of gun-boats, came up with, and attacked the American gallies, near
Skenesborough falls. In the mean time, three regiments which had been
landed at South bay, ascended and passed a mountain with great
expedition, in order to turn the enemy above Wood creek, to destroy
his works at the falls of Skenesborough, and thus to cut off his
retreat to Fort Anne. But the Americans eluded this stroke by the
rapidity of their flight. The British frigates having joined the van,
the gallies, already hard pressed by the gun-boats, were completely
overpowered. Two of them surrendered, three were blown up. The
Americans now despaired; having set fire to their works, mills, and
batteaux, and otherwise destroyed what they were unable to burn, they
escaped as well as they could up Wood creek, without halting till they
reached Fort Anne. Their loss was considerable; for the batteaux they
burned were loaded with baggage, provisions, and munitions, as
necessary to their sustenance as to military operations. The corps
which had set out by land was in no better situation. The van-guard,
conducted by St. Clair, had arrived at Castleton, thirty miles distant
from Ticonderoga, and twelve from Skenesborough; the rear, commanded
by Colonels Francis and Warner, had rested the night of the 6th, at
Hubbardston, six miles below Castleton, towards Ticonderoga.
[Illustration: Destruction of Gallies.]
"At five o'clock in the morning of the 7th, the English column, under
General Frazer, made its appearance. The Americans were strongly posted,
and appeared disposed to defend themselves. Frazer, though inferior in
point of numbers, had great confidence in the valor of his troops. He
also expected every moment to be joined by General Reidesel; and being
apprehensive that the enemy might escape if he delayed, he ordered the
attack immediately. The battle was long and sanguinary. The Americans,
being commanded by valiant officers, behaved with great spirit and
firmness; but the English displayed an equal obstinacy. After several
shocks, with alternate success, the latter began to fall back in
disorder; but their leaders rallied them anew, and led them to a furious
charge with the bayonet; the Americans were shaken by its impetuosity.
At this critical moment, General Reidesel arrived at the head of his
column, composed of light troops and some grenadiers. He immediately
took part in the action. The Americans, overpowered by numbers, fled on
all sides, leaving their brave commander, with many other officers, and
upwards of two hundred soldiers, dead on the field. About the same
number, besides Colonel Hale, and seventeen officers of inferior rank,
were made prisoners. Above six hundred were supposed to be wounded; many
of whom, deprived of all succor, perished miserably in the woods. The
loss of the royal troops, in dead and wounded, amounted to about one
hundred and eighty."[48]
Upon receiving intelligence of the foregoing disasters, St. Clair
proceeded by a circuitous route to Fort Edward, in order to strengthen
General Schuyler, in anticipation of an attack upon that fortress.
With the accessions thus made, the troops at Fort Edward amounted to
but little more than four thousand, including the militia. The losses
of the Americans had been great, and were severely felt. No less than
one hundred and twenty-eight pieces of artillery, besides a great
quantity of warlike stores--baggage, provisions, particularly
flour--had either fallen into the hands of the enemy, or had been
destroyed. Added to these losses, a general panic had seized upon the
inhabitants, especially on account of the Indians attached to the
British army, and against whose merciless and savage spirit there was
felt to be no security.
While General Burgoyne was detained at Skenesborough, General
Schuyler was actively engaged in increasing his means of defence.
Trenches were opened, and the roads leading to the fort were in every
possible way obstructed. The militia from various quarters were
summoned to the American standard, and artillery and warlike stores
were forwarded from various points.
At length, General Burgoyne moved towards Fort Edward; but such were
the obstacles which impeded his movements, that he did not reach the
banks of the Hudson, near Fort Edward, till the 30th of July.
In the mean while, under a conviction that, after all the efforts made
to render that fort defensible, it could not be maintained against so
formidable a force as was approaching, General Schuyler abandoned it,
and returned lower down to Stillwater, where intrenchments were thrown
up.
