454 A M E 
themfelves with great valour, but were to a man either 
Killed or taken. Colonel Breyman, after.a defperate en¬ 
gagement, had the good luck to efr'edt a retreat through 
the darknefs of the night, which otherwife he could not 
have done, as his men had expended all their ammunition. 
General Burgoyne, difappointed in his attempt on Ben¬ 
nington, applied himfelf with indefatigable diligence to 
procure provifions from Fort George; and, havingamafled 
a fufficient quantity to laft for a month, he threw abridge 
of boats over the river Hudfon, which he eroded about 
the middle of September, encamping on the hills and plains 
near Saratoga. As foon as he approached the provincial 
army, encamped at Stillwater under general Gates, he de¬ 
termined to make an attack; for which purpole he put 
himfelf at the head of the central divifion of his army, 
having general Frafer and colonel Brey man on the right, 
with generals Reidefel and Philips on the left. In this po- 
iition he'advanced towards the enemy on the 19th of Sep¬ 
tember. But the Americans did not now wait to be at¬ 
tacked: on the contrary, they attacked the central divi- 
fion with the greateft ardour; and it was not until general 
Philips with the artillery came up, that they could be 
repulfed. On this occafion, though the Britilh troops loft 
only 330 in killed and wounded, and the enemy no lefs than 
J500, the former were very much alarmed at the obftinate 
refolution (hewn by the Americans. This did not, how¬ 
ever, prevent the Britifh from advancing towards the ene¬ 
my, and polling themfelves the next day within cannon- 
fhot of their lines. But their allies the Indians began to 
defert in great numbers; and at the lame time the general 
was in the higheft degree mortified by having no intelli¬ 
gence of any afiillance from Sir Henry Clinton, as had been 
Stipulated. He now received a letter from him, by which 
he was informed that Sir Henry intended to make a diver- 
lion on the North River in his favour. This afforded but 
little comfort: however, he returned ananfwerby feveral 
fruity perfons whom he difpatched different ways, Hating 
his prefent diltrelTed lituation, and mentioning that the pro¬ 
vifions and other necelfaries he had would only enable him 
to hold out till the 12th of October. 
In the mean time the Americans, in order to cut off the 
retreat of the Britifh army, undertook an expedition againft: 
Ticonderoga; but were obliged to abandon the enterprife 
after having furprifed all the out-pofis, and taken a great 
number of boats with fome armed veffels, and a number 
of prifoners. The army under general Burgoyne now la¬ 
boured under the greateft diftreftes; fo that in the begin¬ 
ning of October he was obliged to diminilh the foldiers’ 
allowance. On the 7th of that month he determined to 
move towards the enemy. For this purpofe he fent a bo¬ 
dy of 1500 men to reconnoitre their left wing; intending, 
if pofftble, to break through it in order to etfeft a retreat. 
This detachment had not proceeded far, when a dreadful 
attack was made upon the left wing of the Britilh army, 
which was with great difficulty preferved by a reinforce¬ 
ment brought up by general Frafer, who was killed in the 
aftion. After the troops had with great difficulty regain¬ 
ed their camp, it was furioufly affaulted by general Ar¬ 
nold; who, notwithftanding all oppofition, would have 
forced the entrenchments, had he not received a dangerous 
wound, which obliged him to retire. Thus the attack fail¬ 
ed on the left, but on the right the camp of the German 
referve was forced, colonel Breyman killed, and his coun- 
trymen defeated, with the lofs of all their artillery and 
ba<nrao-e. 
