THE BURGOYNE CAMPAIGN.
=181. First Campaign for the Control of the Hudson fails.=--It did not
require much intelligence on the part of the British government to
perceive that it would be wise policy to separate if possible one group
of its revolting colonies from the rest. This was practicable only along
the line of the Hudson. The two long lakes, Champlain and George, with
the navigable river, almost made a great water highway from Canada on
the north to the sea on the south.
The plan to cut off New England from the other colonies was acted upon
in the summer of 1776. Carleton, a most efficient British general, came
down from Canada, captured Crown Point, and got as far as Ticonderoga,
when, having heard nothing of Howe, who was to come up from the south,
he was forced by the lateness of the season to return. Howe had been
delayed and baffled by Washington until it was too late to march north
to meet Carleton. Thus the first campaign for the control of the Hudson
proved a failure.
=182. The Plan for the Second Campaign.=--The British ministry at once
planned for another attempt during the next summer. This time the
invasion was to be carried out by three separate armies working towards
a common point. The main attack was to be made from the north. The army
in Canada was to march south, capture Ticonderoga, and go down the
Hudson to Albany. This part of the campaign was entrusted to General
Burgoyne.
Meanwhile Sir William Howe was to go up the Hudson and join his forces
with those of Burgoyne at Albany. Now, as there were many Tories in
central New York, and also powerful Indian tribes friendly to the
British cause, a small force under the command of Colonel St. Leger was
to sail up the St. Lawrence to Lake Ontario, land at Oswego, and then
march down the Mohawk valley to join Burgoyne on the Hudson.
The English government built great hopes upon Burgoyne's expedition. No
expense or effort was spared to make it a success. Money and supplies
were furnished without stint.
=183. Burgoyne begins Operations with a Great Army and Much Show.=--When
Burgoyne opened his campaign in the early summer of 1777, he had command
of the best army that had yet taken the field in America. There were
about four thousand English veterans, three thousand Germans, or
Hessians as they were called, nearly five hundred Indian warriors, and a
small force of Canadians. Most of the soldiers, as well as the officers,
were veterans. Forty cannon, well served and equipped, made up the
artillery train.
It was a splendid and imposing sight when this army in the middle of
June sailed into Lake Champlain in a large flotilla with bands playing
and banners flying. Burgoyne was a clever, agreeable, and well-bred man,
and a brave soldier; but he was vain, headstrong, and self-confident.
The British general served a great feast to his Indian allies on the
shore of the lake near Crown Point. He was dressed in showy uniform, and
so were all of his chief officers. He made a pompous speech to his
savage guests, who were adorned with war paint on their faces and
eagles' feathers in their hair. He told them not to scalp the wounded,
nor murder aged men, helpless women, or children. These "wild hyenas,"
as Burke called them in one of his great speeches before the English
Parliament, promised to obey their "great white father."
The sturdy settlers knew what an Indian promise meant, and they speedily
packed their goods and sent their families across the Green Mountains to
the Connecticut Valley. Burgoyne had written poetry, and many poor
plays, and so now he wrote in his high-flown style an address to the
American people. All were warned against driving off their cattle,
hiding their corn, and breaking down the bridges in his way. He
threatened to let loose his savages upon them if they disobeyed. He also
made a stirring address to his soldiers, in which he gave out the famous
watchword, "This army must not retreat."
=184. The Capture of Ticonderoga and what followed.=--Every one supposed
that Fort Ticonderoga would be a barrier to Burgoyne. Unfortunately the
commander, St. Clair, had failed to secure a neighboring position which
commanded the fortress. No one thought it possible to drag cannon up the
steep and rugged sides of this mountain; but the British general worked
night and day in hewing out a path, and with oxen dragged up his cannon
and placed them in position to pour a plunging fire into the fort.
The next morning the top of the crag, now named Mount Defiance, was
swarming with British troops. St. Clair saw with amazement the trap in
which he was caught. The next night the far-famed fortress was
abandoned, and the Continental army retreated southward. At daybreak the
British and the Hessians sprang to arms, ready to follow sharply both by
land and water the retreating army. So hot was the pursuit that the
Americans were forced to destroy their boats. All the wagon-loads of
arms, stores, and baggage fell into British hands.
