MMITORY OF VERiMONT. 145 



If^iy- td femalri in Its present camp or situatioii. 

 No othef expedient appeared, but to make a 

 fllGvemcnt of the British arttiy to the left of the 

 Aniericans. This might serve to cover a foragfe 

 6f the army, which was now much distressed 

 hy scarcity ;■ to discover whethefr it was pos- 

 sible to force a passage, if it should be necessary 

 fo advance } 6r to intimidate the Americans; 

 if it should be judgefd best to retreat. 



Ota- October the seventh, a detachment of the 

 tOyal army, consisting of fifteen hundred regular 

 troops, with two twelve poundei"s, two howitzers 

 And six six pounders, were put in motion. This 

 detachment Wa^ commanded by general Bur- 

 ^oyne in person, aided by major generals Phil- 

 lips and Reidesel, and brigadier general Frazier* 

 No better generals or troops were at that time 

 to be found in the British service. The guard 

 6f the camp upon the high grounds, was assign- 

 ed to the brigadier generals Hamilton and 

 Dpei^ht' ; ^nd that of the redoubts, and plaih 

 iiear the river, to brigadier Goll. The force of 

 the Americans in the front was supposed to be 

 §o ttmch superior, that it Was not judged safe t6 

 augment the detachment to a larger nUmbtr» 

 The British troops were formed within three 

 Quarters of a mile of the feft of the Americans ; 

 and their irregulars Were pushed on through va- 

 rious bye ways, to appear as a check on their, 

 fear. 



Gat£s soon received rntelli'gence of the 

 rlrtarch of the royal army, and immediately put 

 Kis troops in motion. About four o'clock in 

 the afternoon, the American column approached 

 the royal detachment,- and wa^ fired upon by the ' 



VOL. II. S 



