Country
043
CHAPTER II.
"Led on by lust of lucre and renown,
Burgoyne came marching with his thousands down,
High were his thoughts and furious his career,
Puff'd with self-confidence and pride severe;
Swoll'n with the idea of his future deeds,
Onward to ruin each advantage leads."
Philip Freneau, 1778.
E left Waterford at two o'clock P.M. for Bermis's Heights, the famous
battle-ground where Burgoyne was checked and defeated in the autumn of
1777, a few weeks after General Gates succeeded to the command of the
northern Our conveyance was a neat little canal packet, its cabin
crowded with passengers and a well-supplied dinner-table, and its deck
piled with as much luggage and as many loungers as low bridges and a hot
sun would allow. For a loiterer who takes no note of passing hours but
to mark and mourn their excessive length, and who loves to glide along
listlessly among green fields and shady woods without the disturbance of
even a carriage ride, a day voyage upon a canal is really delightful,
especially if the face of nature is attractive, and a pleasant companion
or agreeable book assists in smoothing the passage of time. Such seemed
to be the character of nearly all our fellow-passengers, pleasure from
personal enjoyment being their chief object. When dinner was over, some
slept some read, and every body talked to every body as freely as old
acquaintances would chat.
The country through which we passed is very fertile, and beautifully
diversified in aspect. The plain over which the Hudson here flows is a
narrow alluvial bottom, of garden richness, along the western edge of
which passes the canal. Green woods and cultivated fields skirted the
river on either side, and those conical hills and knolls, like western
tumuli, which are prominent features from Stillwater to Sandy Hill, here
begin to appear. Some of them were still covered with the primeval
forest, and others were cultivated from base to summit, giving a
pleasing variety to the ever-changing landscape. The dark green corn,
just flowering; the wheat ears, fading from emerald to russet; the
blackberries, thick in the hedges; the flowers innumerable, dotting the
pasture fields, and the fragrance of the new-mown hay, scattered in
wind-rows along the canal, were pleasant sights to one just escaped from
the dust and din of the city, and imparted a gratification which only
those can feel and appreciate who seldom enjoy it. There was one thing
wanting, which leafy June would have supplied-the melody of birds.
" Silence girt the woods; no warbling tongue
Talks now unto the echo of the groves;
Only the curled stream soft chidings kept;
And little gales that from the green leaves swept
Dry summer's dust, in fearful whisperings stirr'd,
As loth to waken any singing bird,"
for it was just the season when the warblers of the forest are still,
except at early morning when they carol a brief matin hymn, and then are
quiet. Yet
" The poetry of earth is never dead.
When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,
And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
"Silence girt the woods; no warbling tongue
Talks now unto the echo of the groves;
Only the curled stream soft chidings kept;
And little gales that from the green leaves swept
Dry summer's dust, in fearful whisperings stirr'd,
As loth to waken any singing bird,"
for it was just the season when the warblers of the forest are still,
except at early morning, when they carol a brief matin hymn, and then
are quiet. Yet
"The poetry of earth is never dead.
When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,
And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
Young Tourists from Saratoga Springs.--Gates and Burgoyne.--An Evening
Visit to Bemis's Heights
044
From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;
That is the grasshopper's."
Keats.
At the Borough, or Mechanicsville, nine miles above Waterford, the rail-
road from Saratoga Springs reaches the canal. Here our boat was filled
to repletion with a bevy of young people, who, tired of medicinals and
midnight merriment at that Mecca of fashion in summer, had determined to
take a "slow coach" to Whitehall, and meet the stronger tide of gay
tourists flowing to Ticonderoga from Lake George. They were full of
life, and not one of them had ever passed a night upon a canal-boat.
Poor souls! how we pitied them, while we rejoiced at our own better
fortune, intending, as we did, to debark toward cooling sunset. If
"affliction is necessary to temper the over-joyous," our young travelers
were doubtless well annealed before morning in the vapor bath of a
packet cabin.
One of the passengers was a roving journeyman printer, full of the
general intelligence of the craft, an inveterate tobacco chewer, and
evidently a boon companion of John Barleycorn and his cousins. His hat
was a-slouch and his coat seedy. His wit kept the deck vocal with
laughter; yet, when at times he talked gravely, the dignity of
intelligence made us all respectful listeners. He was perfectly familiar
with the history of the classic grounds through which we were then
passing. His father was one of the special adjutants appointed by
General Gates on the morning of the action of the 19th of September, and
from him he had often received minute details of the events of that
contest. He mentioned a circumstance connected with the commander on
that occasion, which, in some degree, explains the singular fact that he
was not upon the field of action-a fact which some have adduced as
evidence of cowardice. It is admitted that General Gates did not leave
his camp during the contest; and the special adjutant referred to
asserted boldly that _intoxication_ was the chief cause. That, in the
opinion of the world at that time, was a weakness far more excusable,
and a crime less heinous, than cowardice; for a night's debauch and a
morning of dullness and stupidity were things too common among
_gentlemen_ to affect reputation seriously, unless bad consequences
ensued. He was not alone in devotion to the wine-cup at that very time,
for it is said that Burgoyne and Earl Balcarras did not leave their
flagon and their cards until dawn that morning. Burgoyne and the earl,
however, had either stouter heads or stouter hearts than Gates, for they
were on duty in the field when the contest was raging. It may be that
neither wine nor cowardice controlled the American commander. Let us
charitably hope that it did not, and charge the fault upon a weak
judgment; for we should be ever ready to act toward erring brother-man
according to the glorious injunction of Prior:
"Be to his faults a little blind;
Be to his virtues very kind."
We reached Bemis's Heights between five and six o'clock in the evening.
The hotel is situated a few rods south of the site of the old residence
of Bemis. The obliging landlord anticipated our impatience to view the
battle-ground, and when supper was over we found a horse and light wagon
in readiness to carry us to the residence of Charles Neilson, Esq., on
the summit of the heights, whence a fine view of the whole scene of
conflict and of the surrounding country might be obtained. * It was too
late for much observation, for twilight soon spread its veil over every
object. After spending an hour pleasantly and profitably with Mr.
Neilson and his family, I made an engagement to meet him early next
morning, to ride and ramble over the historic grounds in the
neighborhood.
* Mr. Neilson occupies the mansion owned by his father, an active Whig,
at the time of the battles there He has written and published a volume
entitled "An original, compiled, and corrected Account of Bur-goyne's
Campaign and the memorable Battles of Bemis's Heights." It contains many
details not found in other books, which he gathered from those who were
present, and saw and heard what they related It is valuable on that
account.
View from Bemia's Heights. Topography. Origin of the Name. Headquarters
of Revolutionary Officers.
045
The morning broke with an unclouded sky, and before the dew was off the
grass I was upon Bemis's Heights, eager to see what yet remained of the
military works of a former time. Alas! hardly a vestige is to be seen;
hut a more beautiful view than the one from Mr. Neilson's mansion I have
seldom beheld. The ground there is higher than any in the vicinity,
except the range of hills on the east side of the Hudson, and the eye
takes in a varied landscape of a score of miles in almost every
direction. Bounding the horizon on the north and west are the heights of
Saratoga and the high mountains on the eastern shore of Lake George. On
the south stretch away into the blue distance toward Albany the gentle
hills and the pleasant valley of the Hudson. On the east, not far
distant, rises Willard's Mountain, and over and beyond its southern
neighbors of less altitude may be seen the heights of Bennington on the
Walloomsoik, * the Green Mountains, and the lofty summit of far-famed
Mount Tom.
Bemis's Heights are situated on the right bank of the Hudson, about four
miles north of the pleasant village of Stillwater (which is on the same
side of the river), and about twenty-five miles from Albany. The ground
here rises abruptly from an extensive alluvial flat, about half a mile
in width a little above, but here tapering until it forms quite a narrow
defile of not more than thirty or forty rods on each side of the river.
At the time of the Revolution, the whole country in this vicinity was
covered with a dense forest, having only an occasional clearing of a few
acres; and deep ravines furrowed the land in various directions.
Fronting the river, a high bluff of rocks and soil, covered with stately
oaks and maples, presented an excellent place on which to plant a
fortification to command the pas sage of the river and the narrow valley
below. The bluff is still there, but the forest is gone, and many of the
smaller ravines have been filled up by the busy hand of cultivation.
The only road then much traveled passed along the margin of the river.
Upon the road, at the southern extremity of the bluff, was a tavern kept
by a man named Bemis, the only one of note between Albany and Fort
Edward. Good wines and long pipes, a spacious ball-room and a capital
larder, made Bemis's house a famous place of resort for sleighing
parties in winter, throughout the whole of the Saratoga valley of the
Hudson. He owned a portion of the heavy-timbered heights near him, and
from that circumstance the hill derived its name.
On the summit of the height, three fourths of a mile northwest of
Bemis's, the father of Mr. Neilson owned a clearing of a few acres when
the war broke out, and he had erected a small dwelling and a log barn
thereon. The dwelling, with large additions, is still there, but the log
barn, which was picketed and used for a fort, has long since given place
to another. Around that old mansion cluster many interesting historic
associations, and if its walls could articulate, they might tell of
heroism in action and patient endurance which the pen of history has
never yet recorded.
Upon the next page are given a group of localities about Bemis's Heights
and a miniature map of the engagements there. The picture at the top of
the page represents the mansion of Mr. Neilson, as seen from the
opposite side of the road, looking eastward. It stands upon the east
side of the highway leading to Quaker Springs, about one hundred rods
north of the road from Bemis's Heights to the watering places of
Ballston and Saratoga. It is a frame house, and the part next to the
road is modern compared with the other and smaller portion, which is the
original dwelling. The room in the old part (a sketch of which is given
in the third picture from the top) is quite large, and was occupied by
Brigadier-general Poor and Colonel Morgan as quarters at the time of the
encampments there. It was in this room that Major Ackland, the brave
commander of the British Grenadiers, who was severely wounded in the
battle of the 7th of October, was kindly received by the American
officers, and visited and nursed by his heroic wife, Lady Harriet
Ackland, of whom, and the event in question, I shall hereafter speak.
The bed of the wounded officer was beneath
* It is said that the smoke of the battle of Bennington, thirty miles
distant, was distinctly seen from Bemis's Heights. 046
Localities about Bemis's Heights.--Gates's Quarters.--Willard's
Mountain.--Condition of the Northern Army.
047
the window on the left. The door in the center opens into a small bed-
room; and this as well as every thing else about the room, is carefully
preserved in its original condition. Where the smaller poplar tree
stands was a building which General Arnold occupied; and further to the
left the small buildings are upon the spot where the fortified log barn
stood, which was at the northwest angle of the American works. In
compliment to the owner, the rude fortification was called Fort Neilson.
Between the smaller poplar tree and the house is seen Willard's
Mountain, five miles distant, on the east side of the Hudson. This
eminence commands a fine view of the valley for many miles. From its
summit a Mr. Willard and a few others, with a good spy-glass, watched
all the movements of Burgoyne, and made regular reports to General
Gates. This service was exceedingly valuable, for a fair estimate of the
number of troops, their baggage, stores, artillery, &c., was made from
his observations. His name is immortalized by a gigantic monument, which
has borne it ever since.
The second vignette from the top is a view of Gates's headquarters at
the time of the battle of the 7th of October. He first made his
headquarters at Bemis's house, but afterward removed them hither. This
house was demolished about four years ago, but, from a sketch furnished
by Mr. Neilson, I am enabled to give a correct view. The old well curb
is still there, and seems as though it might survive a generation yet.
This house stood about one hundred and fifty rods south of Fort Neilson,
and the traces of the cellar may now be seen a few yards to the left of
the Ballston road, ascending from the river.
The third vignette represents the room mentioned above. The picture at
the bottom of the page is a view from the Bemis's Heights Hotel,
representing the Champlain Canal, the Hudson River, and the hills on the
eastern side. Near the large trees on the left may be seen traces of a
redoubt which defended a floating bridge that was thrown across the
river here, and so constructed that one end could be detached at
pleasure, allowing the bridge to swing around with the current, and thus
prevent the enemy from entering upon it. The lumber for this bridge was
furnished by General Schuyler, at his own private expense, and floated
down the river from Saratoga or Schuylerville.