There was a sharp fight a few days afterwards in the woods at a place
called Hubbardton, where the rear guard of the Americans, under Warner,
was surprised early in the morning, while the men were cooking
breakfast. They made a gallant and stubborn resistance against the
picked veterans of Burgoyne's army. Warner was outnumbered and defeated,
but the pursuit was so checked that St. Clair was able to bring what was
left of his army safely to Fort Edward, where he joined Schuyler.
=185. Burgoyne, elated by Success, begins to make Blunders.=--The curtain
now falls upon the first act of this great war drama. Burgoyne had been
highly favored. Ticonderoga had fallen in a night. Everybody was
astounded. The news fell like a sound of doom over the land. Washington
wrote to Schuyler: "The evacuation of Ticonderoga is an event of chagrin
and surprise not apprehended, nor within the compass of my reasoning."
Burgoyne now began to boast that victory would certainly crown his
future movements, and even predicted the speedy end of the war and the
submission of the colonies. He hurried off a special messenger to King
George, telling the king that everything was going just as he wished it.
The king rushed into the queen's apartments, says Walpole, clapping his
hands and shouting, "I have beat them! I have beat all the Americans."
In reality, Burgoyne's troubles were just beginning.
In his haste to crush the Americans before they could combine against
him, Burgoyne began to make serious blunders. For instance, it was a
fatal mistake when he decided on marching to Fort Edward through the
wilderness, instead of going back to Ticonderoga and proceeding thence
up Lake George and on to Fort Edward and the Hudson. Time, that
all-important factor in military campaigns, was lost sight of by this
over-confident British general. Again, Burgoyne made another serious
mistake in underestimating the fighting qualities of his enemy.
=186. General Schuyler carries out a Masterly Policy.=--Fortunately for
the Americans, Schuyler was an able and experienced general, and
Washington knew it. He had less than five thousand poorly armed men, but
he faced the situation bravely. He knew that if he could delay the
British invaders for a time, men enough would rally for the defense of
their homes to meet his foe in open battle. He did at once the best
thing possible. He put every obstacle in Burgoyne's way that ingenuity
could devise or experience suggest. He made the axe and the crowbar help
him.
Hundreds of trees were felled across the road. All the cattle were
driven out of reach. The country was stripped of all provisions. The
bridges were burnt, the creeks choked with stumps and stones, and the
wood-roads were destroyed. The aspect of things began to change.
Schuyler did his work well. He abandoned Fort Edward and fell back to
Stillwater, where he entrenched himself and waited.
[Illustration: {Map of Adirondack Mountain area.}]
It is only about twenty-six miles from Skenesboro to Fort Edward, but it
took Burgoyne twenty-four days to march this distance, and even then he
had to wait two weeks longer for the arrival of his artillery. New roads
had to be made, forty bridges built, and supplies and heavy ammunition
carried through an almost impassable wilderness.
=187. The Sturdy Pioneers of the North rise in Defense of their
Homes.=--Meanwhile, what were the stout-hearted pioneers of the north
doing? The time for prompt action had come. The frontiersmen rose nobly
to the demands of the situation. Burgoyne's Indians, ever since they
left the Canadian border, had been ravaging and scalping. Never was a
British general more mistaken than when he thought such bloody work
would frighten the American people. It aroused the fierce spirit of
revenge in them as no other act could have done.
=188. The Murder of Jane McCrea.=--The sad story of Jane McCrea has been
read and re-read ever since this beautiful girl was tomahawked and
scalped by Burgoyne's savages. It is not certain just how it happened.
It is true that a party of Indians seized and carried away Miss McCrea,
and a Mrs. McNeil with whom she was visiting in the latter's home near
Fort Edward.
It is also known that Jane was betrothed to one of Burgoyne's officers,
and as her own home was in New Jersey, it is probable that the
unfortunate girl was planning to meet her lover.