Unexpectedly, General Burgoyne now found himself nearly destitute of
provisions, and from the 30th of July to the 15th of August, the time
was spent in procuring the means of supporting the army, which were
obliged to be brought from Ticonderoga, at the expense of vast toil
and labor. This, it was afterwards alleged, was the great mistake of
General Burgoyne, that he suffered himself, after the occupation of
Skenesborough, and the discomfiture of the enemy's army, to have
attempted the reduction of Fort Edward. Had he then made his way
directly to Albany, he might have secured the possession of that
important place to himself, before the Americans could have rallied.
While thus posted at Fort Edward, General Burgoyne received intelligence
that large stores of live cattle, corn, and other necessaries belonging
to the Americans, had been deposited at Bennington, a village situated
about twenty miles from the Hudson, in Vermont. Impelled by necessity,
as well as desirous of adding to his military fame, he resolved to
attempt their seizure, the accomplishment of which plan, he entrusted to
Colonel Baum, a German officer of great bravery, and well versed in this
sort of partisan war.
[Illustration: BURGOYNE'S ADVANCE.]
Accordingly, with a force of five hundred men and two light
field-pieces, Baum set forth, in proud anticipation of success. The
roads, however, were so heavy, that the detachment was fatally retarded.
The intelligence of their approach preceded them in time to allow
Colonel Stark--a brave, active man, who was in command at Bennington,
with a corps of New Hampshire militia--to assemble a considerable
rëinforcement of Green-mountain Boys from the neighboring towns. Before
Baum made his appearance, the number of Americans had swelled to about
two thousand. On learning the numbers of the enemy, Baum dispatched an
express to Colonel Breyman, who had been detached to support him if
necessary, to urge his march. In the mean while, Baum took post on the
banks of the Walloon creek, to await the arrival of his auxiliaries.
Stark, however, was not disposed to accommodate his foe by any such
delay; but, taking up his line of march, on the morning of the 6th of
August, advanced towards the place of Baum's encampment. Dividing his
forces into several corps, he gave orders to attack the British on all
sides at once. On their approach, Baum strangely mistaking them for
loyalists coming to his aid, held still. Judge his surprise when they
poured in from all sides a deadly fire upon him! Rallying his men in
the best possible manner, for a time he made a brave resistance; but
before the impetuous charge of the Americans, the English were obliged
to yield.
The fortune of the day had already been decided, when Colonel Breyman
appeared. He was, in fact, perfectly ignorant of the engagement, and
the fate of his pioneers. What was his consternation, on reaching the
intrenchments of Baum, to find, instead of friends ready to receive
him, the place in possession of an enemy ready to give him battle!
Perceiving his mistake, his troops, though greatly fatigued, were
ordered to the combat; and bravely for a time they fought, and not
without some prospect of success, a part of the Americans being
employed in pillaging. But the momentary advantage which he seemed to
have gained was soon lost; and, leaving all their baggage and one
thousand muskets in the hands of the conquerors, they made a rapid
retreat. The loss of the British in the two engagements, was about two
hundred killed, and five hundred wounded and prisoners. The loss of
the Americans did not much exceed one hundred.
The exploit of Bennington redounded not only to the credit of General
Stark and his brave troops, but to the good of the country at large.
It roused the drooping spirits of the Americans, it inspired the
troops with confidence, and presented an earnest of still nobler
conquests. In consequence of this defeat, the situation of General
Burgoyne was still more perplexing. The hope of supplying his army
with provisions from the stores of Bennington, was annihilated, and to
other quarters he must look for supplies, without a considerable stock
of which, it would be presumption to attempt offensive operations.
While these events were transpiring, congress appointed General Gates
to take command of the Northern army, in place of General Schuyler.
The latter was a soldier of great bravery, but was not universally
acceptable to the troops, especially to those from Massachusetts and
other provinces of New England. The former enjoyed a high military
reputation, and his appointment was hailed by the army with joy. Gates
made his appearance at Stillwater on the 21st of August, and took the
command.