The map I shall have occasion to refer to when noticing the
fortifications and the battles. The halbert, represented on the left of
the picture, was plowed up in the neighborhood, and is in the possession
of Mr. Neilson. When found, it had a small British flag or cloven pennon
attached to it, which soon occupied the utilitarian and more peaceful
position of patches in the bed-quilt of a prudent housewife.
When General Gates took the command of the Northern army, (August 19,
1777) events were occurring favorable to his success. Burgoyne was at
Fort Edward, paralyzed with alarm and perplexity on account of the
failure of an expedition to Bennington--a failure, in its immediate as
well as prospective effects, extremely disastrous. The obstructions
which General Schuyler had thrown in the way on his retreat from Fort
Anne, made the march of the enemy slow and toilsome in the extreme. *
The plethora of the commissariat department was rapidly subsiding by the
delay; the supplies of the surrounding country, already heavily levied
on, were totally inadequate to the demand, and the capture of American
stores was an object called for by stern necessity. Burgoyne, therefore,
halted at Fort Edward, and sent an expedition to Bennington to seize a
large quantity of clothing and pro-
* General Schuyler felled large trees across the roads and bridle-paths
through the woods, sunk deep ditches, and destroyed all the bridges.
These evils Burgoyne was obliged to overcome and repair. With immense
toil, the obstructions were removed, and no less than forty bridges over
streams and morasses were constructed, so as to allow the passage of
artillery. It must be remembered, too, that a soldier in actual service
is not so lightly accoutered as a soldier on parade. Besides the actual
fatigue of traveling and labors, he has a heavy back-burden to hear.
Respecting this, we quote Burgoyne's own words: "It consists of a
knapsack, containing his bodily necessaries, a blanket, a haversack with
provisions, a canteen, a hatchet, and a fifth share of the general camp
equipage belonging to his tent." These articles (reckoning the
provisions to be for four days), added to his accouterments, arms, and
sixty rounds of ammunition, make a bulk totally incompatible with
combat, and a weight of about sixty pounds.
British Reverses in the Mohawk Valley.--Perplexity of Burgoyne.--
Advance of Gates to Stillwater.--Kosciusko
048
visions which the Americans had collected there. The detachment sent
thither so weakened his forces that he dared not proceed until it should
return, bringing back, as he confidently expected, ample provisions for
his army until he should enter Albany triumphant. But the New England
militia were on the alert, and they not only saved their stores and live
cattle at Bennington, but defeated and dispersed the enemy, capturing a
large number, together with arms and ammunition, then much needed by the
growing ranks of
August 16. the volunteers.
Burgoyne had hardly recovered from this shock, before a courier, guided
by a friendly Indian, came in breathless haste by the way of Saratoga
Lake and Glenn's Falls, bearing the direful news of the desertion of the
Indians, the defection of the loyalists of the Mohawk Valley, and the
complete defeat of St. Leger at Fort Schuyler. These reverses August 22.
fell like an incubus upon the spirits of his army. The Indians in his
camp, already vexed because Burgoyne's humanity had restrained their
purposes of rapine and murder, began to waver in their fidelity, and the
Canadians and timid loyalists became luke warm through very cowardice,
and deserted by hundreds.
Burgoyne was greatly perplexed. To proceed at that time would be
madness; to retreat would not only lose him a promised _order_, perhaps
a peerage, but would operate powerfully in giving friends to the
republicans. The idea of British invincibility would be dissipated, and
thousands who favored the cause of the king on account of that supposed
invincibility and the hopelessness of resistance, would join the
patriots, or would, at least, become mere _passive_ loyalists. In view
of all these difficulties, the British commander wisely resolved to
remain at Fort Edward until the panic should subside and stores should
be brought for ward from his posts on Lake George and Lake Champlain. He
was also in daily expectation of advices from General Howe or Sir Henry
Clinton, at New York, announcing a movement upon the Hudson for the
purpose of producing a diversion in favor of Burgoyne, by drawing away a
portion of the American army from the North.
These disasters of the enemy greatly inspirited the Americans, and the
Eastern militia, among whom Gates was very popular, flocked to his
standard with great alacrity. The murder of Jane M'Crea at Fort Edward
(of which I shall hereafter speak) was another powerful agency in
swelling the ranks of the patriots. Fierce indignation was aroused in
every honest heart by the highly-colored recital of that event, and
loyalists by hundreds withdrew their support from a cause which employed
such instrumentalities as savage warriors to execute its purposes.
Perceiving the disposition of Burgoyne to halt at Fort Edward, and the
difficulties that were gathering around him, General Gates advanced up
the Hudson to Stillwater, and prepared to act offensively or
defensively, as circumstances should dictate. It was at first resolved
to throw up fortifications at the place where the village of Stillwater
now is; but the narrowness of the valley and the abruptness of the bank
on the western margin of the flat at Bemis's offered a more advantageous
position, and there, by the advice of Kosciusko, who was an engineer in
the army, General Gates made his encampment and fortified it. *
* Thaddeus Kosciusko was born in Lithuania in 1736, of an ancient and
noble family. He was educated at the military school of Warsaw, and
afterward became a student in France. There he became acquainted with
Dr. Franklin, and was by him recommended to General Washington. Before
leaving Poland, he had eloped with a beautiful lady of high rank. They
were overtaken in their flight by her father, who made a violent attempt
to rescue his daughter. The young Pole had either to slay the father or
abandon the young lady. Abhorring the former act, he sheathed his sword,
and soon after obtained permission of his sovereign to leave his
country. He came to America, and presented himself to the commander-in-
chief He answered the inquiry of his excellency, "What do you seek
here?" by saying, "I come to fight as a volunteer for American
independence."
"What can you do?" asked Washington. "Try me," was Kosciusko's laconic
reply. Greatly pleased with him, Washington made him his aid. In
October, 1776, he was appointed engineer by Congress, with the rank of
colonel. In the autumn of 1777 he fortified the camp of Gates at Bemis's
Heights, and afterward superintended the construction of the works at
West Point, among the Hudson Highlands. He was greatly esteemed by the
American officers, and admitted a member of the Cincinnati Society At
the close of our Revolution he returned to Poland, and was made a major
general under Poniatowski. He commanded judiciously and fought bravely;
and when, in 1794, a new revolution broke out in Poland, he was made
generalissimo, and vested with the power of a military dictator. In
October of that year he was overpowered, wounded, and taken prisoner. In
reference to this event, Campbell, in his Pleasures of Hope, says,
"Hope for a season bade the world farewell,
And freedom shrieked when Kosciusko fell."
He was kept in prison in St. Petersburg until the death of the Empress
Catharine, when he was liberated by Paul, loaded with honors, and
offered a command in the Russian service, which he declined. The emperor
besought him to accept the proffered honor, and presented him with his
own sword. But bitterly reflecting that his country had been
annihilated, he refused to receive his sword, saying, "I no longer need
a sword, since I have no longer a country to defend." He visited the
United Stales in 1797, and received from Congress a grant of land for
his services. He returned to Switzerland toward the close of his life,
and died There October the 16th, 1817. His remains were taken to Cracow,
and at Warsaw a public funeral was made for him. At West Point, on the
Hudson, the cadets erected a monument to his memory. We have given a
drawing of the monument, and a more particular notice, on page 705, of
this volume.
Fortifications at Bemis's Heights.--Their present Appearance.--
Preparations for Battle
049
Alone: the brow of the hill toward the river a line of breast-works was
thrown up, about three fourths of a mile in extent, with a strong
battery at each extremity, and one near the center in such position as
to completely sweep the valley, and command even the hills upon the
eastern side of the river. Faint traces of these redoubts and the
connecting breast-works are still visible. At the northern extremity,
where the largest and strongest battery was erected, the mound is
leveled, but the ditch is quite deep, and may be traced many rods
westward from the brow of the hill, along the line of breast-works that
were thrown up after the first battle. But every year the plow casts in
the soil of its furrows, and ere long no vestige will remain of these
intrenchments. Within the area of the northeast redoubt, at the time of
my visit, potatoes in desecrating luxuriance were flourishing, except
upon a very small spot occupied as a burial-place for a few of the
Vanderburgh family. It really seemed sacrilegious for the vulgar vines
of the nutritious tuber to intertwine with the long grass and beautiful
wild flowers that covered the graves. The elder one of those buried
there was an active republican, and had his house burned by the enemy. A
few plain slabs with inscriptions tell who lie beneath the several
mounds, but no stone marks the grave where sleeps that venerable
patriot.
From the foot of the hill, across the flats to the river, an
intrenchment was opened, and at the extremity, on the water's edge, a
strong battery was erected, which guarded the floating bridge
constructed there, and also commanded the plain on the east side of the
river in such a manner that the enemy might have been terribly enfiladed
in case they had attempted to pass down the river or the valley.
Near where the road crossed Mill Creek, a small stream nearly half a
mile above Bemis's tavern, were a short line of breast-works and a
strong battery, which, with those mentioned above, composed all the
fortifications previous to the first battle. These being completed about
the 15th of September, and the enemy approaching, General Gates made
preparations for resistance. Brave officers and determined soldiers, in
high spirits, were gathered around him, and the latter were hourly
increasing in numbers. The counsels of General Schuyler and the known
bravery of General Arnold were at his command; and he felt confident of
victory, aided by such men as Poor, Learned, Stark, Whipple, Paterson,
Warner, Fellows,
Expedition against the Posts on Lakes George and Champlain.--March of
Burgoyne to Saratoga and Stillwater
050
Bailey, Glover, Wolcott, Bricketts, and Tenbroeck, with their full
brigades, and the bravo Virginian, Colonel Morgan, with his unerring
marksmen, supported by the regiments of Dearborn, Brooks, Cilley,
Scammel, and Hull.
Small successes about this time, important in the aggregate result,
tended materially to keep up the spirits of the American troops, and
made them eager to encounter the main body of the enemy. General
Lincoln, with about two thousand militia, got in the rear of Burgoyne,
and, by dividing his force into detachments, operated with much effect.
One detachment, under Colonel Brown, surprised the British posts on Lake
George, captured a vessel containing provisions for the enemy, took
possession of Mount Hope and Mount Defiance, and, appearing before
Ticonderoga, demanded its surrender. But the walls and garrison were too
strong, and, after a cannonade of four days, the siege was abandoned,
and all the troops prepared to unite and attack the enemy in the rear.
The threatening aspect of this movement of Lincoln at the beginning, and
the probability of having his supplies from the lakes cut off, induced
Burgoyne, in self-defense, to move forward and execute promptly what he
intended to do. Having, by great diligence, brought forward provisions
for about thirty days, he advanced along the left bank of the Hudson to
the mouth of the Batten Kill, where he encamped preparatory to crossing
the river. * His officers were somewhat divided in opinion in regard to
the expediency of further attempts to reach Albany; and it had been
plainly intimated to Burgoyne that it might be greater wisdom to fall
back from Fort Edward, rather than advance, for it was evident that
perils of no ordinary kind were gathering around the invading army.
Unwilling to act in opposition to the _expressed_ opinions of his
officers, Burgoyne avoided any intimations of judgment on their part by
omitting to consult them at all; and he assumed the responsibility of
crossing the Hudson, resting for his defense, if adversity should ensue,
upon the peremptory nature of his instructions. ** He constructed a
bridge of boats, and on the 13th and 14th of September passed his whole
army over, and encamped on the heights and plains of Saratoga, at the
mouth of the Fish Creek, where Schuylerville now is, and within about
five miles of the American works below. On the 15th, having succeeded in
getting his artillery, baggage, and stores across the river, Burgoyne
moved down as far as Do-ve-gat (now Coveville), where he halted until
the morning of the 17th, for the purpose of repairing the roads and
bridges before him, when he advanced as far as Swords's house and
encamped for the night. On the morning of the 18th he moved down as far
as the place now called Wilbur's Basin, within two miles of the American
camp, and here he made preparations for battle. His chief officers were
Major-general Phillips, of the artillery, who had performed signal
service in Germany; Brigadier-general Fraser, commander of the
grenadiers and light infantry; Brigadiers Hamilton and Powell; and the
Brunswick major general, Baron de Riedesel, with his brigadiers, Specht
and Gall, Earl Balcarras, Colonel Breyman, Major Ackland, Lieutenant
Kingston, and others of minor grade, were men of tried courage, and
ardently attached to their general and the service.
