CH. III.] BURGOYNE'S SPEECH TO THE INDIANS. sides a fine train of artillery and a suitable body of artillerymen, an army, consisting of more than seven thousand veteran troops, excellently equipped, and in a high state of discipline, was put under his command. Besides this regular force, he had a great number of Canadians and savages. The employment of the Indians was deliberately determined upon by the British government at the very commencement of hostilities. This, though sometimes doubted, is clearly proved by the letters of Lord Dartmouth to Colonel Johnson, under date of the 5th and 24th of July, 1775. "It is his Majesty's pleasure," says the secretary, "that you do lose no time in taking such steps as may induce the Six Nations to take up the hatchet against his Majesty's rebellious subjects in America, and to engage them in his Majesty's service upon such plan as shall be suggested to you by General Gage, to whom this letter is sent, accompanied with a large assortment of goods for presents to them upon this important * See Judge Campbell's interesting paper, read before the "New York Historical Society," Oct. 7th, 1845, in relation to "the direct agency of the British Government in the employment of the Indians in the 485 1777. dred men, by the way of Lake Oswego and the Mohawk River, to make a diversion in that quarter, and to join him when he advanced to the Hudson, General Burgoyne left St John's, on the 16th of June, and, preceded by his naval armament, sailed up Lake Champlain, and in a few days landed and encamped near Crown Point, earlier in the season than it had been supposed possible for him to ef fect this movement. It was here that Burgoyne gave the Indians a war-feast, and made a speech to them, calculated to inflame their zeal, and intended also to restrain their barbarous excesses. "Go forth," he said, "in the might of your valour; strike at the common enemies of Great Britain and America, disturbers of public order, peace, and happiness, destroyers of commerce, parricides of the state." He praised their perseverance and constancy, and patient endurance of privation, and artfully flattered them by saying, that in these respects they offered a model of imitation for his army. He then entreated of them, as the king's allies, to regulate their own mode of warfare by that prescribed to their civilized brethren. "I positively forbid," he further said to them, "all bloodshed when you are not opposed in arms. Aged men, women, and children, must be held sacred from the knife and hatchet even in the time of actual conflict. You shall receive compensation for the prisoners you take, but you shall be called to account for scalps. In conformity and Revolutionary War." Appendix to "The Border indulgence to your customs, which have Warfare of New York," pp. 321–337. affixed an idea of honor to such badges of victory, you shall be allowed to take the scalps of the dead when killed by your fire and in fair opposition, but on no account, or pretence, or subtlety, or prevarication, are they to be taken from the wounded, or even the dying, and still less pardonable, if possible, will it be held to kill men in that condition on purpose, and upon a supposition that this protection to the wounded would thereby be evaded." The Indians, were, as usual, ready to promise what was expected of them; but no reliance was to be placed upon their promises, and the English name received a stain not easy to efface, in having let loose upon the Americans the savage fury of their Indian confed erates. 1777. Burgoyne having advanced to Ticonderoga, under date of July 2d, issued a grandiloquent proclamation, addressed to the people of the country, threatening terrible things to the refractory, and holding out promises of protection and favor to those who would submit. This proclamation, coming from a man of some considerable literary pretension, is a curious document; the reader will find it in the Appendix to the present chapter, as also one of those keen, satirical replies to which it gave rise. In truth, nothing could have been more ill-judged; for the Americans were the last people in the world to be frightened or cajoled by bombastic words. Ticonderoga was but poorly garrisoned, in consequence of the larger part of the force from the north having joined the commander-in-chief, in New Jersey. General St. Clair was in command, and had about two thousand men under him; but the works were extensive enough to require ten thousand to man them fully against a strong invading force. Opposite Ticonderoga, on the east side of the channel, which is here between three hundred and four hundred yards wide, stands a high circular hill, called Mount Independence, which had been occupied by the Americans when they abandoned Crown Point, and strongly fortified. On the top of it, which is flat, they had erected a fort, and provided it sufficiently with