e　had　married　the　daughter　of　the　powerful　Earl　of　Derby　and　was　well　known　in　London　society　as　a　man　of　fashion　and　also　as　a　man　of　letters；　whose　plays　had　a　certain　vogue。　His　will；　in　which　he　describes　himself　as　a　humble　Christian；　who；　in　spite　of　many　faults；　had　never　forgotten　God；　shows　that　he　was　serious　minded。　He　sat　in　the　House　of　Commons　for　Preston　and；　though　he　used　the　language　of　a　courtier　and　spoke　of　himself　as　lying　at　the　King's　feet　to　await　his　commands；　he　was　a　Whig；　the　friend　of　Fox　and　others　whom　the　King　regarded　as　his　enemies。　One　of　his　plays　describes　the　difficulties　of　getting　the　English　to　join　the　army　of　George　III。　We　have　the　smartly　dressed　recruit　as　a　decoy　to　suggest　an　easy　life　in　the　army。　Victory　and　glory　are　so　certain　that　a　tailor　stands　with　his　feet　on　the　neck　of　the　King　of　France。　The　decks　of　captured　ships　swim　with　punch　and　are　clotted　with　gold　dust；　and　happy　soldiers　play　with　diamonds　as　if　they　were　marbles。　The　senators　of　England；　says　Burgoyne；　care　chiefly　to　make　sure　of　good　game　laws　for　their　own　pleasure。　The　worthless　son　of　one　of　them；　who　sets　out　on　the　long　drive　to　his　father's　seat　in　the　country；　spends　an　hour　in　〃yawning；　picking　his　teeth　and　damning　his　journey〃　and　when　once　on　the　way　drives　with　such　fury　that　the　route　is　marked　by　〃yelping　dogs；　broken…backed　pigs　and　dismembered　geese。〃
  It　was　under　this　playwright　and　satirist；　who　had　some　skill　as　a　soldier；　that　the　British　cause　now　received　a　blow　from　which　it　never　recovered。　Burgoyne　had　taken　part　in　driving　the　Americans　from　Canada　in　1776　and　had　spent　the　following　winter　in　England　using　his　influence　to　secure　an　independent　command。　To　his　later　undoing　he　succeeded。　It　was　he；　and　not；　as　had　been　expected；　General　Carleton；　who　was　appointed　to　lead　the　expedition　of　1777　from　Canada　to　the　Hudson。　Burgoyne　was　given　instructions　so　rigid　as　to　be　an　insult　to　his　intelligence。　He　was　to　do　one　thing　and　only　one　thing；　to　press　forward　to　the　Hudson　and　meet　Howe。　At　the　same　time　Lord　George　Germain；　the　minister　responsible；　failed　to　instruct　Howe　to　advance　up　the　Hudson　to　meet　Burgoyne。　Burgoyne　had　a　genuine　belief　in　the　wisdom　of　this　strategy　but　he　had　no　power　to　vary　it；　to　meet　changing　circumstances；　and　this　was　one　chief　factor　in　his　failure。
  Behold　Burgoyne　then；　on　the　17th　of　June；　embarking　on　Lake　Champlain　the　army　which；　ever　since　his　arrival　in　Canada　on　the　6th　of　May；　he　had　been　preparing　for　this　advance。　He　had　rather　more　than　seven　thousand　men；　of　whom　nearly　one…half　were　Germans　under　the　competent　General　Riedesel。　In　the　force　of　Burgoyne　we　find　the　ominous　presence　of　some　hundreds　of　Indian　allies。　They　had　been　attached　to　one　side　or　the　other　in　every　war　fought　in　those　regions　during　the　previous　one　hundred　and　fifty　years。　In　the　war　which　ended　in　1763　Montcalm　had　used　them　and　so　had　his　opponent　Amherst。　The　regiments　from　the　New　England　and　other　colonies　had　fought　in　alliance　with　the　painted　and　befeathered　savages　and　had　made　no　protest。　Now　either　times　had　changed；　or　there　was　something　in　a　civil　war　which　made　the　use　of　savages　seem　hideous。　One　thing　is　certain。　Amherst　had　held　his　savages　in　stern　restraint　and　could　say　proudly　that　they　had　not　committed　a　single　outrage。　Burgoyne　was　not　so　happy。
