170 THE SEKVICES OF LIEUT.-COLONEL FEANCIS DOWNMAN, E.A. 
are ready; that, then a general attack will take place, both from our 
shipping and from land. This afternoon Major Cuyler, aide-de-camp 
to General Howe, embarked from the lowermost end of Province 
Island with the mail and despatches for England. Sent letters to 
Mrs. Downtnan, also £50 which she is to receive of Mrs. Standish. 
October 30th .—Everything remains quiet about the town. Colonel 
Donop, who was wounded at the attack on Red Bank, is dead, much 
regretted. The Hessians at that attack did not lose any more than 
180 men killed, wounded and missing. It would have been more to 
their honour if their loss had been greater. It is now past a doubt 
about General Burgoyne; he has suffered himself to be enclosed on all 
sides by the rebel army, and for want of provisions has been obliged 
to surrender his whole army prisoners of war, to be sent to England 
and not to serve during the present rebellion. Forty-nine pieces of brass 
cannon with all their ammunition waggons etc., are become an easy 
prey to the rebels, besides a great number of small arms. This is 
such a capital stroke against us that it is doubtful whether we ever 
subdue them. This added to our failures here will give them the 
greatest spirits and push them on (in all probability) to make an at¬ 
tempt on New York, or unite their armies and endeavour to retake Phil¬ 
adelphia. We are informed by an officer who has brought the horrid 
news that Captain T. Jones 1 2 and Lieutenant Clieland, 3 of the artil¬ 
lery, are killed, and Blomefield 3 wounded. General Clinton has been 
very successful up the North River; he has taken all the forts and 
strong places in the highlands, and opened a passage to New York. 
The disaster at Saratoga having so momentous an effect on the nar¬ 
rative before us, it is opportune to mention here some of the causes 
which led to it. 
The plan of this expedition was wisely designed, but it was a mis¬ 
take to entrust its execution to General Burgoyne, who though a 
brave and a skilful officer was unacquainted with the continent of 
America, and had no experience of the kind of warfare peculiar to the 
country. Had the command been conferred on General Sir Guy 
Carleton, who so successfully defeated the rebel invasion of Canada 
in 1775, and who thoroughly understood the kind of troops he would 
meet, and the peculiarities and difficulties of the country in which he 
would operate, the campaign might probably have had a different 
result. The composition of the army was carefully and well arranged, 
but it w T as an error to send so large a train of Artillery (upwards of 
50 guns), to move about in a wild and trackless region, though com¬ 
manded by so energetic and able an officer as Major-General Phillips 
1 Kane’s List No. 225.—Captain T. Jones was killed in the hard-fought action at Still Water 
September 19th his intrepidity was highly distinguished on the occasion. 
2 Kane’s List No. 460.—Lieutenant Clieland was killed in the action at Skenesborough, 
July 6th. 
3 Kane’s List No. 334.—Captain Blomefield was Brigade Major to Major-General Phillips, 
commanding the E.A. with Burgoyne’s force. He afterwards commanded the E.A. in the 
expedition to Copenhagen in 1807, and was made a Baronet. 
