|50 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



the right flank of the royal army ; which, when 

 accomplished, would have completely enclosed 

 his army pn every side. To prevent this disas- 

 ter, it was determined to make an immediate 

 retreat to Saratoga, and to execute it that very 

 liight. Accordingly, about nine o'clock in the 

 evening, the royal army began their retreat ; 

 abandoning the hospital, with the sick and 

 wounded, to the mercy of tlie Americans. To 

 the honor of general Gates, he discovered on 

 this occasion, that liumaiiity and tenderness, 

 which was highly honorable to his own charac- 

 ter, and greatly useful and salutary to those, 

 whom ' the fortune of war had thus thrown 

 friendless and forlorn into his hands. The royal 

 army nov/ made the best of their war to Sarato- 

 ga, which was not more than six miles distant. 

 But such was the badness of the roads, the starv- • 

 ing condition of the cattle, with an incessant storm 

 of rain, and other difficulties, that the army did 

 not arrive at Saratoga till the next night, and it 

 w'as then Vv'orn down with fatigue and distress. 

 On the morning of October the tenth, the 

 royal army and artillery passed the fords of the 

 Fish- kiii, a little to the north of Saratoga ; they 

 found a body of the Americans already arrived, 

 and throwing up entrenchments on the heights 

 before them. They retired on the approach of 

 the Britisli, but joined a greater force which had 

 been stationed to prevent the passage of the 

 royal army. Every hope of escape was now- 

 cut off, but that of making a retreat to fort 

 George. To effect this, a detachment of arti- 

 ncers, under a strong escort, was sent forward 

 to repair the bridges, and open the ifoad lo foi% 



