In the northern provinces, the campaign wore an as pect less friendly to the royal interests. An expedition to New England had been projected by the ministry in Europe, as the most effectual scheme for reducing the colonies to obedience. An army of 7600 chosen troops had been put under the orders of general Burgoyne : these were to be assisted by levies from Quebec ; and means were Used to engage the Indians of Canada in the service of Great Britain. The first attempts of Burgoyne were as successful as the condition of his army entitled the ministry to expect. The Indians, gained by presents, or stimulated by the hope of plun der, joined him in considerable bodies; and to the ho nour of the British commander, we must add, that, in his first address to those new allies, he exhorted them to kill none but such as appeared in arms against them, and to spare the women and children, whom the fortune of war might put into their hands. On the 2d of July, the English army encamped on both sides of Lake Cham plain, at a short distance from Ticonderoga. To this strong fortress the Americans had retired at the end of the preceding year; and now it was garrisoned with about 6000 men, and defended by the provincial general St Clair. The approaches of the British were rapid and decisive. Soon after their appearance before the Ame rican works, they took possession of Sugar-hill ; an emi nence which overlooked the fortifications, and enabled them to place their batteries to great advantage, but which the enemy had imagined it was impossible to as cend. On the 5th, every step had been taken in order to render the investment complete. St Clair, however, conscious of his inability to defend the place, and anxious at the same time to prevent the troops which he com manded from surrendering themselves prisoners of war, abandoned the works, and retreated over Mount Inde pendence to Charlestown, and thence to Skeensborough, in the vicinity of Lake George. Previous to his depar ture, he had ordered the baggage and military stores to be sent by water to the same place; but the vessels which were employed for that purpose were attacked by the English ships, and either captured or rendered unfit for service : and, in consequence of this disaster, the Americans set fire to their boats and fortifications at Skeensborough. On land the royalists were equally successful; colonel Francis, and a body of the provincial troops, were defeated with great slaughter by general Heidesel; and, by the skilful manoeuvres of Burgoyne, St Clair was prevented from reaching Fort Anne. An engagement then took place in the woods, in which the Americans were routed, and compelled to retire to Fort Edward on the Hudson.
The loss of Ticonderoga was one for which the Uni ted States were not prepared, and which was severely felt through all the colonies. Neither the strength of the invading army, nor the weakness of the garrison, appears to have been understood. It was universally believed, that the whole force of Canada did not amount to 6000 men ; and, therefore, no adequate measures had been taken, in order to enable St Clair and the troops under his command, to resist such an army as advanced against them. Of the indistinct information which had been transmitted to him, and its fatal consequences, Washington complains in a letter, addressed at this time to general Schuyler; but, while he laments the successes of the British, and the misfortunes of his countrymen, he hopes for better days, and inculcates the necessity of more active exertions. "The evacua
tion of Ticonderoga and Mount Independence," says he, "is an event of chagrin and surprise; not apprehended, nor within the compass of my reasoning. This stroke is severe indeed, and has distressed us much. But, not withstanding things at presetu wear a dark and gloomy aspect, I hope a spirited opposition will check the pro gress of general Burgoyne's arms; and that the confi dence derived from success, will hurry him into mea sures that will, in their consequences, be favourable to us. We should never despair. Our situation has be fore been unpromising, and has changed for the better: so, I trust, it will again. If new difficulties arise, we must only put forth new exertions; and proportion our efforts to the exigency of the times." It soon appeared, that the hopes of the American general were not entertained without a reasonable foun dation. Burgoyne, elated with his success, and hitherto uninstructed by adverse fortune, proceeded with great ostentation of zeal and activity to finish the campaign. Alter waiting at Skeensborough for the arrival of tents and provisions, and spending a long time in clearing the ground, in order to facilitate the passage of his troops, he reached Fort Edward, about the end of July. In the interval afforded by this delay, general Schuyler recruit ed the shattered battalions of the Americans, and, uni ting the parties which were stationed in different quar ters, convinced the British that much was still to be done. The eoyal army now suffered greatly from the want of provisions. They had attempted to seize the magazines at Bennington ; but the detachments under colonels Baum and Breyman, who were employed for that purpose, were utterly defeated by general Starke, to whom the defence of the place was entrusted. The expedition on the Mohawk river, undertaken by colonel St Leger, had likewise failed. Notwithstanding these misfortunes, however, Burgoyne, fatally for the cause in which he was engaged, continued to advance; and hav ing collected with great care and indefatigable exertion, provisions for thirty days, he encamped on the heights and plains of Saratoga; resolved to decide by one vigor ous effort the fortune of the campaign. On the 17th of September, the English army was only four miles dis tant from that of the provincials, commanded by general Gates. This officer, leaving his camp in the islands, had been joined by all the troops destined for the northern provinces; and, marching towards Stillwater with the utmost despatch, sheaved no inclination to avoid an en gagement. Accordingly, when the British appeared, without waiting for the assault, he attacked their centre, while Arnold, who commanded on the left of the pro vincials, made bead against the right of the enemy ; a fierce encounter then ensued ; and had not the artillery arrived during the hottest of the action, and checked the Americans, the discipline of the British must have yielded to the valour and impetuosity of the colonial troops. In this battle, the royalists lost only 300 men, while 1500 of their antagonists were either killed or wounded ; yet the English generals were astonished at the resolution which the Americans had displayed, and began to anticipate, with sorrow, the final issue of their exertions.