  In　nearly　every　war　the　professional　soldier　shows　distrust；　if　not　contempt；　for　civilian　levies。　Burgoyne　had　been　in　America　before　the　day　of　Bunker　Hill　and　knew　a　great　deal　about　the　country。　He　thought　the　〃insurgents〃　good　enough　fighters　when　protected　by　trees　and　stones　and　swampy　ground。　But　he　thought；　too；　that　they　had　no　real　knowledge　of　the　science　of　war　and　could　not　fight　a　pitched　battle。　He　himself　had　not　shown　the　prevision　required　by　sound　military　knowledge。　If　the　British　were　going　to　abandon　the　advantage　of　sea　power　and　fight　where　they　could　not　fall　back　on　their　fleet；　they　needed　to　pay　special　attention　to　land　transport。　This　Burgoyne　had　not　done。　It　was　only　a　little　more　than　a　week　before　he　reached　Lake　Champlain　that　he　asked　Carleton　to　provide　the　four　hundred　horses　and　five　hundred　carts　which　he　still　needed　and　which　were　not　easily　secured　in　a　sparsely　settled　country。　Burgoyne　lingered　for　three　days　at　Crown　Point；　half　way　down　the　lake。　Then；　on　the　2d　of　July；　he　laid　siege　to　Fort　Ticonderoga。　Once　past　this　fort；　guarding　the　route　to　Lake　George；　he　could　easily　reach　the　Hudson。
  In　command　at　Fort　Ticonderoga　was　General　St。　Clair；　with　about　thirty…five　hundred　men。　He　had　long　notice　of　the　siege；　for　the　expedition　of　Burgoyne　had　been　the　open　talk　of　Montreal　and　the　surrounding　country　during　many　months。　He　had　built　Fort　Independence；　on　the　east　shore　of　Lake　Champlain；　and　with　a　great　expenditure　of　labor　had　sunk　twenty…two　piers　across　the　lake　and　stretched　in　front　of　them　a　boom　to　protect　the　two　forts。　But　he　had　neglected　to　defend　Sugar　Hill　in　front　of　Fort　Ticonderoga；　and　commanding　the　American　works。　It　took　only　three　or　four　days　for　the　British　to　drag　cannon　to　the　top；　erect　a　battery　and　prepare　to　open　fire。　On　the　5th　of　July；　St。　Clair　had　to　face　a　bitter　necessity。　He　abandoned　the　untenable　forts　and　retired　southward　to　Fort　Edward　by　way　of　the　difficult　Green　Mountains。　The　British　took　one　hundred　and　twenty…eight　guns。
  These　successes　led　the　British　to　think　that　within　a　few　days　they　would　be　in　Albany。　We　have　an　amusing　picture　of　the　effect　on　George　III　of　the　fall　of　Fort　Ticonderoga。　The　place　had　been　much　discussed。　It　had　been　the　first　British　fort　to　fall　to　the　Americans　when　the　Revolution　began；　and　Carleton's　failure　to　take　it　in　the　autumn　of　1776　had　been　the　cause　of　acute　heartburning　in　London。　Now；　when　the　news　of　its　fall　reached　England；　George　III　burst　into　the　Queen's　room　with　the　glad　cry；　〃I　have　beat　them；　I　have　beat　the　Americans。〃　Washington's　depression　was　not　as　great　as　the　King's　elation；　he　had　a　better　sense　of　values；　but　he　had　intended　that　the　fort　should　hold　Burgoyne；　and　its　fall　was　a　disastrous　blow。　