When the defeat of Burgoyne, a few days later, became known in England,
the crossing of the Hudson River and his persistence in pressing toward
Albany, with the American army in front and a wilderness filling with
armed republicans in his rear, formed the chief theme for the
vituperative assaults of his enemies; and to these steps all his
subsequent misfortunes were attributed. But, as we have seen, he
retreated behind the peremptory instructions of ministers; and Botta
very justly observes, "that at that time he had not
* His place of encampment was about one hundred rods north of Lansing's
saw-mill. The farm, till within a few years, was occupied by Mr. Thomas
Rogers. Burgoyne had quite an extensive slaughter-yard there, which so
enriched the soil, that its effects are still visible on the corn crops
and other productions.--C. Neilson.
** In his dispatch to Lord George Germain, dated at Albany, October
20th, 1777, Burgoyne alludes to this fact, and says, "I did not think
myself authorized to call any men into council, where the peremptory
tenor of my orders and the season of the year admitted no alternative."-
State of the Expedition, &c., Appendix, p. lxxxiv.
Material of the American Army on Bemis's Heights.--Relative Position of
the two Armies.--Burgoyne's Plan of Attack
051
yet received any intelligence either of the strength of the army left at
New York, or the movements which Sir Henry Clinton intended to make, or
had made, up the North River toward Albany. He calculated on a powerful
co-operation on the part of that general. Such was the plan of the
ministers, and such the tenor of their peremptory instructions." *
"Whether the movement was judicious or injudicious we will not stop to
inquire, but having arranged the two armies within cannon-shot of each
other, will pass on to the consideration of an event which solved the
question by arguments far more potential than logic can command.
THE FIRST BATTLE OF STILLWATER. **
The morning of the 19th of September was clear and calm, and every thing
without
1777 was white with hoar-frost. The hostile armies, within ear-shot of
each other's _reveille_, were disposed in similar order, each extending
from the river westward over the hills. The main body of the American
army composing the right wing, which consisted chiefly of Glover's,
Nixon's, and Patterson's brigades, was under the immediate command of
General Gates, and occupied the hills near the river and the narrow
flats below them. The left wing, composed of the brigade of General
Poor, consisting of Cilley's, Scammel's, and Hale's regiments, of New
Hampshire; Van Courtlandt's and Henry Livingston's, of New York: Latimer
and Cook's Connecticut militia; the corps of riflemen under Morgan, and
infantry under Dearborn, was posted on the heights about three fourths
of a mile from the river, and commanded by General Arnold. *** The
center, on the elevated plain near the residence of Mr. Neilson, was
composed of Learned's brigade, with Bailey's, Wesson's, and Jackson's
regiments, of Massachusetts, and James Livingston's, of New York.
The left wing of the British army, which included the immense train of
artillery under Generals Phillips and Riedesel, rested upon the flats
upon the bank of the river. The center and the right wing, composed
principally of Hessians, **** extended westward upon the hills, and were
commanded by Burgoyne in person, covered by General Fraser and Colonel
Breyman, with the grenadiers and light infantry. The front and flanks
were covered by the Indians, Canadians, and loyalists, who still
remained in the camp.
General Gates resolved to maintain a defensive position, and await the
approach of Burgoyne, who, on the contrary, had made every preparation
for advancing. Phillips and Reidesel were to march with the artillery
along the road on the margin of the river. The Canadians and Indians in
front were to attack the central outposts of the Americans, while
Burgoyne and Fraser, with the grenadiers and infantry, in separate
bodies, and strongly flanked by Indians, were to make a circuitous route
through the woods back of the river hills, form a junction, and fall
upon the rear of the American camp. It was arranged that three minute-
guns should be fired when Burgoyne and Fraser should join their forces,
as a signal for the artillery to make an attack upon the American front
and right, force their way through the lines, and scatter them in
confusion.
At an early hour the American pickets observed great activity in the
British camp; the glitter of bayonets and sabers and the flashing of
scarlet uniforms were distinctly seen through
* Otis's Botta, vol. ii.. p. 9.
** The conflicts at this point are known by the several titles Bemis's
Heights, Stillwater, and Saratoga, from the fact that the battles
occurred upon Bemis's Heights, in the town of Stillwater, and county of
Saratoga.
*** These were the same troops which formed the left wing of the army
when encamped at the mouth of the Mohawk. They were stationed at
Loudon's ferry, five miles from the mouth of the river, and there Arnold
took the command after his return from Fort Schuyler.
**** The Hessians were some of the German soldiers, hired by Great
Britain of their masters, petty German princes, at a stipulated sum per
head, to come to America and butcher her children. The Landgrave of
Hesse-Cassel furnished the larger number, and from that circumstance all
of the Germans received the general appellation of Hessians. I have
given a minute account of them, and of the debates in Parliament which
the infamous bill providing for the hiring of these mercenaries
produced, on page 589, of this volume.
Approach of the two Armies.--Engagement between the Advance Corps.---
Maneuvers of Arnold and Fraser
052
the vistas of the forest as the troops of the enemy marched and
countermarched to form the various lines for battle. These movements
were constantly reported to General Gates, yet he issued no orders and
evinced no disposition to fight. About ten o'clock it was clearly
perceived that the whole of the enemy's force was in motion, and
separated into three divisions. Phillips and Reidesel, with the
artillery, commenced marching slowly down the road along the river;
Burgoyne, with the center division, followed the course of the stream,
now forming Wilbur's Basin, westward; and Fraser and Breyman commenced a
circuitous route along a new road partially opened from the basin, and
intersecting the road from Bemis's shout two and a half miles north of
the American lines.
Arnold was fully apprised of all this, and became as impatient as a
hound in the leash. His opinion, earnestly and repeatedly expressed to
the commander during the morning, that a detachment should be sent out
to make an attack, was at length heeded. About noon, Colonel Morgan with
his light-horse, and Major Dearborn with his infantry, were detached
from Arnold's division, and, marching out, made a vigorous attack upon
the Canadians and Indians who swarmed upon the hills. They met at the
middle ravine, south of Freeman's cottage. * The enemy was repulsed; but
so furious was Morgan's charge, that his men became scattered in the
woods, and a re-enforcement of loyalists under Major Forbes soon drove
the Americans back. Captain Van Swearingen and Lieutenant Morris, with
twenty privates, fell into the hands of the British. For a moment, on
finding himself almost alone, Morgan felt that his corps was ruined; but
his loud signal-whistle soon gathered his brave followers around him,
and the charge was renewed. Dearborn seconded him, and Cilley and
Scammel hastened to their support. The contest was quite equal, and both
parties at length retired within their respective lines.
About the same time a party of Canadians, savages, and loyalists were
detached through the skirt of the woods along the margin of the flats
near the river. They were met by the American pickets on a flat piece of
ground near Mill Creek, and a smart skirmish ensued. The enemy was much
cut up and broken, and finally fled, leaving thirteen dead on the field
and thirty-five taken prisoners. In the mean while, Burgoyne and Fraser
were making rapid movements for the purpose of falling upon the
Americans in front and on the left flank. The center division marched
through some partial clearings to Freeman's farm, ** while Fraser,
having reached a high point about one hundred and fifty rods north of
the "cottage," moved rapidly southward for the purpose of turning the
left flank of the Americans. Arnold, at the same time, made a similar
attempt upon Fraser. He called upon Gates for a re-enforcement from the
right wing, but the commander deemed it prudent not to weaken it, for
the left of Burgoyne's army was then within half a mile of his lines,
and spreading out upon the heights.
Arnold resolved to do what he could with those under his command, which
consisted of General Learned's brigade and the New York troops. With
these he attempted to turn the enemy's right, and, if possible, cut off
the detachment of Fraser from the main army. So dense was the forest and
so uneven was the ground, that neither party fairly comprehended the
movements of the other, or knew that each was attempting the same
maneuver. They met suddenly and unexpectedly upon the level ground near
Mill Creek, or Middle Ravine, about sixty yards west of Freeman's
cottage, and at once an action, warm and destructive, began. Arnold led
the van of his men, and fell upon the foe with the fury and impetuosity
of a tiger. By voice and action he encouraged his troops; but the
overwhelming numbers of the enemy for a time repulsed them. By a quick
movement, Fraser attacked the left flank of the right wing of the
American army; but fearing that Arnold (who had
* The attention of the reader is called to the small map or plan of the
engagement, upon page 46, while perusing the notices of the battle.
** Freeman's farm, as it was called, was a small cultivated clearing,
about half a mile east of the present road leading to Quaker Springs.
The farm was an oblong clearing in front of the cottage, about sixty
rods in length from east to west, skirted by thick woods, and sloping
south.-Neilson, p. 141.
Approach of a British Re-enforcement under Phillips.--View of the
Battle-ground.--A Lull in the Battle
053
rallied his troops, and was re-enforced by four regiments under
Lieutenant-colonels Brooks, Cilley, and Scammel, and Majors Dearborn and
Hull) might cut the British lines and separate the two wings, he brought
up the twenty-fourth regiment, some light infantry, and Breyman's
riflemen, to strengthen the point of attack. The Americans made such a
vigorous resistance, that the British began to give way and fall into
confusion; but General Phillips, who, from his position below the
heights, heard the din of conflict on the right wing of his army,
hurried over the hills, through the thick woods, with fresh troops and
part of the artillery under Captain Jones, and appeared upon the ground
at the very moment when victory seemed within the grasp of the
Americans. *
For an hour the republicans had disputed the ground inch by inch, but
the crushing force of superior numbers pressed them back to their lines.
It was now about three o'clock. The contest suddenly ceased, but it was
only the lull which precedes a more furious burst of the tempest. Each
army took breath, and gathered up new energies for a more desperate
conflict. They were beyond musket-shot of each other, and separated by a
thick wood and a narrow clearing. Each was upon a gentle hill, one
sloping toward the south, the other toward the north. The Americans were
sheltered by the intervening wood; the British were within an open pine
forest. The Americans stood
* This view is taken from near the house of Mr. Neilson, looking
northwest. In the foreground, on the right, are seen the remains of the
intrenchments which here crossed the road from Fort Neilson, the
fortified log barn. The light field in the distance, toward the right of
the picture, with a small house within it, is the old clearing called
"Freeman's farm." On the rising ground over the tree upon the slope,
near the center of the foreground, is the place where Fraser wheeled
southward to turn the right flank of the Americans. On the level ground,
near the small trees on the right of the large tree upon the slope, is
the place where Arnold and Fraser met and fought. On the high middle
ground beyond the woods, toward the left, where several small houses are
seen, the British formed their line for the second battle on the 7th of
October. The detachments under Poor, Learned, and Morgan, which marched
to the attack on that day, diverged from near the point seen in the
foreground on the right, and marched down the slope by the sheep, across
the flat. The brigade of Learned passed on where are seen the dark trees
on the left. Morgan kept further to the extreme left, and Poor made a
direct line across the level ground and up the hill in the direction
marked by the four slender trees by the fence in the center of the
picture. The range of mountains in the extreme distance borders the
eastern shore of Lake George. The highest peak in the center is Buck
Mountain, and that upon the extreme left is French Mountain, at the foot
of which are the remains of Forts George and William Henry, at the head
of Lake George.
Renewal of the Battle.--Loss sustained by both Armies.--The number and
the particular Troops engaged.
054
in determined silence, and heard distinctly the voices of the officers
upon the opposite hill as they gave their orders along the lines.
Again the enemy made the first hostile movement, and from a powerful
battery opened a terrible fire, but without effect. To this the
Americans made no reply. Burgoyne then ordered the woods to be cleared
by the bayonet, and soon, across the open field, column after column of
infantry steadily advanced toward the patriot lines. The Americans kept
close within their intrenchments until the enemy fired a volley and
pressed onward to the charge, when they sprang upon their assailants
with a force that drove them far back across the clearing. Like the
ebbing and flowing of the tide, the contending armies alternately
advanced and retreated, and for more than three hours the conflict was
severe and the result doubtful. And it was not until the sun went down
and darkness came upon them, that the warriors ceased their horrid
strife. Even amid the gloom of evening there were furious contentions.
