St. Mary's Church, Battersea Church Road, as seen from the bed of the River Thames. Inside is buried Benedict Arnold, an American soldier who won the battle at Saratoga in 1777. Originally a merchant from New Haven, Connecticut, he reached the rank of major general and was one of the most trusted officers of General Washington. He was more than a little bitter about being passed over for promotion, but fought on to the best of his ability. In 1780 he was in charge of West Point on the Hudson River, but his bitterness got the better of him and he passed on military information to the British. His plan was to surrender his garrison to the British, but his plans were discovered and he fled to the British lines. Although he was given a British army command he was never really trusted and in 1782 he went to England where he stayed until his death.
