Other Betraying "Founding Fathers"

Who else in the top ranks of the US during the ARW had the potential to defect to Britain, and what if they had?
 

Keenir

Banned
Who else in the top ranks of the US during the ARW had the potential to defect to Britain, and what if they had?

you could probably find motivation for pretty much everybody in the ranks of the Revolutionaries to defect.
 
what about Aaron Burr? I don't know if he had any traitorous thoughts during the war, but he wasn't all that loyal to the USA afterwards....
 
If the American rebellion goes poorly and a quick defeat at the hand of the British seems fairly likely, it seems to me that the majority of the "Founders" would give up, change sides, or flee rather than go into the swamps and become true revolutionaries/guerillas. If the British had any sense, they'd offer lenient terms, rather like Sobel speculates in "Nail".
 
Charles Lee did co-operate with the British when in captivity (he drew up a plan to help the British win the war) and some allege his actions at Monmouth display that he is a traitor but I would say he was probably doing the correct thing tactically.

Benjamin Franklin is alleged by some to have been a British spy (there is a book on the subject) , given Franklin's nature I can easily believe he played both sides against the middle and would have claimed his true loyalties lay with whichever side won.

Even if he didn't directly co-operate it seem to stretch credibility that he didn't know what Bancroft was upto right under his nose, especially when he was presented with evidence and he still ignored it.
 
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