Just at dusk, Lieutenant-colonel Marshall, with the tenth Massachusetts
regiment, encountered some British grenadiers and infantry on a rise of
ground a little west of Freeman's cottage, and a brisk but short action
ensued. * The commander of the enemy was killed, and the troops fled in
confusion. Lieutenant-colonel Brooks, of the eighth Massachusetts
regiment, remained upon the field until eleven o'clock at night, and in
the course of the evening he had a skirmish on the extreme left with
some of Breyman's riflemen, whom he knew as such only by the brass
match-cases upon their breasts. He was the last to leave the field of
action. The conflict at length ended. The Americans retired within their
lines, and the British rested on their arms all night upon the field of
battle. **
The loss of the Americans was, officers included, sixty-four killed, two
hundred and seventeen wounded, and thirty-eight missing; in all, three
hundred and nineteen. *** The British lost, in killed, wounded, and
prisoners, "rather more than less than five hundred." **** Both parties
claimed the honor of victory. The British, it is true, remained masters,
or, at least, possessors, of the field, but this was not their ultimate
object. It was to _advance_, and that they failed to do; while the
Americans were intent only upon maintaining their ground, and this they
accomplished. The advantage, therefore, was certainly on the side of the
republicans.
Very few battles have been marked by more determined bravery and patient
endurance on both sides than this. Phillips and Riedesel, who had served
in the wars in Flanders and other parts of Europe, said they never knew
so long and hot a fire; and Burgoyne, in his defense before Parliament,
remarked, "few actions have been characterized by more obstinacy in
attack or defense." The number of Americans engaged in the action was
about two thousand five hundred, and of the British about three
thousand. The whole British army in camp and on the field numbered about
five thousand, and that of the American about seven thousand.
Although the aggregate number of killed on both sides did not exceed one
hundred and fifty, the slaughter and maiming were dreadful in particular
instances. Major Jones, of the British army, commanded a battery, and
fell, while at his post, during the swaying to and fro of the armies
across the clearing, toward evening, when several of the cannons were
taken and retaken a number of times. Thirty-six out of forty-eight of
his artillery-men were killed or wounded. Lieutenant Hadden was the only
officer unhurt, and he had his cap shot from his head by a musket-ball
while spiking the cannon. The sixty-second regiment *v
* At the urgent solicitation of Arnold, Gates sent out this feeble re-
enforcement, which was all that was detached from the right wing during
the action. Had fresh troops been supplied to support the left wing, no
doubt the Americans would have gained a decided victory.
** See Gordon, Ramsay, Botta, Marshall, Sparks, Pictorial History of the
Reign of George III., Stedman, Burgoyne's State of the Expedition,
Thatcher, Neilson, &c.
*** Report to the Board of War.
**** Lieutenant-colonel Kingston, the adjutant general, before a
committee of Parliament.
*v The particular troops engaged in this action were, of the British,
the ninth, twenty-first, sixty-second, and twentieth of Hamilton's
brigade; the twenty-fourth, belonging to Fraser's brigade; Breyman's
riflemen;
a corps of grenadiers; a part of the artillery, and a motley swarm of
Indians and loyalists. The American troops in action were those under
Morgan and Dearborn; the first, second, and third New Hampshire
regiments; the eighth, ninth, and tenth Massachusetts regiments; the
second and third of New York, and a Connecticut regiment of militia.
Baroness Reidesel's Notice of the Battle.--Major Hull.--Narrow Escape of
Burgoyne.--Arnold, and the Testimony of History
055
of Hamilton's brigade, which consisted of six hundred when it left
Canada, was so cut in pieces, that only sixty men and five officers were
left capable of duty. The commander, Colonel Anstruther, and Major
Harnage, were both wounded.
The Baroness Riedesel, wife of General Riedesel, who accompanied her
husband through this whole campaign, wrote an admirable narrative of the
various events connected there with. In relation to the battle of the
19th of September, she says, "An affair happened, which, though it
turned out to our advantage, yet obliged us to halt at a place called
Freeman's farm. I was an eye-witness to the whole affair, and, as my
husband was engaged in it, I was full of anxiety, and trembled at every
shot I heard. I saw a great number of the wounded, and, what added to
the distress of the scene, three of them were brought into the house in
which I took shelter. One was a Major Harnage, of the sixty-second
regiment, the husband of a lady of my acquaintance; another was a
lieutenant, married to a lady with whom I had the honor to be on terms
of intimacy; and the third was an officer by the name of Young."
More than one half of an American detachment under Major Hull, *
consisting of two hundred men, was killed or wounded. Some of the
Americans ascended high trees, and from their concealed perches picked
off the British officers in detail. Several were killed by the bullets
of these sure marksmen. Burgoyne himself came very near being made a
victim to this mode of warfare. A bullet, intended for him, shattered
the arm of Captain Green, aid-de-camp to General Phillips, who at that
moment was handing a letter to Burgoyne. The captain fell from his
horse. In the confusion of the smoke and noise, it was supposed to be
Burgoyne, and such was the belief, for some hours, in the American camp.
Among the Americans who were killed in the battle were Colonels Adams
and Colburn, valuable officers. But it is unpleasant and unprofitable to
ponder upon the painful details of a battle, and we will pass on to the
consideration of subsequent events.
Let us pause a moment, however, and render justice to as brave a soldier
as ever drew blade for freedom. Although in after years he was recreant
to the high and sacred responsibilities that rested upon him, and
committed an act deserving the execrations of all good men, strict
justice demands a fair acknowledgment of his brave deeds. I mean
Benedict Arnold
The testimony of historians is in conflict respecting the part which
Arnold performed in the battle just noticed; and prejudice and evident
falsehood have denied him the honor of being personally engaged in it.
Gordon says, "Arnold's division was out in the action, but he himself
did not head them; he remained in the camp the whole time." General
Wilkinson, the adjutant general of Gates at that time, says in his
_Memoirs_ that "no general officer was on the field of battle during the
day," and intimates that he himself chiefly conducted affairs. He
further says, that when, toward evening, Gates and Arnold were together
in front of the camp, Major Lewis ** came in from the scene of action,
and announced that its progress was undecisive. Arnold immediately
exclaimed, "I will soon put an end to it," and set off in a full gallop
from the camp. Gates dispatched an officer after him, and ordered him
back. Botta, who was acquainted with many of the foreign officers who
served in this war, and whose sources of correct information were very
ample, observes,
* He was a major general in our war with Great Britain in 1812. He
surrendered his whole army, with all the forts and garrisons in the
neighborhood-of Detroit, to General Brock on the 16th of August of that
year. His wife, Sarah Hull, to whom he had been married but a few weeks
when the battle of Stillwater occurred, determined to share the fortunes
and perils of her husband, was in the camp, and was active among those
American women who extended comfort and kind attentions to the ladies of
the British army after the surrender of Burgoyne. Because of his
surrender at Detroit, General Hull was tried for cowardice, treason,
&c., and condemned to be shot; but, in consideration of his
Revolutionary services and his age, he was pardoned He lived to see his
character vindicated, and died in 1825. His wife died the following
year.
** Morgan Lewis, afterward governor of the state of New York.
Colonel Varick's Letter respecting Arnold.--General Gates's Treatment of
Arnold.--Rupture between them
056
"Arnold exhibited upon this occasion all the impetuosity of his courage;
he encouraged his men by voice and example." Stedman, a British officer
who served under Cornwallis here, says, in his "History of the American
War,"
"The enemy were led to the battle by General Arnold, who distinguished
himself in an extraordinary manner." Allen, in his Biographical
Dictionary, says, "In the battle near Stillwater, September the 19th, he
conducted himself with his usual intrepidity, being engaged incessantly
for four hours." M'Farlane, ' in the Pictorial History of England, says,
"Gates's detachment, being re-enforced and led on by Arnold, fell upon
Burgoyne and the right wing." Again: "Arnold behaved with extraordinary
gallantry, but he could make an impression nowhere." Again: "Every time
that Arnold was beaten back, Gates sent him more men from the star
redoubt." The well-founded traditions of the vicinity support the
position that Arnold was actively engaged in the conflict, and a
knowledge of the locality is sufficient to cause a doubt of the
correctness of Wilkinson's statement.
Finally, Colonel Yarick, writing from camp to General Schuyler, three
days after the action, said, "He [Gates] seems to be piqued that
Arnold's division had the honor of beating the enemy on the 19th. This I
am certain of, that Arnold has all the credit of the action. And this I
further know, that Gates asked where the troops were going when
Scammel's battalion marched out, and, upon being told, he declared no
more troops should go; he would not suffer the camp to be exposed. Had
Gates complied with Arnold's repeated desires, he would have obtained a
general and complete victory over the enemy. But it is evident to me he
never intended to fight Burgoyne, till Arnold urged, begged, and
entreated him to do it." In another letter which he wrote to Schuyler,
about a month afterward, from Albany, Colonel Yarick observed, "During
Burgoyne's stay here, he gave Arnold great credit for his bravery and
military abilities, especially in the action of the 19th, whenever he
spoke of him, and once in the presence of Gates."
Under ordinary circumstances, the statements of General Wilkinson, he
being adjutant general at that time, and presumed to be cognizant of all
the events of the battle, ought to be received as semi-official; but in
this case they must be taken with great allowance. Gates was evidently
jealous of Arnold's well-earned reputation and growing popularity with
the army; and Wilkinson, who was his favorite, and seemed ever ready to
pander to his commander's vanity, caused, by his officious interference
at that very time, a serious misunderstanding between the two generals,
which resulted in an open rupture. In the first place, he caused a part
of Arnold's division to be withdrawn without his knowledge, and he was
put in the ridiculous light of presuming to give orders which were
contravened by the general orders of the commander-in-chief. Wilkinson
also insisted on the return of a part of Arnold's division (Morgan's
corps) being made directly to him, and Gates sustained the unjust demand
in general orders. And then, to crown his injustice toward a brave
officer, Gates, in his communication to Congress respecting the battle,
said nothing of Arnold or his division, but merely observed that "the
action was fought by detachments from the army." This was ungenerous,
not only to Arnold, but to the troops under his command, and he justly
complained of the neglect when it became known. Harsh words passed
between the two officers, and Gates even told Arnold that he thought him
of little consequence in the army, that when Lincoln arrived he should
take away his command, and that he would give him a pass to leave the
camp as soon as he pleased. *
Under the excitement of his feelings, Arnold demanded a pass for himself
and suite to join General Washington. The pass was granted, but in his
cooler moments he saw how injurious it might be to the cause, and how
hazardous to his reputation, if he should voluntarily leave the army
when another battle was hourly expected. He remained, but without any
employment in the camp, for Gates put his threat into execution, took
command of Arnold's division himself, and, on the arrival of General
Lincoln, on the 29th, placed him over the right wing.
* Sparks's Life of Arnold.
Condition of the Armies after the Battle.--Burgoyne's Encampment.--
Poverty of the American Commissariat
057
The morning of the 20th of September was cloudy, dull, and cheerless,
and with the gloomy aspect of nature the spirits of the British army
sympathized. The combatants had slumbered upon the field during the
night, and at dawn, seeing no disposition on the part of the Americans
to renew the conflict, they retired to their camp on the river hills,
and upon the flats at the mouth of the creek, now Wilbur's Basin.
