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Robert Wilczak

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http://www.rwilczak.com
ORDER "EYE OF THE EAGLE" AT AMAZON.COM or TARGET.COM For the past 10 years, Robert E. Wilczak has meticulously researched the chronology of events and controversy surrounding General Benedict Arnold and the American Revolution. What started as a hobby, turned into a full investigative inquiry that has taken him from the shores of Lake Champlain, to the ravine at Oriskany and the battlefield at Saratoga. From Valley Forge to West Point, a different picture emerged from the story we have often been told. First in a series of three, Eye of the Eagle lays out the facts as they happened in dramatic fashion. It will be up to the reader to draw their own conclusion about a man who has been labeled a traitor, second only to Judas.Bob works in the financial field at the Buffalo, New York office of a highly respected Wall St. Firm and is an accomplished musician. He currently lives in Clarence, N.Y. with his wife Lea Ann and son Bobby. An avid lover of history, his hobbies include politics, hockey and coaching youth sports. He is Senior League Director for the Town of Clarence Baseball Association.He is also a “Buffalo Music Award” winner of various categories including 2006 Top Rock Guitarist and is currently the guitarist for Hit N Run.PRESS RELEASEEye of the Eagle release date February 22, 2007 Author: Robert E. Wilczak Booksurge PublishingEven as a child, Robert Wilczak thought the story of Benedict Arnold never made much sense. Wilczak knew that Arnold was one of the Continental Army's greatest fighting generals and strategists, distinguishing himself and his troops during battle and serving as one of George Washington's most trusted confidantes. A history buff, Wilczak turned to the Library of Congress, Revolutionary War battlefields, and other resources to answer the questions that had piqued his childhood curiosity.Backed by meticulous research and a carefully constructed timeline, Wilczak makes a compelling case for his blockbuster conclusion that will turn American Revolutionary War history on its ear that Benedict Arnold, long reviled as a traitor was a true patriot whose manipulation of the British and their army helped turned the tide of war for the struggling new nation.Wilczak's newly published book, chronicles his research.Wilczak looks specifically at 1777-81.With few exceptions, notably the battles of Trenton and Princeton, the British were defeating George Washington's Continental Army at every turn and holding most of the fledgling union's coastal ports. “Congress wanted to replace Washington,”Wilczak says. “Most felt he wasn't getting it done.”“Arnold was completely loyal to Washington, as were other generals, such as Henry Knox, John Sullivan and Nathaniel Greene, to name a few. They clearly would not have accepted Washington's replacement, who would have been General Horatio Gates. It was almost a revolution within a revolution,” he says.The tenuous situation was worsened by the fact the British were counterfeiting Continental currency, making it entirely impossible for the Continental Army to purchase supplies, recruit, as well as maintain the existing army, further weakening the union of the loosely affiliated colonies.Washington, who believed as strongly in the role of intelligence as he did in troop strength and strategy, wanted to infiltrate the British High Command. Wilczak theorizes that Arnold was chosen for the task. He was appointed military governor of Philadelphia after the British evacuation, due to his physical incapacity from a wound suffered at the battle of Saratoga. His objective was to heal the city but also unmasks any members of the Congress or military who might be aiding the enemy.In addition, he says, the family of one of Arnold's aides had profited greatly in its role as suppliers to the British Army in both Europe and North America, and was firmly entrenched in the higher strata of society in Philadelphia, which had previously been occupied by the British. “But one family member within the city also had patriotic tones, unlike the rest of the family, whose network stretched from London to Montreal,”Wilczak says, adding “it was through them that Arnold was able to begin correspondence with the British. It progressed during his relationship within the Shippen family, the family of his future wife.”Washington's troops had just suffered through a severe winter at Morristown in 1779-80. The British, under Sir Henry Clinton, were mounting a two pronged attack to finish them off. Knowing they had no way to escape Morristown, Wilczak believes Washington and Arnold sought to deceive the British, luring them to West Point and buying precious time until French assistance was intact.“If you look at the British notes,”Wilczak says, “Arnold was trying to go over to the British for a price and hand West Point over to them, a post he did not command at the time.”“Ironically at the same time Arnold is trying to lure the British to West Point, telling them it's very weak and not defendable, Washington is calling for reinforcements to bolster the fortress and surrounding area.”Wilczak also notes that Arnold derailed the British's planned attack on the newly arrived French troops at Newport, RI, allowing the French to land and eventually join the Continental forces. “Arnold really pushed on them to attack West Point instead of the French. He gave them the plans for West Point at the same time Washington was meeting with the French to coordinate French troops.Thus, “Arnold's actions allowed Washington to save his army from an attack at Morristown and an attack on the French, who once before abandoned the Continental army.” Wilczak says.Wilczak chronicles the intricate saga from notes and letters pertaining to Washington's correspondence to Arnold, Greene and Knox, as well as notes from the British high command. “Much of the material,” he says, “has to do with spying, intelligence and covert actions.”“In fact,” he says, “it reflects the general mindset of how Washington thought the war should be fought. They really were not able to overpower the British. One British officer later stated the Continental Army 'didn't outfight us, they out-spied us.'”Washington's own words in a letter to Colonel Elias Dayton, written July 26, 1777, when he and his army were eight miles east of Morristown, echo the sentiment:“The necessity of procuring good intelligence is apparent and need not be further urged. All that remains for me to add is that you keep the whole matter as secret as possible. For upon secrecy, success depends in most enterprises of the kind, and for want of it they are generally defeated, however well-planned and promising a favorable issue.”Wilczak bolsters his theory by pointing to Arnold's performance as a brigadier general for the British after his defection. Although a notable warrior for the Continental Army, his decisions and influence on Sir Henry Clinton allowed Washington the time to slip away and attack Cornwallis's army at Yorktown. There are other documented events to support this.Integral to Wilczak's premise about Arnold is the timeline he carefully constructed to illustrate the intriguing occurrences he outlines in the book. He also notes evidence of using slaves as go-betweens because they could travel between armies with impunity.In addition to his cited research, Wilczak says he has amassed “enough material to do a book leading up to the specific time period and after dealing with the consequences and outcome,” all pointing to the fact that Benedict Arnold was a victim of circumstances rather than greed.Eye of the Eagle / Booksurge Publishing
http://www.rwilczak.com

