A stirring, dark novel of one of the nation's most notorious traitors traces his rise to prominence as Dark Eagle, a military man both feared and revered by his Indian enemies, and his treasonous attempt to sell out three thousand American troops. 17,500 first printing. Tour. At first, Benedict Arnold was a hero. His march to Canada was epic, and his actions at Valcour Island and Saratoga may have saved the Revolution. But he was also a complex, mercurial, and driven person whose temperament and needs caused his self-destruction. Narrated from multiple perspectives, this is a strong, fictional retelling of Arnold's descent into treachery. Harr, who has an extensive background in both government and history, manages to avoid the pitfalls that inventing dialog for historical characters contains; his writing rings true and humanizes a cast of otherwise distant historical figures. History buffs, particularly Revolutionary War devotees, will appreciate this effort. Recommended for large public and academic libraries.ARobert Conroy, Warren, MI Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. A wide-ranging historical romancethe first novel by a historian hitherto known for his two books about the Rockefeller familyhearkens back to the American Revolution and the complex figure of Benedict Arnold, renowned among military peers as ``the very genius of war'' while subsequently reviled as the very apotheosis of treachery and deceit. Harr's efficient narrative (marred only by early pages weighted down with awkwardly introduced historical background information) shifts adroitly between civilian life on the home front (particularly Philadelphia, which eventually, briefly falls under British control) and the various battlefields where Arnold's reputation for tactical mastery was earned. There are especially vivid accounts of the battles of Lake Champlain's Valcourt Bay (a naval encounter in which Arnold simulated a trap, then gracefully ``escaped'' it), New Yorks Fort Stanwix (where Arnold ingeniously co-opted enemy General ``Gentleman Johnny'' Burgoyne's solidarity with Mohawk and Seneca Indians), anda critical turning-pointSaratoga. Numerous historical figures appear and reappear, including a morally conflicted (though ever dutiful) Commander George Washington, a politically astute Alexander Hamilton, andarguably the storys secondary protagonistBritish Major John Andre, a cultivated, stoical, and thoroughly decent man whose fate becomes inexorably linked with Arnold's once the latter has turned his back on the ``pompous'' US Congress that undervalues and underestimates him and reluctantly changed his allegiance. Harr neither idealizes Arnold's belligerent charisma nor soft-pedals his intemperate vanity; the result is the most compelling of a series of characterizations that incarnate, in moving human form, the volatile emotions of an emergent nation divided by the warring claims of loyalty and independence. The novels of Kenneth Roberts (such as Arundel and Rabble in Arms, both from the 1930s) remain the standard for fiction portraying this era. But Harr's ambitious debut is an informed, dramatic, and well-woven contribution to a genre that seems to be, and shouldn't be, out of fashion these days. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. From "There has never been anyone quite like him in American history, never a life of such triumph and ignominy. In this superbly researched novel, filled with memorable events and overflowing with famous characters, John Ensor Harr brings Benedict Arnold to life and asks us to judge him as a man, not merely an emblem for treason. If you like historical fiction, you'll like Dark Eagle." -- William Martin, the bestselling author of Back Bay, Cape Cod, Annapolis, and, most recently, Citizen Washington Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary has a brief listing for 'Benedict Arnold, 1741--1801: American Revolutionary general & traitor.' As our American Judas, his name has become synonymous with treason, yet popular imagination knows little about him. (In contrast to George Washington, Thomas jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Paul Revere, those other icons of the Revolution.) In choosing to bring the story of Benedict Arnold to the public, John Ensor Harr has his work cut out for him, but his intriguing biographical novel, Dark Eagle, is up to the task. Like all classic tragic heroes, Benedict Arnold was a bright, shining figure before his fall, and Harr traces the background and stunning military successes of the man the Indians called Dark Eagle out of respect and awe for his exploits, in considerable and considered detail. He explores the dark underside of the American Revolution, the little known nooks and crannies of the history of how the "united States of America" was born. It was not the easy birth of national folklore but one filled with complications. At the time, it was not the 'sure thing' of later legend and many men of good will were confused. To separ