Burgoyne's Encampment on the West Bank of the Hudson, September 20,
1777. From a print published in London, 1779.
Burgoyne was surprised and mortified at the hold and successful
resistance of the Americans, and saw clearly that it would be useless to
attempt to carry the works by storm, or in any other way to push forward
toward Albany. He resolved to strengthen his position, endeavor to
communicate with Howe and Clinton at New York, and effect by their co-
operation what his own unaided troops could not accomplish. Had he been
aware of the true condition of the Americans on the morning after the
battle, he might easily have won a victory, for the soldiers composing
the left wing, which sustained the conflict, had only a single round of
cartridges left. Nor was the magazine in a condition to supply them, for
such was the difficulty of procuring ammunition at that time, that the
army had a very meager quantity when the conflict began the day
previous, and now there were not in the magazine forty rounds to each
man in the service. At no time was there more than three days'
provisions in the camp, and on the day of action there was no flour. A
supply arrived on the 20th, and the disheartening contingency of short
allowance to the weary soldiers was thus prevented. General Gates alone
was privy to this deplorable deficiency, and it was not until after a
supply of powder and window-leads for bullets was received from Albany
that he made the fact known, and thus gave a plausible reason for not
complying with Arnold's urgent request to commence the battle early
again the next morning.
Both parties now wrought diligently in strengthening their respective
positions. The Americans extended and completed their line of breast-
works from the northeastern angle on the river hills, * westward about
three fourths of a mile, to the heights, a few rods north
* See the small map on page 46.
Fortifications of both Camps.--Junction of Lincoln with the Army at
Bemis's.--Relative Position of the Armies
058
of the dwelling of Mr. Neilson. From this point they were extended south
and southwest to a large ravine, now on the south side of the road
leading to Saratoga Springs. At the northwest angle, near Mr. Neilson's,
stood the log barn before alluded to. This was strengthened by a double
tier of logs on three sides. Strong batteries, in circular form,
extended about one hundred and fifty feet south. The whole was encircled
by a deep trench and a row of strong palisades. The area within was
about half an acre. When completed, it formed quite a strong bulwark,
and was named Fort Neilson.
About fifty rods south of the fort was a strong battery; and in the
rear, near the center of the encampment, stood the magazine, made bomb-
proof. The front of the camp was covered by a deep ravine skirted by a
dense forest, running nearly parallel with the lines, from the river
hills westward. For some distance west of the fort, large trees were
felled, and presented a strong _abatis_ toward the enemy. *
Burgoyne was equally busy in strengthening his position. His camp was
pitched within cannon-shot of the American lines. Across the plain to
the river hills a line of intrenchments, with batteries, was thrown up,
crossing the north ravine not far from its junction with the Middle
Ravine or Mill Creek. The intrenchments extended northward on the west
side of Freeman's farm. The Hessian camp was pitched upon an eminence
about half a mile northwest of Freeman's farm, where a strong redoubt
was reared, and a line of intrenchments of a horse-shoe form was thrown
up. Intrenchments were also made along the hills fronting the river; and
four redoubts, upon four hills or huge knolls, were erected, two above
and two below Wilbur's Basin. A short line of intrenchments, with a
battery, extended across the flats to the river, and covered their
magazine and hospital in the rear. These composed the principal defenses
of the enemy. In many places these works may still be traced, especially
by mounds and shallow ditches in the woods.
As soon as the works were completed, General Gates moved his quarters
from Bemis's house to the one delineated in the second picture from the
top, among the group of localities on page 46. The house belonged to
Captain Ephraim Woodworth. A barn, which stood about fifteen rods east
of the house, was used for a hospital.
September, 1777 General Lincoln, with two thousand New England troops,
joined the main army on the 29th. Gates at once gave up the right wing
to him, and assumed the command of the left, which was composed of two
brigades under Generals Poor and Learned, Colonel Morgan's rifle corps,
and a part of the fresh New England militia. Morgan occupied the heights
immediately south of the fort; Learned's brigade the plain on the east,
and General Poor's brigade the heights south of Morgan, between him and
Gates's headquarters. ** In fact, the position of the American army was
about the same as at the time of the battle of the 19th. Burgoyne
disposed his troops to the best advantage. The Hessians, under Colonel
Breyman, occupied a height on the extreme right, and formed a flank
defense rather than a wing of the main army. The light infantry, under
Earl Balcarras, with the choicest portion of Fraser's corps, flanked on
the left by the grenadiers and Hamilton's brigade, occupied the vicinity
of Freeman's farm; the remainder of the army, including the artillery
under Phillips and Beidesel, occupied the plain and the high ground
north of Wilbur's Basin; and the Hessians of Hanau, the forty-seventh
regiment, and some loyalists, were situated upon the flats near the
river, for the protection of the bateaux, hospital, and magazine. Thus
in parallel lines to each other, and within cannon-shot, the two armies
lay in menacing attitude from the 20th of September until the 7th of
October. Each exercised the utmost vigilance, expecting the other to
fall upon them in full power, or entangle them by strategy. There were
constant skirmishes between small detachments, sometimes foraging
parties, and at others a few pickets; and not a night passed without the
per-
* Abatis is a French word signifying trees cut down. It is a phrase used
in fortifications; and an abatis which is composed of trees felled, so
as to present their branches to the enemy, is frequently found in woody
country one of the most available and efficient kinds of defense.
** Neilson, p. 15, 35
Effect of the Battle on the People.--Diminution of Burgoyne's Army, and
Increase of Gates's.--Condition of the Enemy
059
formance of some daring exploit, either for the sake of adventure, or to
annoy each other. The Americans were constantly gaining strength, and
their superiority of numbers enabled them to form expeditions to harass
the British, without weakening their lines by fatigue or endangering the
safety of the camp.
The success of the Americans in the late battle, and the rapid increment
of the army, almost annihilated loyalty in the neighborhood, and made
every republican, whether soldier or citizen, bold and adventurous. At
one time about twenty young Americans, farmers residing in the vicinity,
not belonging to the camp, and intent on having a frolic, resolved to
capture an advance picket-guard of the enemy, stationed on the north
bank of the middle ravine. They selected their officers, and each being
armed with a fowling-piece and plenty of powder and shot, they marched
silently through the woods in the evening, until they got within a few
yards of the picket. The captain of the party then gave a tremendous
blast upon an old horse-trumpet whieh he carried, and, with yells and
the noise of a whole regiment, they rushed through the bushes upon the
frightened enemy. No time was given for the sentinel's hail, for,
simultaneously with their furious onset, the captain of the frolickers
cried out lustily, "Ground your arms, or you are all dead men!"
Supposing half the American army was upon them, the astonished pickets
obeyed, and thirty British soldiers were taken by the jolly young
farmers into the republican camp with all the parade of regular
prisoners of war. This was one of many similar instances, and thus the
British camp was kept in a state of constant alarm. *
Burgoyne saw, with deep anxiety, the rapid increase of the American
forces, while his own were daily diminishing by desertion. Nearly one
hundred and fifty Indian warriors, from the tribes of the Oneidas,
Tuscaroras, Onondagas, and Mohawks, accepted the war-belt, partook of
the feast, and joined the republican army within three days after the
battle of the 19th. The Indians with Burgoyne were so dissatisfied with
the results of that battle, and so disappointed in their hopes of blood
and plunder, that they deserted him in large numbers in that hour of his
greatest peril. It was their hunting season, too, and this was another
strong inducement to return to their wives and children, to keep
starvation from their wigwams. The Canadians and loyalists were not much
more faithful. **
Burgoyne used every means in his power to transmit intelligence of his
situation to Howe, and to implore his assistance either by co-operation
or a diversion in his favor. But the American pickets, vigilant and
wary, were planted in all directions; and it was by the merest chance
that the British commander received a letter from Sir Henry Clinton, at
New York, *** written in cipher on the 10th, informing him that he
should make a diversion in his favor by attacking Forts Clinton and
Montgomery, in the Hudson Highlands, on the 20th. This information
raised the hopes of Burgoyne, for he supposed that the attack at those
points would draw off large detachments from Gates for their defense,
and render the belligerent forces at Stillwater nearly equal in numbers.
He immediately dispatched two officers in disguise, and several other
persons in different directions, to Sir Henry Clinton, with a letter,
urging him to make the diversion without fail, and saying that he had
provisions enough to hold out until the 12th of October.
Time rolled on, and Burgoyne heard nothing further from Clinton. His
provisions began to fail, and on the 1st of October he was obliged to
put his troops on short allowance. Not a man or a biscuit was allowed to
reach him from any quarter. The militia were flocking into Gates's camp
from all directions, and perils of every kind were weaving their web
around the proud Briton. At last he was reduced to the alternative to
fight or fly.
* "I do not believe either officer or soldier ever slept during that
interval without his clothes, or that any general officer or commander
of a regiment passed a single night without being upon his legs
occasionally at different hours, and constantly an hour before
daylight."-Burgoyne's "Review of the Evidence," p. 166.
** Marshall's Life of Washington.
* General Howe had left Clinton in command at New York, and was then
engaged against Washington on the Delaware, for the purpose of making a
conquest of Philadelphia.
Hostile Movements of the British.--Preparations of the Americans for
Battle.--Second Battle of Stillwater.
060
The latter was both impracticable and inglorious, and at a council of
officers it was resolved to fight.
On the morning of the 7th of October, Burgoyne, at the head of fifteen
hundred regular troops, with two twelve pounders, two howitzers, and six
six pounders, moved toward the American left, to the northern part of a
low ridge of land about three fourths of a mile northwest from the
American camp, where they formed a line in double ranks. He was seconded
by Phillips, Riedesel, and Fraser. The guard of the camp upon the high
grounds was committed to Brigadiers Hamilton and Specht, and that of the
redoubts and plain near the river to Brigadier-general Gall. This
movement was for a two-fold purpose, to cover a foraging party sent out
to supply the pressing wants of the camp, and, if the prospect was
favorable, to turn the left of the American army, and fall upon its
flank and rear. Small parties of loyalists and Indians were sent around
through by-paths, to hang upon the American rear and keep them in check.
Before this movement was known to General Gates, he had ordered out a
detachment of three hundred men under Colonel Brooks, to gain the rear
of the enemy and fall upon his outposts. While Brooks was at
headquarters, receiving his instructions, a sergeant arrived with
intelligence of the movement of the British army. The order to Colonel
Brooks was revoked, the officers in camp were summoned to their posts,
and an aid was sent out by the commander-in-chief to ascertain the exact
position and probable intentions of the enemy. He proceeded to a rise of
ground covered with woods, half a mile from Fort Neilson (near the house
of Asa Chatfield), where he discovered the British in a wheat field
cutting straw, and several officers on the top of a cabin (Joseph
Hunger's) with a spy-glass, endeavoring to ascertain the condition of
the American left. The aid returned, and had just reached headquarters
with his intelligence, when a party of Canadians, Indians, and
loyalists, who had been sent forward to scour the woods, attacked the
American pickets near the middle ravine. They were soon joined by a
detachment of grenadiers, drove the Americans before them, and pressed
forward until within musket-shot of the republican lines. For half an
hour a hot engagement ensued at the breast-work, a little south of the
fort. Morgan, with his riflemen, supported by a corps of infantry, at
length charged the assailants with such deadly effect, that they
retreated in confusion to the British line, which was forming upon a
newly-cleared field, preparatory to marching into action.
It was now two o'clock, about the same hour at which the two armies
summoned their strength for combat on the 19th of September. The
grenadiers, under Major Ackland, and the artillery, under Major
Williams, were stationed on the left, upon a gentle eminence on the
borders of a wood, and covered in front by Mill Creek or Middle Ravine.
The light infantry, under Earl Balcarras, were placed on the extreme
right, and the center was composed of British and German troops, under
Generals Phillips and Beidesel. Near the cabin of Mr. Munger, and in
advance of the right wing, General Fraser had command of a detachment of
five hundred picked men, destined to fall upon the American flank as
soon as the action in front should commence.
This design was at once perceived, and, at the suggestion of Morgan,
Gates dispatched that sagacious officer, with his rifle corps and other
troops amounting to fifteen hundred men, in a circuitous route to some
high ground on the extreme right of the enemy, thence to fall upon the
flanking party under Fraser at the same moment when an attack should be
made upon the British left. For the latter serviee the brigade of
General Poor, composed of New York and New Hampshire troops, and a part
of Learned's brigade, were detached.