The　Americans　showed　skill　and　good　soldierly　quality　in　the　retreat　from　Ticonderoga；　and　Burgoyne　in　following　and　harassing　them　was　led　into　hard　fighting　in　the　woods。　The　easier　route　by　way　of　Lake　George　was　open　but　Burgoyne　hoped　to　destroy　his　enemy　by　direct　pursuit　through　the　forest。　It　took　him　twenty　days　to　hew　his　way　twenty　miles；　to　the　upper　waters　of　the　Hudson　near　Fort　Edward。　When　there　on　the　30th　of　July　he　had　communications　open　from　the　Hudson　to　the　St。　Lawrence。
  Fortune　seemed　to　smile　on　Burgoyne。　He　had　taken　many　guns　and　he　had　proved　the　fighting　quality　of　his　men。　But　his　cheerful　elation　had；　in　truth；　no　sound　basis。　Never　during　the　two　and　a　half　months　of　bitter　struggle　which　followed　was　he　able　to　advance　more　than　twenty…five　miles　from　Fort　Edward。　The　moment　he　needed　transport　by　land　he　found　himself　almost　helpless。　Sometimes　his　men　were　without　food　and　equipment　because　he　had　not　the　horses　and　carts　to　bring　supplies　from　the　head　of　water　at　Fort　Anne　or　Fort　George；　a　score　of　miles　away。　Sometimes　he　had　no　food　to　transport。　He　was　dependent　on　his　communications　for　every　form　of　supplies。　Even　hay　had　to　be　brought　from　Canada；　since；　in　the　forest　country；　there　was　little　food　for　his　horses。　The　perennial　problem　for　the　British　in　all　operations　was　this　one　of　food。　The　inland　regions　were　too　sparsely　populated　to　make　it　possible　for　more　than　a　few　soldiers　to　live　on　local　supplies。　The　wheat　for　the　bread　of　the　British　soldier；　his　beef　and　his　pork；　even　the　oats　for　his　horse；　came；　for　the　most　part；　from　England；　at　vast　expense　for　transport；　which　made　fortunes　for　contractors。　It　is　said　that　the　cost　of　a　pound　of　salted　meat　delivered　to　Burgoyne　on　the　Hudson　was　thirty　shillings。　Burgoyne　had　been　told　that　the　inhabitants　needed　only　protection　to　make　them　openly　loyal　and　had　counted　on　them　for　supplies。　He　found　instead　the　great　mass　of　the　people　hostile　and　he　doubted　the　sincerity　even　of　those　who　professed　their　loyalty。
  After　Burgoyne　had　been　a　month　at　Fort　Edward　he　was　face　to　face　with　starvation。　If　he　advanced　he　lengthened　his　line　to　flank　attack。　As　it　was　he　had　difficulty　in　holding　it　against　New　Englanders；　the　most　resolute　of　all　his　foes；　eager　to　assert　by　hard　fighting；　if　need　be；　their　right　to　hold　the　invaded　territory　which　was　claimed　also　by　New　York。　Burgoyne's　instructions　forbade　him　to　turn　aside　and　strike　them　a　heavy　blow。　He　must　go　on　to　meet　Howe　who　was　not　there　to　be　met。　A　being　who　could　see　the　movements　of　men　as　we　watch　a　game　of　chess；　might　think　that　madness　had　seized　the　British　leaders；　Burgoyne　on　the　upper　Hudson　plunging　forward　resolutely　to　meet　Howe；　Howe　at　sea　sailing　away；　as　it　might　well　seem；　to　get　as　far　from　Burgoyne　as　he　could；　Clinton　in　command　at　New　York　without　instructions；　puzzled　what　to　do　and　not　hearing　from　his　leader；　Howe；　for　six　weeks　at　a　time；　and　across　the　sea　a　complacent　minister；　Germain；　who　believed　that　he　knew　what　to　do　in　a　scene　three　th