washington and his comrades in arms-第15章

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　a　people　specially　incensed　against　the　use　of　these　mercenaries。　There　was　no　surprise。　Many　professing　loyalists；　seemingly　eager　to　take　the　oath　of　allegiance；　met　and　delayed　Baum。　When　near　Bennington　he　found　in　front　of　him　a　force　barring　the　way　and　had　to　make　a　carefully　guarded　camp　for　the　night。　Then　five　hundred　men；　some　of　them　the　cheerful　takers　of　the　oath　of　allegiance；　slipped　round　to　his　rear　and　in　the　morning　he　was　attacked　from　front　and　rear。

A　hot　fight　followed　which　resulted　in　the　complete　defeat　of　the　British。　Baum　was　mortally　wounded。　Some　of　his　men　escaped　into　the　woods；　the　rest　were　killed　or　captured。　Nor　was　this　all。　Burgoyne；　scenting　danger；　had　ordered　five　hundred　more　Germans　to　reinforce　Baum。　They；　too；　were　attacked　and　overwhelmed。　In　all　Burgoyne　lost　some　eight　hundred　men　and　four　guns。　The　American　loss　was　seventy。　It　shows　the　spirit　of　the　time　that；　for　the　sport　of　the　soldiers；　British　prisoners　were　tied　together　in　pairs　and　driven　by　negroes　at　the　tail　of　horses。　An　American　soldier　described　long　after；　with　regret　for　his　own　cruelty；　how　he　had　taken　a　British　prisoner　who　had　had　his　left　eye　shot　out　and　mounted　him　on　a　horse　also　without　the　left　eye；　in　derision　at　the　captive's　misfortune。　The　British　complained　that　quarter　was　refused　in　the　fight。　For　days　tired　stragglers；　after　long　wandering　in　the　woods；　drifted　into　Burgoyne's　camp。　This　was　now　near　Saratoga；　a　name　destined　to　be　ominous　in　the　history　of　the　British　army。

Further　misfortune　now　crowded　upon　Burgoyne。　The　general　of　that　day　had　two　favorite　forms　of　attack。　One　was　to　hold　the　enemy's　front　and　throw　out　a　column　to　march　round　the　flank　and　attack　his　rear；　the　method　of　Howe　at　the　Brandywine；　the　other　method　was　to　advance　on　the　enemy　by　lines　converging　at　a　common　center。　This　form　of　attack　had　proved　most　successful　eighteen　years　earlier　when　the　British　had　finally　secured　Canada　by　bringing　together；　at　Montreal；　three　armies；　one　from　the　east；　one　from　the　west；　and　one　from　the　south。　Now　there　was　a　similar　plan　of　bringing　together　three　British　forces　at　or　near　Albany；　on　the　Hudson。　Of　Clinton；　at　New　York；　and　Burgoyne　we　know。　The　third　force　was　under　General　St。　Leger。　With　some　seventeen　hundred　men；　fully　half　of　whom　were　Indians；　he　had　gone　up　the　St。　Lawrence　from　Montreal　and　was　advancing　from　Oswego　on　Lake　Ontario　to　attack　Fort　Stanwix　at　the　end　of　the　road　from　the　Great　Lakes　to　the　Mohawk　River。　After　taking　that　stronghold　he　intended　to　go　down　the　river　valley　to　meet　Burgoyne　near　Albany。

On　the　3d　of　August　St。　Leger　was　before　Fort　Stanwix　garrisoned　by　some　seven　hundred　Americans。　With　him　were　two　men　deemed　potent　in　that　scene。　One　of　these　was　Sir　John　Johnson　who　had　recently　inherited　the　vast　estate　in　the　neighborhood　of　his　father；　the　great　Indian　Superintendent；　Sir　William　Johnson；　and　was　now　in　command　of　a　regiment　recruited　from　Loyalists；　many　of　them　fierce　and　embittered　because　of　the　seizure　of　their　property。　The　other　leader　was　a　famous　chief　of　the　Mohawks；　Thayendanegea；　or；　to　give　him　his　English　name；　Joseph　Brant；　half　savage　still；　but　also　half　civilized　and　half　educated；　because　he　had　had　a　careful　schooling　and　for　a　brief　day　had　been　courted　by　London　fashion。　He　exerted　a　formidable　influence　with　his　own　people。　The　Indians　were　not；　however；　all　on　one　side。　Half　of　the　six　tribes　of　the　Iroquois　were　either　neutral　or　in　sympathy　with　the　Americans。　Among　the　savages；　as　among　the　civilized；　the　war　was　a　family　quarrel；　in　which　brother　fought　brother。　Most　of　the　Indians　on　the　American　side　preserved；　indeed；　an　outward　neutrality。　There　was　no　hostile　population　for　them　to　plunder　and　the　Indian　usually　had　no　stomach　for　any　other　kind　of　warfare。　The　allies　of　the　British；　on　the　other　hand；　had　plenty　of　openings　to　their　taste　and　they　brought　on　the　British　cause　an　enduring　discredit。

