Show r 1 elin luc kies Soldier a r rZ In 4 l' l Z y iY T t j jl J at s l a s r f t 41 4 ri 1 IJ v l ar i I e Ti T y fa faS I. I S t I II I I J e p t A 7 1 7 t J S i C m I y c j 0 j va 4 1 q Picture of Cf the surrender courtesy Glens Falls Falls' b t V JN N N. N Y V lr Insurance co company pa y par portraits colts of Burgoyne f. f and Gates from rom The Turning Point of th the th Revolution 1 tion co courtesy Houghton Mifflin company f c c Y It J I OJ r 1 i 4 r By ELMO SCOTT WATSON t HERE Is an axiom known to all nU i which rea reads s Nothing succeeds s like success It is also axiomatic 1 although not phrased In s such ch familiar fa la terms that Americans ns love w nothing so much as as a winner winter If It y you ou believe In the essential truth of ot the above statements consider con con- I. I sider shier for a moment the cases of f two generals Horatio Gates and John Burgoyne and figure out if you ou can whether their careers either individually or in relation to each other will prove those statements to be true In 1777 tJ these ese two generals were comman commanding armies armes c which were fighting what was destined destIne to tobe tobe tobe be one of ot the fifteen decisive battles of the world That was the Battle of or Saratoga an and when It It was sas over General Burgo Burgoyne ne the vanquished vanquished van van- w was handing his sword to General Gates the victor Ictor and this surrender meant that that England's Eng Eng- lands land's greatest effort to crush her rebellious colonies col onles onies had failed and the of ot cause American hide Inde Independence had been save saved That was more than a century an and a half haIr ago but by all the rules of ot the success axioms the name of ot Horatio Gates should have hare come I thundering the years ears as one of ot the greatest heroes of ot the new Republic an and the name of John JohnI I Burgo Burgoyne De should have long ago ngo been lost In fn ob oh- r For was not Gates a success and Burr Burgoyne Bur Dur goyne Boyne a failure But Dut what has happened How many statues have ever been erected to the memory mem mem- memory I ory of General Gates by a grateful nation So far as the present chronicler knows none knows none How Howl l many Americans can tell you an anything about 0 Horatio Gates except that their air remembrance of ot i j 1 their school histories makes his name soun sound vaguely familiar How many biographies have J ever rever ever been wr written about abou I him hp It i is s Impossible to recall a n single on one I Ii ti l i y f As for General Burgoyne of ot cou course se It would 1 i not not not-be ot I be reasonable to e exp expect ct Americans to erect r I st statues tues to his memory although It must be a admitted admit admit- mitte mit- mit te ted that there ther might be as much reason for tor Immortalizing Im 7 2 i. i morta his name ame In bronze or stone as there I has lias been for some men it ft has thus honored A As s r for the average American knowle knowledge ge of Burgo Burgoyne ne possibly next to he of all the British generals of ot the Revolution s t r 1 Is b best eat known But r most interesting of ot all Is the fact that within the last few tew months there have appeared appear d two books Ir i whose wl wide e sale Indicates that Americans r nine ely y Interested In are gennine gen gen- Gen John Burgoyne The They Y are arc Gentleman Johnny Bur Burgoyne g o OJ of ot an English General of ot the thc Revolution written by F Ii F. F J. J Hudleston an and published by the Bobbs Dobbs 6 Merrill company an and The Turning Point of the Devolution or Burgoyne In America written by Hoffman Borrman NIckerson an and published b by Ilou Houghton g h ton tonY Y company Although both authors are military men Mr Ir Hudleston Is librarian of the British war office O S 'S and Mr Mr Nickerson sene served on the general staff start of ot the e A A. A E. E P F. F during the World war their books book are not essentially military studies studio s of an important and hi makIng history campaign Read Rea together the two volumes do o give a complete picture picture of that campaign but t they tiley do o much they more give e i a comprehensive view of ot the political an and social life Ufe of ot that period perlo In history But nut most of all they the paint an au unforgettable portrait of a l but C o- o