 Chapter 4 of Washington and His Comrades in Arms by George Rong. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. The loss of New York. Washington's success at Boston had one good effect. It destroyed Tory influence in that Puritan stronghold. New England was henceforth of a temper holy revolutionary. And New England tradition holds that what its people think today, other Americans think tomorrow. But in the summer of this year, 1776, though no serious foe was visible, at any point in the revolted colonies, a menace haunted every one of them. The British had gone away by sea, by sea they would return on land, armies move slowly and visibly. But on the sea, a great force may pass out of sight and then suddenly reappear at an unexpected point. This is the haunting terror of sea power. Already the British had destroyed Falmouth, now Portland, Maine, and Norfolk, the principal town in Virginia. Washington had no illusions of security. He was anxious above all for the safety of New York, commanding the vital artery of the Hudson, which must at all costs be defended. Accordingly, in April, he took his army to New York and established there his own headquarters. Even before Washington moved to New York, three great British expeditions were nearing America. One of these we have already seen at Quebec, another was bound for Charleston to land there an army and to make the place a rallying center for the numerous but harassed loyalists of the South. The third and largest of these expeditions was to strike at New York and by a show of strength bring the colonists to reason and reconciliation. If mildness spailed the British intended to capture New York, sail up the Hudson and cut off New England from the other colonies. The squadron destined for Charleston carried an army in command of a fine soldier, Lord Cornwallis, destined later to be the defeated leader in the last dramatic scene of the war. In May, this fleet reached Wilmington, North Carolina and took onboard 2000 men under General Sir Henry Clinton who had been sent by HAL from Boston and Bain to win the Carolinas and who now assumed military command of the combined forces. Admiral Sir Peter Parker commanded the fleet and on the 4th of June he was off Charleston Harbor. Parker found that in order to cross the bar he would have to lighten his larger ships. This was done by the laborious process of removing the guns which of course he had to replace when the bar was crossed. On the 28th of June Parker drew up his ships before Fort Mowtree in the harbor. He had expected simultaneous aid by land from 3,000 soldiers put ashore from the fleet on a sandbar but these troops could give him no help against the fort from which they were cut off by a channel of deep water. A battle soon proved the British ships unable to withstand the American fire from Fort Mowtree. Late in the evening Parker drew off with 225 casualties against an American loss of 37. The check was greater than that of Bunker Hill for there the British took the ground which they attacked. The British sailors bore witness to the gallantry of the defense. We never had such a drubbing in our lives one of them testified. Only one of Parker's 10 ships was seaworthy after the fight. It took him three weeks to refit and not until the 4th of August did his defeated ships reach New York. A mighty armada of 700 ships had meanwhile sailed into the Bay of New York. This fleet was commanded by Admiral Lord Howe and it carried an army of 30,000 men led by his younger brother Sir William Howe who had commanded at Bunker Hill. The general was an able and well informed soldier. He had a brilliant record of service in the Seven Years War with Wolf in Canada then in France itself and in the West Indies. In appearance he was tall, dark and coarse. His face showed him to be a free user of wine. This may explain some of his faults as a general. He trusted too much to subordinates. He was leisurely and rather indolent yet capable of brilliant and rapid action. In America his heart was never in his task. He was member of Parliament for nodding him and had publicly condemned the quarrel with America and told his electors that in it he would take no command. He had not kept his word but his convictions remained. It would be to accuse Howe of treason to say that he did not do his best in America. Lack of conviction however affects action. Howe had no belief that his country was in the right in the war and this handicapped him as against the passionate conviction of Washington that all was at stake which made life worth living. The general's elder brother Lord Howe was another weak who had no belief that the war was just. He sat in the House of Lords while his brother sat in the House of Commons. We rather wonder that the King should have been content to leave in wig hands his fortunes in America both by land and sea. At any rate here were the Howe's more eager to make peace than to make war and commanded to offer terms of reconciliation. Lord Howe had an unpleasant face so dark that he was called Black Dick. He was a silent awkward man shy and harsh in manner. In reality however he was kind liberal in opinion, sober and beloved by those who knew him best. His specific temper towards America was not due to a dislike of war. He was a fighting sailor nearly 20 years later on June 1, 1794 when he was in command of a fleet in touch with a French enemy. The sailors watched him to find any indication that the expected action would take place. Then the word went round, we shall have the fight today. Black Dick has been smiling. They had it and Howe won a victory which makes his name famous in the annals of the sea. By the middle of July the two brothers were at New York, the soldier having waited at Halifax since the evacuation of Boston had arrived and landed his army on Staten Island on the day before Congress, made the Declaration of Independence which as now we can see ended finally any chance of reconciliation. The sailor arrived nine days later. Lord Howe was want to regret that he had not arrived a little earlier since the concessions which he had to offer might have averted the Declaration of Independence. In truth however he had little to offer. Humor and imagination are useful gifts in carrying on human affairs but George III had neither. He saw no lack of humor in now once more offering full and free pardon to a repentant Washington and his comrades though John Adams was accepted by name in repudiating the right to exist of the Congress at Philadelphia and in refusing to recognize the military rank of the rebel general whom it had named. He was to be addressed in civilian style as George Washington Esquire. The King and his ministers had no imagination to call up the picture of high-hearted men fighting for rights which they held dear. Lord Howe went so far as to address a letter to George Washington Esquire etc etc and Washington agreed to an interview with the officer who bore it. In imposing uniform and with the stateliest manner Washington who had an instinct for effect received the envoy. The odd messenger explained that the symbols etc etc meant everything including of course military titles. The Washington only said smilingly that they might mean anything including of course an insult and refused to take the letter. He referred to Congress a body which Howe could not recognize the grave question of the address on an envelope and Congress agreed that the recognition of his rank was necessary. There was nothing to do but to go on with the fight. Washington's army held the city of New York at the southerly point of Manhattan Island. The Hudson River separating the island from the mainland of New Jersey on the west is at its mouth two miles wide. The northern and eastern sides of the island are washed by the Harlan River flowing out of the Hudson about a dozen miles north of the city and broadening into the East River about a mile wide where it separates New York from Brooklyn Heights on Long Island in camp on Staten Island on the south general Howe could with the aid of the fleet land at any of half a dozen vulnerable points. Howe had the further advantage of a much larger force Washington had and all some 20,000 men numbers of them serving for short terms and therefore for the most part badly drilled Howe had 25,000 well trained soldiers and he could in addition draw men from the fleet which would give him an all double the force of Washington in such a situation even the best skill of Washington was likely only to qualify defeat. He was advised to destroy New York and retired to positions more tenable but even if he had so desired Congress his master would not permit him to burn the city and he had to make plans to defend it Brooklyn Heights so commanded New York that enemy cannon planted there would make the city untenable accordingly Washington placed half his force on Long Island to defend Brooklyn Heights and in doing so made the fundamental error of cutting his army into and dividing it by an arm of the sea in presence of overwhelming hostile naval power on the 22nd of August Howe very 15,000 men across the narrows to Long Island in order to attack the position on Brooklyn Heights from the rear before him lay wooded hills across which led three roads converging at Brooklyn Heights beyond the hills on the east of 4th Road led round the hills in the dark of the night of the 26th of August Howe set his army in motion on all these roads in order by daybreak to come to close quarters with the Americans and drive them back to the Heights the movement succeeded perfectly the British made