artillery. Near the foot of the mountain, which extends to the water's edge, they had raised entrenchments, and mounted them with heavy guns, and had covered those lower works by a battery about half way up the hill. With prodigious labor they had constructed a communication between those two posts, by means of a wooden bridge which was supported by twentytwo strong wooden pillars, placed at nearly equal distances from each other. The spaces between the pillars were filled up by separate floats, strongly fastened to each other and to the pillars, by chains and rivets. The bridge was twelve feet wide, and the side of it next Lake Champlain was defended by a boom formed of large pieces of timber, bolted and bound together by double iron chains an inch and a half thick. Thus an easy communication was established between Ticonderoga and Mount Independence, and the passage of vessels up the strait prevented Immediately after passing Ticonder 487 tern bank of the channel, and sent forward a detachment to the vicinity of the rivulet which flows from Mount formed that Sugar Hill, if occupied, completely commanded the fortress, resolved to take possession of it at once, and with very great labor and difficulty, after five days' labor, the artillery was dragged to the top, and the hill was named Mount Defiance, because now the British were able to defy their enemies to good purpose. oga, the channel becomes wider, and, on the south-east side, receives a large body of water from a stream, at that point called South River, but higher Independence. Burgoyne, being inup, named Wood Creek. From the south-west come the waters flowing from Lake George; and in the angle formed by the confluence of those two streams rises a steep and rugged eminence, called Sugar Hill, which overlooks and commands both Ticonderoga and Mount Independence. That hill had been examined by the Americans; but General St. Clair, considering the force under his command insufficient to occupy the extensive works of Ticonderoga and Mount. Independence, and flattering himself that the extreme difficulty of the ascent would prevent the British from availing themselves of it, neglected to take possession of Sugar Hill. When the van of Burgoyne's army appeared, St. Clair was ignorant of the powerful force which was at hand. No news of the large reinforcements from Europe had reached him, and he supposed that it would not be difficult to repulse any assault upon the fort. The British, however, encamped with a large force only four miles from the forts, and the fleet anchored just beyond the reach of the guns. After a slight resistance, Burgoyne took possession of Mount Hope, an important post on the south of Ticonderoga, which commanded part of the lines of the fort, as well as the channel leading to Lake George, and extended his lines so as completely to invest the fort on the west side. The German division, under General Reidesel, occupied the eas The besieged were unable to oppose any check to these movements, and St. Clair was now nearly surrounded. Only the space between the stream which flows from Mount Independence and South River remained open, and that was to be occupied next day. In these circumstances it was requisite for the garrison to come to a prompt and decisive resolution; either, at every hazard, to defend the place to the last extremity, or immediately to abandon it. St. Clair called a council of war, the members of which unanimously advised the immediate evacuation of the forts; and preparations were instantly made for carrying this decision into ef fect. The British had the command of the communication with Lake George; and, consequently, the garrison could not escape in that direction. The retreat could be effected by the South River only. Accordingly, the invalids, the hospital, and such stores as could be most easily removed, were put on board two hundred boats, and, escorted by Colonel Long's regiment, proceeded, on the night between the 5th and 6th of July, up the South River towards Skeenesborough. The garrisons of Ticonderoga and Mount Independence marched by land through Castleton towards the same place. The troops were ordered to march out in profound silence, and particularly to set nothing on fire. But these prudent orders were disobeyed; and, before the rearguard was in motion, the house on Mount Independence, which General Fermoy had occupied, was seen in flames. That served as a signal to the enemy, who immediately entered the works, and fired, but without effect, on the rear of the retreating army. The Americans marched in some confusion to Hubbardton, whence the main body, under St. Clair, pushed forward to Castleton. But the English were not idle. General Fra кукуру ser, at the head of a strong detachment of grenadiers and light troops, commenced an eager pursuit by land, upon the right bank of Wood Creek. General Reidesel, behind