When　St。　Leger　was　before　Fort　Stanwix　he　heard　that　a　force　of　eight　hundred　men；　led　by　a　German　settler　named　Herkimer；　was　coming　up　against　him。　When　it　was　at　Oriskany；　about　six　miles　away；　St。　Leger　laid　a　trap。　He　sent　Brant　with　some　hundreds　of　Indians　and　a　few　soldiers　to　be　concealed　in　a　marshy　ravine　which　Herkimer　must　cross。　When　the　American　force　was　hemmed　in　by　trees　and　marsh　on　the　narrow　causeway　of　logs　running　across　the　ravine　the　Indians　attacked　with　wild　yells　and　murderous　fire。　Then　followed　a　bloody　hand　to　hand　fight。　Tradition　has　been　busy　with　its　horrors。　Men　struggled　in　slime　and　blood　and　shouted　curses　and　defiance。　Improbable　stories　are　told　of　pairs　of　skeletons　found　afterwards　in　the　bog　each　with　a　bony　hand　which　had　driven　a　knife　to　the　heart　of　the　other。　In　the　end　the　British；　met　by　resolution　so　fierce；　drew　back。　Meanwhile　a　sortie　from　the　American　fort　on　their　rear　had　a　menacing　success。　Sir　John　Johnson's　camp　was　taken　and　sacked。　The　two　sides　were　at　last　glad　to　separate；　after　the　most　bloody　struggle　in　the　whole　war。　St。　Leger's　Indians　had　had　more　than　enough。　About　a　hundred　had　been　killed　and　the　rest　were　in　a　state　of　mutiny。　Soon　it　was　known　that　Benedict　Arnold；　with　a　considerable　force；　was　pushing　up　the　Mohawk　Valley　to　relieve　the　American　fort。　Arnold　knew　how　to　deal　with　savages。　He　took　care　that　his　friendly　Indians　should　come　into　contact　with　those　of　Brant　and　tell　lurid　tales　of　utter　disaster　to　Burgoyne　and　of　a　great　avenging　army　on　the　march　to　attack　St。　Leger。　The　result　was　that　St。　Leger's　Indians　broke　out　in　riot　and　maddened　themselves　with　stolen　rum。　Disorder　affected　even　the　soldiers。　The　only　thing　for　St。　Leger　to　do　was　to　get　away。　He　abandoned　his　guns　and　stores　and；　harassed　now　by　his　former　Indian　allies；　made　his　way　to　Oswego　and　in　the　end　reached　Montreal　with　a　remnant　of　his　force。

News　of　these　things　came　to　Burgoyne　just　after　the　disaster　at　Bennington。　Since　Fort　Stanwix　was　in　a　country　counted　upon　as　Loyalist　at　heart　it　was　especially　discouraging　again　to　find　that　in　the　main　the　population　was　against　the　British。　During　the　war　almost　without　exception　Loyalist　opinion　proved　weak　against　the　fierce　determination　of　the　American　side。　It　was　partly　a　matter　of　organization。　The　vigilance　committees　in　each　State　made　life　well…nigh　intolerable　to　suspected　Tories。　Above　all；　however；　the　British　had　to　bear　the　odium　which　attaches　always　to　the　invader。　We　do　not　know　what　an　American　army　would　have　done　if；　with　Iroquois　savages　as　allies；　it　had　made　war　in　an　English　county。　We　know　what　loathing　a　parallel　situation　aroused　against　the　British　army　in　America。　The　Indians；　it　should　be　noted；　were　not　soldiers　under　British　discipline　but　allies；　the　chiefs　regarded　themselves　as　equals　who　must　be　consulted　and　not　as　enlisted　to　take　orders　from　a　British　general。