Some say that the Indians quarreled over a barrel of rum that was to be
given them as a reward on her safe arrival; others claim that a band of
American militia fired into the party. At all events, Mrs. McNeil came
alone to the English camp.
The next day the body of the murdered girl was found near a spring,
pierced with three bullets. An Indian came into camp with a scalp, which
Mrs. McNeil recognized as that of her friend by its black, silky hair,
more than a yard long.
There was nothing unusual about the murder, for it was only one of many
such. The deed has, however, been woven into song and story, which have
been repeated with endless variations in detail for more than six-score
years. The name "Jenny McCrea" became a watchword to the stout and
resolute farmers who were hastening from far and near to the scene of
action.
=189. Burgoyne gets his First Hard Blow; Desperate Fighting in the Mohawk
Valley.=--The first hard blow Burgoyne received came from the west.
Colonel St. Leger, as we remember, was marching with seventeen hundred
men down the Mohawk Valley. He came to a stronghold called Fort Stanwix,
and ordered its commander, Colonel Gansevoort, to surrender. The demand
met with a pointed refusal, and the British began a regular siege.
Everywhere through this beautiful valley was great excitement. General
Herkimer, a militia officer over sixty years of age, a thorough master
of Indian warfare, was a man of might in this section. Eight hundred
hardy pioneers of this frontier region rallied at the veteran's call
and marched with him to the relief of the fort. The younger officers
would not listen to the old general's advice to move with caution.
"You," said the old patriot, stung by their taunts, "you, who want to
fight so badly now, will be the first to run when you smell burnt
powder."
There was not a proper advance guard, and the men fell into an ambush of
the Tories and their Indian allies on the steep slope of a ravine, near
a place called Oriskany. A desperate fight began hand to hand and from
tree to tree. The worst thunderstorm of the season put an end to the
battle for about an hour.
[Illustration: HERKIMER DIRECTING THE BATTLE.]
Herkimer was shot in the leg in the early part of the encounter. He was
lifted from his fallen horse and placed, at his own request, upon his
saddle, propped against a beech tree. The old soldier lighted his pipe,
and though the bullets were whistling about him, and men were falling
thick and fast within a few yards, he coolly continued to direct the
battle, giving his orders calmly, as if on a parade ground. Through the
leafy depths of the forest rang the clashing of steel, the crack of
rifle, and, above all, the hideous yells of the savages. Suddenly the
Indians raised the retreating cry of "Oonah!" and in an instant they
were gone! The desperate fighting was too much for the Tories, and they
too fled, leaving the patriots in possession of the hard-earned field.
Thus was fought one of the most hotly contested and, for the numbers
engaged, one of the deadliest of the Revolutionary battles. No quarter
was given on either side. Of the eight hundred men under Herkimer that
fought on that sultry August day, only about a third ever saw their
homes again.
The brave old Dutchman was carried to his home, where, propped up in bed
with pillows, he calmly smoked his pipe, read his Bible, and waited
serenely for the end. He died a few days later. He had fought what was
perhaps the most desperate battle of the Revolution, and he was victor.
=190. Gallant Defense of Fort Stanwix; First American Flag raised.=--In
the mean time St. Leger, in spite of this heavy check, moved up to
within one hundred and fifty yards of the fort and again demanded its
surrender. The gallant Gansevoort made a flag from portions of an old
blue coat, a white shirt, and some strips from a red flannel petticoat,
and raised it above five captured British flags and defied his foes to
take the fort. We should remember the date, August 6, 1777; for it is
claimed that this was the first American flag with stars and stripes
that was ever flung to the breeze.
[Illustration: RAISING "OLD GLORY" FOR THE FIRST TIME.]
While the siege was in full progress, the besiegers suddenly broke up
their camps and retreated toward Canada in great confusion, leaving
behind them their cannon, supplies, and even their tents. What was the
matter? Arnold had been sent north by Washington immediately after the
fall of Ticonderoga, and had arrived at Schuyler's headquarters three
weeks before. Restless and impatient, he was despatched by Schuyler to
relieve the brave garrison. On his way he captured and was going to hang
as a spy a half-witted but ugly young Tory. The boy's mother begged his
life.
