16

BRITISH ATTACKS ON PEEKSKILL AND DANBURY.

deeds.* Washington's forces were now reduced to the lowest point, and it was a matter of much concern with him as to how he could meet Howe in the next campaign. The system of enlisting troops for short terms was beginning to produce disastrous results, and Congress had met with failure in their attempt to raise the army according to their late resolves. There was considerable jealousy among the officers as to rank, and in addition the troops were exposed to all manner of hardships,― to hunger, cold, and nakedness, which rendered it extremely difficult to fill up the ranks. Washington, however, repeatedly urged the various States to send forward their enlistment of

troops with all possible speed, so that he could make his plans for the following campaign in accordance with the strength of his army.

Howe, on the other hand, was quite active in the spring of this year. He inaugurated a movement to capture the American stores at Peekskill. Because of the smallness of the American force stationed at that point and the suddenness with which Howe attacked, the movement was to a great

*See Irving, Life of Washington, vol. ii., pp. 554-555; Carrington, Battles of the Revolution, p. 292; Heath's Memoirs, pp. 99-105 (Abbatt's ed.); Ford's ed. of Washington's Writings, vol. v., pp. 178, 191, 206, 214, 217; Gordon, American Revolution, pp. 419-420; Heath's letters to Washington, in Sparks, Correspondence of the Revolu tion, vol. i., pp. 328-329, 333-334, 336-340.

† Fiske, American Revolution, vol. i., p. 242 et seq.

degree successful.* In April of the same year, a similar expedition was despatched to the borders of Connecticut. Governor Tryon, with 2,000 men, marched to Danbury for the purpose of destroying the stores collected there for the use of the American army. The Connecticut militia bravely resisted, but were unable to save the stores, among which were about 1,000 tents, at that time especially valuable to the American army. Among those lost during these operations was General David Wooster who, though an old man, had engaged in the conflict with great spirit, but who fell mortally wounded. Benedict Arnold, then in the vicinity,† took post at Ridgefield in the hope of defeating the British, but after a sharp conflict he was compelled to

Jones, New York in the Revolution, vol. ii., p. 177; Stedman, American War, vol. i., p. 278; Gordon, American Revolution, vol. ii., p. 423 (ed. 1788). See also Sparks' edition of Washington's Writings, vol. iv., p. 369; Lossing, Field-Book of the Revolution, vol. i., pp. 740-742.

Shortly after his return from Canada, Arnold had been sent to the New England States to co-öperate with General Heath in rallying the militia to repel the British forces in Rhode Island, and while in this service, Congress, February 19, 1777, elected five major-generals. Four of these were Arnold's juniors in rank and one was raised from the militia, and as none had done anything to justify promotions over Arnold, the action naturally astonished and provoked him. Washington was equally astonished, and his indignation aroused, as is evinced by his various letters to Congress regarding the action. While on his way from Providence to Philadelphia to ask an investigation of his conduct by Congress, Arnold stopped at New Haven and there heard of the British invasion of Connecticut. He immediately joined Wooster and set out in pursuit of the British.Arnold, Life of Arnold, pp. 126-130; Irving, Life of Washington, vol. iii., pp. 50–51.

AMERICANS ATTACK SAG HARBOR; PRESCOTT CAPTURED.

give way, and he himself was wounded. After destroying everything upon which they could lay their hands, the British retreated to New York.*