In　war；　as　in　politics；　nice　balancing　of　merit　or　defect　in　an　enemy　would　destroy　the　main　purpose　which　is　to　defeat　him。　Each　side　exaggerates　any　weak　point　in　the　other　in　order　to　stimulate　the　fighting　passions。　Judgment　is　distorted。　The　Baroness　Riedesel；　the　wife　of　one　of　Burgoyne's　generals；　who　was　in　Boston　in　1777；　says　that　the　people　were　all　dressed　alike　in　a　peasant　costume　with　a　leather　strap　round　the　waist；　that　they　were　of　very　low　and　insignificant　stature；　and　that　only　one　in　ten　of　them　could　read　or　write。　She　pictures　New　Englanders　as　tarring　and　feathering　cultivated　English　ladies。　When　educated　people　believed　every　evil　of　the　enemy　the　ignorant　had　no　restraint　to　their　credulity。　New　England　had　long　regarded　the　native　savages　as　a　pest。　In　1776　New　Hampshire　offered　seventy　pounds　for　each　scalp　of　a　hostile　male　Indian　and　thirty…seven　pounds　and　ten　shillings　for　each　scalp　of　a　woman　or　of　a　child　under　twelve　years　of　age。　Now　it　was　reported　that　the　British　were　offering　bounties　for　American　scalps。　Benjamin　Franklin　satirized　British　ignorance　when　he　described　whales　leaping　Niagara　Falls　and　he　did　not　expect　to　be　taken　seriously　when；　at　a　later　date；　he　pictured　George　III　as　gloating　over　the　scalps　of　his　subjects　in　America。　The　Seneca　Indians　alone；　wrote　Franklin；　sent　to　the　King　many　bales　of　scalps。　Some　bales　were　captured　by　the　Americans　and　they　found　the　scalps　of　43　soldiers；　297　farmers；　some　of　them　burned　alive；　and　67　old　people；　88　women；　193　boys；　211　girls；　29　infants；　and　others　unclassified。　Exact　figures　bring　conviction。　Franklin　was　not　wanting　in　exactness　nor　did　he　fail；　albeit　it　was　unwittingly；　to　intensify　burning　resentment　of　which　we　have　echoes　still。　Burgoyne　had　to　bear　the　odium　of　the　outrages　by　Indians。　It　is　amusing　to　us；　though　it　was　hardly　so　to　this　kindly　man；　to　find　these　words　put　into　his　mouth　by　a　colonial　poet：

　I　will　let　loose　the　dogs　of　Hell；　Ten　thousand　Indians　who　shall　yell；　And　foam；　and　tear；　and　grin；　and　roar　And　drench　their　moccasins　in　gore：。　。　。　I　swear；　by　St。　George　and　St。　Paul；　I　will　exterminate　you　all。

Such　seed；　falling　on　soil　prepared　by　the　hate　of　war；　brought　forth　its　deadly　fruit。　The　Americans　believed　that　there　was　no　brutality　from　which　British　officers　would　shrink。　Burgoyne　had　told　his　Indian　allies　that　they　must　not　kill　except　in　actual　fighting　and　that　there　must　be　no　slaughter　of　non…combatants　and　no　scalping　of　any　but　the　dead。　The　warning　delivered　him　into　the　hands　of　his　enemies　for　it　showed　that　he　half　expected　outrage。　Members　of　the　British　House　of　Commons　were　no　whit　behind　the　Americans　in　attacking　him。　Burke　amused　the　House　by　his　satire　on　Burgoyne's　words：　〃My　gentle　lions；　my　humane　bears；　my　tenderhearted　hyenas；　go　forth！　But　I　exhort　you；　as　you　are　Christians　and　members　of　civilized　society；　to　take　care　not　to　hurt　any　man；　woman；　or　child。〃　Burke's　great　speech　lasted　for　three　and　a　half　hours　and　Sir　George　Savile　called　it　〃the　greatest　triumph　of　eloquence　within　memory。〃　British　officers　disliked　their　dirty；　greasy；　noisy　allies　and　Burgoyne　found　his　use　of　savages；　with　the　futile　order　to　be　merciful；　a　potent　factor　in　his　defeat。

A　horrifying　incident　had　occurred　while　he　was　fighting　his　way　to　the　Hudson。　As　the　Americans　were　preparing　to　leave　Fort　Edward　some　marauding　Indians　saw　a　chance　of　plunder　and　outrage。　They　burst　into　a　house　and　carried　off　two　ladies；　both　of　them　British　in　sympathyMrs。　McNeil；　a　cousin　of　one　of　Burgoyne's　chief　officers；　General　Fraser；　and　Miss　Jeannie　McCrae；　whose　betrothed；　a　Mr。　Jones；　and　whose　brother　were　serving　with　Burgoyne。　In　a　short　time　Mrs。　McNeil　was　handed　over　unhurt　to　Burgoyne's　advancing　army。　Miss　McCrae　was　never　again　seen　alive　by　her　friends。　Her　body　was　found　and　a　Wyandot　chief；　known　as　the　Panther；　showed　her　scalp　as　a　trophy。　Burgoyne　would　have　been　a　poor　creature　had　he　not　shown　anger　at　such　a　crime；　even　if　committed　against　the　enemy。　This　crime；　however；　was　committed　against　his　own　friends。　He　pressed　the　charge　against　the　chief　and　was　prepared　to　hang　him　and　only　relaxed　when　it　was　urged　that　the　execution　would　cause　all　his　Indians　to　leave　him　and　to　commit　further　outrages。　The　incident　was　appeali