oi 1 i- i i luckless ri British comman commander er who among the many varied varle types of sol soldier ler who fought on either sl side e In the Revolutionary con conflict lct was the unluckiest unluckiest un luckiest sol soldier ier ot of them all nIl Just why this failure should be so appealing to Americans who are arc supposed se to tobe be only Interested Interested Inter Inter- ested este in those who win success Is difficult to say The answer may be found foun In some of the names that were applied to him Gentleman Johnny he was called calle In George Bernard Bernar Shaws Shaw's The Devils Devil's Disciple an and Han Handsome some Jack he was called calle by his troops because he was ph physically the most attractive man In the British army He lIe was ag a n g general only because of political pull and through the Influence of ot his wife's family an and as asa a n military leader h he was a strange mixture of ot sagacity and blundering Incompetence But ut If 11 he ire hema ma made e blun blunders ers his tit superiors by courtesy courtes ma made e even worse ones If It he lie ha had brought disaster upon himself by y his own mistakes alone perhaps he would not win our s sympathy an and regard But nut since he lie was the victim of circumstances an and of a greater bungler than himself perhaps It Is the proverbial American attitude e toward the un under underdog underdog er dog og and the goat that causes us to think kin kindly ly though somewhat pityingly of him Born of ot a n goo good family Burgoyne at the outbreak outbreak out out- break of ot the Revolution was in his early fifties He had taken part In the Seven Years Years' war ser serving servIng ing In the Cherbourg St. St Cas an and Belle Delle Isle expeditions expeditions during which he achieved some prominence by his lils capture of ot Valentia One Important important Im result of this military service was that here he lie learned learne the strategy of dividing ivl his force In the face tace of ot the enemy as a diversion Which l he tried to apply In the campaign which was doomed to failure At the outbreak of the war he was or ordered ele to America an and hn had a minor part In the Battle of Bunker Dunker Hill He lie won his a advancement In the army by Intrigue an and family support and he was prou proud of ot the latter for as he frankly said On any other ground I sl should blush to ask preferment for he ha had alrea already y a admitted that he considered himself absolutely a cipher In a military light Yet he lie ha had the presumption upon his return to England to seek the command of t the exp expedition lUon from Cana Canada a which was as to cut the Colonies In two an and he lie pulled pulle the wires successfully enough to get it ft His Ilia plan was simple and In most respects entirely entirely en thel feasible It was ryas for his army to proceed from Quebec via vla Lake Lale Champlain down the Hudson Hud son to Albany where It was to form a Junction n with Sir William Howe ilowe who ho was to come up P the Hudson from New York city rind and m with Col Harry St St. Leger who was Tas to start from Oswego and sweep through the Mohawk valle valley the granary of the Revolution Re One mistake 0 he made was his plan to Include In his hi's army a force of German mercenaries nn and a a- force torce of In Indians ans He lie did lid not realize reaUze how bitterly the resi residents of the Inva Invaded ed region would resent the use of these hirelings from Crom Europe an and how difficult It would he be to restrain restrain re reo re- re strain the savages from atrocities against Tories as well as patriots lie was soon to be disillusioned slone on both scores But even with the han handicaps lm under er which he lie labored from the start his his' expedition might have been successful had hod It not been heen for the fatal and unforgivable blun blunder er made by his superior Lord Ger Germain maln who as us secretary of or state for the Amer ican lean colonies was directing the American war That Incompetent who h Incidentally cl ha hind had once been bee tried by court martial and found foun guilty of ot cowardice cow cow- ar ardice wrote out the order for tor Sir William WIlHam Howe to proceed north along the JIu Hudson son an and meet General Burgoyne o ne but In his haste to leave heave for a Pleasant weekend week