Benedict Arnold was a general in the Continental Army who changed sides for personal reasons rather than any ideological conviction and has gone down in American History as a traitor. He is less well known as a naval commander who built a fleet on Lake Champlain and although being defeated at Valcour Island was able to delay the British advance.
Suppose instead of being threatened with a court martial, it had been decided to get him out of the way by placing him in charge of the United States Navy? The idea isn’t completely absurd. Cromwell’s generals at sea Blake and Monk proved to be effective naval commanders. However Blake devised the line of battle formation, which was only of use when there were effectively balanced fleets facing one another. The United States Navy was greatly outnumbered and was only able to fight individual actions and indulge in commerce raiding at sea. It largely fought in the manner of the Elizabethan Sea Dogs like Hawkins and Drake although they were legitimate privateers whereas Drake and Hawkins were initially pirates. The United States Navy also fought individual battles and indulged in commerce raiding in the War of 1812 and only began to become involved in fleet battles in the Spanish American War. However there were fleet battles on the inland waterways of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain in the War of 1812, which the United States won. Could Arnold have been given an overall command of the United States Navy based largely on shore and developed a fleet of schooners to fight on the Great Lakes launching an attack on Canada as he did on land at the start of the war and maybe gone on to successfully press to retain a fleet after the war was over? Would this have kept him out of mischief?
Suppose instead of being threatened with a court martial, it had been decided to get him out of the way by placing him in charge of the United States Navy? The idea isn’t completely absurd. Cromwell’s generals at sea Blake and Monk proved to be effective naval commanders. However Blake devised the line of battle formation, which was only of use when there were effectively balanced fleets facing one another. The United States Navy was greatly outnumbered and was only able to fight individual actions and indulge in commerce raiding at sea. It largely fought in the manner of the Elizabethan Sea Dogs like Hawkins and Drake although they were legitimate privateers whereas Drake and Hawkins were initially pirates. The United States Navy also fought individual battles and indulged in commerce raiding in the War of 1812 and only began to become involved in fleet battles in the Spanish American War. However there were fleet battles on the inland waterways of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain in the War of 1812, which the United States won. Could Arnold have been given an overall command of the United States Navy based largely on shore and developed a fleet of schooners to fight on the Great Lakes launching an attack on Canada as he did on land at the start of the war and maybe gone on to successfully press to retain a fleet after the war was over? Would this have kept him out of mischief?