In that expedition, the Colonel was attacked by a body of the enemy, confifting, as he conceived, of fix times the number of his detachment, who finding all their efforts in front ineffectual to force the judicious pofition which he had taken, attempted to furround the regiment. This alarming attempt, put him under a necef fity of changing his ground in the heat of action. Nothing lefs than the most perfect difcipline, Supported by the cooleft intrepidity, could have enabled the regiment to execute fo critical a movement in the face of the enemy, and in fuch circumftances. It was however performed with fuch fleadiness and effect, that the enemy, after an attack of three hours, weie fo totally repulfed, and with fuch Jofs, that after fetting fire to Fort Anne, they fled with the utmoft precipitation towards Fort Edward, upon the Hudson's river.

The lofs of the royal army, in all this fervice, and in fo many different engagements, fome of which were warm, and feemed liable to lofs, was very fmall. The whole in killed and wounded, not much exceeding two hundred

men.

Such was the rapid torrent of fuccefs, which swept every thing away before the northern army in its outfet, It is not to be wondered at, if both officers and private men were highly elated with their fortune, and deemed that and their prowefs to be irrefiftible; if they regarded their enemy with the greatest contempt, confidered their own toils to be nearly at an end, Albany to be already in their hands; and the reduction of the northern provinces to be

rather a matter of fome time, than an arduous task full of difficulty and danger.

At home, the joy and exultation was extreme; not only at court, but with all thofe who hoped or wifhed the unqualified fubjugation, and unconditional fubmillion of the colonies. The loís in reputation was greater to the Americans, and capable of more fatal confequences, than even that of ground, of pofls, of artillery, or of men. All the contemptueus and most degrading charges which had been made by their enemies, of their wanting the refolution and abilities of men, even in the defence of whatever was dear to them, were now repeated and believed. Those who ftill regarded them as men, and who had not yet loft all affection to them as brethren ; who alfo retained hopes that a happy reconciliation upon conftitutional principles, without facrificing the dignity or the juft authority of government on the one fide, or a dereliction of the rights of freemen on the other, was not even now impoffible, notwithstanding their favourable difpofitions in general, could not help feeling upon this occafion, that the Americans funk not a little in their estimation. was not difficult to diffuse an opinion, that the war in effect was over; and that any further resistance, would ferve only to render the terms of their fubmiffion the worse. Such were fome of the immediate effects of the lofs of thofe grand keys of North America, Ticonderoga and the lakes.

It

General Burgoyne continued for fome days, with the army partly at Skenefborough, and partly spread in the adjoining country,

They

They were under the neceffity of waiting for the arrival of tents, baggage, and provifions. In the mean time, no labour was fpared in opening roads by the way of Fort Anne, for advancing against the enemy. Equal industry was ufed in clearing the Wood Creek from the obftacles of fallen trees, funken ftones, and other impediments which had been laid in the way by the enemy, in order to open a paffage for batteaux, for the conveyance of artillery, flores, provifions, and camp equipage. Nor was lefs diligence ufed at Ticonderoga, in the carrying of gun-boats, provifion veffels, and batteaux, over land into Lake George. Thefe were all laborious works, but the fpirit of the army was at that time fuperior to toil or danger.

General Schuyler was at Fort Edward upon the Hudfon's river, where he was endeavouring to collect the militia, and had been joined by St. Clair, with the wretched remains of his army, who had taken a round about march of feven days through the woods, in which, from the exceeding badness of the weather, with the want of covering, provisions, and all manner of neceffaries, they had fuffered the most extreme mifery. Many others of the fugitives had alfo arrived; but fo totally broken down, that they were nearly as deftitute of arms, ammunition, and all the materials of war, as they were of vigour, hope, and fpirit, to ufe them with effect.

Although the direct diftance from Fort Anne, where the batteaux navigation on Wood Creek determined, or even from Skenef

borough to Fort Edward, was no greater, than what in England would be confidered as a moderate ride of exercife, yet fuch is the favage face and impracticable nature of the country, and fuch were the artificial difficulties which the induftry of the enemy had thrown in the way, that the progrefs of the army thither, was a work of much preparation, time, and labour. believed in after times, and may now be received with difficulty in any other part of the world, that it cost an active and spirited army, without an enemy in force to impede its progrefs, not many fewer days in paffing from one part to another of a country, than the diftance, in a direct line, would have measured miles. Yet fuch, however extraordinary, is the fact. Befides that the country was a wilderness in almost every part of the paffage, the enemy had cut large timber trees in fuch a manner, on both fides of the road, as to fall across and lengthways, with their branches interwoven; fo that the troops had several layers of thefe frequently to remove, in places where they could not poffibly take any other direction. The face of the country was likewife fo broken with creeks and marshes, that in that fhort fpace, they had no lefs than forty bridges to conftruct, befides others to repair; and one of these was of log work, over a morafs two miles in extent. All these toils and difficulties were encountered and overcome by the troops with their ufual fpirit and alacrity. The enemy were too weak, too much difpirited, and probably too much afraid of the Indians, to add very materially

It will scarcely be

to thefe difficulties. Some fkirmifhing and firing there was, however, on every day's march, in which, as ufual, they conftantly came off lofers.