"Meanwhile," says Botta, "General Burgoyne continued in his camp, on
the left bank of the Hudson, where he used the most unremitting
industry and perseverance in bringing stores and provisions forward
from Fort George. Having at length, by strenuous efforts, obtained
about thirty days' provisions, he took a resolution of passing the
river with his army, in order to engage the enemy, and force a passage
to Albany. As a swell of water, occasioned by great rains, had carried
away his bridge of rafts, he threw another, of boats, over the river
at the same place. Towards the middle of September, he crossed with
his army to the right bank of the Hudson, and encamped on the heights
and in the plain of Saratoga, Gates being then in the neighborhood of
Stillwater, about three miles below. The two armies of course faced
each other, and a battle was expected soon to follow."
On the morning of the 19th, it was reported by Colonel Colburn, who
was watching the enemy, that they were beginning to ascend the hill
towards the American left. General Gates sent Colonel Morgan to oppose
them, and the firing began about noon. The action extended, and, in
three hours, was general, and continued without interruption till
dark. The American troops engaged amounted to three thousand; the
British to three thousand five hundred.
"For four hours," says General Wilkinson, "the battle fluctuated, like
the waves of a stormy sea, with alternate advantage, without one
moment's intermission. It was truly a gallant conflict, in which
death, by its familiarity, lost its terrors, and certainly a drawn
battle, as night alone terminated it." The British army kept
possession of the field; but they had nothing of which to boast. Their
loss was more than five hundred men, and, among others, Captain Jones,
of the artillery, an officer of great merit; the loss of the
Americans, in killed and wounded, was from three to four hundred;
among the former, were Colonels Adams and Colburn.
From September 19th to October 7th, was devoted, by the English, to
strengthening their fortifications. The army of Gates, in the mean
while, was continually increasing, and, on a single occasion, was
added to by the arrival of General Lincoln with two thousand men, well
trained and disciplined, from the New England provinces. Attacks on
the British pickets took place almost every night.
For some time, General Burgoyne had been daily and ardently waiting
for news from General Howe, as to the cöoperation he intended. On the
20th of September, he received a letter from that general, informing
him that, about the 20th of the month, he should attempt the
reduction of Fort Montgomery, situated on the right bank of the
Hudson, and near the Highlands.
The situation of Burgoyne was now becoming so critical, that he
immediately despatched an express to General Howe, entreating him to
hasten his attack on the fort, if there was any prospect of delay, as he
was provided with necessaries for his army only to the 12th of October,
at which time he would be obliged to move from his present position.
Near the 1st of October, General Burgoyne found it necessary to lessen
the rations of his soldiers--a measure to which they cheerfully
submitted. The 7th arrived, and no further tidings had reached him of
the movements of General Howe.
In this situation, General Burgoyne resolved, as the last resort, to
make a bold and, if possible, a decisive attack.
The battle occurred on the 7th, and a most severe and sanguinary contest
it proved; we have space only for the results. The loss of the British,
in killed, wounded, and prisoners, was about six hundred; that of the
Americans, three hundred and nineteen. Of the British, Brigadier-general
Frazer, a gallant officer, was mortally wounded, and Colonel Breyman
killed. General Arnold, of the Americans, was badly wounded, in the same
leg which had already been shattered under the walls of Quebec.
Many pieces of artillery, all the baggage of the Germans, and many
warlike stores, fell into the hands of the republicans, who needed them
greatly. They were impatient for the return of day, to renew the battle.
