The Freeman's journal, or, New-Hampshire gazette — Portsmouth, N.H., 1778-01-13 00:00:00, page 3

/ Sufflert^ to tie New Hamflire GAZETTE,RL 24, 177^
From the NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE^
From the original Letters of Moniieur DE
LISLE, translated into Engirih.
Fish Kill,State of New-York,Nov. 20, 1/77'
My Dear Count,
IN my lift letter I informed you that Gent =
ral Gates was ordered, by the Congrels_
to return to take the command of the Nortv
ward army. This appointment was the moi
honorable, as tweve out of thirteen ot to^j
States concurred it it. 'I he clamours ot tec
pie, who govern t teir rulers in this countr},
T i ;• „u^ ^1 1 ^ r 'd nriv^e rcjudic
were made to yield to the general lately anu
honor of America.
The joy of the Northern army, upon Ge
neral Gates's arrival among them, cannot be
described. He had gained their confidence
by his services amongthemthe two preceed
ing campaigns. He was, like thenlleives, a
zealous republican ; and his only objects in
taking a part with them in the prelent war,
were liberty and independences & He had en
deared himfelf to them further, by the ftri&-
neis of discipline which fie had introduced
among them the year before : For. loldiers
are always bed lavished with officers who
keep them lleadily to their duty, provided
they partake with them of all the toils and
dangers of the military life.
The success of General Stalky in defeat
ing a large body of GeneralßdrgQynes army
it Bennington, had prepared the way for Ge
neral Gates's future success, and proved jhe
feed of all the laurels that he reaped during
the campaign. You will fee the particulars
of this affair in the news-papers which ac
company thi§ letter.
T ^A&ske with Central Gttes was to
put his arny in orGt '1
few weeks ; or h- inofcl at once ht^o .1
spirit into every corps among them. His ge
neral orders were short, but they were im
plicitly obeyed. He saw every^ thing wi.b
his own eyes,and heard ever^ thing with his
own ears. He slept but little, and was sel
dom absent from the morning and evening
parade of his troops. He understood every
part of the duty of an officer and soldier, as
well as of a General, for he had served the
King of Great-Britain during the greatest
part of the two last wars with France, un
der some of the ablest Generals that Great,
Britain ever sent into the field. His temper
was naturally hafty,which sometimes led hiin
to make life of paflionate expressions in, re
proving his officers,but he was notwithfland
ing equally beloved and feared by them.
I have been told, that he never had a fing^
personal enemy under his command.,
- Not only the genious and character of this
illustrious officer, but the abilities of several
of his General officers, and the spirit of his
troops all concurred to afford a favourable
presage of a fuccetsful campaign. .
, Lincoln and Arnold were his two Major-
Generals, and Glover commanded a brigade
in his army. The firft served with reputation
last year, at the head of a body of Massachu
setts militia : Genious and industry supplied
in some measure, the want of a military edu
cation ; he was cool, determined, and enter
prizlog. Arnold's character is already known
in Europe.' He is laid to possess what we
call in our country, the " rage militiare."
His countrymen accuse hira of too much irh
tuofity. This may be the casein the cabi
net ; but I do not think he is too impetu
ous in the field. Glover served two cam
paigns under General Lee, and was a great
favorite of that unfortunate officer. He is
brave, and has the character of an excellent
difciplinarain.
The spirit of General Gates's army can
hot be too much commended. It was cqm
pofed chiefly of thefarmers,and farmers lons,
of the four eafern States. Every man among
them felt an enthufiadic attachment to li
berty, and the lowed centinel fought alike
with his General,for all that was dear to him,
The inhabitants of New-England are trained
up, from their infancy, to civil, ecclefiaflical
and dumettic fubofdonation. The tranfitiom
from these, therefore, to military subordina
tion, is short and natural. I have teen re
cruits that have been enlisted only for three
weeks, handle their arr/s and perform all the
evolutions which are necessary in the kind of
war that is carried on in this country,with as
much dexterity as the King's guards at Ver
iaM^. Afy ~ ? '^r^v^^ce of men, and
when kept in action are not subject to camp
diseases. They are in general sober & moral—
drunkennefs is unknown among them, and
since the beginning of the war,there has been
but'one instance ot a New England man's de
ferring to the British army. He was caught &
condemned to die, but was afterwards par
doned, upon difeovering proofs of his being;
a lunatic.
The public papers will give you a particu
lar account of two battles,fought on the 19th
of September and the 17th 'of October, be
tween the army under the command of Gene
ral Gates,and the royal ar'my,under the com
mand of General Burgoyne. The last, was a
complete victory on the fide of the Ameri
cans. Every circumstance attended it* .that
could flatter the military knowledge and con
du& of General Gates. General Frazier,who
added to the glory 0) the day by his fall, was
esteemed one of the belt officers in theßritifh
army. In this adion General Arnold gained
immortal honor — his horse received three
wounds with bayonets, in forcing the British
lines notwithstanding this, and the wound
^ £ . .J ^, -^ : b fr-fored the
hone, he was the firft that got withinfide of
the enemy's brelft-work. , a -.
But the glory of this vidofy was soon loft;
in an event thathas cast a shade upon all the
victories that have been gained by both ar
mies since the commencement of the war.
About a week after this battle, General Bur
goyne surrendered himfelf, and the remains
of his whole army, with their arms, camp
equipage, &c., into the hands of General
Gates. .;Can any thing be conceived of more
humiliating to the pride and power of Great-
Britain ? An drmy of ten thousand men—
confiding of Veterans, who had Shared in all
the glory of the late war inGermany& Ame~
[ica—commanded by officers who had served
under Wolfe and Ferdinand,who had pluck
ed laurels from the heights of Abraham and
Minden, and headed by a General, rich in
royal favor,and famous for having,by a fihgle
manoeuvre, turned the fate of the last war
between Spain and Portugal—were defeated,
surrounded,, and at last reduced to the necef-,
fity of submitting to an army, confiding at
no time, of more than twelve thousand men ^
one half of whom were militia, and the rest
recruits of only five months standing. These
disasters received a peculiar poignancy from
the gafconade with which General Burgoyne
began his march from Ticonderoga. I sent
you his proclamation in a former packet.
His letters to General Gates, you will per
ceive, arc written in the fame pompous stile.
But he had other a&s of presumption and folly
to recalled! upon this occafion —He had p r oj
mifed, when he took leave of the House of
commons, in the year 1775, to " temper his
punishments of the Americans,for rebellion,
with humanity" — He had boasted to his
friends, that he '' would dance the ladies,anq
coax the gentlemen into submission." He had
declared, upon entering the port of Boston,
during the blockade of that town, that he
would have '' elbow room" and, as if he was
resolved to ihine hereafter, without a rival,in
the history of the reduction of America, ho
had, with great difficulty,obtained his prefer