Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 5.djvu/195

A.D. 1777.] in that situation, amongst bogs and wildernesses, which Barrington and Barré had from the first declared would be fatal to any army. He had sent express after express to Howe to urge a movement in co-operation, but no news of it arrived, and every day he was becoming more and more cut off from advance or retreat. The skirmish in which Stark had defeated Baum was, with the American gasconade, sounded abroad as a great victory; and the militia, previously as timid as sheep, were running in from all quarters; the woods swarmed with them. Besides the valour of American troops, the cruelties of the Indians were dilated on and exaggerated, to rouse the indignation of the soldiers; there was a case of one Jenny Macrea, which was made much use of. It was, indeed, an atrocious affair; but it was perpetrated by Burgoyne's Indian allies—not on the American republicans, but on his own friends. Her family were loyalists; she herself was engaged to be married to a loyalist officer, yet she was killed by the Indians. Gates sent a fiery remonstrance to Burgoyne, stating, that when this young lady was dressed to receive her lover, a band of Indians burst into the house, carried off the whole family into the woods, and there murdered, scalped, and mangled them in a most frightful manner. But Burgoyne sent him in return a very different version of the story: that the murder was committed by two Indians, sent by her lover to guard her safely to the British camp. They quarrelled on their way respecting the division of the promised reward, and settled the dispute by killing the girl. Even in this shape, the story was bad enough; but, as circulated in the version of Gates through the settlements, it was calculated to produce the deepest detestation of such allies of the English. A scathed tree still marks the spot where, according to tradition, the unfortunate girl was killed.

Whilst these circumstances were operating against him, Burgoyne collected his artillery and provisions for about a month, and, forming a bridge of boats, passed his army, on the 13th and 14th of September, over the Hudson, and encamped on the heights and plains of Saratoga. With advanced parties in front, to repair the roads and bridges, he slowly descended the Hudson; the Germans advanced on the left by a road close along the river; the British covered by light infantry, provincials, and Indians, by the high ground on the right. Gates had fixed his camp on some heights called Behmus's Heights. These formed the segment of a circle, the convex towards the British, connected with the river by a deep entrenchment, covered by strong batteries. The right was also covered by a sharp ravine descending to the river, and thickly wooded. From the head of this ravine, towards the left, which was defended by a breastwork of logs, the ground was level and partially cleared, some trees