My Interests

ORDER "EYE OF THE EAGLE" AT AMAZON.COM or TARGET.COM

Music:

Instrument: Lead Guitar and Vocals
Former Bands: Actor, Fat Brat, Hit N Run, LifeAfter, Only Human and RockRats.
Awards: Top Rock Guitarist and Top Hard Rock Guitarist in The Buffalo Music Awards including 2006.

Movies:


Dear Mr. Wilczak,
I am a descendant of General Arnold. Being understandably dissatisfied with what little was taught in school and with what is considered "general knowledge", I am reading everything I can get my hands on about the man. I look forward with eager anticipation to purchasing and reading your book.
With kindest regards,
~Julie Thompson~
Spanaway, WA
Julie,
I look forward to hearing about your thoughts on the book. I am confidant in my research and I agree with you that much of the "general knowledge" is insufficient. Please contact me with your thoughts and opinion as I never lose interest in the subject and trying to clear his name. I am working on the next book which will further state my case.
Thank you,
Robert E. Wilczak
Mr. Wilczak,I read your book this fall and enjoyed it tremendously. The amount of research you did is staggering.I have a couple of things that aren't clear to me and hope you can give me your insight to them. First why did Arnold initiate talks with the British in the first place? (I understand that later he restarted correspondence per Washington). Second, I do not understand why when the Americans captured Andre, Arnold didn't just say I am under orders of Washington and am not a traitor. (Did he hope to go under cover to gain information from the British ? Was that the plan all along?) Third, When the war was over and Arnold was in Canada, why did Washington bring him home and tell the world he wasn't a traitor? Fourth, are you working on another book? What is it about and when will it come out?Thank you for your insights and the great book.Regards,
Jim Jim,Thank you for your questions and I apologize for the late reply. Benedict Arnold was sent to Philadelphia to restore order and heal the city after the British occupation. Philadelphia included Loyalists, Patriots, and Quakers [who didn't want any confrontation].There were some who were poor and some who had wealth they wanted to protect. There were many hard feelings as some of the population suffered under both British control as well as that of the hard line patriots. Many members of the cities elite were loyalists under British Occupation and non-participants under colonial laws and vise versa. There was an element who preferred the strict laws of British hegemony rather than risk their family and fortunes under a colonial regime where lawless bands of starving soldiers helped themselves to whatever was available. Colonial currency was devalued to a point where many merchants sold their goods to the British. Their families survival was, in their minds, more important than feeding the Continental Army who would most probably lose the war. Likewise, most members of Congress were wealthy businessmen. Some laid their fortunes on the line for the cause. A few played both sides of the fence, hedging their bet if the Revolution was lost. You must remember, some members of Congress also had wanted to replace Washington. Arnold's initial contact with the British, in my opinion, was an attempt to uncover any members of Congress or the military who might be profiting from the war by their correspondence and involvement with the British. Again, in my opinion, this was accomplished though the family of one of his aides, David Franks, whose uncle was a wealthy businessman in the city but carried patriot sympathies. Next question - I do believe Arnold panicked when told of Andre's capture. It was unclear to Arnold at that time what Andre revealed or said [except that he carried the plans of West Point] so lets take a look at the scenario.1. The Head of British Intelligence is caught with plans for an attack on West Point. 2. He has a pass to travel through Continental lines, signed by Arnold. 3. If Washington had been involved in the plan, Congress most assuredly would have replaced him, not trusting future actions of their General. Remember, some in Congress did not like him and were unforgiving of his being unable to protect Philadelphia upon British attack and to secure overall victory in general. Washington's replacement would have led to mass desertions by his men and officers. They were already suffering this and were quite extended due to the prolonged war. 4. French assistance would have most likely ended had the commanding general of the Continental army been involved in such a plot. They were already reluctant having abandoned the Continental army once before. Washington, at the very same time, was in conference with Rochambeau. Only upon his return to West Point, did he learn of the circumstances.I do feel that Arnold's and Washington's