The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-02-28

that day Burgoyne set out to crush the
Revolutionists on his front, and crown his
victorious march from Canada to the inte-
rior by attaining Albany and junction
with Gen. Clinton, who was making equal
ly successful progress up the Hudson. No
foreign power had as yet recognized Amer
lean independence, and the eyes of the
world were literally turned upon military
events then passing on the line of the Hud-
son and the little lakes. Burgoyne was a
leader fitted for his task, and had the flow
er Of British regulars and German auxil-
iaries. His opponent, Gates, had the supe-
rior force in numbers, but many of his
troops were militia and volunteers for the
campaign-fair weather soldiers, whose eff
cheney depended upon their being kept at
a white heat of enthusiasm.
Burgoyne moved a column forward to
flank Gates on the left, but the attempt
was discovered in the American camp, and
was foiled by sharp tactics and by coun-
Ter attack. Arnold was in his tent, a gen.
cral without a command. Gates had de-
prived him of his soldiers by detaching the
division he had previously commanded, so
rs to bring it under Gen. Lincoln, and
without displacing Arnold by positive or
ders had ignored his presence in camp in a
manner to indicate that the commanding
general would gladly be rid of him.
When the battle began in earnest Arnold
said TO his aids: ''No man shall keep me in
my tent today. IL l am without a COM
mand l will fight in the ranks; but the
soldiers, God bless themi will follow NV
lead. Come on, victory or deathp' Then
leaping into his saddle on the back of his
black war horse Warren, named for the
hero of Bunker Hill, he gaIloped, or rather
few, on his thoroughbred steed across the
field to the post of danger. Gates hur-
riedly dispatched an aid after the impetu-
Gus soldier. with peremptory order for
him to return to camp. "He might do
some rash thing" was the explanation ac-
companying the order Arnold saw the
aid approaching him across the field, and
giving Warren the rein he sped on out of
reach and found one of his own brigades.
The soldiers received him with wild cheers.
another Marmlon on the field of Flodden,
and he Immediately dashed against the
British center. In the forefront of the
fight he rode erect, brandishing his sword.
shouting orders and appealing to men, and
SO rapid were his movements and changes
of position that Gates aid was unable to
get within speaking distance and order
the inspired war god back to his tent.
Fortunately for the cause of American
freedom, no other aid had better luck, and
Arnold and his black horse kept in the van
OF the Americans the remainder OF the day.
The foes in front of Arnold were the
Hessians under Riesedel and British recu-
lars under Phillips. Burgoyne's right and
left TANKS had been broken, but his center
was made firm by line of his best German
troops under able commanders. Arnold
was repulsed il his first charge and went
at it again, riding at the very front of his
men. This is commonplace saying and
often means nothing, but in Arnold's case
1t was literally true. This was Arnold's
way on many occasions, and especially upon
this one. Some time before that ne had
set out for battlefield, saying, "You will
hear of my being victorious or no morer,
Ills conduct at Saratoga has been called
trash" frantic mad" "frenzied. !"
furious" and 'drunken"-this last from
Gates, who was not upon the field at all.
And Arnold was not alone in his high valor
at Saratoga. Across the lines, in Bur-
gcyne's camp, there was another war god
incarnate in the person of Gen. Fraser. a
man to lead picked companies, forlorD
hopes and desperate enterprises.