Arnold spent several months trying to heal from his injuries. Instead of cutting off his left leg, he had it set in a cast. It healed, but it was shorter than the right leg. He returned to the army at Valley Forge in May 1778. Many of the men who fought with him at Saratoga clapped when they saw him. There he took part in the first recorded Oath of Allegiance along with many other soldiers, as a sign of loyalty to the United States.