Show r r C Ite r r 1 LS J Ji 4 i 11 ny it 1 Cf r f. f j i F. F of ra t I i r a a a d l o C J. J t C. C M ra v t tt t t Xa 4 rj S 1 1 r I I 4 t 4 g Y f te tY AS u 4 tf I h sa r r Z A 4 t tw v e r 1 I II I I II o ro r boars J t e By MO EJ-MO SCOTT WATSON T WAS a which ou on paper had every prospect of ot success when putto putto put putto I to the test of ot execution It fa failed 11 00 miser miser- ably So American history added to the roll roU of ot the Fifteen Decisive Battles of ot the World the name of ot Saratoga and I It Is at Saratoga N. N Y L where the unsuccessful un unsuccessful un successful Burgoyne campaign culminated culminated that there Is being held on an on October r 0 6 7 1 and 8 S the greatest In the series of sesquicentennial s celebrations staged bythe by bythe bythe the state of ot New York this year Because of the results of the events t that took reaching far-reaching place there years ago the Saratoga celebration has hns wide nation-wide significance In the spring of ot 1777 the British ministry decided decided de- de to make a supreme effort to crush tier rebel- rebel cs colonies Accordingly Lord Germain the English minister conceived the plan of ot separating the colonies Into manageable units and more especially cutting off the Uthe head of ot the rebellion New E England gland by sending a force forc down the HudLon Hudson Hud Hud- son Lon from Canada another up that river from New York City and a third through the Mohawk valley from Oswego all converging on Albany But no sooner were the plans laid than several vital mistakes were made In the first place Gen John Burgoyne a pleasure loving loving man of ot letters let let- playwright and social lion who had but little military ability was placed In command of th the expedition from Canada Instead of ot the capable Sir Guy Carleton More than that he was given positive orders as to exactly what he was to doand do doand doand and he had no authority to alter his plans to meet changing circumstances But the greatest blunder of all was this Lord Germain wrote out the order for General Howe In New York to cooperate cooperate co co- operate with Burgoyne laid It aside on his desk dek forgot about It and went off oft to visit a country house bouse without sending the order The result was that Howe sailed away from New York on a perfectly perfectly per per- useless us-eless expedition against Philadelphia and Burgoyne plunged Into the wilderness to meet Howe without knowing that the latter was actually running away from him Having started Burgoyne proceeded to make a afew af afew f few W mistakes of his own which assured the failure of ot the campaign He underestimated the ability of the Americans who opposed him under the leadership leadership leader leader- ship of ot Gen Philip Schuyler ler he underestimated the difficulties of ot traveling through the wilderness ahead of ot him loaded himself down with us-ele us useless s baggage and failed to provide himself with adequate adequate ade ade- quate means of ot transportation for his supplies and he deceived himself In the belief bellet that tl the e Loyalists would rally to his standard as he ap Not only did they fall tall to rally but Burgoyne Burgoyne Bur- Bur goyne soon found that In employing Ing Indian allies over whom he lie soon lost all control he completely alienated any who might have been friends and he be soon roon stirred up a veritable hornets' hornets nest When his army of ot some men nearly half of them Germans under Baron embarked on Lake Champlain on June 17 1777 It carried with It one of ot the finest artillery trains ever seen seen up to that time on the American continent A At first everything seemed to point to the success sue sue- cess cess of ot the expedition For the British were not the only ones who made mistakes General St. St Clair made a serious one when he failed aUed to fortify the hills overlooking Fort and Ticonderoga-and TIconderoga and Burgoyne Bur Bur- goyne captured this fort tort and with It guns Crown Point had been taken previously and Fort Independence and a little later Fort Ann also fell before the Invader These successes led the Englishman to believe that within a few days he would be In Albany and his view vIe was shared by by- bythe the home government There is nn an amusing story that when the news of ot the fall tall of ot Ticonderoga Ticonderoga reached ed King George III he dashed into the queens queen's room room with the glad cry of ot I r have beat them I have beat the Americans l 1 He Be did not r realize that they like John Joh Paul Jones had not yet begun to fight fight- although Burgo Burgoyne ne soon rea real reat 1 zed it It The historic Fort Edward was the next to f. f tell U ll into his hands bands But by this time his dimS dimi dim dim- had just begun The i S prud prudent nt and skillful r y I ti i i i j i Ad r Fi I r- r c I 4 d dJ I I j t ri i n. n 7 A SS 8 gf 1 7 I General Schuyler as he retired before the British advance did everything In his power to delay the enemy The he Inhabitants of the country withdrew with Schuyler's army taking with them all of ot the provisions and stock possible and destroying the remainder Bridges we were broken down rivers and creeks choked up and giant trees cut down across such roads ns as as there were through the woods Burgoyne was forced to cut his way through the wilderness It took him 30 days to cover less than 25 miles and during that time he be was forced to build some 40 bridges I IThe IThe The New Englanders were threatening his flank but his Instructions forbade him to turna turn a aside Ide and strike a n blow at them The messengers which be he tried to send through to Howe were captured captured cap cap- by the Americans and he had no Idea of ot what that general was doing Finally the food tood situation became desperate Then Burgoyne attempted attempted attempted at at- tempted the ill Ill advised advised eq expedition under Colonel Baum the Hessian leader to Bennington Vt 11 to capture the American supplies there The result Is history the history