In the country went away from his without sending the tho order The result was that Lord Lor Howe Instead of ot marchIng b north N. N A o mss ms's r to meet Gentleman Johnny Johnn marched marche south against Phila Philadelphia So Gentleman Johnny knowing nothing of ot G Germains Germain's bungling plunged on Into the wilderness erness an and all aU the troubles which awaited him G Gentleman Johnny may not have thought that the pen pen Is mightier than the sword but he evidently evidently evi evi- I dently considered ere It a valuable a adjunct for far he was given ghen to high writing of ot proclamations proclamations which brought down upon him much derision den delI slon sion not only from his enemies but from his suppose supposed supposed sup sup- pose posed frIen friends s. s At the outset of his campaign he addressed a proclamation to the rebels which he lie By John Burgoyne ne Esq Lieutenant General Gen Gen- eral oral of His Majesties Armies In America Co Col of ot the Queens Queen's regiment of ot Light F Dragoons Governor Governor Governor Gov Gov- of Fort William In North Britain One of ot the representatives of ot the Commons of ot Great Britain In Parliament an and Commanding an army an and fleet employed In an expedition from Cana Canada a i which not only brought a gale of raucous laughter to call caU him from the rebels but caused Walpole General Next he lie a addressed a proclamation to his Indian allies forbidding ing them to kill kUl aged men women children ren an and prisoners which led Edmund Burke to make an Ironic speech In the house of commons com com- commons mons in which he Imagined a riot on Tower Tower- hill hm hilland hilland and the keeper of His Ills Majesty's lions Hons ad addressing the animals In his charge thus My gentle lions Hons my humane bears my sentimental wolves my tend tenderhearted ten ten- der hearted der-hearted hyenas go forth but I exhort ye e as asye asye asye ye M are avet Christians an and members of a n civilized society society society so so- not to hurt man woman or child 4 I Although Burgoyne ne score scored what appeared to be bea bea a a a- great Brent success at first In the capture of Ticonderoga Ticonderoga It wa was hailed as the capture of ot an American Gibraltar an and King George offered to tomake tomake tomake make him a knight of ot the Or Order er of the Bath his troubles Increased increase as he lie proceeded ed further south The In Indians ians became more and more unruly and their thel atrocities culminating in the famous murder of ot Jane June l I McCrea soon showed showe that they were more of ot a n liability than an nn asset to the British commander er When he sent a force of or Hessians under Baume and Breymann to capture American supplies at nt Bennington Vt the Green Mountain l no Boys s 's ma maddened nt this Invasion by the foreigners foreign ers rose lose up under old General John Jolin Stark Sturl and Inflicted a crushing ng defeat upon Ullon this force I St. St Leger was held up before the walls of Fort Fart Stan Stan- w Ic nn and the grand expedition was 1 already lottering lot lot- ot ottering to Its ruin But nut on September 14 1777 Burgoyne no crossed the Rubicon the Hudson Ilu son and mill there the forces of ot General Gates assisted by Arnold Morgan Io land tand and Schuyler ler to whom belong the credit for the victory victory vic vic- Ictor tor tory fell upon ullon him and his doomed army The en end came on October 17 when Burgoyne nc his sup supplies supplies plies cut off all nil hope of aid from flOm Howe ur or Sir William Clinton gone am and his dream of conquest shattered shuttered The fhe surrender was forced to surrender scene was dl dramatic As Burgoyne ne handed his sword to Gates he Sill said The fortune of or war oar G General merul Gates has ma made e me your our prisoner Gates Gates Gates' with a courtly salute replied I 1 shall al alwa always wa ways s 's be lead ready to bear testimony that it hns has not been through an any fault of ot your ex excellency And AndIn AndIn Andin In sa saying that the victor j pul paid a tribute to to the vanquished which Americans have ha echoed since that time Ume and which has resulted In the high esteem In hi which Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne ne the unluckiest sol soldier ler of oC them all Is held to tc this day ay |