Mrs. Benedict Arnold and Daughter, c. 1783—89

Mrs. Benedict Arnold and Daughter, c. 1783—89
by
Thomas Lawrence (1769—1830)

Pastel on gouache paper. Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collection, Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent, Philadelphia, PA.

Peggy Shippen (1760 - 1804), daughter of Edward Shippen — a moderate Loyalist who later became Chief Justice of Pennsylvania from 1799 to 1805 — married Benedict Arnold, 20 years her senior, when she was 18.

Pictured with her is either their only daughter, Sophia Matilda Arnold (b. 1785), or, since young boys also wore dresses at that time, possiblly it is their son, Edwin Shippen Arnold (b. 1780).

[Major General Henry] Knox proudly stepped aside on Tuesday, October 9 [1781] to allow Washington the honor of igniting the bore hole of a heavy siege gun and ceremoniously discharging the first shot from the American battery at Yorktown. The shell was clearly visible as it streaked across the sky and land with precision within the British compound, setting off cheers throughout the American ranks. The Continental artillery corps then continued an uninterrupted stream of fire that produced a relentless, unnerving, and deafening roar. Cornwallis would later recall: The fire continued incessant from heavy cannon, and from mortars and howitzers throwing shells from 8 to 16 inches, until all our guns on the left were silenced, our work much damaged, and our loss of men considerable

— Mark Puls
Henry Knox: Visionary General of the American Revolution (2008)