After the British withdrew from Philadelphia in June 1778 Washington appointed Arnold military commander of the city. Even before the Americans reoccupied Philadelphia, Arnold began planning to make money from the change in power there. He did many business deals designed to earn money from war-related supply movements and from his rank as a general. Powerful local men sometimes stopped Arnold's plans. Together, these people found enough evidence to publicly accuse Arnold of making money improperly. Arnold demanded a court martial so he could publicly prove he did nothing wrong. He wrote to Washington in May 1779, "Having become a cripple in the service of my country, I little expected to meet [such] ungrateful returns."