General Gates, who commanded the Americans, moved his army so
as to entirely inclose the British, and the latter, on the night of
October 8, retired to Saratoga, being obliged to leave all their sick
and wounded in the hospital. These were treated with the greatest
kindness by the Americans. An attempt was now made to retreat to Fort
George or Fort Edward, but the Americans had taken up positions on each
road and fortified them with cannon.
Only about thirty-five hundred fighting men now remained, of whom but
one-half were British, and scarcely eight days' provisions were left.
The enemy, four times superior in point of numbers, held every line of
retreat and eluded every attempt of the British to force them to a
general engagement.
The position was hopeless, and on October 13 a council of war was held
and it was determined to open negotiations for a surrender. Two days
were spent in negotiations, and it was finally agreed that the army
should lay down its arms and that it should be marched to Boston, and
there allowed to sail for England on condition of not serving again in
North America during the contest. The Canadians were to be allowed to
return at once to their own country. On the 16th the army laid down its
arms. It consisted of thirty-five hundred fighting men and six hundred
sick and nearly two thousand boatmen, teamsters, and other
non-effectives.
Never did a general behave with greater incompetence than that
manifested by General Burgoyne from the day of his leaving Ticonderoga,
and the disaster which befell his army was entirely the result of
mismanagement, procrastination, and faulty generalship.
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