Arnold granted the mother's request on condition that the young fellow
should take some friendly Indians with him and hasten to the British
camp and so alarm St. Leger as to induce him to raise the siege and
retreat! The frightened Tory set out on his perilous errand, his brother
being held by Arnold as a hostage, and reached the British camp just as
the Indians were holding a "pow-wow" over the dubious enterprise in
which they were engaged.
As the savages saw the Tory's coat full of bullet holes, and listened to
his wonderful story of his own narrow escape, and heard that Arnold was
close on their heels with two thousand regulars, the savages said, "The
pow-wow said we must go"; and go they did in utmost haste. In vain the
British officers stormed and swore. The troops were seized with a panic.
St. Leger and all his army retreated in disorder, broken and beaten, to
Oswego, and afterwards to Montreal. The valley of the Mohawk was safe.
St. Leger's defeat dealt a severe blow to the plans and prospects of
Burgoyne. Arnold was now able to rejoin Schuyler.
=191. Burgoyne plans a Raid into the Country to secure Supplies.=--All
this time Burgoyne was hard pushed for food. Every pound of bread and
meat had to be brought from Canada. Nobody but Tories would sell him an
ounce of beef or an ear of corn.
The British general was also anxious to strike a blow at the good people
of New England. He knew that the supplies of the patriots were stored at
Bennington. Supplies he must have. On August 11 he sent off Colonel Baum
with about five hundred Hessians, Indians, and Tories on a plundering
trip to this little village.
Four days later a second division of about six hundred men was sent
under Colonel Breymann to help Baum, for it was evident that the
situation was looking ugly. Instead of raiding the country, Baum,
learning that the militia were gathering in all directions, entrenched
himself on a hill about four miles from Bennington and waited for
reinforcements.
=192. The Men of New England rally to defend their Homes.=--The men of New
England, instead of waiting till their houses were burnt, their crops
destroyed, and their wives and children scalped, were rapidly arriving
from far and near to meet their hated foe. The instant the Hessians and
Indians threatened to come over the line, the men of New England knew
there was only one thing to do and it must be done at once. That was to
kill as many of the enemy as they could and drive the rest back. They
had already prepared for this.
Not every man was able to act as did staunch old John Langdon, who kept
a store in Portsmouth. He said to the New Hampshire Assembly: "I have
three thousand dollars in hard money. I will pledge my plate for as much
more. I have seventy hogsheads of rum, which shall be sold. Our old
friend John Stark, who defended the rail fence at Bunker Hill, will work
like a beaver to stop Burgoyne."
Among the rugged hills of northern New England no other man had such a
personal following as had John Stark--a man of dauntless courage, rough
simplicity, and real Yankee shrewdness.
In appearance Stark was a man of medium size, well proportioned, and of
great strength and endurance. It is remarkable that in all his years of
hard service in the French and Indian wars, and in the many severe
battles of the Revolution, he had never received a wound. He lived to be
ninety-four years of age. He survived all the high officers that had
taken part in the Revolution except Sumter, the famous southern general.
Messengers rode on fast horses over the hills with orders for the men to
rally at once. Each man packed his knapsack, grasped his rifle, left the
women to get in the crops, and started for Charlestown on the
Connecticut River, where Stark had raised his standard. Old men of
seventy and even boys of fifteen turned out. Some of the farmers
brought clock weights, some their pewter spoons and porringers, to be
melted into bullets. The metal was kept running into the bullet moulds
night and day. An old rusty cannon was found; it was mounted on a pair
of cart wheels and dragged over the Green Mountains.
The story is told of one mother whose boy of only fifteen was ready to
start, but had no coat. The patriot mother took a meal bag, made a hole
for the head, two more for the arms, cut off the feet of a pair of her
long stockings which she sewed on for sleeves,--and hurried him away to
Stark's camp!
