CHAP. XI. 1777. River, in the road to Boston. He was ordered to inform them, that the main body of the British army was in motion for the fame purpofe,* that they were to be joined at Springfield by a detachment from Rhode Island, and that by their irrefiftible power, they meant to bring the rebellious Americans to due fubmiffion, or to fweep the whole country. It is aftonishing that a man of general Burgoyne's understanding and military experience, fhould iffue orders fo abfurd and impracticable. He must have been very little acquainted with the geography of the country, and lefs with the spirit of the inhabitants, to have fuppofed that a detachment of fifteen hundred men, could march from Saratoga till they reached Connecticut River, take poft at a variety of places, levying taxes on the inhabitants, making demands of provifions, cattle, and all other neceffaries for the use of his army, without any refiftance; thence to proceed down the river to Brattleborough, and to return by another road and take post at Albany: and this bufinefs to be completed in the fhort term of a fortnight. Nor did he discover lefs ignorance, if he expected that a detachment was to leave Rhode Island, and march through the country to Springfield on the fame defign, and from thence to meet colonel Baum at Albany. * See general Burgoyne's orders to colonel Baum, Appendix, Note No. I. 1777. It is impoffible to fuppofe, that fo renowned CHAp. xi. à commander as general Burgoyne, could mean to deceive or embarrass his officers, by his orders; but if he flattered himself that they could be executed, he muft ftill have cherished the opinion that he once uttered in the house of commons, that four or five thoufand British troops could march through the continent, and reduce the rebellious ftates to a due fubmiffion to the authority of parliament. In this march, Burgoyne ordered all acting in committees, or in any other capacity under the direction of congrefs, to be made prifoners. These pompous orders and bombaftic threats, were far from fspreading the alarm and panic they were defigned to excite. The adjacent country was immediately in motion, and all feemed animated with the boldeft refolution in defence of the rights of nature, and the peaceable poffeffion of life and property. When colonel Baum had arrived within four miles of Bennington, appearances gave him reason to apprehend, that he was not fufficiently strong to make an attack on the place. He judged it more prudent to take poft on a branch of the river Hoofuck, and by express inform general Burgoyne of his fituation, and the apparent difficulty of executing his orders with only fif teen hundred men. VOL. II. CHAP. XI. 1777. In confequence of this information, an additional party, principally Waldeckers, were fent on under the command of colonel Breyman. But before he could furmount the unavoidable impediments of marching over bad and unfrequented roads, and reach the camp of his friends and his countrymen, a body of militia commanded by general Starks, had preffed forward, attacked, routed, and totally defeated colonel Baum, in the neighbourhood of Bennington. General Starks in his early youth, had been used to the alarm of war: his birthplace was on the borders of New Hampshire, which had been long subject to the incurfions of the favages: when a child he was captured by them, and adopted as one of their own, but after a few years reftored. He led a regiment. to the field in one thousand feven hundred and feventy-five, and diftinguished himself as a foldier. On the new arrangement of the army, he retired as a citizen. His manners were plain, honest, and fevere, excellently calculated for the benefit of fociety in the private walks of life; but as a man of principle, he again left the occupation of the husbandman, when his country was in danger. On Burgoyne's approach, he voluntarily marched to the ftate of Vermont, at the head of the militia, and immortalized his name by his fignal fuccefs at Bennington, in one of the darkest periods of the American war. Bennington, the present scene of action, was the first settlement in the territory of Vermont, which was as recent as the year one thousand feven hundred and fixty-nine. This was made by the poffeffors of the tracts called the New Hampshire Grants, a robuft and hardy set of men, collected from the borders, and under the jurifdiction, of the provinces of New Hampfhire, Maffachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. Rough, bold, and independent, these people, generally denominated the Green Mountain Boys, were brave and active, not only in the prefent conflict, but were eminently useful to their country by their intrepidity and valor, to the conclusion of the American war.* Governor Skeene, a fingular character, who had been a colonel in one of the king's regiments, had obtained a commiffion from the crown, to act as governor at and about Lake Champlain, had assumed a jurisdiction over the Hampshire Grants, and acted as companion and guide to colonel Baum in the expedition. He fled on the first appearance of danger, as did * General Burgoyne obferved in a letter to lord George Germaine, "that the Hampshire Grants, almost unknown "in the laft war, now abound in the most active and most "rebellious race on the continent, and hang like a gath"ering ftorm upon my left." See further particulars of the state of Vermont, Appendix, Note No. II. CHAP. XI. 1777. CHAP. XI. 1777. the loyalifts, the Canadian provincials, and the Indians. Baum was wounded and taken prifoner, and his whole corps captured by this fmall body of American militia. Colonel Breyman, who arrived in the afternoon of the fame day, escaped a fimilar fate only by flight, after a fhort and brave defence, and the lofs of moft of his men. This memorable event would perhaps at any other period, have appeared of lefs moment; but when fo renowned a commander as general Burgoyne, in the zenith of fuccefs and the pride of victory, was threatening with the aid of his favage adherents, to execute all the deeds of horror enjoined by his employers, a repulfe from fo unexpected a quarter, was humiliating indeed: it gave a new turn to the face of the campaign. The fuccefs at Bennington took place on the fixteenth of Auguft, one thousand seven hundred and feventy-feven. On the first rumor of this action through the country, the loyalifts, who in great numbers ftill refided among the oppofers of royal authority, affected every where to caft over it the fhade of ridicule. They alleged that the raw militia of Hampshire, and Starks their commander, muft have been too much. awed by the name and prowefs of general Burgoyne, and his experienced veterans, to attempt any thing of confequence: nor were |