Peggy Shippen

Description: (The Highest Paid Spy in the American Revolution)

Margaret Peggy Shippen may be known to the world as the second wife of traitor Benedict Arnold but there is more to her than just that. She was infamously the highest paid spy in the American Revolution. Hailing from the prestigious and influential Shippen family that had illustrious ancestral record in service in Philadelphia, Peggy like her family leaned towards the British side during the Revolution. She and her husband, were traitors who conspired to undermine the American colonist fight for independence from Great Britain. The duo not just passed down vital information about the American defence system but also briefed the British about when the American defence would be at the weakest. Her husband, Benedict Arnold, who was a commander of West Point, a critical American defence post in the highlands of the Hudson River, purposely did not make improvements to strengthen the American troops against the British. It is believed that Arnold sent confidential information written in invisible ink on the hands of Peggy to British officer and her friend, John Andre. When Andre was caught in 1780, instead of breaking down or confessing, Peggy played the victim card and wailed incoherently in front of the American General in order to buy some time for Arnold’s safe escapade. Her hoax was later on revealed and she was banned from Philadelphia. Peggy spent the later years of her life in London with her children and husband.

Overview

Birthday July 11, 1760 (Cancer)
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Alternative names Margaret Shippen
Died on August 24, 1804
Spouse/Ex- Benedict Arnold (m. 1779–1801)
Parents Edward Shippen IV
Margaret Francis
Children Edward Shippen Arnold, George Arnold, James Robertson Arnold, Sophia Matilda Arnold, William Fitch Arnold
Relatives Edward Shippen, Elizabeth Shippen, James Shippen, John Francis Shippen, Mary Shippen, Sarah Shippen
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