But deplorable and perilous, beyond expression, was the situation of the
British troops; they bore it, however, with admirable temper and
firmness. It was evidently impossible to continue in their present
position, without submitting to a certainty of destruction on the
ensuing day. The Americans, invigorated and encouraged, would take
advantage of the access they had already opened to themselves on the
right, and of other untenable points, to carry every part of the camp,
and completely surround the British army. Burgoyne, therefore,
determined to operate a total change of ground. He executed this
movement with admirable order, and without any loss. The artillery, the
camp, and its appurtenances, were all removed, before morning, to the
heights above the hospital. The British army, in this position, had the
river in its rear, and its two wings displayed along the hills, upon the
right bank. The English expected to be attacked the following day. But
Gates would not expose to the risk of another battle, that victory of
which he was already certain. He intended that time, famine, and
necessity, should complete the work which his arms had so fortunately
commenced. There were frequent skirmishes, however, occurring in the
course of the day, but of little importance. Towards night, the
obsequies of General Frazer were celebrated in the British camp; a
ceremony mournful of itself, and rendered even terrible by the sense of
recent losses, of future dangers, and of regret for the deceased. The
darkness and silence of the night aided the effect of the blaze and roar
of the American artillery; while, at every moment, the balls spattered
the earth upon the face of the officiating chaplain.[49]
[Illustration: BURGOYNE'S RETREAT]
The situation of General Burgoyne, after the battle, was gloomy and
critical in the extreme. The fortunes of war were obviously against
him, and no safe alternative presented itself but in retreat. Orders
were accordingly issued for the army to return to Saratoga, six miles
up the river. "The retreat began at nine o'clock; but such was the
badness of the roads, rendered still more difficult by a heavy rain,
which fell that night, and such was the weakness of the teams, for
want of forage, that the English did not reach Saratoga till the
evening of the ensuing day; the soldiers were harassed with fatigue
and hunger. The hospital, with three hundred sick and wounded, and a
great number of wheel-carriages, were abandoned to the enemy. The
English, as they retired, burned the houses, and destroyed whatever
they could use no longer."
From the moment that General Gates learned the movements of the enemy,
his plan was formed--to follow up his success by a vigorous pursuit,
pushing the contest until they should surrender their arms as a
conquered foe.
Accordingly, putting his army in motion, as early as was practicable,
he followed. The only hope which now inspired Burgoyne was, that he
might effect a passage to Fort Edward, and in that fastness sustain
himself till succor could arrive from the south. But when the
intelligence arrived, as it did at the moment of his deepest
perplexity, that that fortress was in possession of the Americans, he
saw he must relinquish all hope of saving himself by his own efforts.
The condition of the British army was indeed deplorable. "The troops,
worn down by a series of hard toil, incessant effort, and stubborn
action, abandoned by Indians and Canadians, the whole army reduced by
repeated and heavy losses of many of their best men and most
distinguished officers, from ten thousand combatants to less than five
thousand fighting men, of whom little more than three thousand were
English. In these circumstances, and in this state of weakness,
without a possibility of retreat, they were invested by an army of
four times their own number, whose position extended three parts in
four of a circle round them--who refused to fight from a knowledge of
their own condition--and who, from the nature of the ground, could not
be attacked in any part. In this helpless situation, obliged to be
constantly on their arms, while a continued cannonade pervaded all the
camp, and even rifle and grape-shot fell in every part of their lines,
the troops of Burgoyne retained their ordinary constancy, and, while
sinking under a hard necessity, they showed themselves worthy of a
better fate. Nor could they be reproached with any action or word,
which betrayed a want of temper or fortitude.
"At length, no succor appearing, and no rational ground of hope of any
kind remaining, an exact account of the provisions was taken on the
morning of the thirteenth, when it was found that the whole stock
would afford no more than three days' bare subsistence for the army.
In such a state, it was alike impossible to advance or to remain as
they were; and the longer they delayed to take a definite resolution,
the more desperate became their situation. Burgoyne, therefore,
immediately called a council of war, at which not only the generals
and field-officers, but all the captains of companies were invited to
assist. While they deliberated, the bullets of the Americans whistled
around them, and frequently pierced even the tent, where the council
was convened. It was determined, unanimously, to open a treaty, and
enter into a convention with the American general."
On the night of the 15th, the articles of capitulation were settled.
The morning of the 17th was appointed as the time on which they were
to be signed.
That night (15th) intelligence, by a special messenger, reached the
English camp, that General Clinton had reduced Fort Montgomery, and was
then rapidly marching to their relief. This added to the suffering of
the conquered Burgoyne. Forthwith, he summoned a council of war, and to
his discredit--the only apology for which is to be found in the deep
mortification felt by a proud and ambitious soldier to
surrender--proposed to retreat, and once more try the fortunes of
combat, in the hope that Clinton might arrive in season to their relief.