terrible use of the bayonet by the evening of the 27th the Americans who fought well against overwhelming odds had lost nearly 2000 men in casualties and prisoners six field pieces and 26 heavy guns the two chief commanders Sullivan and Sterling were among the prisoners and what was left of the army had been driven back to Brooklyn Heights Howe's critics said that had he pressed the attack further he could have made certain to capture of the whole American force on Long Island criticism of what might have been is easy and usually feudal it might be said of Washington to that he should not have kept an army so far in front of his lines behind Brooklyn Heights facing a superior enemy and with for a part of it retreat possible only by a single causeway across a marsh three miles long when he realized on the 28th of August what Howe had achieved he increased the defenders of Brooklyn Heights to 10,000 men more than half his army this was another cardinal error British ships were near and but for unfavorable winds might have sailed up to Brooklyn Washington hoped and prayed that howe would try to carry Brooklyn Heights by assault then there would have been at least slaughter on the scale of Bunker Hill but Howe had learned caution he made no reckless attack and soon Washington found that he must move away or face the danger of losing every man on Long Island on the night of the 29th of August there was clear moonlight with fog towards daybreak a British army of 25,000 men was only some 600 yards from the American lines a few miles from the shore lay at anchor a great British fleet with it is to be presumed its patrols on the alert yet during that night 10,000 American troops were marched down to boats on the strand at Brooklyn and with all their stores were carried across a mile of water to New York there must have been the splash of oars and the grading of keels orders given in tones above a whisper the complex sounds of moving bodies of men it was all done under the eye of Washington we can picture that tall figure moving about on the strand at Brooklyn which he was the last to leave not a sound disturb the slumbers of the British an army in retreat does not easily defend itself boats from the British fleet might have brought panic to the Americans in the darkness and the British army should at least have known that they were gone by seven in the morning the 10,000 American soldiers were for the time safe in New York and we may suppose that the two house we're asking eager questions and wondering how it had all happened Washington had shown that he knew when and how to retire Long Island was his first battle and he had lost now retreat was his first grade tactical achievement he could not stay in New York and so sent it once the chief part of the army with drawn from Brooklyn to the line of the Harlem River at the north end of the island he realized that his shore batteries could not keep the British fleet from sailing up both the east and the Hudson Rivers and from landing a force on Manhattan Island almost where it light then the city of New York would be surrounded by a hostile fleet and a hostile army the house could have performed this maneuver as soon as they had a favorable wind there was we know great confusion in New York in Washington tells us how his heart was torn by the distress of the inhabitants the British gave him plenty of time to make plans and for a reason we have seen that Lord Howe was not only an Admiral to make war but also an envoy to make peace the British victory on Long Island might he thought make Congress more willing to negotiate so now he sent to Philadelphia the captured American General Sullivan with the request that some members of Congress might confer privately on the prospect for peace how probably did not realize that the Americans had the British quality of becoming more resolute by temporary reverses by this time to suspicion of every movement on the part of Great Britain had become a mania everyone in Congress seems to have thought that how was planning treachery John Adams accepted by name from British offers of pardon called Sullivan a decoy duck and as he confessed laughed scolded and grieved at any negotiation the wish to talk privately with members of Congress was called an insulting way of avoiding recognition of that body in spite of this even the stalwart Adams and the Swab Franklin were willing to be members of a committee which went to meet Lord Howe with great sorrow how now realize that he had no power to grant what Congress insisted upon the recognition of independence as a preliminary to negotiation there was nothing for it but war on the 15th of September the British struck the blow to long delayed had war been their only interest New York had to sit nearly helpless while great men of war passed up both the Hudson and the East River with guns sweeping the shores of Manhattan Island at the same time General Howe sent over in boats from Long Island to the landing at Kipps Bay near the line of the present 34th Street an army to cut off the city from the northern part of the island Washington marched in person with two New England regiments to dispute the landing and give him time for evacuation to his rage panic seized his men and they turned and fled leaving him almost alone not a hundred yards from the enemy a stray shot at that moment might have influence greatly modern history for as events were soon to show Washington was the mainstay of the American cause he too had to get away and how's force landed easily enough meanwhile on the west shore of the island there was an animated scene the roads were crowded with refugees fleeing northward from New York these civilians how had no reason to stop but their March 2 out of New York 4,000 men under Israel Putnam who got safely away northward only leisurely did how extend his line across the island so as to cut off the city the story not more trustworthy that many other legends of war is that Mrs. Murray living in a country house near what now is Murray Hill invited the general to lunch in and that to enjoy this pleasure he ordered a halt for his whole force general sometimes do foolish things but it is not easy to call up a picture of how in the midst of a busy movement of troops receiving the lady's invitation accepting yet and ordering the whole army to halt while he lingered over the luncheon table there's no doubt that his mind was still divided between making war and making peace probably Putnam had already got away his men and there was no purpose in stopping the refugees in that flight from New York which so aroused the pity of Washington as it was how took 67 guns by accident or it is said by design of the Americans themselves New York soon took fire and one third of the little city was burned after the fall of New York there followed a complex campaign the resource for Washington was now during his first days of active warfare pitting himself against one of the most experienced of British generals fleet and army were acting together the aim of how was to get control of the Hudson and to meet halfway the advance from Canada by way of Lake Champlain which Carlton was leading on the 12th of October when autumn winds were already making the night's cold howl moved he did not attack Washington who lay in strength at the Harlem that would have been to play Washington's game instead he put the part of his army still on Long Island in ships which then sailed through the dangerous currents of Hellgate and landed at Throgs neck a peninsula on the sound across from Long Island Washington period this movement by so guarding the narrow neck of the peninsula leading to the mainland that the cautious howl shrank from frontal attack across a marsh after a delay of six days he again embarked his army landed a few miles above Throgs neck in the hope of cutting off Washington from retreat northward only defined Washington still north of him at White Plains a sharp skirmish followed in which howl lost over 200 men and Washington only 140 Washington masterly in retreat then withdrew still farther north among Hills difficult of attack howl had a plan which made a direct attack on Washington unnecessary he turned southward and occupied the east shore of the Hudson River on the 16th of November took place the worst disaster which had yet befallen American arms Fort Washington lying just south of the Harlem was the only point still held on Manhattan Island by the Americans in modern war it has become clear that fortresses supposedly strong maybe only traps for their defenders Fort Washington stood on the east bank of the Hudson opposite Fort Lee on the West Bank these forts could not fulfill the purpose for which they were intended of stopping British ships Washington saw that the two forts should be abandoned but the civilians in Congress who it must be remembered named the generals and had final authority in directing the war were reluctant to accept the loss involved in abandoning the forts and gave orders that every effort should be made to hold them green on the whole Washington's best general was in command of the two positions and was left to use his own judgment on the 15th of November by a sudden and rapid March across the island howl appeared before Fort Washington and summoned it to surrender on pain of the rigors of war which meant putting the garrison to the sword should he have to take the place by storm the answer was a defiance and on the next day howl attacked in overwhelming force there was severe fighting the casualties of the British were nearly 500 but they took the huge