=193. How John Stark whipped the British at Bennington.=--Stark was now
ready to march against Baum. On August 14 he was within a mile of the
British camp. The next day it rained heavily. Fighting in such pouring
torrents was out of the question. The Hessians worked hard on the
entrenchments all day, and Stark sheltered his men in brush huts and
under the lee of fences.
One hundred men from the Berkshire Hills arrived in the night. A
minister who could fight as well as preach came with them in a sulky.
"General Stark," said he, "we have never had a chance to fight, and if
you don't give us a chance now, we shall never turn out again."
"Do you want to fight now in the rain and at night?" said Stark.
"No," said the good man.
"Well, then," said Stark, "if the Lord gives us sunshine once more, and
I don't give you fighting enough, you needn't turn out again."
Old soldiers who had fought behind the rail fence at Bunker Hill with
Stark, and who had been in the front ranks with him at Trenton, knew
that there would be no boy's play in the coming battle. The next
morning, which was Saturday, August 16, broke clear and hot.
[Illustration: STARK ADDRESSING HIS MEN BEFORE THE BATTLE OF
BENNINGTON.]
The ever-active and energetic Stark determined to storm the hill before
reinforcements could reach the enemy. This was a desperate undertaking
for country militia armed only with muskets and fowling pieces, without
bayonets or side arms. Baum was well entrenched on a hill behind
breastworks defended by highly disciplined veterans.
About midday Stark, calling his men together in a large field, leaped to
the topmost rail of a fence, steadied himself by a tall post, and
addressed his troops in the historic words: "Now, my men, yonder are the
Hessians. They are bought for seven pounds tenpence a man. Are you worth
more? Prove it. To-night the American flag floats over yonder hill, or
Molly Stark sleeps a widow!"
Foreseeing that there would be close work with the Tories, who were
dressed in farmers' clothes, like most of his own men, Stark gave orders
that a corn husk in the hatband should be the badge of his own men. Five
hundred men were sent to form in the rear of Baum's entrenchment, and
two hundred more were massed on the right as a flanking party.
It is now about three o'clock. With all his men in position Stark gives
the word "Forward!" The battle begins in earnest. With wild shouts the
farmer-soldiers press forward, using their rifles with deadly effect.
The Indians, panic-stricken, yelling like demons, take to their heels,
and make their escape into the forest. They have no intention of being
caught in a trap. The Hessians stand their ground and fight bravely.
For two hours there is hot work, "one continuous roar," as Stark
afterwards said. The old cannon on cart wheels fires stones, for there
are no cannon balls! At last Stark leads his men in a fierce charge.
Baum falls mortally wounded, and his men surrender. A wild hurrah goes
up. The battle is won.
It was in the nick of time. Breymann arrived with fresh troops and began
a lively attack. Stark rallied his men. A hundred and fifty "Green
Mountain boys," hearing the roar of the battle, came up in the rear at
just the right moment. They fell upon the Hessians like a thunderbolt,
routed them, and would have captured them all if it had not been nearly
dark. As it was, the enemy retreated in haste under cover of the
darkness.
The pioneer settlers of New England had proved themselves more than a
match for entrenched regulars. Stark had beaten two of Burgoyne's best
officers in a pitched battle. The victory was won by the sheer hard
fighting of men who were well led.
=194. Mighty Efforts of the Patriots to crush Burgoyne.=--The battle of
Bennington was a severe blow for Burgoyne. His army never fully
recovered from it. A thousand of his best men were lost, besides cannon,
arms, and supplies of war. Even the savages began to leave in large
numbers.
The effect of this brilliant victory on the country was magical. It
began to be thought that the whole of Burgoyne's army might be captured.
Militia came in increasing numbers even from points on the Atlantic
coast.
Washington had some time before sent two of his best officers--Arnold,
who as a fighter in pitched battles was unsurpassed, and Morgan, who
came with five hundred sharpshooters, each man of whom, it was said,
could hit a squirrel with his rifle at a distance of three hundred
yards.
[Illustration: THE BATTLE MONUMENT AT BENNINGTON, VT.]