But his officers, with stricter notions of propriety, were of the
opinion that, as their faith had been pledged, the honor of the English
character required a fulfillment of the articles of capitulation.
Meanwhile, Gates, apprised of the nature of the intelligence
received, calmly waited for the arrival of the 17th, on the morning of
which he proceeded to form his troops in the order of battle; which
done, he dispatched a messenger to General Burgoyne, to inform him
that the appointed hour had arrived, and he must either sign the
articles, or prepare himself for battle.
Deeply as the latter regretted submission, he was fully sensible that
circumstances demanded it, and therefore proceeded to sign the
articles, which, in substance, were as follows:
"That the army should march out of the camp with all the honors of war
and its camp artillery, to a fixed place, where they were to deposit
their arms and leave the artillery; to be allowed a free embarkation
and passage to Europe, from Boston, upon condition of their not
serving again in America during the present war; the army not to be
separated, particularly the men from the officers; roll-calling, and
other duties of regularity, to be permitted; the officers to be
admitted on parole, and to wear their sidearms; all private property
to be retained, and the public delivered upon honor; no baggage to be
searched or molested; all persons, of whatever country, appertaining
to, or following the camp, to be fully comprehended in the terms of
capitulation, and the Canadians to be returned to their own country,
liable to its conditions."
On the day on which the capitulation took place, the American army
numbered nearly fifteen thousand men, ten thousand of whom were regular
troops; the English troops amounted to five thousand seven hundred and
ninety-one, of whom two thousand four hundred and twelve were Germans,
and three thousand three hundred and seventy-nine were English.
The munitions of war, which by the capitulation came into possession
of the Americans, were, besides being numerically great, exceedingly
valuable. They consisted of a fine train of brass artillery, amounting
to forty-two pieces, of different sorts and sizes, four thousand six
hundred muskets, and an immense quantity of bombs, balls, and other
implements of war.
Such was the result of this expedition of the British, on the banks of
the Hudson. To the English, it was most unexpected and disastrous; to
the Americans, joyous and fortunate. It had been planned with ability,
and had General Howe fulfilled the part expected of him, the result
might have been reversed. But his failure to cöoperate, as contemplated
in the plan, left General Burgoyne but little chance of success.
The victory won, General Gates forthwith dispatched Colonel Wilkinson
to convey the happy tidings to congress. On entering the hall of
session, he approached the speaker, and said: "The whole British army
has laid down arms at Saratoga; our own, full of vigor and courage,
expect your orders; it is for your wisdom to decide where the country
may still have need of their services."
"To General Gates and his army, congress, by resolution, expressed their
thanks. To the former, in addition, they voted a gold medal, in
commemoration of the proud achievement. On one side of it, was the bust
of the general, with these words around: _Horatio Gates, Duci strenuo_;
and in the middle, _Comita Americana_. On the reverse, Burgoyne was
represented in the attitude of delivering his sword; and, in the back
ground, on the one side and on the other, were seen the two armies of
England and America. At the top were these words: _Salum regionum
septentrion_; and at the foot, _Hoste ad Saratogam in deditione
accepto_. Die XVII. Oct. MDCCLXXVII. It would be difficult to describe
the transports of joy which the news of this event excited among the
Americans. They began to flatter themselves with a still more happy
future; no one any longer entertained a doubt of independence. All
hoped, and not without reason, that a success of this kind would at
length determine France, and the other European powers that waited for
her example, to declare themselves in favor of America."
To the American people at large, the news of the victory conveyed the
most heartfelt joy. The cloud, which had long rested upon their hopes,
seemed to be breaking away, and to presage the dawn of a day for which
for years they had prayed and struggled; but which, with all their
efforts, hopes, and prayers, had, until now, appeared distant and
doubtful.
[Illustration]
FOOTNOTES:
[48] Botta.