fort with its 3000 defenders and the great quantity of munitions of war howl's threat was not carried out there was no massacre across the river at Fort Lee the helpless Washington watched this great disaster he had need still to look out for Fort Lee was itself doomed on the 19th Lord Cornwallis with 5000 men cross the river five miles above Fort Lee general green barely escaped with the 2000 men in the fort leaving behind 140 cannon stores tools and even the men's blankets on the 20th the British flag was floating over Fort Lee and Washington's whole force was in rapid flight across New Jersey hardly pausing until it had been ferried over the Delaware River into Pennsylvania treachery now linked to military disaster made Washington's position terrible Charles Lee Horatio Gates and Richard Montgomery were three important officers of the regular British Army who fought on the American side. Montgomery had been killed at Quebec the defects of Gates were not yet conspicuous and Lee was next to Washington the most trusted American general the names Washington and Lee of the twin forts and opposite sides of the Hudson show how the two general stood in the public mind while disaster was overtaking Washington Lee had 7000 men at North Castle on the east bank of the Hudson a few miles above Fort Washington blocking house advance farther up the river on the day after the fall of Fort Washington Lee received positive orders to cross the Hudson at once three days later Fort Lee fell and Washington repeated the order Lee did not budge he was safe where he was and could cross the river and get away into New Jersey when he liked he seems deliberately to have left Washington to face complete disaster and thus prove his incompetence then as the undefeated general he could take the chief command there is no evidence that he had intrigued with how but he thought that he could be the peacemaker between Great Britain and America with untold possibilities of ambition in that role he wrote of Washington at this time to his friend Gates as weak and most damn lovely deficient nemesis however overtook him in the end he had to retreat across the Hudson to northern New Jersey here many of the people were Tories Lee fell into a trap was captured in bed at a tavern by a hard riding party of British cavalry and carried off a prisoner obliged to stride a horse in nightgown and slippers not always does fate appear so just in her strokes in December though the position of Washington was very bad all was not lost the chief aim of how was to secure the line of the Hudson and this he had not achieved at stony point which lies up the Hudson about 50 miles from New York the river narrows and passes through what is almost a mountain gorge easily defended here Washington had erected fortifications which made it at least difficult for a British force to pass up the river moreover in the highlands of northern New Jersey with headquarters at Morris town general Sullivan recently exchanged and general Gates now had Lee's army and also the remnants of the force driven from Canada but in retreating across New Jersey Washington had been forsaken by thousands of men beguiled in part by the Tory population discouraged by defeat and in many cases with the right to go home since their term of service had expired all that remained of Washington's army after the forces of Sullivan and Gates joined him across the Delaware and Pennsylvania was about 4,000 men how was determined to have Philadelphia as well as New York and could place some reliance on Tory help in Pennsylvania he had pursued Washington to the Delaware and would have pushed on across that river had not his alert vote taking care that all the boat should be on the wrong shore as it was how occupied the left bank of the Delaware with his chief post at Trenton if he made sure of New Jersey he could go on to Philadelphia when the river was frozen over or indeed when he liked even the Congress had fled to Baltimore there were British successes and other quarters early in December Lord how took the fleet to Newport soon he controlled the whole of Rhode Island and checked the American privateers who had made it their base the brothers issued proclamations offering protection to all who should within 60 days returned to their British allegiance and many people of high standing in New York and New Jersey accepted the offer how wrote home to England the glad news of victory Philadelphia would probably fall before spring and it looked as if the war was really over in this darkest hour Washington struck a blow which changed the whole situation we associate with him the thought of calm deliberation now however was he to show as strongest quality as a general to be audacity at the Battle of the Marn in 1914 the French general Foch sent the dispatch my centers giving way my right is retreating the situation is excellent I'm attacking Washington's position seemed as nearly hopeless and he to a need of some striking action a campaign marked by his own blundering and by the treachery of a trusted general had ended in seeming ruin Pennsylvania at his back in New Jersey before him across the Delaware were less than half loyal to the American cause and probably willing to accept peace and almost any terms never was a general in a position where greater risk must be taken for salvation as Washington ponder what was going on among the British across the Delaware above plan outlined itself in his mind how he knew had gone to New York to celebrate a triumphant Christmas his absence from the front was certain to involve slackness it was Germans who held the line of the Delaware some 1300 of them under Colonel Raul at Trenton 2000 under Von Donop farther down the river at Borden town and with Germans perhaps more than any other people Christmas is a season of elaborate festivity on this their first Christmas away from home many of the Germans would be likely to be off their guard either through home sickness or dissipation they cared nothing for either side there'd been much blundering in New Jersey and discipline was relaxed how had been guilty of the folly of making strong the post fathers from the enemy and weak those nearest to him yet indeed ordered Raul to throw up readouts for the defense of Trenton but this is Washington well knew had not been done for all despised his enemy and spoke of the American army as already lost Washington's bold plan was to recross the Delaware and attack Trenton there were to be three crossings one was to be against Von Donop at Borden town below Trenton the second that Trenton itself these two attacks were designed to prevent a to Trenton the third force with which Washington himself went was to cross the river some nine miles above the town Christmas Day 1776 was dismally cold there was a driving storm of sleet and brought swollen stream of the Delaware dotted with dark masses of floating ice offered a chill prospect to take an army with its guns across that threatening flood was indeed perilous gates and other generals declared that the scheme was too difficult to be carried out only one of the three forces cross the river Washington with iron will was not to be turned from his purpose he had skilled boatman from New England the crossing took no less than 10 hours and a great part of it was done in wintry darkness when the army landed on the New Jersey shore it had a march of nine miles and sleet and rain in order to reach Trenton by daybreak it is said that some of the men marched barefoot leaving tracks of blood in the snow the arms of some were lost and those of others were wet and useless but Washington told them that they must depend the more on the bayonet he attacked Trenton in broad daylight there was a sharp fight rawl the commander and some 70 men were killed and a thousand men surrendered even now Washington's position was dangerous but not with 2000 men lay only a few miles down the river had he marched at once on Trenton as he should have done the worn out little force of Washington might have met with disaster what Bon Donop did when the alarm reached him was to retreat as fast as he could to Princeton a dozen miles to the rear towards New York leaving behind his sick and all his heavy equipment meanwhile Washington knowing his danger had turned back across the Delaware with a prisoner for every two of his men when however he saw what Bon Donop had done he returned on the 29th to Trenton sent out scouting parties and roused the country so that in every bit of forest along the road to Princeton there were men dead shots to make difficult a British advance to retake Trenton the reverse had brought consternation at New York Lord Cornwallis was about to embark for England the bearer of news of overwhelming victory now instead he was sent to drive back Washington he was no easy task for Cornwallis to reach Trenton for Washington scouting parties and a force of 600 men under green were on the road to harass him on the evening of the 2nd of January however he reoccupied Trenton this time Washington had not recrossed the Delaware but had retreated southward and was now entrenched on the southern bank of the Little River ascent pink which flows into the Delaware reinforcements were following Cornwallis that night he sharply cannonated Washington's position and was as sharply answered he intended to attack and force in the morning to the skill and resource of Washington he paid the compliment of saying that at last he had run down the old Fox then followed a maneuver which years after Cornwallis a generous boat told Washington was one of the most