initial plan was to stall the British until Washington could secure assistance [both army and navy] from the French. It was also useful in stopping a possible British attack on the newly arrived French forces. Remember- West Point was held out there like a carrot to Sir Henry Clinton to stall a British attack on Washington's army at Morristown in the spring of 1780. This was now the summer of 1780. I am sure Arnold felt he would be exchanged for Andre. When Andre was quickly hung, after a brief military trial, Arnold secured a rank with the British and, in my opinion, helped from within the British Military command. One question I would like to ask you. Does it make sense that the Revolution and an army of battered, underfed, under supplied soldiers, who barely survived the winter of 1780 could overcome the odds of the war lasting much longer. Up until that point, Washington's army had been soundly defeated at Long Island, run out of Manhattan, chased though the Jersey countryside and lost Philadelphia. Savanah and Charleston were lost in the south and the British navy controlled the Chesapeake. Only minor victories at Trenton and Princeton went well. Of course, the victory at Saratoga was immense but Horatio Gates took the credit for that. The French were deeply concerned with getting too involved with the Americans because of the condition of Washington's army, and had no interest in helping us secure democracy. Then within one year of Arnold going over to the British, Washington secures a victory over Cornwallis at Yorktown. Remember, Arnold, while with the British, had just supplied Cornwallis's army and was aware of troop strength and movement. Arnold's move to the British was also troublesome to Sir Henry Clinton. Clinton never fully trusted him but had to secure payment and rank as was the arrangement. Future intelligence actions among other British sources depended on it. Upon Arnold's arrival to England, he lobbied the Crown and received a pension for himself and his family. He received land up in Canada and helped establish the port at St John's, New Brunswick. Remember, there was no guarantee that the colonies would survive. There were still many problems to face for the young country. Some included payment for the soldiers who served, lack of support for a strong central government and military, no strong navy to speak of, lack of a strong currency, the acceptance of slavery by some states, and the continuous conflicts in the frontier regions. France, Spain and England still had control of the western borders and the native tribes were being pushed to their limits. Political in fighting was rapidly unfolding. The British offer and pension probably did not seem as bad as trying to secure military payment and restore his reputation if he returned. Three of his sons ended up in the military, one knighted, another a LT. General. Two others moved to Canada. He had a grandson who died in the Crimean war and a great grandson who was a Major General during WWI. Washington could not have brought Arnold back. Any thought of that and the British would have hung him instantly, after the loss of Andre. Also, after the British Massacre of American soldiers at Fort Griswold, [Arnold was in command of the British unit but was not present when the massacre took place] his life and that of his family would not have been safe. It was a tremendous blow to his reputation. The massacre was headline news in the newspapers. I am working on the next book which will include other information that supports my research. Thank you very much for your questions and contact me if you still have some questions. I enjoy answering them.Thank you,
Robert E. Wilczak

Books:

EYE OF THE EAGLE ROBERT E. WILCZAK “Brilliantly conceived and thoroughly researched book... A fascinating new look at one of history's most infamous men... You-are-there feel of a novel... Thought-provoking, intriguing and historically important, Eye of the Eagle will truly open your eyes”. - New York Times best-selling author Ellen Tanner Marsh
EYE OF THE EAGLE ROBERT E. WILCZAK It’s 1780 and the American Revolution is at a most critical crossroad. French assistance has finally arrived but to what extent will they participate?Washington’s Army, recuperating from the harsh winter at Morristown is being deployed and re-deployed around the City of New York, currently the headquarters of Sir Henry Clinton and the entire British forces in North America.Tensions are rising as Washington anticipates the inevitable British assault on his army or the newly arrived French in New Port, Rhode Island.In an unprecedented move, one of Washington’s beloved generals defects to the British. Stunned by this sudden change of events, Washington coordinates his army and that of the French.The momentum of the war would be forever altered.

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