It is true, that General Burgoyne might have adopted another route to Hudfon's river, by which most of thefe particular difficulties would have been avoided. By returning down the South river to Ticonderoga, he might again have embarked the army on Lake George, and proceeded to the fort which takes its name, and lies at its head, from whence there is a waggon road to Fort Edward. To this it was objected, and probably with reafon, that a retrograde motion in the height of victory, would tend greatly to abate that panic with which the enemy were confounded and overwhelmed; that it would even cool the ardour, and check the animation of the troops, to call them off from the profecution of their fuccefs, to a cold and fpiritlefs voyage; and that their expedition would undoubtedly be checked by the refiftance and delay which they must expect at Fort George; whereas when the garrifon per

ceived that the army was marching in a direction, which was likely to cut off their retreat, they would undoubtedly confult their fafety in time, by abandoning the poft.

The enemy abandoned Fort Edward, and retired to Saratoga, at the approach of the royal army, which, from the impediments we have feen in the march, was not until the end of July. The enthufiafm of the army, as well as of the General, upon their arrival on the Hudson's river, which had been fo long the object of their hopes and wishes, may be better conceived than defcribed. As the enemy, by previously abandoning Fort George, and burning their veffels, had left the lake entirely open, a great embarkation of provifions, flores, and neceffaries, was already arrived at that post from Ticonderoga. The army was accordingly fully and immediately employed, in tranfporting thefe articles, with artillery, batteaux, and fuch other matters as they judged neceffary for the profecution of their future measures, from Fort George to Hudson's river.

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The New England governments in particular, though most immediately menaced, did not fink under their apprehenfion of the common danger. They, as well as the congrefs, acted with vigour and firmness in their efforts to repel the enemy. Arnold, whom we have lately feen at the engagement at Danbury, was immediately fent to the reinforcement of the northern army, who carried with him a train of artillery which he received from Wafhington. On his arrival he drew the American troops back from Saratoga to Still Water, a central fituation between that place, and the mouth of the Mohawk river, where it falls into Hudfon's. This movement, was to be the nearer at hand to check the progrefs of Colonel St. Leger, who was now advancing upon the former of thefe rivers. His forces were daily increafed through the outrages of the favages, who, notwithstanding the regulations and endeavours of General Burgoyne, were too prone to the exercife of their ufual cruelties, to be effectually reftrained by any means. The friends of the royal caufe, as well as its enemies, were equally victims to their indifcriminate rage. Among other inftances of this nature, the murder of Mifs M'Crea, which happened fome fmall time after, ftruck every breaft with horror. Every circumftance of this horrid tranfaction ferved to render it more caJamitous and afflicting. The young lady is reprefented to have been in all the innocence of youth, and bloom of beauty. Her father was faid to be deeply interested in the royal caufe; and to wind up the

catastrophe of this odious tragedy, fhe was to have been married to a British officer on the very day that the was maffacred.

Occafion was thence taken to exafperate the people, and to blacken the royal party and army, People were too apt to jumble promiscuously, and to place in one point of view, the cruelties of these barbarians, and the cause in which they were exerted. They ̧ equally execrated both. Whilst they abhorred and detefted that army, which fubmitted to accept of fuch an aid, they loudly condemned and reprobated that government, which could call fuch auxiliaries into a civil contest; thereby endeavouring, as they said, not to fubdue but to exterminate, a people whom they affected to confider, and pretended to reclaim as fubjects. General Gates, in the courfe of thefe tranfactions, was not wanting by feveral publica. tions to aggravate and inflame the picture of thefe exceffes; and with no fmall effect.

By this means, the advantages expected from the terror excited by these favage auxiliaries were not only counteracted; but this terror rather, it may be thought, produced a directly contrary effect. The inhabitants of the open and frontier countries had no choice of acting; they had no means of security left, but by abandoning their habitations, and taking up arms. Every man faw the neceffity of becoming a temporary fol dier, not only for his own fecurity, but for the protection and defence of thofe connections which are dearer than life itfelf. Thus an army was poured forth by the

woods