surprising and brilliant in the history of war there was another old Fox in Europe Frederick the great of pressure who knew war if ever man knew it and he too from this movement ranked Washington among the great generals the maneuver was simple enough instead of taking the obvious course of again retreating across the Delaware Washington decided to advance to get in behind Cornwallis to try to cut his communications to threaten the British base of supply and then if a superior force came up to retreat into the Highlands of New Jersey there he could keep an unbroken line as far east as the Hudson menace the British in New Jersey and probably forced them to withdraw to the safety of New York all through the night of January the 2nd 1777 Washington's campfires burned brightly and the British Alps could hear the sound of voices and of the spade and pickaxe busy and throwing up in trenchments the fires died down towards morning and the British awoke to find the enemy camp deserted Washington had carried his whole army by a roundabout route to the Princeton Road and now stood between Cornwallis and his base there was some sharp fighting that day near Princeton Washington had to defeat and get past the reinforcements coming to Cornwallis he reached Princeton and then slipped away northward and made his headquarters at Morristown he had achieved his purpose the British with Washington and trenched on their flank were not safe in New Jersey the only thing to do was to withdraw to New York by his brilliant advance Washington recovered the whole of New Jersey with the exception of some minor positions near the sea he had changed the face of the war in London there was momentary rejoicing over how's recent victories but it was soon followed by distressing news of defeat through all the colonies ran inspiring tidings there have been doubts whether after all Washington was the heaven sent leader now both America and Europe learned to recognize his skill he'd want a reputation though not yet had he saved a cause end of chapter 4 chapter 5 of Washington and his comrades in arms by George wrong this LibriVox recording is in the public domain the loss of Philadelphia though the outlook for Washington was brightened by his success in New Jersey it was still depressing enough the British had taken New York they could probably take Philadelphia when they liked and no place near the sea coast was safe according to the votes in Parliament by the spring of 1777 Britain was to have an army of 89,000 men of whom 57,000 were intended for colonial garrisons and for the prosecution of the war in America these numbers were in fact never reached but the army of 40,000 in America was formidable compared with Washington's forces the British were not hampered by the practice of enlisting men for only a few months which marred so much of Washington's effort above all they had money and adequate resources in a word they had the things which Washington lacked during almost the whole of the war Washington called his success in the attack at Trenton a lucky stroke it was luck which had far reaching consequences how had the fixed idea that to follow the capture of New York by that of Philadelphia the most popular city in America and the seat of Congress would mean great glory for himself and a crushing blow to the American cause if to this could be added as he intended the occupation of the whole Valley of the Hudson the year 1777 might well see the end of the war an acute sense of the value of time is vital in war promptness the quick surprise of the enemy was perhaps the chief military virtue of Washington delitorious was the destructive vice of how he had so little contempt for his foe that he practiced a blighting caution on April the 12th 1777 Washington in view of his own depleted force in a state of half famine wrote if how does not take advantage of our weak state he is very unfit for his trust how remained inactive and time thus despised work its do revenge later how did move and with skill but he missed the rapid combination in action which was the first condition of final success he could have captured Philadelphia in May he took the city but not until September when to hold it had become a liability and not an asset to go there at all was perhaps unwise to go in September was for him a tragic mistake from New York to Philadelphia the distance by land is about a hundred miles the route lay across New Jersey that garden of America which English travelers spoke of as resembling their own highly cultivated land Washington had his headquarters at Morris town in northern New Jersey his resources were at a low ed it always the faith that a cause founded on justice could not fail but his letters at this time are full of depressing anxiety each state regarded itself as in danger and made care of its own interests its chief concern by this time Congress had lost most of the able men who had given it dignity and authority like how it had slight sense of the value of time and imagined that tomorrow was as good as today Wellington once complained that though in supreme command he had not authority to appoint even a corporal Washington was hampered both by Congress and by the state governments in choosing leaders he had some officers such as Green Knox and Benedict Arnold whom he trusted others like Gates and Conway were ceaseless intrigers to general Sullivan who fancied himself constantly slighted and ill-treated Washington wrote sharply to abolish his poisonous suspicions how had offered easy terms to those in New Jersey who should declare their loyalty and to meet this Washington advised the stern policy of outlawing everyone who would not take the oath of allegiance to the United States there was much fluttering of heart on the New Jersey farms much anxious trimming in order in any event to be safe house Hessians had plundered ruthlessly causing deep resentment against the British now Washington found his own people doing the same thing militia officers themselves generally as he said of the lowest class of the people not only stole but incited their men to steal it was easy to plunder under the plea that the owner of the property was a Tory whether open or concealed and Washington wrote that the waste and theft were beyond all conception there were shirkers claiming exemption from military service on the ground that they were doing necessary service as civilians Washington needed maps to plan his intricate movements and could not get them smallpox was devastating his army and causing losses heavier than those from the enemy when payday came there was usually no money it is little wonder that in this spring of 1777 he feared that his army might suddenly dissolve and leave him without a command in that case he would not have yielded rather so stern and bitter was he against England would he have plunged into the Western wilderness to be lost in its vast spaces how had his own perplexities he knew that a great expedition under Burgoyne was to advance from Canada southward to the Hudson was he to remain with his whole force at New York until the time should come to push up the river to meet Burgoyne he had a copy of the instructions given in England to Burgoyne by Lord George Germain but he was himself without orders afterwards the reason became known Lord George Germain had dictated the order to cooperate with Burgoyne but had hurried off to the country before it was ready for his signature and it had been mislead how seem free to make his own plans and he longed to be master of the enemy's capital in the end he decided to take Philadelphia a task easy enough as the event proved at house elbow was the traitorous American general Charles Lee whom he had recently captured and Lee as we know told him that Maryland and Pennsylvania were at heart loyal to the king and panting to be free from the tyranny of the demagogue once firmly in the capital how believed that he would have secure control of Maryland Pennsylvania and New Jersey he could achieve this and be back at New York in time to meet Burgoyne perhaps at Albany then he would hold the colony of New York from Staten Island to the Canadian frontier how found that he could send ships up the Hudson and the American Army had to stand on the banks almost helpless against the mobility of sea power Washington's left wing rested on the Hudson and he held both banks but neither at peak skill nor as yet farther up at West Point could his force prevent the passage of ships it was a different matter for the British to advance online but the ships went up and down in the spring of 1777 it would be easy enough to help Burgoyne when the time should come it was summer before how was ready to move and by that time he had received instructions that his first name must be to cooperate with Burgoyne first however he was resolved to have Philadelphia Washington watched how in perplexity a great fleet and a great army lay at New York why did they not move Washington knew perfectly well what he himself would have done in how his place he would have attacked rapidly in April the weak American Army and after destroying or dispersing it would have turned to meet Burgoyne coming southward from Canada how did send a strong force into New Jersey but he did not know how weak Washington really was for that master of craft and war disseminated with great skill false information as to his own supposed overwhelming strength how had been bitten once by advancing too far into New Jersey and was not going to take risks he tried to entice Washington from the hills to attack in open country he marched