Burgoyne appointed to command the British forces in Canada - Other officers sent with him - Employment of Indians determined upon-Burgoyne's speech to the Indians - His proclamation Situation of Ticonderoga - St. Clair unable to check British progress - Ticonderoga abandoned - St. Clair pursued by the British Battle near Hubbardton - Schuyler's measures to hinder Burgoyne's progress — Inquiry into Schuyler's conduct — Washington sends reinforcements - Fort George evacuated Burgoyne halts at Fort Edward Alarm in New England States - Battle of Bennington St. Leger sent to the Mohawk Valley Battle of Oriskany-The Death of General Herkimer - Siege of Fort Stanwix - Arnold goes to Relief His stratagem British retreat from Fort Stanwix-Dispute between Schuyler and Gates Gates supersedes Schuyler - Correspondence between Gates and Burgoyne - The Jane M'Crea incident — Gates occupies Behmus's Heights - First Battle of Saratoga Sugar Loaf Hill - Ticonderoga recaptured by Americans Clinton attempts to relieve Burgoyne - Attack on Forts Clinton and Montgomery Correspondence with Gates and General Vaughan regarding British outrages - Second Battle of Saratoga - Burgoyne defeated - British Army surrenders Terms of the surrender-Gates honored by Congress Kindness of General Schuyler Treatment of British prisoners. Appendix to Chapter XVI.- Burgoyne's Proclamation.

While Washington was conducting operations against the British in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, an important campaign was in progress in the North. It will be remembered that the American army had been driven out of Canada by the British under Carleton, who planned to open a passage by way of the Hudson to New York and thus sever the Eastern States from the rest of the confederacy. After having driven the Americans out of Canada, Carleton attempted to advance southwardly, but met with obstinate resistance on the part of the Americans under

Arnold; and as the season was too far advanced for further operations, Carleton had abandoned the pursuit and gone into camp. At the beginning of 1777 General John Burgoyne had been placed in command of the British forces in Canada, in spite of the fact that Carleton had conducted the campaign with much abil

* J. L. Diman, The Capture of General Richard Prescott, in Rider's Historical Tracts, no. i.; E. Field, The Militia in War Time, in Rhode Island at the End of the Century, vol. i., chap. xxiii.; Richman, Rhode Island, pp. 223-226; Lossing, Field-Book of the Revolution, vol. i., pp. 642-645; Hildreth, vol. iii., pp. 188-189; Bancroft, vol. v., p. 155; Heath's Memoirs, pp. 112-113 (Abbatt's ed.).

BURGOYNE'S FORCES; BRITISH EMPLOY INDIANS.

ity and was entitled to remain in command of the British forces.* But Burgoyne, having been in England during the winter, gained the ear of the ministry and consequently secured the chief post of honor. When in England, he had laid all his plans for a vigorous campaign, giving the ministry an estimate of the forces necessary successfully to carry out his schemes.t Among the generals accompanying him were Simon Fraser, William Phillips, James Hamilton, Johann Friedrich Specht, Friedrich Adolph von Riedesel, and John Powell. In addition, he had a fine train of artillery with welltrained artillerymen, and an army of more than 7,000 veteran troops, well equipped, highly disciplined and in excellent spirits. He had, besides, a large number of Canadians and savages, and as he approached Albany, hundreds of Loyalists joined his forces.

That the British government deliberately decided to employ Indians against the American troops is proved by the letters of Lord Dartmouth to Colonel Johnson, dated July 5 and 24, 1775.§ In one of these letters Dartmouth says: "It is his Majesty's pleasure that you do lose

Lossing, Field-Book of the Revolution, vol. i., pp. 37-38.

Trevelyan, American Revolution, vol. iv., p. 70 et seq.

See the tables in Carrington, Battles of the Revolution, pp. 304-305, 307.

|| Flick, Loyalism in New York, p. 102 et seq. § See also Chatham's speech regarding this in Harrison, Chatham, pp. 231-233.

19

no time in taking such steps as may induce the Six Nations to take up the hatchet against his majesty's rebellious subjects in America, and engage them in his Majesty's service upon such plan as shall be suggested to you by General Gage, to whom this letter is sent, accompanied with a large assortment of goods for presents to them upon this important occasion." * The British generals placed a large amount of dependence upon the Indian allies, whom General Carleton was directed to use all his influence to bring into the field. In this project he was quite successful.

