fact remains, Arnold DID receieve the rank of Major General from Congress, and DID receive the prestigious command of Philadelphia after his leg injury at Saratoga made it impossible to continue field command without extensive recuperation. While at Philadelphia, he was court martialed on a number of charges Roberts considers trumped up: but it IS true that Arnold spent beyond his means on lavish parties he was holding to socialize with Philadelphia's largely loyalist elite. The core charges that stuck against him involved misusing government property to further his social life. The upshot was that Arnold was given a symbolic slap on the wrist by Congress, in the form of a letter of reprimand written by Washington that read more like a thank you note for Arnold's brilliant service than a condemnation. So much for "abuse."

Arnold's inappropriate fraternization with Loyalists in Philadelphia led to his second marriage... predictably enough, to a Loyalist. His lavish spending left him deeply in debt. It may be that Roberts is correct that Arnold's decision to sell out West Point to the British for the equivalent of millions of modern dollars was motivated only by high-minded, anti-French principles (Roberts never mentions the Arnold had requested money, by the way)... but I think more objective observors might think of a better word for his actions and motivations: treachery, against one's own country for the sake of money and personal grudges, goaded on by is wife and new friends. Certainly that was the view his British contemporaries held of him, a fact that puzzles Roberts when he mentions it in "Oliver Wiswell." Wasn't there an obvious reason the British didn't fully trust Arnold... because he had sold out his own for money? How could anyone, really, trust Arnold after that?

In "Oliver Wiswell," we meet Arnold as he is planning a raid against the very people he had previously led at Quebec and Lake Champlain. He drinks a toast to his new Loyalist officers, praying that all "rebels be confounded." Readers that come to this scene, after reading "Rabbble in Arms," will quite properly wonder what sort of man would pray for a thing like that to befall the Steven and Phoebe Nasons, the Peter Merrils, the Morgans, and countless others that previously followed him against all odds and at great personal risk and discomfort. What sort of man would now call them "rebels?" What sort of man would not only change sides, perhaps for reasons of principle but more likely also for need of money and personal revenge, but then go on to actually try to kill the very same people that had already risked their lives for him when he still called them "patriots?" The answer, I'm afraid, is... the worst traitor in American history.

Roberts is a great writer, and has an interesting take on Arnold... but even the greatest apologist for Arnold could not succesfully cover up Arnold's true nature. Arnold spent too much money being much to cozy with the wrong people in Philadelphia. His poor judgment entangled him with a Loyalist woman. His fundamental lack of loyalty and scruples, and the company he kept, allowed him to seek a way out of his financial problems by betraying his people and country.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6



The second of Roberts's epic novels of the American Revolution, Rabble in Arms was hailed by one critic as the greatest historical novel written about America upon its publication in 1933. Love, treachery, ambition, and idealism motivate an unforgettable cast of characters in a magnificent novel renowned not only for the beauty and horror of its story but also for its historical accuracy.

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