130 . NATURAL AND CIVIL 



gave them time to turn out in large riumberiSj,^ 

 and, reinforce his army. Instead of expecting 

 every day to hear that Albany was taken, it 

 now began to be suspected that this might pos» 

 sibly be the case with Burgoyne and his army. 

 And v/hile tli« Americans were not a little en- 

 couraged with their prospects, the whole conti- 

 nent was in-itated and inflamed that the British- 

 government and generals should so far loose 

 sight of all humanity and civilization, as to bring 

 the Indians into their plantations ; and carry on 

 the war, by letting thetti loose upon their defence- 

 less women and children. Whatever were the 

 prders or pretensions oi the British generals, 

 it was known that the savages could not be re- 

 sti'aihed from using the tomahawk and scalping 

 knife, whenever it ^vas for their interest to plun- 

 der or scalp all that should fail into their hands. 

 An aw^l instance of this nature had taken 

 place in Burgoyne's camp, in the case of Miss 

 M'Rea. As history has viewed her slaughter 

 as one of the most brutal and horrid transactions 

 which has ever taken place, it will be but fair 

 to take the representation from the letters that 

 passed at that time between the American and 

 British generals. On the thirtieth of August^ 

 general Burgoyne had occasion to write to gen- 

 eral Gates respecting the prisoners taken at 

 Bennington. In .this letter he complained that 

 inhumanity had been exercised towards the 

 provincial soldiers who had joined the royal ar- 

 my, and hiiited at retaliation. General Gates 

 returned an answer, September the second, in 

 which he invalidates the charge, and ascribes 

 the-'most atrocious cruelties to the savages who 



