Each first week in July, my mind will wander to the days of the American Revolution.

So, who are the bad girls? I suppose it is according to which side supported, Patriot or Loyalist?

For many years the gals I targeted with this tale are Peggy Shippen and her sidekick, Peggy Chew, and here is their story.

Place: Philadelphia, PA (40,000 inhabitants)

Time: 1877, British Invasion

The two Peggys saw the invasion as an opportunity to party, attend balls, dress in beautiful gowns, drip with jewelry and wear extravagant hair styles — the hair piled higher the better, was the style of the day. But most importantly was the opportunity to flirt with handsome and cultured young British officers, who attended the gatherings.

Between the two, Peggy Shippen, proved to be the most dangerous when it came to intrigue. She was spoiled and had a sense of importance. She grew up on Society Hill, in the best neighborhood, a four-story red brick mansion. Her family was considered as we would say today, as “Movers and Shakers.”

First and importantly, the Shippen family, headed by great grandfather, one time mayor of Philadelphia and one of Princeton University’s founding trustees, were “her people.” She bounced into her world on June 11, 1760, privileged with a sense of entitlement.

Ah, but the Shippen’s had a problem. That was walking the fence, between the Patriots and Loyalists. because of their many businesses, the family needed to keep everyone happy.

And so, it would seem necessary, after conflicts became more and more frequent in Philadelphia, the Shippen family should take stock of their commodities, their economic goods and Peggy, the youngest daughter, shone through. She would save them with her beauty and charm.

Therefore, the lavish parties came forth for both sides and Peggy greeted each guest at the garden gate. At one such gathering, she even charmed General Washington.

It was September 28, 1774, when a forty-two-year-old Virginia landowner was invited for dinner and fourteen-year-old Peggy dined with Washington that day.

It was said even as a young teen, Peggy’s conversations with men were not just prattle, but rather about concerns of the day. That meant politics and the war efforts.

Therefore, as she and her flirty friends danced and swayed, swooned, and giggled, the art of conversation was also at work. She gathered important information for her father, whom she adored, as her father continued to dither between both war parties. He needed to pick a winner.

Especially charming was handsome British officer. John Andre. So cultured was he that he excelled as a poet, thespian, artist, and spymaster. Yes, he was a spy for the British Army. Peggy and her friends gushed over him as if he were a Hollywood star, long before movie star status was ever known. Peggy Chew was considered his romantic partner, however Peggy Shippen eyed him as a conquest as well.

But then, he was captured and hanged.

If he was captured, then perhaps little Peggy Shippen could be as well. Hurriedly, she married American Revolutionary War hero, Benedict Arnold. Wouldn’t this prove her loyalty to the Patriots and her family’s as well?

On the evening of Thursday, April 8, 1779, Peggy Shippen married General Benedict Arnold. She was 18 and he 38. But within two years they both defected to the British and sailed for England.

Maybe he was a good guy. After all he was a Continental Army war hero and had suffered a devastating leg injury, which hobbled him for the rest of his life. But then he met Peggy.

Yes, she was Margaret “Peggy” Shippen Arnold (July 11, 1760 — August 24, 1804) socialite, devoted daughter, a beauty with great charm, but indeed, she was a Bad Girl of the American Revolution.

Dedicated to Meridian’s Pushmataha Chapter and Samuel Dale Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.

Anne McKee is a lively Mississippi Storyteller and Director of Rose Hill Cemetery Costumed Tour and the Meridian Downtown History Walk. See her website: www.annemckeestoryteller.com