| Background: |
After Benedict Arnold's defection to the British in 1780, he was commissioned a brigadier general and authorized to raise a Loyalist regiment, the American Legion. In 1781 he moved his family to England where he remained until 1786 when he emigrated to Saint John, New Brunswick, with the intention of making his fortune as a West Indian trader. |
| Contents: |
This reel contains a precipe for a writ pertaining to the case of Munson Hayt/Hoyt vs. Benedict Arnold in Tresspass, 1790. Hayt was a lieutenant in the Prince of Wales American Regiment. After the war, he moved to Saint John and became Arnold's business partner. Eventually the partnership was dissolved and Hayt openly accused Arnold of burning the firm's warehouse for the insurance money. Arnold subsequently sued for defamation of character, but, although Hoyt was found guilty, he was fined only 20 shillings. Hurt and insulted, Arnold returned to England shortly after the trial in 1791. Also included, is a claim filed in 1789 by Arnold against Edward Winslow, Jr. (1746-1815) for a promissory note of £63. |