Congress, misinformed, now set aside the noble General Schuyler and sent
Gates, a schemer and intriguer, to supersede him. Schuyler's wise
forethought and steadfast courage had already begun to show results. By
a stupid blunder of the British government, orders for Sir William Howe
to march north to aid Burgoyne had been delayed.
General Lincoln had moved with two thousand men to the rear of the
British army. The outposts of Ticonderoga had been retaken, and the
road to Canada was thus closed for help or retreat.
=195. The Hard-fought Battle near Saratoga.=--Burgoyne soon found that he
must do something. About the middle of September he crossed to the west
bank of the Hudson and came within two miles of the American camp at
Bemis Heights. Here took place, on September 18, a hotly contested
battle known as that of Freeman's Farm. If Gates had been an able
general, probably the British army would have been crushed and the
Burgoyne campaign ended then and there. As it was, the deadly fire of
the riflemen inflicted a severe blow.
Gates did not follow up his advantage. The two armies glared at each
other. There was no rest for either side. There was sharp skirmishing
all along the lines. The nights were made hideous by the howls of large
packs of wolves that were attracted by the partially buried bodies of
those slain in the battle.
At last, on October 7, Burgoyne came out from his entrenched camp with
fifteen hundred picked men and ten cannon. A bloody hand-to-hand battle
was fought.
Gates had removed Arnold from his command. Angry and desperate, this
impetuous but hard fighter placed himself at the head of a detachment
of the Continental troops, and under a terrific fire led the men to
battle. Mounted on a dark-brown horse, he rode at full gallop over the
field. He was greeted with wild cheers. "Call that fellow back," said
Gates, "or he will do something rash." With mad fury his men charged and
drove the enemy at the point of the bayonet.
In the final retreat a wounded Hessian, lying on the ground, took aim
and fired at Arnold. The bullet killed his horse and wounded the general
in the same leg that had been hit by a musket ball nearly two years
before, at the storming of Quebec. A thousand times better would it have
been had the bullet gone through his heart!
As Arnold fell, one of his men rushed up and was just going to bayonet
the soldier who had shot his beloved general; but Arnold cried, "In
Heaven's name, don't kill him! He is a fine fellow!" This was the moment
when the general whom Washington so much admired for his rash bravery
should have died.
In less than an hour the British were driven back and retreated behind
their entrenchments.
Some time afterward, when Arnold had turned traitor and captured an
American officer, he asked him, "What will your people do with me if
they catch me?"
"If my countrymen catch you," replied the fearless patriot, "they will
first cut off your lame leg, which was wounded at Quebec and Saratoga,
and bury it with the honors of war, and afterwards hang the rest of your
body on a gallows."
Darkness alone stopped the battle. General Morgan, as he saw a brave
Scottish officer riding everywhere along the line, said to one of his
best marksmen: "That is General Fraser. I admire and honor him, but it
is necessary that he should die. Take your station in yonder bushes and
do your duty." Shortly afterwards, this splendid Scotchman, who said to
an aid when warned of his peril, "My duty forbids me to fly from
danger," fell mortally wounded.
=196. Effect of the Great Victory at Saratoga.=--Such was the battle of
Bemis Heights, or Saratoga. It was really fought within a very few rods
of the place where the battle of Freeman's Farm occurred.
The rest of the story is soon told. Burgoyne retreated through the storm
to Saratoga. The attempt to escape was hopeless. He was hemmed in on
every side. The "trap" which the best British officers had foreseen, had
been sprung. There was only one thing to do, and that was to yield to
the inevitable.
Burgoyne, with his army of about six thousand men, surrendered October
17, 1777.
The battle of Saratoga has justly been called "one of the decisive
battles of history." It made a profound impression in Europe. It was the
defeat of Burgoyne's army that convinced France that it was time to come
to the help of the American colonies. It lifted the cloud of gloom which
had settled upon the hearts of the American people, and which had wrung
despondent words even from the hopeful Washington.
From the day of this memorable victory until liberty was fully realized,
four years later, in the final surrender at Yorktown, no true American
gave up the idea of final triumph.