Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 5.djvu/198

184 it not been for this circumstance he must have suffered a surprise and a certain defeat, and the fortunes of Burgoyne would probably have been different. He was now on the alert to receive the Americans, and when, to his mortification, he saw them at a signal again retreating, he poured a murderous fire into them, and pursued them in confusion across the creek.



This was his last chance. No news reached him from Clinton; but he ascertained that the Americans had already, in strong force, blocked up his way to Fort Edward. This was decisive. On the 13th he called together a council of war, at which every captain was invited to attend, and the result of the deliberations was unanimously—that they must capitulate. Accordingly, an officer was sent with a note to the American head-quarters that evening, to propose an interview betwixt general Burgoyne and general Gates. The American general agreed to the meeting at ten o'clock the next morning. There Burgoyne stated that he was aware of the superiority of Gates's numbers, and, to spare the effusion of useless blood, he proposed a cessation of arms, to give time for a treaty to that effect.

Gates replied that he was well aware that general Burgoyne's army was reduced to the last extremity, that it had lost the greater part of its men by repeated defeats, sickness, &c., together with their artillery, horses, and ammunition; that their retreat was cut off, and therefore, he could listen to nothing but an absolute surrender. Burgoyne said he would never admit that his retreat was cut off whilst he had arms in his hands; and Gates, who knew that Clinton was on his march, and might soon alter the whole face of things, was only too anxious to have Burgoyne's army out of the way. After some preliminaries, therefore, to save appearances, on the 16th it was agreed to that the British should march out of their camp with all the honours of war; should deposit their cannon on the banks of the Hudson, and there pile their arms at the command of their own officers; that the troops, of whatever nation they might be composed, should retire in all security and honour to Boston, where they should be provided with all necessary comforts until they embarked for England, under condition of not serving against the United States again during that war; that the Canadians should be allowed to return in all honour to their own country; and that in no case should officers be separated from their own men.

These were not such terms as are usually granted to conquered armies; and the reason was, that Clinton was every day drawing nearer. Scarcely were these terms agreed on, when this fact became known to Burgoyne. For a moment he hesitated whether he should sign the contract; but, on consultation with his officers, he felt himself bound in honour to ratify, and accordingly, the next morning, the 17th of October, the deed was signed, and the troops, marching out, grounded their arms. Many of the officers are said to have scarcely been able to pronounce the words of command for that purpose, and the soldiers to have set down their arms with tears. The Germans had taken care not to leave their colours or trophies to the Americans, by cutting them from the staves and stowing them away in Madame Reisedel's luggage. General Gates, unlike the generality of American officers of the time, a gentleman in feelings as well as manners, neither attended the humiliating spectacle nor would allow his own people to be there. He found himself, on its completion, in possession of four thousand muskets, forty pieces of artillery, a small quantity of powder and ball, and not much of the contents of the captured batteaux, the New Englanders having taken good care of that.

No sooner did the garrisons of Ticonderoga and Fort George hear of Burgoyne's surrender, than they abandoned those places, and retired, by the Sorel, to Fort St. John and Montreal. Burgoyne had most earnestly entreated