him, rapidly advanced with his Brunswickers, either to support the English, or to act separately, as occasion might require. Burgoyne determined to pursue the enemy by water. But it was first necessary to destroy the boom and bridge which had been constructed in front of Ticonderoga. The British seamen and artificers immediately engaged in the operation, and in less time than it would have taken to describe their structure, those works, which had cost so much labor and so vast an expense, were cut through and demolished. The passage thus cleared, the ships of Burgoyne immediately entered Wood Creek, and proceeded with extreme rapidity in search of the enemy. All was in movement at once upon land and water. By three in the afternoon, the van of the British squadron, composed of gun-boats, came up with and attacked the American galleys near Skeenesborough 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 Skeenesborough, 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 galleys, already hard pressed by the gun-boats, were completely overpowered. Two of them surrendered; three of them were blown up. The Americans now despaired: having set fire to their boats, mills, and other works, they fell back upon Fort Anne higher up Wood Creek. All their baggage, however, was lost, and a large quantity of provisions and military stores fell into the hands of the British. The pursuit by land was not less active. Early on the morning of the 7th of July, the British overtook the American rear-guard, who, in opposition to St. Clair's orders, had lingered behind and posted themselves on strong ground in the vicinity of Hubbardton. Fraser's troops were little more than half the number opposed to him, but aware that Reidesel was close behind, and fearful lest his chase should give him the slip, he ordered an immediate attack. Warner CH. III.] BURGOYNE'S SUCCESS AT FIRST. opposed a vigorous resistance, but a large body of his militia retreated, and left him to sustain the combat alone, when the firing of Reidesel's advanced guard was heard, and shortly after his whole force, drums beating and colors flying, emerged from the shades of the forest; and part of his troops immediately effected a junction with the British line. Fraser now gave orders for a simultaneous advance with the bayonet, which was effected with such resistless impetuosity that the Americans broke and fled, sustaining a very serious loss. St. Clair, upon hearing the firing, endeavored to send back some assistance, but the discouraged militia refused to return, and there was no alternative but to collect the wrecks of his army, and proceed to Fort Edward to effect a junction with Schuyler. Burgoyne lost not a moment in following up his success at Skeenesborough, but dispatched a regiment to effect the capture of Fort Anne, defended by a small party under the command of Colonel Long. This officer judiciously posted his troops in a narrow ravine through which his assailants were compelled to pass, and opened upon them so severe a fire in front, flank, and rear, that the British regiments, nearly surrounded, with difficulty escaped to a neighboring hill, where the Americans attacked them anew with such vigor that they must have been utterly defeated, had not the ammunition of the assailants given out at this critical moment. No longer being able to fight, Long's troops fell back, and, setting the fort on fire, also VOL. I.-64 489 directed their retreat to the head-quar ters at Fort Edward. 1777. Nothing, as Botta remarks,* could exceed the consternation and terror which the victory of Ticonderoga, and the subsequent successes of Burgoyne, spread through the American provinces, nor the joy and exultation they excited in England. The arrival of these glad tidings was celebrated by the most brilliant rejoicings at court, and welcomed with the same enthusiasm by all those who desired the unconditional reduction of America. They already announced the approaching termination of this glorious war; they openly declared it a thing impossible, that the rebels should ever recover from the shock of their recent losses, as well of men as of arms, and of military stores, and especially that they should ever regain their courage and reputation, which, in war, always contribute to success, as much, at least, as arms themselves. Even the ancient reproaches of cowardice were renewed against the Americans, and their own partisans abated much of the esteem they had borne them. They were more than half disposed to pronounce the colonists unworthy to defend that liberty, which they gloried in with so much complacency. But it deserves to be noted here especially, that there was no sign of faltering on the part of the people, no disposition to submit to the invading force. The success of the enemy did but nerve enemy did but nerve our fathers to *“ History of the War of Independence,” vol. ii.. p. 280. |