the defeat of ot Baum by grim old General John Stark and the defeat also of Colonel Breyman who had been sent to Baums Baum's assistance In the meantime another disaster to the ambitious ambitious ambi ambi- British plan had taken place Col Barry St St. Leger who was to fo deliver the Mohawk valley coup failed to cap capture u e Fort Schuyler formerly Fort and this like Bennington was another another an other factor which contributed to the final downfall downfall down down- fall of ot Burgo Burgoyne ne But despite these reverses he determined to push on On September 13 he took the decisive step crosse crossed the Hudson and mid moved moed his whole force e to Saratoga In doing this thise he e had cut off his ls communications with Lake George and and All he could do now was Vas Vasto to to- press forward and trust to luck There was one element of luck In the situation In another blunder by the Americans Politics in c congress had resulted In the replacement of ot General Schuyler by Gen Horatio Gates a u If leader Inferior In In every way to Schuyler and even to some some of his his' subordinates notably Daniel Morgan and Benedict Arnold But even that fact tact was not enough to save Burgoyne from the fate which awaited him The American camp was pitched at Stillwater 12 miles further down the river Burgoyne Burgoyne Bur Bur- goyne advanced to attack and on September 10 19 the bitter blUer fight at Bemis Heights took place Bur Bur- oyne goyne had failed tailed to o dislodge the Americans and the attempt had cost cast him COO oo men The predicament of ot the British general at this point is s well described In Wrongs Wrong's Washington and His Comrades In the Yale University Press Press' Chronicles of ot America as follows Burgoyne condition was now growing crowing desp deeper desper r- r ate American forces barred retreat to Canada He must go back and meet both frontal and flank attacks or go BO forward or surrender To gO so forward new had most promise c for at last Kowa Howa had Instructed Clinton loft left In command at New York to move and Clinton was makl making g rapid progress up t the Hudson O On the seventh of October Burgoyne I j c J I V v v attacked again at Stillwater This time he was decisively defeated a result due to the amazing g energy enera In attack of Benedict Arnold who had bee been beeD stripped of ot his command by an Intrigue Gat Gates Gatea would not even speak to him and nd his bis lingering i ithe In Inthe Inthe n the American camp was unwelcome Yet as ae a a. volunteer Arnold charged the British line mad madly y and broke it Burgoyne's best general Fraser we was s killed In the fight Burgoyne retired to Saratoga 4 and there at last faced the prospect of gelting getting getting get gel ting back to Fort Edward and to tn t Canada It may be that he could have cut his hla way through but this Is le rather doubtful Without risk o of ot hf destruction he could not move In any direction on n His enemies now outnumbered him nearl nearly four to one His camp was swept b by the American gun gum gu n and his men were under arms day and night AmerIcan American Amer Amer- r ican lean sharpshooters stationed themselves at da day y y ry break In trees about the British camp and an anone any anyone anyone y one who appeared In the tha open rl risked ked his life lite His horses were killed by rifle rIne shots Burgoyne h had hac a s little food for his men and none tor for his horses horse aB B His Indians nad had long since gone oft off In du dudgeon dudgeo geon n. n Many of his Canadian French slipped off orr homeward rd and so did the Loyalists The German troops we were naturally dispirited The They died a 1 score at t a tim time of no other disease than sickness for the their it homes In the face pf ot all this there remained for Bu Burgoyne Burgoyne Bur Bur- r goyne nothing but surrender On October 8 besent he be sent a flag of truce to Gates asking what terms ter m s he would give The British general Indignantly indignant IY refused the first demand for an unconditional al surrender and after much argument finally sl sign signed ed the the articles called The Convention of ot Saratoga under which the British army was allowed to march out with the honors of war pile their armat arms arm at an appointed place and then be marched to Boston from whence they were to be he allowed to return to En England lan on the condition that the they would not serve again In America Although Gates was not a Ii particularly admirable admirable admirable able figure in campaign In that he connived connive to supplant Schuyler and basely reus refused d to give gin the credit due Morgan and Benedict Arnold foi for their brilliant work against Burgoyne's Burgoyne army he be does docs deserve credit for his treatment of ot his fallen fallen tallen foe When Burgoyne handed him his sword with the remark The uThe fortune of war war General Gates has made me your prisoner the American general gen gen- general eral I Immediately returned It with a Q and the tha gracious remark I will be r ready ady to testify that It was through no fault of ot your excellent excellency It can earl also be said to the shame of ot congress that It repudiated the terms given the British by h held ld th them m as prisoners of ot war In Boston Gates and latE later In Virginia and although the officers s were veto ex ox- changed from time to time the army array as a body never got back to England and eve d. d By the time eventually peace came carrie In 1783 Burgoyne's Burgoyne Bur Bur Bur- goyne goynes goyne's goyne's goynes s soldiers had been lean Ican merged Into the theAmer Amer Amerlean Amer people and it may be that some of ot their descendants may participate In to the celebration this month at Saratoga ga where American Briton on clashed In deadly and conflict ct and wrote ith their with blood the name of another battle For Saratoga le led d directly to rYma making aS and It was the biggest French a aid step taken by the patriot In his march to Tar A AmerIcan Yorktown and to tov I 1 I J Jj S. j 0 i t |