About half past two the conflict began. The troops of Poor and Learned
marched steadily up the gentle slope of the eminence on which the
British grenadiers, and part of the artillery under Ackland and
Williams, were stationed, and, true to their orders not to fire until
after the first discharge of the enemy, pressed on in awful silence
toward the battalions and batteries above them. Suddenly a terrible
discharge of musket-balls and grape-shot made great havoc among the
branches of the trees over their heads, but scarcely a shot took effect
among the men. This was the signal to break the silence of our troops,
and,
Bravery of both Armies.--Quick and bold Movements of Morgan.--
Impetuosity and Bravery of Arnold.--General Fraser
061
with a loud shout, they sprang forward, delivered their fire in rapid
volleys, and opened right and left to avail themselves of the covering
of the trees on the margin of the ridge on which the artillery was
posted.
The contest now became fierce and destructive. The Americans rushed up
to the very mouths of the cannon, and amid the carriages of the heavy
field-pieces they struggled for victory. Valor of the highest order on
both sides marked the conflict, and for a time the scale seemed
equipoised. Five times one of the cannon was taken and retaken, but at
last it remained in possession of the republicans as the British fell
back. Colonel Cilley, who, during the whole contest, had fought at the
head of his troops, leaped upon the captured piece, waved his sword high
in air, dedicated the brazen engine of death to "the American cause,"
wheeled its muzzle toward the enemy, and with their own ammunition
opened its thunder upon them. It was all the work of a moment of
exultation when the enemy fell back from their vantage ground. The
effect was electrical, and seemed to give the republicans stronger
sinews and fiercer courage. The contest was long and obstinate, for the
enemy were brave and skillful. Major Ackland, who was foremost in the
conflict, was at last severely wounded, and Major Williams was taken
prisoner. Suddenly deprived of their superior officers, the grenadiers
and artillery-men fled in confusion, and left the field in possession of
the Americans.
Almost simultaneously with the attack on the British left, Morgan with
his corps rushed down the hills that skirted the flanking party of
Fraser in advance of the enemy's right, and opened upon them such a
destructive storm of well-aimed bullets, that they were driven hastily
back to their lines. Then, with the speed of the wind, Morgan wheeled
and fell upon the British right flank with such appalling force and
impetuosity, that their ranks were at once thrown into confusion. The
mode and power of attack were both unexpected to the enemy, and they
were greatly alarmed. While thus in confusion, Major Dearborn, with some
fresh troops, came up and attacked them in front. Thus assailed, they
broke and fled in terror, but were rallied by Earl Balcarras, and again
led into action. The shock on right and left shook the British center,
which was composed chiefly of Germans and Hessians, yet it stood firm.
General Arnold had watched with eager eye and excited spirit the course
of the battle thus far. Deprived of all command, he had no authority
even to _fight_, much less to _order_. Smarting under the indignity
heaped upon him by his commander; thirsting for that glory which
beckoned him to the field; burning with a patriotic desire to serve his
country, now bleeding at every pore; and stirred by the din of battle
around him, the brave soldier became fairly maddened by his emotions,
and, leaping upon his large brown horse, he started off on a full gallop
for the field of conflict. Gates immediately sent Major Armstrong *
after him to order him back. Arnold saw him approaching, and,
anticipating his errand, spurred his horse and left his pursuer far
behind, while he placed himself at the head of three regiments of
Learned's brigade, who received their former commander with loud huzzas.
He immediately led them against the British center, and, with the
desperation of a madman, rushed into the thickest of the fight, or rode
along the lines in rapid and erratic movements, brandishing his
broadsword above his head, and delivering his orders every where in
person. Armstrong kept up the chase for half an hour, but Arnold's
course was so varied and perilous that he gave it up.
The Hessians received the first assault of Arnold's troops upon the
British center with a brave resistance; but when, upon a second charge,
he dashed furiously among them at the head of his men, they broke and
fled in dismay. And now the battle became general along the whole lines.
Arnold and Morgan were the ruling spirits that controlled the storm on
the part of the Americans, and the gallant General Fraser was the
directing soul of the British troops in action. His skill and courage
were every where conspicuous. When the
* The author of the celebrated "Newburgh letters," written in the spring
of 1783. See pages 672 to 678, inclusive, of this volume.
Death of General Fraser.--Censure of Morgan.--Panic in the British
Line.--Timothy Murphy
062
lines gave way, he brought order out of confusion; when regiments began
to waver, he infused courage into them by voice and example. He was
mounted upon a splendid iron-gray gelding; and, dressed in the full
uniform of a field officer, he was a conspicuous object for the
Americans. It was evident that the fate of the battle rested upon him,
and this the keen eye and sure judgment of Morgan perceived. * In an
instant his purpose was conceived, and, calling a file of his best men
around him, he said, as he pointed toward the British right, "That
gallant officer is General Fraser. I admire and honor him, but it is
necessary he should die; victory for the enemy depends upon him. Take
your stations in that clump of bushes, and do your duty." Within five
minutes Fraser fell mortally wounded, and was carried to the camp by two
grenadiers. Just previous to being hit by the fatal bullet, the crupper
of his horse was cut by a rifle-ball, and immediately afterward another
passed through the horse's mane, a little back of his ears. The aid of
Fraser noticed this, and said, "It is evident that you are marked out
for particular aim; would it not be prudent for you to retire from this
place?" Fraser replied, "My duty forbids me to fly from danger," and the
next moment he fell. **
Morgan has been censured for this order, by those who profess to
understand the rules of war, as guilty of a highly dishonorable act; and
others, who gloat over the horrid details of the slaying of thousands of
humble rank-and-file men as deeds worthy of a shout for glory, and drop
no tear for the slaughtered ones, affect to shudder at such a cold-
blooded murder of an officer upon the battle-field. War is a monstrous
wrong and cruel injustice at all times; but if it is right to kill at
all upon the field of battle, I can perceive no greater wrong in slaying
a _general_ than a _private_. True, he wears the badge of distinction,
and the trumpet of Renown speaks his name to the world, but his life is
no dearer to himself, and wife, and children, and friends, than that of
the humblest private who obeys his commands. If Daniel Morgan was guilty
of no sin, no dishonor, in ordering his men to fall upon and slay those
under the command of Fraser, he was also guiltless of sin and dishonor
in ordering the sacrifice of their chief. Indeed, it is probable that
the sacrifice of _his_ life saved that of hundreds, for the slaughter
was stayed.
As soon as Fraser fell, a panic spread along the British line. It was
increased by the appearance, at that moment, of three thousand New York
troops, under General Tenbroeck. Burgoyne, who now took command in
person, could not keep up the sinking courage of his men. The whole line
gave way, and fled precipitately within the intrenchments of the
* Samuel Woodruff, Esq., of Connecticut, a volunteer in the army at the
time, visited Bemis's Heights some years since, and wrote an interesting
account of some of the transactions of the day. He says the importance
of the death of Fraser was suggested to Morgan by Arnold.
** The name of the rifleman who killed General Fraser was Timothy
Murphy. He took sure aim from a small tree in which he was posted, and
saw Fraser fall on the discharge of his rifle. Fraser told his friends
before he died that he saw the man who shot him, and that he was in a
tree. Murphy afterward accompanied General Sullivan in his expedition
against the Indians in Central and Western New York, where he had a
narrow escape from death. In the fall of 1778 he was stationed in
Schoharie county, where he became enamored of a young girl of sixteen,
named Margaret Feeck. He was twelve years her senior, yet his love was
reciprocated. Her parents "denied the bans," and attempted to break off
the engagement by a forcible confinement. But "love laughs at
locksmiths," and, under pretense of going after a cow some distance from
home to milk her, she stole away one evening barefooted, to meet her
lover, according to an appointment through a trusty young friend, upon
the bank of the Schoharie Creek. He was not there, and she forded the
stream, determined to go to the fort where Murphy was stationed. She
found him, however, upon the opposite side of the stream, and, mounting
his horse behind him, they entered the fort amid the cheering of the
inmates. The young females there fitted her up with comfortable attire,
and the next day they set out for Schenectady. There the soldier
purchased for his intended bride silk for a gown, and several dress-
makers soon completed it. They repaired to the house of Rev. Mr.
Johnson, where they were married, and then returned to Schoharie. The
parents became reconciled, and they lived happily together many years.
Murphy was an uneducated man, but was possessed of a strong intellect,
and had a good deal of influence over a certain class. He was an early
friend of the Hon. William C. Rouck, late governor of New York, and was
among the most active in bringing him forward in public life. He lost
his Margaret in 1807, and in 1812 married Mary Robertson. He died of a
cancer in his throat in 1818-See Simm's "History of Schoharie County."
Bravery of General Arnold.--Assault on the German Works.--Arnold
Wounded.--Gates and Sir Francis Clarke
063
camp. The tumultuous retreat was covered by Phillips and Reidesel. The
Americans pursued them up to their very intrenchments in the face of a
furious storm of grape-shot and musket-balls, and assaulted their works
vigorously without the aid of field pieces or other artillery.
The conflict was now terrible indeed, and in the midst of the flame, and
smoke, and metal hail, Arnold was conspicuous. His voice, clear as a
trumpet, animated the soldiers, and, as if ubiquitous, he seemed to be
every where amid the perils at the same moment. With a part of the
brigades of Patterson and Glover, he assaulted the works occupied by the
light infantry under Earl Balcarras, and at the point of the bayonet
drove the enemy from a strong _abatis_, through which he attempted to
force his way into the camp. He was obliged to abandon the effort, and,
dashing forward toward the right flank of the enemy, exposed to the
cross-fire of the contending armies, he met Learned's brigade advancing
to make an assault upon the British works at an opening in the _abatis_,
between Balcarras's light infantry and the German right flank defense
under Colonel Breyman. Canadians and loyalists defended this part of the
line, and were flanked by a stockade redoubt on each side.
Arnold placed himself at the head of the brigade, and moved rapidly on
to the attack He directed Colonel Brooks to assault the redoubt, while
the remainder of the brigade fell upon the front. The contest was
furious, and the enemy at length gave way, leaving Breyman and his
Germans completely exposed. At this moment Arnold galloped to the left,
and ordered the regiments of Wesson and Livingston, and Morgan's corps
of riflemen, to advance and make a general assault. At the head of
Brooks's regiment, he attacked the German works. Having found the sally-
port, he rushed within the enemy's intrenchments. The Germans, who had
seen him upon his steed in the thickest of the fight for more than two
hours, terrified at his approach, fled in dismay, delivering a volley in
their retreat, which killed Arnold's horse under him, and wounded the
general himself very severely, in the same leg which had been badly
lacerated by a musket-ball at the storming of Quebec, two years before.
Here, wounded and disabled, at the head of conquering troops led on by
his valor to the threshold of victory, Arnold was overtaken by Major
Armstrong, who delivered to him Gates's order to return to camp, fearing
he'"might do some rash thing!" He indeed did a rash thing in the eye of
military discipline. He led troops to victory without an order from his
commander. His conduct was rash indeed, compared with the stately method
of General Gates, who directed by orders from his camp what his presence
should have sanctioned. While Arnold was wielding the fierce sickle of
war without, and reaping golden sheaves for Gates's garner, the latter
(according to Wilkinson) was within his camp, more intent upon
discussing the merits of the Revolution with Sir Francis Clarke,
Burgoyne's aid-de-camp, who had been wounded and taken prisoner, and was
lying upon the commander's bed at his quarters, than upon winning a
battle, all-important to the ultimate triumph of those principles for
which he professed so warm an attachment. When one of Gates's aids came
up from the field of battle for orders, he found the general very angry
because Sir Francis would not allow the force of his arguments. He left
the room, and, calling his aid after him, asked, as they went out, "Did
you ever hear so impudent a son of a b-h?" Poor Sir Francis died that
night upon Gates's bed.
"It is a curious fact," says Sparks, "that an officer who really had not
command in the army was the leader of one of the most spirited and
important battles of the Revolution. His madness, or rashness, or
whatever it may be called, resulted most fortunately for himself. The
wound he received at the moment of rushing into the arms of danger and
of death added fresh luster to his military glory, and was a new claim
to public favor and applause. In the heat of the action, he struck an
officer on the head with his sword, an indignity and offense which might
justly have been retaliated upon the spot in the most fatal manner. The
officer forbore; and the next day, when he demanded redress, Arnold
declared his entire ignorance of the act, and expressed his regret." *
* Life of Arnold, p. 118.
