HISTORY OF VERMONT, 1ST 



wear their side arms. All private property was 

 to be held sacred, and the public to be delivered 

 upon honor ; no baggage to be searched or 

 molested ; all persons of whatever country, ap- 

 pertaining to or following the army, to be com- 

 prehended in the capitulation ; and the Canadi- 

 ans to be returned to the province of Quebec, 

 subject to the conditions of the treaty.* 



The capitulation of a British army, was arj. 

 event, until that time unknown in America. In 

 the present instance, it was attended with the 

 greatest possible mortifications, the surrender 

 being made to those, who in ail their proclama- 

 tions and writings, they had styled traitors and 

 rebels j and till very lately had affected to con- 

 sider as a lawless rabble o£ cowards. Gates 

 had been a British officer, and he was attentive 

 to the painful feelings of the royal army, and 

 did not wish to add any aggravating circum- 

 stances to their humiliation. He carried the 

 nice delicacy of military honor so far, that the 

 American troops v/ere kept Vvithin their lines, 

 while the royal army was going through the de- 

 grading work of laying down their arms. The 

 humanity and politeness of the American com- 

 mander, was the more unexpected and praise- 

 worthy, as his whole army was at this time just- 

 ly irritated by the destruction of the mills and 

 buildings at Saratoga, burnt by order of general 

 Burgayne, when he Vv'as forced to retreat from 

 that place. The same plan of devastation and 

 ruin was pursued by the British troops under 

 general Vaughan. On their passage towards 

 Albany, Vaughan was informed that Burgoyne 



» Append;?, Na. VI. 



