The Bennington daily banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1877-1877, 1877-08-11

hawks" The French authorities never aban.
dOned this purpose until they were driven
from the continent. FrOntenac wrote his
name in fire and blood in the way Burgoyne
sought to travel. The cooperation of the
fleet at the mouth of the Hudson was pro-
posed by Mons. Callieres in 1859. Montcalm
led the French by these paths in 1866. when
DeLery penetrated to Fort Bull, at the carry
near the Mohawk, and the English power
yielded up Champlain ppd Lake George TO
the invaders Holding tie southern shores
Of Lake Ontario, it was from Lake Cham
plain, with cooperation by o force brought
up the st, Lawrence, that the English dealt
the return attnck in 1850, when Wolfe fell
before Quebec. At TiconderoGa and Grown
Point, on the path to the Hudson, and at Nj
agara ON Lake Ontario, the French power in
America breathed its last.
In October. l776, Sir GUY Carleton had
swept over Lake Ohamplain and taken
Grown Point. and only waited for another
season to carry his conquests southward. IL
was, perhaps, because in London Burgoyne
criticized the neglect to send a corps by way
Of Oswego through the Mohawk Valley. to
assist in the campaign that he. instead of
Carleton, led the. Invasion which ended so
disas,Fously for Britain.
Bnt the British government had earlier
precedents than these for choosing these
routes for the campaign OF l7T7. The French
migration came by them into the wilderness
which Is now New York, aud it was by them
that, at intervals for hundred years. the
lroquois aud their allies carried terror to the
walls Of Montreal and Quebec. The cam
paigns of the war of 1912 renewed the tradi-
tions Of the military Importance of the line
of Lake Ontario and Lake QhRmplain, Os-
wego aud Plattsburgh and MeDOnoughs
victory perpetuate the series of contests in
this historic field. The key to the heart of
the original Union lies in the heights from
which flow the Mohawk and the Hudson.
ST. LEGER's EXPEDITION VITAL PARTY.
In the original plan, st. LegeTs expedition
is stated as "a diversion" both by Burgoyne
and in the official letter of Lord George Ger
maine, the secretary Of state for war. The
command was given to st. Leger from White
hall, on Burgoyne's nomination, so that it
was an independent expedition. The troops
were in like manner selected, because much
depended on the movement, Upon his sue
cess. as it proved, the campaign hung, When
Burgoyne explained his failure, he laid much
stress on the defeat of st. Leger, and one of
the chief points to account for his own slow
ness is; "The time entitled me to expect
Lieut.. Col st. Leeers corps would be arrived
at TIconderOga, and secr'' means had long
been concerted to enable to make an eff
fort to Join me. with pro ,ility of success"
And BECAUSE st. Leger ''bad been obliged to
retreat" he assigns as r1mOving rthe first
plausible motive in tavOr of hazardous bat
tle," when he was near Saratoga. In the
campaign of 1777, the expedition to the Mo
hawk was one of tho two wings without
which success was impossible, which, once
clipped, crippled everything. The battle of
bennington was brought on by British
movement having two objects in view, first,
to obtain supplies, and second, to create a
diversion to aid st. Leger.