here and there in New Jersey and kept Washington alarmed and exhausted by counter marches and always puzzles as to what the next move should be how purposely let one of his secret messengers be taken bearing a dispatch saying that the fleet was about to sail for Boston all these things took time and the summer was slipping away in the end Washington realized that how intended to make his move not by land but by sea could it be possible that he was not going to make aid to Burgoyne his chief purpose could it be that he would attack Boston Washington hope so for he knew the reception certain at Boston or was his gold Charleston on the 23rd of July when the summer was more than half gone Washington began to see more clearly on that day how had embarked 18,000 men and the fleet put to see from Staten Island how was doing what able officers with him such as Cornwallis Gray and the German keep housing appeared to have been unanimous and thinking he should not do he was misled not only by the desire to strike at the very center of the rebellion but also by the assurance of the traders lead that to take Philadelphia would be the effective signal to all the American loyalists the overwhelming majority of the people as was believed that sedition had failed a tender parent the king was ready to have the colonies back in their former relation and to give them secure guarantees of future liberty anyone who saw the fleet put out from New York Harbor must have been impressed with the might of Britain no less than 229 ships at their sails and covered the sea for miles when they had disappeared out of sight of the New Jersey shore their goal was still unknown at sea they might turn in any direction Washington's uncertainty was partly relieved on the 30th of July when the fleet appeared at the entrance of Delaware Bay with Philadelphia some hundred miles away across the bay and up the Delaware River after hovering about the Cape for a day the fleet again put to sea in Washington who had marched his army so as to be near Philadelphia thought the whole movement a faint and knew not where the fleet would next appear he was preparing to march to New York to menace general Clinton who had their seven thousand men able to help were going when he heard good news on the 22nd of August he knew that how had really gone southward and was in Chesapeake Bay Boston was now certainly safe on the 25th of August after three stormy weeks at sea how arrived at Elkton at the head of Chesapeake Bay and there landed his army it was Philadelphia fifty miles away that he intended to have Washington wrote gleefully now let all New England turn out and crush Burgoyne before the end of September he was writing that he was certain of complete disaster to Burgoyne how had in truth made a ruinous mistake had the date been May instead of August he might still have saved Burgoyne that the end of August when the net was closing on Burgoyne how was 300 miles away his disregard of time and distance had been magnificent in July he had sailed to the mouth of the Delaware with Philadelphia near but he had then sailed away again and why because the passage of his ships up the river to the city was blocked by obstructions commanded by bristling forts the naval officers said truly that the fleet could not get up the river but how might have landed his army at the head of Delaware Bay it is a dozen miles across the narrow peninsula from the head of Delaware Bay to that of Chesapeake Bay since how had decided to attack from the head of Chesapeake Bay there was little to prevent him from landing his army on the Delaware side of the peninsula and marching across it by see it is a voyage of 300 miles round a peninsula 150 miles long to get from one of these points to the other by land only a dozen miles away how made the sea voyage and spent on it three weeks when a march of a day would have saved this time and kept his fleet 300 miles by sea near to New York and aid for were going house mistakes only have their place in the procession to inevitable disaster once in the thick of fighting he showed himself formidable when he had landed at Elkton he was 50 miles southwest of Philadelphia and between him in that place was Washington with his army Washington was determined to delay how in every possible way to get to Philadelphia how had to cross the Brandywine River time was nothing to him he landed at Elkton on the 25th of August not until the 10th of September was he prepared to attack Washington barring his way at Chad's Ford Washington was in a strong position on up front of two miles on the river at his left below Chad's Ford the Brandywine is a torrent flowing between high cliffs there the British would find no passage on his right was a forest Washington had chosen his position with his usual skill entrenchments protected his front and batteries would sweep down and advancing enemy he had probably not more than 11,000 men in the fight and it is doubtful whether how brought up a greater number so that the armies were not unevenly matched at daybreak on the 11th the British Army broke camp at the village of Kenneth Square four miles from Chad's Ford and under general Niphausen March straight to make a frontal attack on Washington's position in the battle which followed Washington was beaten by the superior tactics of his enemy not all of the British Army was there in the attack at Chad's Ford a column under Cornwallis had filed off by a road to the left and was making a long and rapid March the plan was to cross the Brandywine some 10 miles above where Washington was posted and to attack him in the rear by two o'clock in the afternoon Cornwallis had forced the two branches of the upper Brandywine and was marching on Dilworth at the right rear of the American Army only then did Washington become aware of his danger his first impulse was to advance across Chad's Ford to try to overwhelm Niphausen and thus to get between how and the fleet at Elkton this might however have brought disaster and he soon decided to retire his movement was ably carried out both sides suffered in the woodland fighting but that night the British Army encamped in Washington's position at Chad's Ford and how had fought skillfully and won an important battle Washington had retired in good order and was still formidable he now realized clearly enough that Philadelphia would fall delay however would be nearly as good as victory he saw what how could not see that menacing cloud in the north much bigger than a man's hand which with how far away should break in a final storm terrible for the British cause meanwhile Washington meant to keep how occupied rain alone prevented another battle before the British reached the Scoochel River on that river Washington guarded every Ford but in the end by skillful maneuvering how was able to cross and on the 26th of September he occupied Philadelphia without resistance the people were ordered to remain quietly in their houses officers were billeted on that wealthier inhabitants the fall resounded far of what Lord Adam Gordon called a great and noble city the first town in America one of the wonders of the world its luxury had been so conspicuous that the austere John Adams condemned the sinful feasts in which he shared about it were fine country seat surrounded by park like grounds with noble trees clipped hedges and beautiful gardens the British believe that Philadelphia was that Pennsylvania was really on their side many of the people were friendly and hundreds now renewed their oath of allegiance to the King Washington complained that the people gave how information denied to him they certainly fed how his army willingly and received good British gold while Washington had only paper money with which to pay over the proud capital floated once more the British flag and people who did not see very far said that with both New York and Philadelphia taken the rebellion had at last collapsed once in possession of Philadelphia how made his camp at Germantown a straggling suburban village about seven miles northwest of the city Washington's army lay at the foot of some hills a dozen miles farther away how have need to be wary for Washington was the same old Fox who had played so cunning a game at Trenton the efforts of the British army were now centered on clearing the River Delaware so that supplies might be brought up rapidly by water instead of being carried 50 miles overland from Chesapeake Bay how detached some thousands of men for this work and there was sharp fighting between the troops and the fleet combined had cleared cleared the river and there was sharp fighting before the troops and the fleet combined had cleared the river at Germantown how kept about 9,000 men though he knew that Washington was likely to attack him did not entrench his army as he desired the attack to be made it might well have succeeded Washington with 11,000 men aimed at a surprise on the evening of the 3rd of October he set out from his camp four roads led into Germantown and all these the Americans used at sunrise on the 4th just as the attack began a fog arose to embarrass both sides lying a little north of the village was the solid stone house of chief just as chew and it remains famous as the central point in the bitter fight of that day what brought final failure to the American attack was an accident of maneuvering Sullivan's brigade was in front attacking the British when greens came up for the same purpose his line overlapped Sullivan's and he mistook in the fog Sullivan's men for the enemy and fired on them from the rear a panic naturally resulted