The Bennington daily banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1877-1877, 1877-08-17

: moderate general. 1t is useless to extOl hiI
Justly as commander. He did three thing
that are not done by great commanders. II
, needlessly underrated his enemy. he lost hi
2 best opportunity, and IN the last resort h
!. declined the responsibility which wOul
! nave given up an expedition and saved hi
/ army. Give him credit for good plaI
Another man should have executed the plar
That man was Sir Guy Carleton, his las
Z years commander and the governor of Cana
da. He knew the country, understood til
people and controlled the preparations. eau
tiOus as well as peaceful, he was all the NOR
formidable because he was wise, cOnciliatOr
and humane.
But in the high councils Of heaven, an,
the small arithmetic of King George, it wa
ordered otherwise. BurgOyne was fOllowe'
by the sanguine hopes Of the British nation
Lord North looked for the speedy quellinl
of the rebellion. The Riding Of Mancheste
had subscribed for two regiments to conque
market. The country gentlemen wcr'
loudly loyal. The opposition IN tine com
mons was well-nigh Bilenced. Bishops ant
clergy bTeathed out war; the staid pulpit O
the Establishment rung with exhOrtatiOns Il
smite the rebels, and even the heart Of thu
humane king became ossitied till he conlC
say, Every means of distressing AmericG
must meet with my concurrence
| BurgOyne was in Montreal full month
before he applied for means of Transports
tiOD, and the inadequacyOf this supply at last
/
| of troops, though smaller than he asked, was
a splendid army corps. Burg0yne had asked
| for 5000 regular troops exclusive of artillery,
| 1000 Canadians to act as escorts and work
| ing parties, and one thousand Indians, be-
sides a large number of prOVincials fol
transport dHues. he reports hls actual lore
| ~, 25l regulars, one hundred aud iorty-one
| Canadian militia. aud sos Indians. This is
exclusive Of 5ll larlillerymen aud the accession
OF tories from the States. Bat he was oblige
to leave one thousand men to garrison Sarato
| "a. greatly TO his regret He thought thai
Carleton should have furnished the garrison,
aud alterward complained that it drained
he liie-blood OF his 1orce.) The German
iodiers bad learned war when Frederick was
lt his best, uad the British were veteran
roops of England. A magnificent park OF
rullery, aud body Of picked cannonior'
accompanied the march. The officers Phil.
ips anG Riedessl, Frazer aud Hamilton, King
sto :, Balcarras aud AcklaGd were men OF
brilliant aud various distinction. For an
urmy ol its SIZE no finer body could have been
set down on this continent.
Tue general knew or ought to have known,
his foe. He Was in Boston when the British
army was, as he expressed il, 'unrecovered
rom tho consternaton of Lexington" He
nad directed the firing oil the batteries against
Banker Hill, and had handsomely commend
I'd the obstinate defence and the orderly re-
treat. He therefore only imposed on himself
when be proclaimed to bis army that the enemy
we're "inhnitsly inferior TO the kings troop,
In opeu space and hardy combat" The evebt
made it even ludicrous 10 him to announce
hat they relied only on 'entrenchments and
He-pieces and IL will be our glory and pres
ervation to stlrve." And it was a still Rraver
Jolly to threaten that enemy with devastation.
famine and every ooncomitant horror" For
ne only exasperated when be sought to terrlfy.
Had he had "thoussnds" OF Indians Of whom
be bOasted, to do this work, instead ol hi
paltrY Ave hundre !, he spoke to men who had
heard louder war whoop than his. They
turned his flaming proclamation into doggerel
rhyme, and called him "ohrononhotontholo
,os."
Yet there were anxious hearts as be moved
towards Lake Ohamplain. Men called Ticon.
ieroga the "key OF North America" Schuy
or had written to New Hampshire that "tht
loss OF it would be dreadful If not altogether
atal to the liberties Of the country" Wash
nglon said that the consequences would bt
Irreparable." Meanwhile the public mino
vas feveIIsh with excitement and the air thick
With alarms. The enemy bad entered New
port, headed for Providence. They had land
I'd al Fairfield. They had destroyed Danbury.
they were expected at Rye Eighteen ships
we're seen above Peeksklll. Careton's boat
we're said to be at Split Rock. forty miles from
riconderogl. A cry is raised IN New Hamp-
shire and Connecticut of a "diabolical nttompl
~ the oneny 10 spread counterfeit money
tools are found under barn 10 |
Hollis. aasl nrea Rrass nj dFoton- dah tne
men OF STAFFORD have Joined the regulars.
The tories, wrote Sullivan, "are everywhere |
iiting their heads" Secret combinations are |
discovered in Hillsborough, in western Mas |
sauhusetts aud northern New Hampshire. |
Cde New Hampshire committee OF safety reo- |
lmmeDd to all persons capable Of bsarint |
arms. constantly to carry them "to public |
worship aud all pIaoes where business leads |
'hem Tor vo know not the day nor the houI |
Il an attack on the borders. aud we must stop |
1ese Internal traitors ameug ourselves"
But where get the arms2 Tho same com. |
nittee, two days later, informed their con
FRESHMEN that great number OF their milltIs |
arc without firearms and III the hall-manued |
orlress OF TconderOsa not one man in ten
as a bayonet.
0n the first OF July line Of forty gunboht.
tnd two irIgates hove in sight oil Tconderoga
,trctching across the lake from east to west
The .arrison declared themselves rcacy for II
bloody fray = and PArson Allen was wlllln.
"leave this body Of his corpse on the
pot o. the morning OF the filth they were
linhLeu ~ see DDA1 VI Idu-COhb plhublhb
battery on Mount Defiance, commanding
very corner of their fortress. That nigh
,ame the order to eyacuate. 1t was received
the fortress literally with curses and witt
tears, and cry OF execration aud lamen
swept through the country. 'Such q re.
reat, wrote one OF the gnrllson, "was never
leard Of since the creation OF the world"
Men talked OF treaohefy. 1--WE never
,nall hold fort" said strict JOHN
Adams, It'll we shoet general. Bur
loyne wrote home, "rhe rebels have no man
n military science" King George rushed int
The Q1een's apartmen shouting. II have
oeatsn them, Il have beaten all the Ameri. |
aus, aud he talked Of the Red Ribbon Of
Bath for his general But they were all mis-.
tken The rebels had men Of science Col.
John TrumbulI bad found on the spot yea
leioro that this very thing could happen
Schuyler and s.. Clair we're no traitors They |
Iuly blundered. It was a grave error 10 |
Schuyler to accumulate suoh precious stores |
and priceless arms for capture 10 an III pro-
vlsousd and half-delsndsd fortress. It was =
most lame aud impotent conclusion Tor ST. |
Clair to boast, III the enemy came hither, he
Will 90 back faster than he came, and, with |
u one week. he stole away by night.
Tue news OF the loss Of Ticonderoga fell on |
this whole region like tue bursting Of water. |
spout. For miles along the lake aud up the |
Otter Greek, th settlers claimed British pro |
eciion or fed from their homes. The inhAb- |
tAnts nj Albany ran about their streets 10 ter 4
ror WilliamstoWn and Stookbrdge we're |
crowded with fugitvss. The New Hampshire |
owns from Wapole to H.Verhill we're send |
ing of messages Of alarm. Bora Woodward |
sent at midnight, "For Gods sake, come
without delay"
n ii