Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-08-24

requiring him simply TO JON Howe nj Al
bany. But that equally positive orders
were not issued to Lord Howe we may
thank Lord George German. The minis
ter called at his Office. The dispatch, all
written was not "fair copied" So Ger
main hurried off heedlessly to the country.
The unsigned dispatch was pigeon-holed
and was found again-afler the surrender
at Saratoga.
There have been worse commanders and
not many more polished gentlemen of his
style than Sir John Burgoyne, - man OF
wit, fashion and honor" says Macaulay.
lie eluped with Lord Derby's daughter and
was forgiven by the family. He wrote
elaborate letters, genteel comedies aud
flaming proclamations. 1.-THE charm of his
manner.h It was said, "neither man nor
woman could easily resist" That was left
for the Green Mountain boys. He wore on
his finger a diamond ring given him by
the King of Portugal for his gallant dash
at Valencia d'Alcantara, and Bngoyne's
Light Horse was the favored regiment that
George the Third loved ollen TO review.
He was a brave officer, good colonel and
a moderate general. 1t Is useless TO extol
him greatly as commander. He done
three things that are not done by great
commanders. He needlessly underrated
his enemy, he lost his best opportunity,
and in the last resort he declined the re-
sponsibility which would have given up
an expedition and saved an army. Give
him credit for good plan. Another man
should have executed the plan. That man
was Sir Guy Carleton, his last year = com
mander and governor of Canada. lie knew
the country, understood The people ana
controlled the preparations. cautious as
well as forcerul he was all the more form
idable because he was wise, concillatory
and humane.
But in the high counsels of heaven and
the small arithmetic of King George IT was
ordered otherwise. Burgoyne was follow
ed by the sanguine hopes of the British
nation. Lord North locke for the "speedy
duellng of the rebellion" Trading Man
chester had subscribed for two regiments
TO conquer a market, country gents were
loudly loyal, the opposition in the com
mons was well nigh silencGd, the bishops
and the clergy breathed out war, the staid
pulpits of the establishment rung with ex-
horlations TO "smite the rebels" and even
the heart of the humane king became os-
sified Till he could say, Every means OF
distressing America must meet with my
concurrence"
Burgoyne was in Montreal full month
before he applied for means OF transport,
and the inadequacy OF his supply al last
was the chief cause of his disaster. His
body of troops, though smaller than he
asked, was splendid army corps. bur
goyue had asked for 5000 regular troops,
exclusive of artillery, 1000 Canadians TO act
as an escort and working parties, and 1000
Indians, besides large number OF proVln-
cials for transport duties: lie reports MS
actual force at T25l regulars, lil Canadian
militia, and 503 Indians. This was excln-
sive of 5l1 artillerymen, and an accession
of tories from the States, but he was obllg'
ed to leave 1000 men TO garrison Saratoga,
greatly TO his regret. He thought Carleton
should have furnished the garrison, and
then complained that "it drained the life
blood OF his force.) The German soldiers
had learned war when Frederick was at
his best, and the British were the veteran
troops of England. A magnificent park OF
artillery, and a body of picked connoniers,
accompanied the march, The officers,
Phillips and Riedesel, Frazer and Hlmil-
ton, Kingston, Balcannas and Ackland,
were men of brilliant and various distinc-
tion. For an army of its size, no finer
body could have been set down on this con
tineni.
The General knew, or ought TO have
known, his foe. He was in Boston when
the British army was, as he expressed 1t,
'unreeovered from the consternatlcn at
Lexington" He had directed the firing OF
HIN lkse8hIieEies, .aSaipst Bunker Hin, and
tense and orderly retreat. lie 'tfeie'des
only imposed on himself when he pro-
claimed TO his army that "lhe enemy were
infinitely inferior TO the kings troops 10
omen chase aud hardy combat" The event
made 1t even ludicrous in him 10 announce
il. They replied "Only in entrenchments
and rife pieces and it will be our glory TO
storm them" And it was still graver folly
to threaten that enemy with devastation
famine and every concOmitant horror, ior
he only exasperated where he sought TO
terrify. Had he taken the thousands OF In
dians of whom he boosted, to do this work,
instead of his paltry 500, he spoke TO men
who had heard louder war-whoop Than
his. They turned his flaming proclama-
tiun into doggerel rhyme and called him
"ChrononhotonthUlogo
Yet there were anxious hearts rs lie NOV +,
ed toward Lake ChampaiH. Men called
Ticonderoga the key of North America
Schuyler had written to New Hampshire
that "the loss of it would be dreadful, II not
altogether fatal 10 the liberties VI the couh-
try." Washington said that Inc cohse-
quences would be "irreparable. Mean :
while the public mind was ieverlsh Wlln
excitement and the air thick with alarms.
The enemy had landed at Newport ana
| headed for Providence they had landed al
| Fairfield, had destroyed Danbury and were
expected at Rye. Eighteen ships were
seen above Peeksville. Carleton's ships
were said to be at Split Rock, 40 miles from
| Ticonderoga. The cry is raised in New
| Hampshire and Connecticut Of "a diaboll'
cal attempt by tue enemy to spread coun'
| terfeit MONEY!" Intrenching tools are
found under barn in Hollis, and firearms
at Groton. Half the men of Straiford join
ed the regulars. "rhe tories" wrote Sulli
van, "areeverywhere liiting thelr neads, So
| cret com bi nations are discovered IN HIS
| boto. in western Massachusetts and north
| ern New Hampshire. The New Hamp
| shire committee of safety recommend TO al
| persons capable of bearing arms, TO con
stantly carry them TO public worship an'
all places where business leads them, 10
we know not the day nor the hour of an at
| hnr1arg and mnSt stOl
those iufernal traitors among ourselves.
But how TO get arms? The same committee
two days later, Informed their congressme
that great number of their militia-me
were without firearms, and in the hall
manned fortress of Ticouderoga not on
man in ten had a bayonet.
On the Ist of July, fily gunboais and tw
rrigates hove in sight of Ticonderogi
stretching across the lake from east TO ives
The garrison declared themselves ready fo
the bloody fray, and Parson Allen wa
willing $40 leave this body of his corps
on the spot" On the morning OF the oil
thew were amazed to see a body Of red coal
planting a battery on Mount Dehanc'
commanding every corner OF their fortres
That night came an order TO evacuale.
was received in the fortress literally wit
curses and with tears, and cry OF eXecTi
ton and lament swept through the couI
try. "Such a retreat" wrote one ol u
garrison, "was never heard OF since the CIR
alton of the world. The men talked
, treachery. 1--WE never shall hold post
: said stout John Adams, "till we shoot
,, , general" Burgoyne wrote home III
rebels have no men OF military sc
: ence." King George rushed into the queen
APARTMENTS, shouting, ~ have beaten then
(; Ihaye beaten all the Americans" and
talked of red ribbon for his general.
4 But they were all mistaken. The rebe
had men of science. Sir John Trumbr
: had proved on the spot year before IN
Q this very thing could happen. Schuyl
q and ST. Clair were no traitors. They on
n blundered. 1t was grave error IN Schu
| Ier IN accumulate such DreciOus stores al