 The loss of Benedict Arnold 's papers aboard Royal Savage was to have important consequences later in his career . For a variety of reasons , Congress ordered an inquiry into his conduct of the Quebec campaign , which included a detailed look at his claims for compensation . The inquiry took place in late 1779 , when Arnold was in military command of Philadelphia and recuperating from serious wounds received at Saratoga . Congress found that he owed it money since he could not produce receipts for expenses he claimed to have paid from his own funds . Although Arnold had already been secretly negotiating with the British over a change of allegiance since May 1779 , this news contributed to his decision to resign the command of Philadelphia . His next command was West Point , which he sought with the intention of facilitating its surrender to the British . His plot was however exposed in September 1780 , at which time he fled to the British in New York City . 
