154 . NATURAL AND CIVIL 



determined to try a third conflict, against an;f 

 force you could bring to attack him. He is 

 apprised of the.. superiority of your number* 

 and the disposition, of your troops to impede 

 Jbis supplies, and render his retreat a scene of 

 carnage on both sides. In this situation he is 

 impelled by humanity, and thinks himself jus- 

 tified by established principles and precedents of 

 State, and of war, to spare the lives of brave 

 men upon honorable terms ; should Major Gen- 

 eral Gates be inclined to treat upon this idea. 

 General Burgoj'ne will propose a cessation of 

 arms during the time necessary to communicate 

 the preliminary terms, by which, in any ex- 

 tremity, he and hisarmv would abide."* It was 

 not difficult to agree upon the articles of capi- 

 tulation ; in one only was there any altercation. 

 It had been proposed that the British army 

 should ground their arms in their encampments. 

 General Burgoyne viewed this as an article 

 more derogatory to their honor, than the sur- 

 render of the whole army. *' This article," said 

 he, "is inadmissible in any extremity. Sooner 

 than this army will submit to ground their 

 arms in their encampment, they will rush on 

 their enemies, determined to take no quarter." 

 The important point with general Gates was, to 

 effect the surrender of the royal army ; to ac- 

 complish this, he readily agreed that they should 

 be allowed to march out of their camp with the 

 honors of war, and their arms be laid down by 

 jthe command of their own officers. In the 

 management of the treaty, Burgoyne discovered 

 an affected dignity and importance ; but it was 

 reduced to inactivity, conscious of its own im- 



* Murray, vol. 2, p- 364. 



