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There’s a strange battlefield monument near tour stop number seven In Saratoga National Historical Park in upstate New York.
It commemorates one of the most colorful leaders in America’s Revolutionary War.
It’s just a stone sculpture of a left leg, covered by a tall boot.
The accompanying plaque reads:
In memory of the most brilliant soldier of the Continental Army who was desperately wounded on this spot, the sally port of Burgoyne’s Great Western Redoubt 7th October, 1777, winning for his countrymen the decisive battle of the American Revolution.
No one disagrees that the Battle of Saratoga was America’s greatest military triumph in our war against Great Britain.
And no one disagrees that the key moment of that multi-day conflict was the reckless charge of one of our most headstrong commanders.
As he led what looked like a suicidal assault on an enemy fortification (British General Burgoyne’s Great Western Redoubt), a bullet shattered his left leg. Another killed his horse, which collapsed underneath him. His wounded leg hit the ground first, followed by the full weight of his horse, which pinned him to the ground.
“Rush on, my brave boys, rush on!” he shouted to his men, who genuinely loved him. Inspired, they overran the redoubt and won the day – and quite possibly the war.
These are the kinds of moments that create legendary heroes.
So why doesn’t the strange monument mention the name of the general who saved the day?
That’s because his name was Benedict Arnold, the most notorious traitor in American history.
Historian Steve Sheinkin suggests that if Arnold had died from his wounds at the Battle of Saratoga, he would be enshrined today in the pantheon of great Americans. “We’d celebrate his life as one of the best action stories we have – [George] Washington never did anything half as exciting as [Arnold’s] march to Quebec or the Battle of Valcour Island. Sure, we’d say Arnold was unstable, tormented, a loose cannon. But he’d be our loose cannon.”
Sadly, all the good that Benedict Arnold accomplished in the first part of his life was erased by the treachery that followed.
He was incredibly gifted. But also incredibly flawed – ambitious, manipulative, willing to sell out his core values.
Gifted people win acclaim. We love brilliant entrepreneurs, extraordinary athletes, Oscar-winning actors, and pastors who launch the most exciting church in town.
Gifts are wonderful. Gifts come from God. But gifts are not substitutes for character. Gifts without accountability prompt us to pursue our “shadow mission,” and that usually means disaster.
What’s a shadow mission? It’s a misuse of what we do well – a detour from the true mission we have received from the Giver of all our gifts. A teacher’s true mission is to grow the hearts and minds of students, not to pursue the shadow mission of becoming famous and popular because of exceptional teaching. A friend’s true mission is to provide to others the treasures of compassion and partnership, not to give in to the shadow mission of using such friendships as a means to enter higher social circles.
Benedict Arnold’s true mission was to inspire boldness in the minds of the fearful and confidence in the hearts of the hesitant. He was an exceptional leader. But he succumbed to the lure of pursuing goals that were All About Benedict. He couldn’t resist the chance to show the world that he was nobody’s fool, and richly deserving of honor as America’s most clever general.
Our culture applauds giftedness but shrugs at character. As long as you can hit home runs for the Yankees, impress Simon Cowell on America’s Got Talent, or make your audience both laugh and cry during your big talk at work, you can be a winner. You can even become a highly paid but seriously flawed human being.
Scripture pleads with us to match our outsides with our insides: “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are ruined by their duplicity” (Proverbs 11:3). As another translation puts it, “If you do the right thing, honesty will be your guide. But if you are crooked, you will be trapped by your own dishonesty” (Contemporary English Version).
Apart from devoting ourselves to the character qualities we so desperately need to steer our talents wisely – humility, generosity, honesty, and love – our gifts will almost always lead us astray.
They may even destroy us – just as they destroyed Benedict Arnold.
Pursuing character may not get us a monument on a battlefield.
But the pursuit will remind us that the purpose of life isn’t loving our gifts, but falling in love with their Provider.