Retreat of the Germans, and Close of the Battle.--Preparations of
Burgoyne to Retreat.--The Killed and Wounded
064
It was twilight when Arnold was wounded and conveyed by Major Armstrong
and a sergeant (Samuel Woodruff) from the field. The Germans who fled at
his approach, finding the assault general, threw down their arms and
retreated to the interior of the camp, leaving their commander, Colonel
Breyman, mortally wounded. The camp of Burgoyne was thus left exposed at
a strong point. He endeavored to rally the panic-stricken Germans in the
midst of the increasing darkness, but they could not be again brought
into action.1 In truth, both armies were thoroughly fatigued, and the
Americans were as loth to follow up the advantage thus presented as were
the British to repair their discomfiture. As night drew its curtain over
the scene, the conflict ended, the clangor of battle was hushed, and all
was silent except the groans of the wounded, an occasional word of
command, and the heavy tread of retiring columns, seeking for a place of
repose.
About midnight, General Lincoln, with his division, which had remained
in camp during the action, marched out to relieve those upon the field,
and to maintain the ground acquired. Perceiving this, and knowing the
advantage the Americans would possess with fresh troops and such an easy
access to his camp, Burgoyne felt the necessity of guarding against the
peril at once by changing his position. Before dawn he removed the whole
of his army, camp, and artillery about a mile north of his first
position, above Wilbur's Basin, whence he contemplated a speedy retreat
toward Fort Edward.
October, 1777 Early on the morning of the 8th the Americans took
possession of the evacuated
British camp, and skirmishes took place between detachments from the two
armies during the day, in one of which General Lincoln was badly wounded
in the leg. As the news that the British had retreated spread over the
surrounding country, a great number of men, women, and children came
flocking into camp to join in the general joy, or to perform the more
sorrowful duty of seeking for relatives or friends among the wounded and
slain.
The loss of the Americans in killed and wounded did not exceed one
hundred and fifty Arnold was the only commissioned officer who received
a wound. The British army suffered severely, and their loss in killed,
wounded, and prisoners was about seven hundred. Among the officers
killed were the gallant Fraser, Sir Francis Clarke (Burgoyne's aid-
decamp,) Colonel Breyman, and Lieutenant Reynell. The latter two died on
the field; Sir Francis Clarke was taken prisoner and carried to Gates's
quarters, where he died that night. Major Ackland, who was severely
wounded, was also taken prisoner, and, with Major Williams, was carried
into the American camp; and Fraser, who was conveyed to the house of
John Taylor, near Wilbur's Basin, expired the next morning at about
eight o'clock Burgoyne had several narrow escapes. One ball passed
through his hat and another his coat.
The house in which General Fraser died stood until 1846, upon the right
bank of the Hudson, about three miles above Bemis's Heights, near
Ensign's store, and exhibited the marks of the conflict there numerous
bullet-holes. It was used by BurgoyneOctober 8.
* Evidence of Captain Money before a committee of Parliament in the case
of Burgoyne.
** "The British and Hessian troops killed on the battle-field. It was
not uncommon, after the land was cleaned and cultivated, to see many,
sometimes twenty, human skulls piled upon stumps in the fields. I have
myself, when a boy, seen human bones thickly strewn about the ground,
which had been turned up by the plow."--C. Neilson. Burgoyne's Campaign,
p. 182. I saw, in the possession of Mr. Neilson, many relics plowed up
from the battle-field, such as cannon-balls, in the foregoing actions
were slightly covered with earth and brush grape-shot, tomahawks, arrow-
heads, buttons, knives, &c., and among them were some teeth, evidently
front ones, but double. It is supposed that they belonged to the
Hessians, for it is said that many of them had double teeth all around,
in both jaws. The annexed are drawings of two tomahawks in my
possession. No. 1 is made of iron, No 2 of stone. It is graywacke, and
is creased for the purpose of securing the handle by a string or by
green withes
Place of General Fraser's Death.--Account of his Death by the Baroness
Reidesel.--Fraser's last Request granted.
065
for quarters when he first pitched his camp there, and it was a shelter
to several ladies attached to the British army, among whom were the
Baroness Riedesel and Lady Harriet Ackland. General Fraser was laid upon
a camp-bed near the first window on the right of the door, where he
expired. I can not narrate this event and its attendant circumstances
better than by quoting the simple language of the Baroness Riedesel.
"But," she says, "severer trials awaited us, and on the 7th of October
our misfortunes began. I was at breakfast with my husband, and heard
that something was intended. On the same day I expected Generals
Burgoyne, Phillips, and Fraser to dine with us. I saw a great movement
among the troops; my husband told me it was merely a reconnoissance,
which gave me no concern, as it often happened. I walked out of the
house, and met several Indians in their war dresses, with guns in their
hands. When I asked them where they were going, they cried out, 'War!
war!' meaning that they were going to battle. This filled me with
apprehension, and I had scarcely got home before I heard reports of
cannon and musketry, which grew louder by degrees, till at last the
noise became excessive.
"About four o'clock in the afternoon, instead of the guests whom I
expected, General Fraser was brought on a litter, mortally wounded. The
table, which was already set, was instantly removed, and a bed placed in
its stead for the wounded general. I sat trembling in a corner; the
noise grew louder, and the alarm increased; the thought that my husband
might, perhaps, be brought in, wounded in the same manner, was terrible
to me, and distressed me exceedingly. General Fraser said to the
surgeon, '_Tell me if my wound is mortal; do not flatter me_.' The ball
had passed through his body, and, unhappily for the general, he had
eaten a very hearty breakfast, by which the stomach was distended, and
the ball, as the surgeon said, had passed through it. I heard him often
exclaim, with a sigh, '_O fatal ambition!_ Poor General Burgoyne! Oh! my
poor wife!' He was asked if he had any request to make, to which he
replied that, _if General Burgoyne would permit it, he should like to be
buried at six o'clock in the evening, on the top of a mountain, in a
redoubt which had been built there_. I did not know which way to turn;
all the other rooms were full of sick. Toward evening I saw my husband
coming; then I forgot all my sorrows, and thanked God that he was spared
to me. He ate in great haste, with me and his aid-de-camp, behind the
house. We had been told that we had the advantage over the enemy, but
the sorrowful faces I beheld told a different tale; and before my
husband went away, he took me aside, and said every thing was going very
badly, and that I must keep myself in readiness to leave the place, but
not to mention it to any one I made the pretense that I would move the
next morning into my new house, and had every thing packed up ready.
"I could not go to sleep, as I had General Fraser and all the other
wounded gentlemen in my room, and I was sadly afraid my children would
wake, and, by their crying, disturb the dying man in his last moments,
who often addressed me and apologized '_for the trouble he gave me_.'
About three o'clock in the morning I was told that he could not hold out
much longer; I had desired to be informed of the near approach of this
sad crisis, and I then wrapped up my children in their clothes, and went
with them into the room below About eight o'clock in the morning _he
died_.
"After he was laid out, and his corpse wrapped up in a sheet, we came
again into the room, and had this sorrowful sight before us the whole
day; and, to add to the melancholy scene, almost every moment some
officer of my acquaintance was brought in wounded. The cannonade
commenced again; a retreat was spoken of, but not the smallest motion
was made toward it. About four o'clock in the afternoon I saw the house
which had just been built for me in flames, and the enemy was now not
far off. We knew that General Burgoyne would not refuse the last request
of General Fraser, though, by his acceding to it, an unnecessary delay
was occasioned, by which the inconvenience of the army was much
increased. At six o'clock the corpse was brought out, and we saw all the
generals attend it to the mountain. The chaplain, Mr. Brudenell,
performed the funeral service, rendered
Burial of Fraser.--Humanity of the Americans.--Lady Harriet Ackland.
066
unusually solemn and awful from its being accompanied by constant peals
from the enemy's artillery. Many cannon-balls flew close by me, but I
had my eyes directed toward the mountain * where my husband was standing
amid the fire of the enemy, and of course I could not think of my own
danger."
It was just at sunset, on that calm October evening, that the corpse of
General Fraser was carried up the hill to the place of burial within the
"great redoubt." It was attended only by the members of his military
family and Mr. Brudenell, the chaplain; yet the eyes of hundreds of both
armies followed the solemn procession, while the Americans, ignorant of
its true character, kept up a constant cannonade upon the redoubt. The
chaplain, unawed by the danger to which he was exposed, as the
cannonballs that struck the hill threw the loose soil over him,
pronounced the impressive funeral service of the Church of England with
an unfaltering voice. *** The growing darkness added solemnity to the
scene.
Suddenly the irregular firing ceased, and the solemn voice of a single
cannon, at measured intervals, boomed along the valley, and awakened the
responses of the hills. It was a minute-gun fired by the Americans in
honor of the gallant dead. The moment information was given that the
gathering at the redoubt was a funeral company, fulfilling, amid
imminent perils, the last-breathed wishes of the noble Fraser, orders
were issued to withhold the cannonade with balls, and to render military
homage to the fallen brave.
How such incidents smooth the rough features of war! In contrast with
fiercer ages gone by, when human sympathy never formed a holy communion
between enemies on the battlefield, they seem to reflect the radiance of
the future, and exhibit a glimpse of the time to which a hopeful faith
directs our vision, when "nation shall not war against nation," when
"one law shall bind all people, kindreds, and tongues, and that law
shall be the law of UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD."
The case of Major Ackland and his heroic wife presents kindred features.
He belonged to the corps of grenadiers, and was an accomplished soldier.
His wife accompanied him to Canada in 1776, and during the whole
campaign of that year, and until his return to England after the
surrender of Burgoyne, in the autumn of 1777, endured all the hardships,
dangers, and privations of an active campaign in an enemy's country. At
Chambly, on the Sorel, she attended him in illness, in a miserable hut;
and when he was wounded in the battle of Hubbardton, Vermont, she
hastened to him at Skenesborough from Montreal, where she had been
persuaded to remain, and resolved to follow the army thereafter. Just
before crossing the Hudson, she and her husband came near losing their
lives in consequence of their tent taking fire from a candle overturned
by a pet dog. During the terrible engagement of the 7th of October she
heard all the tumult and dreadful thunder of the battle in which her
husband was engaged; and when, on the morning of the 8th, the British
fell
* The height occupied by Burgoyne on the 18th, which ran parallel with
the river till it approached General Gates's camp.
** The hill on which the "great redoubt" was erected, and where General
Fraser was buried, is about one hundred feet high, and almost directly
west from the house wherein he died. The relative situation of this
eminence to the Hudson will be best understood by looking at the view of
Burgoyne's encampment, page 57. The center hill in that drawing is the
one here represented. The grave is within the inclosure on the summit of
the hill.
*** Burgoyne's "State of the Expedition," p. 169. Lieutenant Kingston's
Evidence, p. 107.
Courage and Fortitude of Lady Harriet Ackland.--Burgoyne's Request and
Gates's Generosity.
067
Lady Harriet Ackland with the other women, was obliged to take refuge
among the dead and dying, for the tents were all struck, and hardly a
shed was left standing. Her husband was wounded, and a prisoner in the
American camp. That gallant officer was shot through both legs when Poor
and Learned's troops assaulted the grenadiers and artillery on the
British left, on the afternoon of the 7th. Wilkinson, Gates's adjutant
general, while pursuing the flying enemy when they abandoned their
battery, heard a feeble voice exclaim, "Protect me, sir, against that
boy." He turned and saw a lad with a musket, taking deliberate aim at a
wounded British officer, lying in a corner of a worm fence. Wilkinson
ordered the boy to desist, and discovered the wounded man to be Major
Ackland. He had him conveyed to the quarters of General Poor (now the
residence of Mr. Neilson), on the heights, where every attention was
paid to his wants.