among the men who were attacked also at the same time by the British on their front the disorder spread British reinforcements arrived in Washington drew off his army in surprising order considering the panic he had six hundred and seventy three casualties and lost besides four hundred prisoners the British loss was five hundred and thirty seven casualties and fourteen prisoners the attack had failed but new soon came which made the reverse unimportant were going and his whole army had surrendered at Saratoga in chapter five chapter six of Washington and his comrades and arms by George wrong this LibriVox recording is in the public domain the first great British disaster John were going in a measure a soldier of fortune was the younger son of an impoverished baronet but he had married the daughter of the powerful Earl of Darby was well known in London society as a man of fashion and also as a man of letters whose plays had a certain vogue his will in which he describes himself as a humble Christian who in spite of many faults had never forgotten God shows that he was serious-minded he sat in the House of Commons for Preston and though he used the language of a courtier and spoke of himself as lying at the King's feet to await his commands he was a wig the friend of Fox and others whom the King regarded as his enemies one of his plays describes the difficulties of getting the English to join the Army of George the Third we have the smartly dressed recruit as a decoy to suggest an easy life in the Army victory and glory are so certain that Taylor stands with his feet on the neck of the King of France the decks of captured ships swim with punch and are clotted with gold dust and happy soldiers play with diamonds as if they were marbles the senators of England says Burgoyne care chiefly to make sure of good game laws for their own pleasure the worthless son of one of them who sets out on the long drive to his father seat in the country spends an hour in yawning picking his teeth and damning his journey and then once on the way drives with such fury that the route is marked by yelping dogs broken back pigs and dismembered geese it was under this play right and satirist who has some skill as a soldier that the British cause now received a blow from which it never recovered Burgoyne had taken part in driving the Americans from Canada in 1776 and had spent the following winter in England using his influence to secure an independent command to his later undoing he succeeded it was he and not as had been expected general Carlton who was appointed to lead the expedition of 1777 from Canada to the Hudson Burgoyne was given instruction so rigid as to be an insult to his intelligence he was to do one thing and only one thing to press forward to the Hudson and meet how at the same time Lord George Germain the minister responsible failed to instruct how to advance up the Hudson to meet Burgoyne Burgoyne had a genuine belief in the wisdom of this strategy but he had no power to vary it to meet changing circumstances and this was one chief factor in his failure behold Burgoyne then on the 17th of June embarking on late Champlain the army which ever since his arrival in Canada on the 6th of May he had been preparing for this advance he had rather more than 7,000 men of whom nearly one half were Germans under the competent general re Dessau in the force of Burgoyne we find the ominous presence of some hundreds of Indian allies they had been attached to one side or the other in every war fought in those regions during the previous 150 years in the war which ended in 1763 Montcom had used them and so had his opponent Amherst the regiments from the New England and other colonies had fought in alliance with the painted and befeathered savages and had made no protest now either times had changed or there was something in a civil war which made the use of savages seem hideous one thing is certain Amherst had held his savages in stern restraint and could say proudly that they had not committed a single outrage Burgoyne was not so happy in nearly every war the professional soldier shows distrust if not contempt for civilian levies Burgoyne had been in America before the day of Bunker Hill and knew a great deal about the country he thought the insurgents good enough fighters when protected by trees and stones and swampy ground but he thought too that they had no real knowledge of the science of war and could not fight a pitched battle he himself had not shown their prevision required by sound military knowledge if the British were going to abandon the advantage of sea power and fight where they could not fall back on their fleet they needed to pay special attention to land transport this Burgoyne had not done it was only a little more than a week before he reached Lake Champlain that he asked Carlton to provide the 400 horses and 500 carts which he still needed and which were not easily secured in a sparsely settled country Burgoyne lingered for three days at Crown Point half way down the lake then on the second of July he laid siege to Fort Ticonderoga once passed this fort guarding the route to Lake George he could easily reach the Hudson in command at Fort Ticonderoga was General St. Clair with about 3,500 men he had long noticed of the siege for the expedition of Burgoyne had been the open talk of Montreal and the surrounding country during many months he had built Fort independence on the east shore of Lake Champlain and with a great expenditure of labor had sunk 22 piers across the lake and stretched in front of them a boom to protect the two forts but he had neglected to defend Sugar Hill in front of Fort Ticonderoga and commanding the American works it took only three or four days for the British to drag cannon to the top erect a battery and prepare to open fire on the fifth of July St. Clair had to face a bitter necessity he abandoned the untenable forts and retired southward to Fort Edward by way of the difficult green mountains the British took 128 guns these successes that the British to think that within a few days they would be in Albany we have an amusing picture of the effect on George the third of the fall of Fort Ticonderoga the place had been much discussed it had been the first British Fort to fall to the Americans when the revolution began and Carlton's failure to take it in the autumn of 1776 had been the cause of acute heart-burning in London now when the news of its fall reached England George the third burst into the Queen's room with the glad cry I have beat them I've beat the Americans Washington's depression was not as great as the King's elation he had a better sense of values but he had intended that the Fort should hold Burgoyne and his fall was a disastrous blow the Americans showed skill and good soldierly quality in the retreat from Ticonderoga and Burgoyne and following and harassing them was led into hard fighting in the woods the easier route by way of Lake George was open but Burgoyne hoped to destroy his enemy by direct pursuit through the forest it took them 20 days to hew his way 20 miles to the upper waters of the Hudson near Fort Edward when there on the 30th of July he had communications open from the Hudson to the St. Lawrence fortune seemed to smile on Burgoyne he had taken many guns and he had proved the fighting quality of his men but his cheerful elation had in truth no sound basis never during the 2 and a half months of bitter struggle which followed was he able to advance more than 25 miles from Fort Edward the moment he needed transport by land he found himself almost helpless sometimes his men were without food and equipment because he had not the horses and carts to bring supplies from the head of water at Fort Ann or Fort George a score of miles away sometimes he had no food to transport he was dependent on his communications for every form of supplies even hay had to be brought from Canada since in the forest country there was little food for his horses the perennial problem for the British in all operations was this one of food the inland regions were too sparsely populated to make it possible for more than a few soldiers to live on local supplies the wheat for the bread of the British soldier his beef and his pork even the oats for his horse came for the most part from England at vast expense for transport which made fortunes for soldiers it is said that the cost of a pound of salted meat delivered to Burgoyne on the Hudson was 30 shillings Burgoyne had been told that the inhabitants needed only protection to make them openly loyal and had counted on them for supplies he found instead the great mass of the people hostile and he doubted the sincerity even of those who profess their loyalty after Burgoyne had been a month that fort Edward he was face to face with starvation if he advanced he lengthened his line to flank attack as it was he had difficulty in holding it against new englanders the most resolute of all his foes eager to assert by hard fighting if need be their right to hold the invaded territory which was claimed also by New York Burgoyne's instructions forbade him to turn aside and strike them a heavy blow he must go on to meet how who was not there to be met a being who could see the movements of men as we watch a game of chess might think that madness had seized the British leaders Burgoyne on the upper Hudson plunging forward resolutely to meet how how it see sailing away as it might well seem to get as far from Burgoyne as he could Clinton and command at New York without instructions puzzled what to do and not hearing from his leader