James Wilkinson was born on March 24, 1757 in Benedict, Maryland. Despite his youth, he quickly rose into the upper echelons of command in the Continental Army, where he was part of the Conway cabal against George Washington`s leadership. Twice he was forced to resign from the army. Later in 1805, he was the first Governor of the Louisiana Territory and led a couple of campaigns during the War of 1812. After his death on December 28, 1825, he was discovered to have been a paid agent of Spain.]