Ar

vigour and obftinacy with which it was fuftained, from three o'clock in the afternoon till after funfet. nold led on the enemy, and fought danger with an eagernefs, and intrepedity which though much in his character was at no time more eminently diftinguished. The enemy were, however, continually fupplied with fresh troops, whilft the weight of the action lay principally for a long time upon the 20th, the 21t, and 62d regiments. It will be needlefs to fay, that they behaved with their ufual firmnefs aud gallantry, though it may not be totolly fuperfluous to observe, that the greater part of these three regiments, were engaged for near four hours without intermiffion.

Most of the other corps of the army, bore also good fhare in the business of the day. The 24th regiment, which belonged to Frazer's brigade, with the grenadiers and a part of the light infantry, were for fome time brought into action, and charged with their ufual spirit and bravery. Breyman's riflemen and fome other parts of his corps, alfo did good fervice; but thefe troops only acted partially and occafionally, as the heights on which they had been originally poft→ ed, were of two great importance to be totally evacu ated.

Major-General Philips upon first hearing the firing made his way with Major Williams and a part of the artillery through a very difficult part of the, wood, and from that time rendered moft eflential service.It feems as if in one inftance his prefence of mind had nearly faved the army, when, in the moft critical point of time, he restored the action by leading up the 20th regiment, the enemy having then a great fuperiority of fire. Though every part of the artillery performed almost wonders, the brave Captain Jones U u

(who

(who was unfortunately, though gloriously, killed) with his brigade, were particularly diftinguished.Major-General Reidefel also exerted himself to bring up a part of the left wing, and arrived in time to charge the enemy with bravery and effect. Just as the light clofed, the enemy retired; and left the royal army masters of the field of battle. The darknefs equally prevented purfuit and prifoners.

Upon the whole the royal army gained nothing but honour by this arduous struggle and hard-fought battle. They had now grappled with fuch an enemy as they had never before encountred in America; and fuch as they were too apt to imagine it could not produce. The flattering ideas that the Americans could only fight under the covert of walls, hedges, or entrenchments, and were incapable of sustaining a fair and open conflict in the field were now at an end.-This opinion had also been in fome measure fhaken in the fouth. Here they met with a foe who feemed as eager for action, as carelefs of danger, and as indifferent with refpect to ground or cover as themfelves ;~~ and after a hard and clofe conteft of four hours, hand to hand, when darkness put an end to the engagement, the royal forces but barely kept the field, and the Americans only returned to the camp.

We lost many brave men in this action, and it was not much matter of comfort that the Americans had loft a great number. The army lay all night on their arms in the field of battle, and in the morning took a pofition nearly within cannon fhot of the enemy's camp, fortifying their right wing, and extending their left fo as to cover thofe meadows through which the river runs, and where their batteaux and hofpitals were placed. The 47th regiment, with that of Heffe

Hanau,

Hanau, and a corps of provincials, were encamped in the meadows as an additional fecurity. The enemy's right was incapable, of approach, and their left was too ftrongly fortified to be infulted.

The zeal and alacrity of the Indians began from this time to facken.Though the General complains in his dispatches of the ill effects of their defertion, he does not fpecify the particular time of their abandoning the army. This clofe and dangerous fervice was by no means fuited to their difpofition, and the profpect of plunder was narrowed to nothing. Fidelity and honour were principles for which they had no terms, and of which they could frame no ideas. Some letters had lately paffed between Gates and General Burgoyne, in which bitter reproaches relative to the barbarities committed by the favages were thrown out by the one, and those charges were in general denied, and in part palliated by the other. -The favages likewife received fome check on account of the murder of Mifs M-Crea,Upon fome or all of these accounts, they deferted the army in the feafon of its danger and diftrefs, when their aid would have been moft particularly useful, and afforded a fecond inftance within a fhort time, of the little reliance that could be placed on fuch auxiaries.

A great desertion alfo prevailed amongst the Canadians and British provincials, nor does it feem as if the fidelity or fervices of thofe who remained, were much depended on or efteemed. General Burgoyne had from the beginning, nor did it entirely forfake him at this time, a firm hope of being powerfully fuccoured if wanted, or at any rate of being met and joined at Albany by a frong force from the army at

New

New York. He now received with great difficulty a letter in cypher from Sir Harry Clinton, informing him of his intention to make a diverfion on the North River, by attacking the Fort Montgomery, and fome other fortreffes which the rebels had erected in the Highlands, in order to guard the paffage up that river to Albany. Though this diverfion fell far fhort of the aid which the General expected, he however hoped that it might afford effential fervice by obliging Gates to divide his army. He accordingly returued the meffenger, and afterwards difpatched two officers in difguife, and other confidential perfons, all feparately and by different routes, to acquaint Clinton with his exact state, fituation, and condition; to prefs him urgently to the immediate profecution of his defign; and to inform him that he was enabled in point of provifion, and fixed in his determination, to hold his prefent pofition, in the hope of favourable events, until the 12th of the following month.

In the mean time every means were used for fortifying the camp, and ftrong redoubts were erected for the protection of the magazines and hofpitals, not only to guard against any fudden attacks, but for their fecarity in any future movement which the army might make in order to turn the enemy's flank. The ftrictest watch on the motions of the enemy, and attention on every quarter to their own fecurity, became every day more indifpenfible, as Gates's army was continually increasing in force by the acceffion of fresh bodies of the militia.

The spirit of exertion and enterprize which was now raised in the New England provinces, was become too general, and too much animated by fuccefs, to be easily withstood at once in all the different points

of

of its direction. Whilft General Burgoyne was ful ly engaged with Gates and Arnold, and found himfelf immediately involved in circumftauces fufficiently perplexing, all his difficulties were increased, and hîş fituation was rendered much more critical and preca. rious, by an unexpected enterprize of the militia from the other parts of New Hampshire and the head of the Connecticut, totally to cut of all means of communication with Canada, by recovering the forts of Ticonderago and Mount Independence, and becoming again mafters, at leaft, of Lake George.

The expedition was under the direction of Gene. ral, Lincoln, and the immediate execution was committed to the Colonels Brown, Johnfton, and Woodbury, with detachments of about 500 men each. They conducted their operations with fuch fecrecy and addrefs, that they effectually furprized all the outposts between the landing place at the north end of Lake George, and the body of the fortrefs of Ticonderago. Mount Defiance, Mount Hope, the French lines, and a block-house, with 200 batteaux, an armed floop, and feveral gun boats, were almost instantly. taken. Four companies of foot, with nearly an equal number of Canadians, and many of the officers and crews of the veffels were made prifoners; whilft they afforded liberty for a number of their own people, who were confined in fome of the works they had taken, and after repeated fummons to Brigadier Powel who commanded, and who gallantly rejected all their propofals, they for four days made reiterated attacks upon the works at Ticonderago, and Mount Independence ; until finding they were repulfed in every affault, and totally unequal to the fervice, they at length abandoned the defign.