Chap. 3. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



43 



KETREAT FROM TICONDEROG A. 



ADVANCE OF THE BRITISH ARMY. 



place St. Clair had retired witli the arni}^. 

 While Gens. Fraser and Ricdesel were 

 pursuing the Americans b}^ land, General 

 Burgoyne himself conducted the pursuit 

 by water. The boom and bridge between 

 Ticonderoga and Mount Independence 

 not being completed, were soon cut 

 through, and by nine o'clock in the morn- 

 ing of the Gth, the British frigates and 

 gun boats had passed the works. Sever- 

 al regiments were immediately embarked 

 on board the boats, and the chase com- 

 menced. By three in the afternoon tlie 

 foremost boats overtook and attacked the 

 American gallies near Skenc.'^borough, 

 (now Whitehall,) and, upon the approach 

 of the frigates, the Americans abandoned 

 their gallies, blew up three of them, and 

 escaped to the shore. The other two fell 

 into the hands of the British. 



As the American force was not sufli- 

 cient to make an efFecttial stand at 

 Skenesborough, the}" set fire to the works, 

 mills and batteau.x and retreated up Wood 

 Creek to fort Ann. Being pursued by 

 the ninth British regiment under Colonel 

 Hill, the Americans turned upon him and 

 gave him battle with such spirit as to 

 cause him to retire to the top of a hill, 

 where he would have been soon overpow- 

 ered, had not a re-enforcement come at 

 that critical moment to his assistance. 

 The Americans, upon this, relinquished 

 the attack, and having set fire to fort 

 Ann, retreated to fort Edward and joined 

 the main army under Schuyler. 



The retreat from Ticonderoga was very 

 disastrous to the Americans. Their can- 

 non, amounting to 128 pieces, — their ship- 

 ping and batteau.x, and their provisions, 

 stores and magazines, fell into the liands 

 of the enemy. By this event, Burgojaie 

 obtained no less than 1,748 barrels of 

 flour, and more than 70 tons of salt pro- 

 visions ; and, in addition to tiiese, a large 

 drove of cattle, which had arrived in the 

 American camp a few days previous to 

 tlieir retreat, fell into his hands. After 

 St. Clair had joined Schuyler at fort Ed- 

 ward, and all the scattered troops had 

 come in, the whole American force at that 

 place did not exceed 4,400 men. Sensible 

 that with this force, it would be impossi- 

 ble to make an effectual stand, it became 

 the chief object of the American generals 

 to impede as much as possible the pro- 

 gress of the enemy by cutting down trees, 

 blocking up the roads, and destroying the 

 bridges. 



The works at fort Edward being in no 

 condition to afford protection to the 

 American army, Gen. Schuyler aban- 

 doned them on the 22d of Jul}^, and re- 

 tired with his whole force to Moses 



Creek, a position on the Hudson, about 

 four miles below fort Edward. At this 

 place the hills approach very near the 

 river on both sides, and this was selected 

 as a favorable position to make a stand 

 and dispute the progress of the enemy. 

 But the army was found to be so much 

 reduced by defeat and desertion, and the 

 dissatisfaction to the American cause was 

 found to be so general in this section of 

 the country, that it was judged best to 

 retire to Saratoga, and subsequently, to 

 Stillwater, at which place the army ar- 

 rived on the 1st day of August. 



The British were in the mean time 

 bringing forward their artillery and stores, 

 and opening the way from Skenesborough 

 to fort Edward. But so effectually had 

 the Americans blocked up and obstructed 

 the road, that the British army was fre- 

 quently 24 hours in advancing one mile. 

 It was not till the 30th of July that Bur- 

 goyne arrived and fixed his head quarters 

 at fort Edward. Nothing could exceed 

 the joy of the British army on its arrival 

 at the Hudson. They flattered them- 

 selves that their difficulties and toils were 

 now ended ; and that there was nothing 

 before them but a safe and easy march to 

 Alban}', and thence to a junction with the 

 British army at New York. 



The British had supposed that a large 

 proportion of the inhabitants on the New 

 Hampshire grants and in the northern 

 parts of New York, were opposed to the 

 revolution, and that it was necessary only 

 to march an army into their country, and 

 furnish them with arms to bring them all 

 around the royal standard. Arms had 

 t]ieref<ire been forwarded by Burgo}'ne, a 

 proclamation was issued, addressed to the 

 inhabitants of the country, and Burgoyne 

 was now waiting for their submission, and 

 for the arrival of his tents and baggage. 

 But notwithstanding the darkness and 

 gloom which enveloped the American af- 

 fairs, very few were found, who were dis- 

 posed to abandon the cause of their comk- 

 try for that of their king. 



At this period, settlements had been 

 commenced in most of the towns in the 

 present counties of Bennington and Rut- 

 land, and in several towns to the north- 

 ward of Rutland county. But upon the 

 advance of Burgoj'ne along the lake, the 

 settlers retired towards the south, and at 

 the time Burgoyne was upon the Hudson, 

 very few settlers remained upon tlieir 

 farms to the northward of the present 

 county of Bennington. But, that the set- 

 tlers were generally true to the American 

 cause, we are psured by the testimony of 

 Burgoyne himself. In his private letter 

 to Lord Germain, dated Saratoga, August 