how for six weeks at a time and across the sea a complacent minister germane who believed that he knew what to do in a scene 3000 miles away and had drawn up exact instructions as to the way of doing it and who was now eagerly awaiting news of the final triumph Burgoyne did his best early in August he had to make ventures some stroke to get sorely needed food some 25 miles east of the Hudson at Bennington in difficult country New England militia had gathered food and munitions and horses for transport the pressure of need clouded Burgoyne's judgment to make a dash for Bennington meant a long and dangerous march he was assured however that a surprise was possible and that in any case the country was full of friends only awaiting a little encouragement to come out openly on his side they were Germans who lay on Burgoyne's left and Burgoyne sent Colonel Baum an efficient officer with the new englanders and bring in the supplies it was a stupid blunder to send Germans among the people especially incensed against the use of these mercenaries there was no surprise many professing loyalists seemingly eager to take the oath of allegiance met and delayed Baum when near Bennington he found in front of him a force barring the way and had to make a carefully guarded camp for the night then 500 men some of them the cheerful takers of allegiance slipped round to his rear and in the morning he was attacked from front and rear a hot fight followed which resulted in the complete defeat of the British Baum was mortally wounded some of his men escaped into the woods the rest were killed or captured nor was this all Burgoyne senting danger had ordered 500 more Germans to reinforce Baum they too were attacked and overwhelmed in all Burgoyne lost some 800 men and four guns the American lost with 70 it shows the spirit of the time that for the sport of the soldiers British prisoners were tied together in pairs and driven by Negroes at the tale of horses an American soldier described long after with regret for his own cruelty how he had taken a British prisoner who had had his left eye shout out and mounted him on a horse also without the left eye in derision at the captive's misfortune the British complained that quarter was refused in the fight for days tired stragglers after long wandering in the woods drifted into Burgoyne's camp this was now near Saratoga a name destined to be ominous in the history of the British army further misfortune now crowded upon Burgoyne the general of that day had two favorite forms of attack one was to hold the enemy's front and throw out a column to march round the flank and attack his rear the method of how at the brandywine the other method was to advance on the enemy by lines converging at a common center this form of attack had proved most successful 18 years earlier when the British had finally secured Canada by bringing together a Montreal three armies one from the east one from the west and one from the south now there was a similar plan of bringing together three British forces at or near Albany on the Hudson of Clinton at New York and Burgoyne we know the third force was under General Saint Lager was some 1700 men fully half of whom were Indians he had gone up the Saint Lawrence from Montreal and was advancing from Oswego on Lake Ontario to attack Fort Stanwyx at the end of the road from the Great Lakes to the Mohawk River after taking that strong hold he intended to go down the River Valley to meet Burgoyne near Albany. On the third of August Saint Lager was before Fort Stanwyx garrisoned by some 700 Americans with him were two men deemed potent in that scene one of these was Sir John Johnson who had recently inherited the vast estate in the neighborhood of his father the Great Indian Superintendent Sir William Johnson and was now in command of a regiment recruited from loyalist many of them fierce and embitter because of the seizure of their property the other leader was a famous chief of the Mohawks Bay Yan Da Nagia or to give him his English name Joseph Brant half savage still but also half civilized and half educated because he had had a careful schooling and for a brief day have been courted by London fashion he exerted a formidable influence with his own people the Indians were not however all on one side half of the six tribes of the Iroquoi were either neutral or in sympathy with the Americans among the savages as among the civilized the war was a family quarrel in which brother fought brother most of the Indians on the American side preserved indeed an outward neutrality there was no hostile population for them to plunder and the Indian usually had no stomach for any other kind of warfare the allies of the British on the other hand had plenty of openings to their taste and they brought on suffering discredit when Saint-Léger was before Fort Stanwicks he heard that a force of 800 men led by a German settler named Herr Keimer was coming up against him when it was at Oreskani about six miles away Saint-Léger laid a trap he sent Brant with some hundreds of Indians and a few soldiers to be concealed in a marshy ravine which Herr Keimer must cross when the American force was hemmed in by trees and marsh on the narrow causeway of logs running across the ravine the Indians attacked with wild yells and murderers fire then followed the bloody hand to hand fight tradition has been busy with its horrors men struggled in slime and blood and shouting curses and defiance improbable stories are told of pairs of skeletons found afterwards in the bog each without bony hand which had driven a knife to the heart of the other in the end the British met by resolution so fierce drew back meanwhile a sortie from the American fort on their rear had a menacing success so John Johnson's camp was taken and sacked the two sides were at last glad to separate after the most bloody struggle in the whole war Soundleger's Indians had had more than enough about a hundred had been killed and the rest were in a state of mutiny soon it was known that Benedict Arnold with a considerable force was pushing up the Mohawk valley to relieve the American fort Arnold knew how to deal with savages he took care that his friendly Indians should come into contact with those of Brant and tell lurid tales of utter disaster to Burgoyne and of a great avenging army on the march to attack Soundleger the result was that Soundleger's Indians broke out in right and maddened themselves with stolen ROM disorder affected even the soldiers the only thing for Soundleger to do was to get away he abandoned his guns and stores and harassed now by his former Indian allies made his way to Oswego and in the end reached Montreal with a remnant of his force news of these things came to Burgoyne just after the disaster at Bennington since Fort Stanlix was in a country counted upon as loyalist at heart it was especially discouraging again to find that in the main the population was against the British during the war almost without exception loyalist opinion proved weak against the fierce determination of the American side it was partly a matter of organization the vigilance committees in each state made life well not intolerable to suspected Tories above all however the British had to bear the Odeon which attaches always to the Invader we do not know what an American Army would have done if with Iroquois savages as allies it had made war in an English county we know what loathing a parallel situation aroused against the British Army in America the Indians it should be noted were not soldiers under British discipline but allies the chiefs regarded themselves as equals who must be consulted and not as enlisted to take orders from a British general in war as in politics nice balancing of merit or defect in an enemy would destroy the main purpose which is to defeat him each side exaggerates any weak point in the other in order to stimulate the fighting passions judgment is distorted the baroness ride to sell the wife of one of Burgoyne's generals who was in Boston in 1777 says that the people were all dressed alike in a peasant costume with a leather strap round the waist that they were a very low and insignificant stature and that only one in ten of them could read a right she pictures new englanders as touring and feathering cultivated English ladies when educated people believed every evil of the enemy the ignorant had no restraint to their credulity New England had long regarded the native savages as a past in 1776 New Hampshire offered 70 pounds for each scalp of a hostile male Indian and 37 pounds and 10 shillings for each scalp of a woman or a child under age now it was reported that the British were offering bounties for American scalps Benjamin Franklin satirized British ignorance when he described whales leaping agri-falls and he did not expect to be taken seriously when at a later date he pictured George the third as gloating over the scalps of his subjects in America the Seneca Indians alone wrote Franklin sent to the King many bales of scalps some bales were captured by the Americans and they found the scalps of 43 soldiers 297 farmers some of them burned alive and 67 old people 88 women 193 boys 211 girls 29 infants and others unclassified exact figures bring conviction Franklin was not wanting inexactness nor did he fail albeit it was unwittingly to intensify burning resentment of which we have echo still bergoyne had to bear the odium of the outrageous by Indians it is amusing to us though it was hardly so to this kindly man to find these words put into his mouth by a colonial poet I will let loose the