Before starting to the southward, Burgoyne detached Lieutenant-colonel Barry St. Leger, with a body of 800 light troops and Indians, to the Mohawk Valley, ordering him to go by the way of Lake Oswego and the Mohawk River, so as to make a diversion in that quarter, after which he was to join Burgoyne on the Hudson. Early in June, 1777, Burgoyne, with an army consisting of about 4,000 British regulars, 3,000 German troops and 650 Canadians and In... dians,† left St. John's, and, preceded

*See Judge Campbell's interesting paper, read before the New York Historical Society, October 7, 1845, in relation to "the direct agency of the British Government in the employment of the Indians in the Revolutionary War." Appendix to The Border Warfare of New York, pp. 321338. See also S. A. Drake, Burgoyne's Invasion of 1777, pp. 31-32; Trevelyan, American Revolu tion, vol. iv., p. 81 et seq.

Fiske says there were 4,135 regulars, 3,116 German troops, 148 Canadian militia, and 503 Indians total 7,902.-American Revolution, vol. i., Carrington, p. 307, makes the total 7,863,

p. 268.

20

BURGOYNE'S SPEECH TO INDIANS; HIS PROCLAMATION.

by his naval armament, sailed up Lake Champlain, in a few days landing and camping near Crown Point. While at this place, Burgoyne gave the Indians a war-feast and spoke long and earnestly to them. Among others things, he said: "Go forth in the might of your valor; strike at the common enemies of Great Britain and America, disturbers of public order, peace, and happiness, destroyers of commerce, parricides of the state." * He praised the Indians for their constancy and perseverance, and patient endurance of privation, and artfully flattered them by saying that in these respects the British army could well imitate them. He also entreated them to adopt a more civilized mode of warfare, such as was used by the whites. He then added:

"I positively forbid bloodshed when you are not opposed in arms. Aged men, women, children and prisoners must be held sacred from the knife and hatchet even in the time of actual conflict. You shall receive compensation for the prisoners you take, but you shall be called to account for scalps. In conformity and indulgence of your customs, which have affixed an idea of honor to such badges of victory, you shall be allowed to take the scalps of the dead when killed by your fire and in fair opposition; but on no account, or pretense, or

Lowell in his Hessians in the Revolution, pp. 137138, says 3,891 German troops accompanied Burgoyne, in addition to the Hanau Chasseurs attached to St. Leger's expedition. Roberts (New York, vol. ii., p. 418 following Irving, Life of Washington, vol. iii., p. 98) divides the forces as follows: 3,724 British rank and file; 3,016 German auxiliaries; 400 Indians; 473 artillerymen; 250 Canadians; total 7,863. The exact numbers in themselves are immaterial, save that the various figures show the difficulty in procuring accurate data.

Lossing, Field-Book of the Revolution, vol. i., pp. 159-160.

subtlety, or prevarication, are they to be taken from the wounded, or even the dying; and still less pardonable, if possible, will it be held to kill men in that condition on purpose, and upon a. supposition that this protection to the wounded would thereby be evaded." *

The Indians accordingly promised to accede to his wishes, but no reliance could be placed on their promises, and the English name, by letting loose upon the Americans the savage fury of their Indian confederates, received a stain which was not erased for many years.†

On July 2, upon his arrival at Ticonderoga, Burgoyne issued a proclamation addressed to the people of the country in which he held out promises of protection to those who would submit to the British authority and threatening condign punishment to those who refused. This proclamation, however, was ill-judged, for Burgoyne could neither frighten nor cajole the Americans into submitting to the royal authority. At this time a large number of the northern troops had been sent southward to join Washington, and Ticonderoga contained a garrison of only about 2,000 men under the command of General Arthur St. Clair, though the works

Lossing, Field-Book of the Revolution, vol. i., p. 99, note. See also Trevelyan, American Revolution, vol. iv., pp. 85-86; Tuckerman, Life of Schuy ler, pp. 179-180.

Bancroft, vol. v., pp. 158-159.

See Niles, Principles and Acts of the Revolu tion, pp. 262–264. On Hopkinson's burlesque of Burgoyne's proclamation, see Tyler, Literary History of the American Revolution, vol. ii., pp. 143146; W. L. Stone, Ballads and Poems relating to the Burgoyne Campaign, App. iii. See also Ap pendix at the end of the present chapter.