ceeded up Lake Champlain, and landed a little to the northward of Crown Point, where he met the Indians in Congrefs, and in compliance with their cuftoms gave them a WAR FEAST; and in an harangue which he afterwards made to thefe favages, he endeavored to excite their ardor, and at the fame time to reprefs their barbarity-incompatibilities which no art or eloquence could hope to reconcile. This was followed (June 1777) by a manifefto, in which the General, in language approaching the oriental ftyle of exaggeration and bombaft, ftrove to infpire the Americans with terror, by a reprefentation of the irrefiftible force which he commanded, and to awe them into fubmiffion by menaces, which produced no other effect than, by exciting their utmost refentment and deteftation, to rouse them more ftrongly into action *. After a fhort stay at Crown Point, the army pro * Such was the fanguine and favage fpirit which breathed throughout this famous proclamation, unparalleled except in ONE very recent inftance, that the following lines from Shakespeare's Timon of Athens were not unhappily applied to it as a kind of comment or paraphrafe : -Let not thy fword skip one. Pity not honored age for his white beard. Strike me the matron-Let not the virgin's cheek Make foft thy trenchant fword-Spare not the babe ceeded ceeded nnder convoy of the shipping on the Lake to Ticonderoga, a poft of uncommon natural strength, and rendered famous by the difaftrous attack made upon it by General Abercrombie in the preceding war. Here the Americans appeared to be in great force, and they had beftowed infinite labor in repairing the old works and in adding new, fo that the fiege of this fortrefs was confidered as an enterprize of great hazard and difficulty; but, on the first approach of the English, it was suddenly and unaccountably evacuated by the garrison on the night of the 5th of July, by direction of the commander General St. Clair, leaving behind them their artillery, provifions, and ftores. No fooner had the first dawn of the morning discovered the flight of the enemy, than preparatious were made for a vigorous purfuit both by land and water. The main body of the Americans were quickly overtaken and entirely defeated by General Frazer; and their remaining naval force, which had rendezvoufed at Skenesborough, was destroyed by General Burgoyne. The fugitive Americans retreated with the utmost precipitation to Fort Edward, on the North or Hudfon's River, where General Schulyer, commander in chief of the American northern army, had fixed his head quarters. The British ariny, highly elated at the rapid feries of fucceffes which had hitherto attended them, now exerted indefatigable industry in clearing the Wood Wood Creek, which is a continuation of Lake Champlain, from the obstacles which impeded the paffage of the batteaux; and in conveying gunboats, provifion-veffels, and batteaux, over land into Lake George. From Fort Anne, at the extremity of the Wood Creek, where the batteauxnavigation ends, to Fort Edward, a distance scarcely exceeding twenty miles, the difficulties attending the march of the army werre inconceivably great. In this short space they had no less than forty bridges to conftruct, one of which was over a morafs two miles in extent, and the roads were every where obftructed by large timber trees laid across with their branches interwoven. The heavy train of artillery which accompanied the army was also found a great incumbrance, and it was not without infinite labor and perfeverance that on the 30th of July General Burgoyne fixed his head-quarters at Fort Edward-the Americans having now retired to Saratoga. The joy with which the fight of the North River, fo long the object of their hopes and wishes, inspired the army, seemed to be confidered as an ample compenfation for all their labors; and with unremitted ardor they now bent all their efforts to bring forward provifions and fiores from Fort George, at the extremity of the lake of that name, fufficient to form a magazine for the fubfiftence of the troops in their march through the wild and uncultivated country they had yet to traverse. So ineffectual, however, were their utmost exertions, that on the 15th of Auguft they had only four days provifion in ftore; and the General understanding that a large magazine was collected at Bennington, twenty miles to the eastward of Hudfon's River, for the ufe of the enemy, he detached Colonel Baum at the head of about five hundred men to furprise the place at the fame time moving with the whole army up the eastern fhore of Hudfon's River, he encamped nearly oppofite to Saratoga. The Colonel finding his destination discovered, and his force wholly infufficient to the purpofc, took poft at a small distance from Bennington, whence he communicated intelligence of his fituation to General Burgoyne, who dispatched Colonel Breymen with about an equal force to his affiftance. The Provincial General Starke, who commanded the militia of the district, determined however to lofe no time in attacking the first party before any reinforcement should arrive; and the Provincials furrounding on every fide the small corps of Colonel Baum, forced their entrenchments, made themselves mafters of their cannon: and after a brave refiftance, in which many were killed or wounded, the reft furrendered themfelves prifoners. Colonel Breyman, who had no fufpicion of this event, arrived nearly at the fame spot on the evening of the fame day, and was attacked with the fame refolution, and with much difficulty difficulty effected his retreat, with the lofs of his artillery, and with ranks dreadfully diminished. This was a heavy and unlooked-for firoke. In the mean time Colonel St. Leger, who commanded a separate corps on the Mohawk River, and had, in conjunction with Colonel Johnfon and a great body of Indians who committed their accustomed horrid ravages, invefted Fort Stanwix, was compelled by the governor, Colonel Ganfevort, to raise the siege, leaving behind him his artillery and stores. At this period General Gates was appointed to fuperfede General Schuyler in the command of the northern army; and the spirits of the Provincials being much raised by their late fucceffes and the long inaction of General Burgoyne, a formidable and in creafing army was collected in the vicinity of Still Water, on the western bank of Hudson's River, fome miles to the fouthward of Saratoga. Notwithstanding the prefent unpromifing profpect, General Burgoyne, having now about thirty days provifions in ftore, refolved, without calling any council of war, to pass the river, which he effected about the middle of September, and encamped on the heights of Saratoga, the enemy not receding from their pofition at Still Water. In his public difpatches, the General offers the following very extraordinary reasons for this determination: "The peremptory tenor of his orders, and the feafon of year, admitted no alternative. The expedi- the |