dogs of hell 10,000 Indians who shall yell and foam and tear and grin and roar and drench their moccans sins and gore I swear by Saint George and Saint Paul I will exterminate you all such seed falling on soil prepared by the hate of war brought forth its deadly fruit the Americans believed that there was no brutality from which British officers were shrink bergoyne had told his Indian allies that they must not kill except an actual fighting and that there must be no slaughter of non-combatance and no scalping of any but the dead the warning delivered him into the hands of his enemies for it showed that he hath expected outrage members of the British House of the Americans in attacking him Burke amused the House by his satire on bergoyne's words my gentle lines my humane bears my tender-hearted hyenas go forth but I exhort you as you are Christians and members of civilized society to take care not to hurt any man woman or child Burke's great speech lasted for three and a half hours and Sir George Savile called it the greatest triumph of eloquence within memory British officers dislike their dirty greasy noisy allies and bergoyne found his use of savages with a feudal order to be merciful a potent factor in his defeat a horrifying incident had occurred while he was fighting his way to the Hudson as the Americans were preparing to leave Fort Edward some marauding Indians saw a chance of plunder and outrage they burst into a house and carried off two ladies both of them British in sympathy Mrs. McNeil a cousin of one of bergoyne's chief officers General Fraser and Miss Jeanie McCrae who's betrothed the Mr. Jones and whose brother were serving with bergoyne in a short time Mrs. McNeil was handed over unhurt to bergoyne's advancing army Mrs. McCrae was never again seen alive by her friends her body was found and a Wyandott chief known as the Panther showed her scalp as a trophy bergoyne would have been a poor creature had he not shown anger at such a crime even if committed against the enemy this crime however was committed against his own friends he pressed the charge against the chief and was prepared to hang him and only relaxed when it was urged that the execution would cause all his Indians to leave him and to commit further outrages the incident was appealing in its tragedy and stirred the deep anger of the population of the surrounding country among whose descendants to this day the tradition of the abandoned brutality of the British keeps alive the old hatred at fort Edward bergoyne now found that he could hardly move he was encumbered by an enormous baggage drain his own effects filled it is said 30 wagons and this we can believe when we find that champagne was served at his table up almost to the day a final disaster the population was thoroughly roused against him his own instinct was to remain near the water route to Canada and make sure of his communications to be advancing to meet him for a long time he waited and hesitated meanwhile he was having increasing difficulty in feeding his army and through sickness and desertion his numbers were declining by the 13th of September he had taken a decisive step he made a bridge of boats and moved his whole force across the river to Saratoga now Scholarville this crossing of the river would result inevitably in cutting off his communications with Lake George and Ticonderoga after such a step he could not go back and he was moving forward into a dark unknown the American camp was at Stillwater 12 miles farther down the river Burgoyne sent messenger after messenger to get past the American lines and bring back news of how not one of these unfortunate spies return most of them were caught and ignominiously hanged one thing however Burgoyne could do he could hazard a fight and on this he decided as the autumn was closing in Burgoyne had no time to lose once his force was on the west bank of the Hudson General Lincoln cut off his communication for Canada and was soon laying siege to Ticonderoga the American army facing Burgoyne was now commanded by General Gates this Englishman the Godson of Horace Walpole had gained by successful intrigue powerful support in Congress that body was always paying too much heat to local claims and jealousies and on the 2nd of August he'd remove Skyler of New York because he was disliked by the soldiers from New England and gave the command to Gates Washington was far away maneuvering to meet how and he was never able to watch closely the campaign in the North Gates indeed considered himself independent of Washington and reported not to the commander in chief but direct to Congress on the 19th of September Burgoyne attacked Gates in a strong entrenched position on Bemis Heights at Stillwater there was a long and bitter fight but by evening Burgoyne had not carried the main position and had lost more than 500 men whom he could ill spare from his scanty numbers Burgoyne's condition was now going desperate American forces barred retreat to Canada he must go back and meet both frontal and flank attacks or go forward or surrender to go forward now had most promise for it last how had instructed Clinton left and commanded New York to move and Clinton was making rapid progress up the Hudson on the 7th of October Burgoyne attacked again at Stillwater this time he was decisively defeated a result due to the amazing energy in attack of Benedict Arnold who'd been stripped of his command by an intrigue Gates would not even speak to him and his lingering in the American camp was unwelcome yet as a volunteer Arnold charged the British line madly and broken Burgoyne's best general Fraser was killed in the fight Burgoyne retired to Saratoga and there at last faced the prospects of getting back to Fort Edward into Canada and maybe that he could have cut his way through but this is doubtful without risk of destruction he could not move in any direction his enemies now outnumbered him his camp was swept by the American guns and his men were under arms night and day American sharpshooters stationed themselves at daybreak in trees about the British camp and anyone who appeared in the open risked his life if a cap was held up in view instantly two or three balls would pass through it his horses were killed by rifle shots Burgoyne had little food for his men and none for his horses his Indians had long since gone off in dodging many of his Canadian French slipped off homeward and so did the loyalists the German troops were naturally dispirited a British officer tells of the deadly homesickness of these poor men they would gather groups of two dozen or so and mourn that they would never again see their native land they died a squirt of time of no other disease than sickness for their homes they could have no pride in trying to save a lost cause Burgoyne was surrounded and on the 17th of October he was obliged to surrender Gates proposed to Burgoyne hard terms surrendered with no honors of war the British were to lay down their arms in their encampments and to march out without weapons of any kind Burgoyne declared that rather than accept such turns he would fight still and take no quarter a shadow was falling on the path of Gates the term of service of some of his men had expired the new englanders were determined to stay and see the end of Burgoyne but a good many of the New York troops went off sickness too was increasing above all General Clinton was advancing up the Hudson British ships could come up freely as far as Albany and in a few days Clinton might make out formidable Gates a timid man was in a hurry he therefore agreed that the British should march from their camp with the honors of war that the troops should be taken to New England from there to England they must not serve again in North America during the war but there was nothing in the terms to prevent their serving in Europe and relieving British regiments for service in America Gates had the courtesy to keep his army where it could not see the laying down of arms Burgoyne's force about 5,000 men of whom 1600 were Germans surrendered to 16,000 Americans Burgoyne gave offense to German officers by saying in his report that he might have held out longer had all his troops been British this is probably true but the British met with only a just nemesis were using soldiers who had no call of duty to serve the army set out on its long march of 200 miles to Boston the late autumn weather was cold the army was badly clothed and fed and the discomfort of the weary root was increased by the bitter antagonism of the inhabitants they respected the regular British soldier but at the Germans they shouted insults and the loyalists they despised his traders the camp at the journey's end was on the ground at Cambridge where two years earlier Washington had trained his first army every day Burgoyne expected to embark there was delay and at last he knew the reason Congress repudiated the terms granted by gates a tangled dispute followed Washington probably had no sympathy with equibling of Congress but he had no desire to see this army return to Europe and release there an army to serve in America Burgoyne's force was never sent to England for nearly a year it lay at Boston then it was marched to Virginia the men suffered great hardships and the numbers fell by desertion and escape when peace came in 1783 there was no army to take back to England Burgoyne's soldiers had been merged into the American people it may well be indeed that descendants of his beaten men have played an important part in building up the United States the irony of history is unconquerable end of chapter six