This was by far the heavieft lofs the Britilh army had 
fuftained (ince the atlion at Bunker’s Hill. The lilt of 
killed and wounded amounted to near 1200, exclufive of 
the Germans; but the greatell misfortune was, that the 
enemy had now an opening on the right and rear of the Bri¬ 
tilh forces, fo that the army was threatened with entire de- 
ftruftion. This obliged general Burgoyne once more to 
lhift his pofition, that the enemy might alfo be obliged to 
alter theirs. This was accomplilhed on the night of the 
7 th, without any lofs, and all the next day he continued to 
RICA. 
offer the enemy battle ; but they were now too well allured 
of obtaining a complete victory, by cutting off all fupplies 
from the Britifh, to rilk another engagement. Where¬ 
fore they advanced on the right fide, in order to inclofc 
him entirely; which obliged the general to direft a retreat; 
towards Saratoga. But the enemy had flationed a great 
force on the ford at Hudfon’s River, fo that the only pof- 
fibility of retreat was by fecuringa paffage to lake George; 
and, to effect this, a body of workmen were detached, with 
a ftrong guard, to repair the roads and bridges-that led to 
Fort Edward. As foon as they were gone, the enemy 
feemed to menace an attack; which rendered it neceffary 
to recal the guard, and the workmen, being of courfe left 
expofed, could not proceed. The boats, which conveyed 
provifions down Hudfon’s River, were now expofed to the 
continual fire of the American markfmen, who alfo took 
many of them ; fo that it became neceffary to convey the 
provifions over land. In this extreme danger it was re- 
iolved to march by night to Fort Edward, forcing the 
paffages at the fords either above or below the place; and, 
in order to effect this the more eafily, it was refolved that 
the foldiers fliould carry their provifions on their backs, 
leaving behind their baggage and every other incumbrance. 
But, before this could be executed, intelligence was re- 
cieved that the enemy had raifed llrong entrenchments op- 
pofite to thefe fords, well provided with cannon, and that 
they had likewife taken pcffeffion of the rifing ground be¬ 
tween Fort George and Fort Edward, which in like man-- 
ner was provided with cannon. 
All this time the American army was increasing by the 
continual arrival of militia and volunteers from all parts. 
Their parties extended all along the oppofite bank of 
Hudfon’s River, and fome had even palled it in order to 
watch the lead movement of the Britilh army. The whole 
force under general Gates was computed at upwards of 
16,000 men, while the army under general Burgoyne did 
not amount to 6000; and every part of- the camp was pe¬ 
netrated by the grape and rifle iliot of- the enemy, beiidea 
difeharges from their artillery, which were almolt incef- 
fant. In this Hate of extreme dillrefs and danger, the 
army continued with the greatell conllancy and perleve- 
rance till the evening of the 1.3-th of October, when, an in¬ 
ventory of provifions being taken, it was found that no 
more remained than what were fufficient to ferve for three 
days; and, a council of war being called, it was unani- 
moufly determined that there was no method now remain¬ 
ing but to treat with the enemy. In confequenee of this, 
a negociation was opened the next day, which fpcedily 
terminated in a capitulation of the whole Britifh army ; 
the principal article of which was, that the troops were 
to have a free paffage to Britain, on condition of not ferv- 
ing againft America during the war. On this occafion,- 
general Gates ordered his army to keep within their camp, 
while the Britilh foldiers went to a place appointed for them 
to laydown their arms, that the latter might not have the 
additional mortification of being made fpetlacles of fo me¬ 
lancholy an event. The number of thofe who fill-rendered 
at Saratoga amounted to 3750, according to the American 
accounts; the lift of fick and wounded left in the camp 
when the army retreated to Saratoga, to 528; and the' 
number of thofe loft by other accidents fince the taking of 
Ticonderoga, to near. 3000. But in the evidence .after¬ 
wards adduced before the houfe of commons by general 
Burgoyne, it appeared that the number of effective men 
in the Britilh army at the time it furrendered, amounted 
only to 3499; whilft the number of the American army, 
according to general Gates’s return, was 18,624. Thirty- 
five brafs field-pieces, 7000 Hand of arms, clothing for an 
equal number of foldiers, with the tents, military-cheft, 
&c. likewife fell into the hands of the Americana. 
Sir Henry Clinton, in the mean time, had failed up the 
North River, and deftroyed the two forts called Montgo¬ 
mery and Clinton, with Fort Conftitution, and another 
place called Continental Village, where were barracks for 
iqoq men. Seventy large cannon were carried away, be- 
fides 