When the intelligence that he was wounded and a prisoner reached his
wife, she was greatly distressed, and, by the advice of her friend, the
Baroness Riedesel, resolved to visit the American camp, and implore the
favor of a personal attendance upon her husband. On the 9th she sent a
message to Burgoyne by Lord Petersham, his aid, asking October, 1777
permission to depart. "Though I was ready to believe," says Burgoyne,
"that patience and fortitude, in a supreme degree, were to be found, as
well as every other virtue, under the most tender forms, I was
astonished at this proposal. After so long an agitation of spirits,
exhausted not only for want of rest, but absolutely want of food,
drenched in rains for twelve hours together, that a woman should be
capable of such an undertaking as delivering herself to an enemy,
probably in the night, and uncertain of what hands she might fall into,
appeared an effort above human nature. The assistance I was enabled to
give was small indeed; I had not even a cup of wine to offer her; but I
was told she had found, from some kind and fortunate hand, a little rum
and dirty water. All I could furnish to her was an open boat and a few
lines, written upon dirty wet paper, to General Gates, recommending her
to his protection." *
She set out in an open boat upon the Hudson, accompanied by Mr.
Brudenell the chaplain, Sarah Pollard her waiting-maid, and her
husband's valet, who had been severely wounded while searching for his
master upon the battle-field. It was about sunset when they started, and
a violent storm of rain and wind, which had been increasing since
morning, rendered the voyage tedious and perilous in the extreme. It was
long after dark when they reached the American outposts. The sentinel
heard their oars and hailed them. Lady Harriet returned the answer
herself. The clear, silvery tones of a woman's voice amid the darkness
filled the soldier on duty with superstitious fear, and he called a
comrade to accompany him to the river bank. The errand of the voyagers
was made known, but the faithful guard, apprehensive of treachery, would
not allow them to land until they sent for Major Dearborn. This delay
was only for a few minutes, not "seven or eight dark and cold hours," as
asserted by Burgoyne. They were invited by that officer to his quarters,
where a cup of tea and other comforts were provided; and Lady Harriet
was also comforted by the joyful tidings that her husband was safe. In
the morning she experienced parental tenderness from General Gates, who
sent her to her husband at Poor's quarters, under a suitable escort.
There she remained until he was removed to Albany. **
* The following is a copy of the note from Burgoyne to General Gates:
"Sir-Lady Harriet Ackland, a lady of the first distinction of family,
rank, and personal virtues, is under such concern on account of Major
Ackland, her husband, wounded and a prisoner in your hands, that I can
not refuse her request to commit her to your protection. Whatever
general impropriety there may be in persons in my situation and yours to
solicit favors, I can not see the uncommon perseverance in every female
grace and exaltation of character of this lady, and her very hard
fortune, without testifying that your attentions to her will lay me
under obligations. "I am, sir, your obedient servant,
"J. Burgoyne." ***
** Major Ackland reciprocated the generous treatment here extended, by
doing all in his power, while on parole in New York, to alleviate the
condition of distinguished American prisoners there. After his return to
England, he warmly defended American courage, at a dinner party, against
the aspersions of a Lieutenant Lloyd. High words passed, and a duel
ensued. The major was shot dead; Lady Harriet became a maniac, and
remained so two years. After her recovery, she married Mr Brudenell, the
chaplain already mentioned.
*** The original is among Gates's papers (voL x.), in the possession of
the New York Historical Society, from which this was copied.
Lines by Mrs. Morton.--Death of Major Ackland.--Second Marriage of Lady
Harriet.
068
When we consider the delicate form, the gentleness and refinement in
which she had been nurtured in the lap of rank and fortune, the shining
virtues of connubial constancy, heroic devotion, and unbending fortitude
stand out in bold relief in the character of Lady Harriet Ackland; and
these, in their practical development in her case, furnish romance with
a stranger page than imagination can command, and lend to poetry half
its inspiration. They gave impulse to the lyre of the accomplished lady
of Perez Morton, Esq.; and I will close this chapter with an extract
from her poem, suggested by the events above noticed.
"To gallant Gates, in war serenely brave,
The tide of fortune turns its refluent wave;
Forced by his arms, the bold invaders yield
The prize and glory of the well-fought field:
Bleeding and lost, the captured Ackland lies,
While leaden slumber seals his Fraser's eyes;
Fraser! whose deeds unfading glories claim,
Endeared by virtues and adorned by fame.
.....
'Twas now the time, when twilight's misty ray
Drops the brown curtain of retiring day,
The clouds of heaven, like midnight mountains, lower,
Waft the wild blast and dash the drizzly shower,
Through the wet path her restless footsteps roam,
To where the leader spread his spacious dome.
Low-at his feet she pours the desperate prayer-
Give my lost husband to my soothing care,
Give me in yonder solitary cave,
With duteous love, his burning wounds to lave;
On the warm pillow which his breast supplies,
Catch his faint breath and close his languid eyes,
Or in his cause my proffered life resign-
Mine were his blessings, and his pains were mine."
Present Peacefulness at Saratoga.--Curious Meteorological Phenomena.--
Departure for Schuylerville.
069
CHAPTER III.
URGOYNE and his army are at Wilbur's Basin, prepared to retreat toward
Lake Champlain, but lingering to pay a last sad tribute of affectionate
regard to the remains of the accomplished Fraser. Night has drawn its
veil over the scene, and we will turn away for a moment from the
sorrowful contemplation of war and its horrid retinue, to glance at a
picture lovely to the eye, ennobling to the spirit, and fruitful of
pleasant impressions upon the heart and memory.
Like a "dissolving view," the smoking ruins, the sodden field, the
trailing banner, the tent and breast-work and abatis, and slaughtered
hundreds, and wailing families, painted in gore by the hand of human
discord; and the roar of cannon, the rattle of musketry, the roll of
drums, the hiss and detonation of bombs, the savage yell, the loud
huzza, the shriek and groan, the prayer and curse made audible by the
boastful voice of physical strength, have all passed away with the
darkness, and a bright summer's sunlight is upon the landscape. Turning
the eye northward from the American camp, there are the same gentle
slopes, and deep ravines, and clustering hills, and flowing river; and
the heights of Saratoga in the far distance loom up as of yore. But
herds are grazing upon the lowlands, and flocks are dotting the hills;
the ring of the mower's scythe is heard in the meadow, and the merry
laugh goes up from the russet harvest-field. Art, with its strong arm of
industry, has dug another river along the plain for the use of commerce;
the forest has been reaped by agriculture, habitations of prosperity are
on every hand, and the white wing of peace is spread out over all. It is
a pleasant sight; therefore let us enjoy it, and, for a while, forget
the dark picture of the past which we have been contemplating.July 27,
1848
It was excessively warm, although a strong breeze from the south
constantly prevailed. As early as ten o'clock dark clouds began to rise
in the west, and the rumbling of distant thunder was audible. All day
long, shower after shower arose threateningly, sometimes approaching so
near that sharp claps of thunder would startle us; but they all swept
along the horizon west and north, and disappeared behind the eastern
hills. Not a drop of rain fell at Bemis's. I remarked the phenomenon,
and was told that showers never reached there from the west. Their
birth-place seems to be Saratoga Lake, about six miles westward from the
Hudson, and the summer rain-clouds which rise there generally pass up
the lake to its outlet, the Fish Creek, and, traversing that stream
until it falls into the Hudson, cross the valley and pass on to the
Green Mountains, or spend their treasures upon the intervening country.
About half past three in the afternoon a canal packet arrived from the
south, and we embarked for Schuylerville, nine miles above Bemis's. As
usual, the boat was crowded to excess, and, the sun being veiled by the
clouds in the west, the passengers covered the deck. As we passed
quietly along the base of the hills whereon was Gates's camp, crossed
Mill Creek or Middle Ravine, and approached Wilbur's Basin, it required
but small exercise of the imagination, while listening to the constant
roll of thunder beyond the heights, to realize the appalling sounds of
that strife of armies which shook those hills seventy years before, as
it fell upon the eager ears of wives, and sisters, and children whose
cherished ones were in the midst of the storm.
Proceeding northward, we approached the track of the showers, and, just
before we
Approach of a Tempest.--A violent Gale.--Misfortunes of an Irish Way-
passenger
070
reached Wilbur's Basin, a cloud, black as Erebus, and so low that it
seemed to rest upon the hill-tops, spread out above us like the wings of
a monster bird; and in its wake huge masses of vapor, wheeling like the
eddies of a whirlpool, came hastening on. The experienced boatmen
understood these portents, and covering the baggage with strong canvas,
lashed it tightly to the vessel. The breeze was still, and a hot,
suffocating calm ensued. The passengers, warned by the helmsman,
retreated into the cabin, and the windows were closed. The cattle in the
fields huddled in groups, and every bird and fowl, conscious of
impending danger, sought shelter. A flash of lightning, followed
instantly by a crashing thunder-peal, broke over the valley, and seemed
to sever the fetters of the wind. A sullen roar was heard in the
distance, like the rush of great waters; the trees of the forest began
to rock, and from the roads behind us clouds of dust arose and filled
the air. In a few moments a tornado was upon us in its strength. It
lasted only two minutes, but in its track the results of the labor of
the farmer for many days were destroyed. Hay-cocks and wheat sheaves
were scattered like thistle-down, and the standing grain was laid upon
the earth as by the tread of a giant footstep. As the wind passed by,
the rain came down gently, and continued to fall until we reached
Schuylerville.
There came on the boat at Bemis's "a poor exile from Erin," with a
patched coat and pair of thin pantaloons hanging over one arm. He was
immediately introduced to the captain by the attentive steward, when he
pleaded poverty, and declared that he hadn't a "cint in the world." He
was ordered ashore, and the boat was guided accommodatingly near the
bank. The poor fellow urged fatigue, and the weight of his brogans
testified to the truth of the appeal, if he had walked a mile. It was
cruel to doubt the honesty of that hard-favored face, and fifty cents
were soon collected for him as a peace-offering to the captain. When the
gust came on, he refused to go into the cabin. He had been in a three
days' gale upon the Atlantic, and was not to be frightened by a squall
on land. The first blast of the hurricane wheeled him several times
around upon deck, and came very near putting him ashore, willing or not
willing. While he was endeavoring to seize a support, the wind grasped
his extra pantaloons, and, in utter dismay, he saw them gyrating, like a
spread eagle, high in air, and becoming "small by degrees and
beautifully less" in the distance. The loss distressed him greatly--far
more than the helmsman thought necessary, and he ordered him to be
quiet. "Indade," said the poor fellow, "do ye think a man can be quiet
when the wind is rolling him like a bag o' feathers tied fast at one
end, and all he has in the world snatched from him by the blackguard
gale?" and he looked agonizingly toward the point where his pantaloons
had vanished.
"Precious small estate," answered the amused helmsman, "if a pair of old
pantaloons is all you have in the world. I'll give you a better pair
than that if you'll stop your noise."
"An' wid three Vickeys sowed up in the waistbands?" eagerly inquired the
exile.
His cautiousness was here at fault. He hadn't a "_cint_ in the world,"
but he had three sovereigns sewed up in the waistbands of the pantaloons
which had gone a-ballooning. As soon as the gale passed by, a child of
the Green Isle was a foot-passenger upon the tow-path, bearing sorrowful
testimony to the truth of the ethical maxim, that retributive justice is
always swift to punish offenders against truth and honesty. No doubt his
thoughts were all with his absconded sub-treasurer, and the prose of
Holmes's poem evidently engrossed his mind:
"I saw them straddling through the air,
Alas! too late to win them;
I saw them chase the clouds as if
The devil had been in them.
They were my darlings and my pride,
_They carried all my riches_:
'Farewell, farewell!' I faintly cried,
'My breeches! O my breeches!'"
It was about four o clock when we passed the burial-place of General
Fraser. It had been my intention to stop there for an hour, and visit
the last earth-home of the illustrious
Fraser's Grave--Do-ve-gat or Coveville.--Colonel Van Vechten.-- Origin
of "Whig" and "Tory".--Arrival at Schuylerville.
701
dead. But the rain fell fast, and the day was so far consumed that I was
obliged to forego the melancholy pleasure. The canal is so near the base
of the hill, that I easily made the sketch of it (printed on page 67)
from the cabin-window. Many years ago a distant relative of the general
proposed to remove his remains to Scotland, and lay them beside those of
his mother; but they are still undisturbed where his sorrowing comrades
laid them.