ldiers and the most distinguished
officers, from ten thousand combatants to less than one-half that
number. Of this remnant little more than three thousand were English.

"In these circumstances, and thus weakened, they were invested by an
army of four times their own numbers whose position extended three parts
of a circle round them, who refused to fight them, as knowing their
weakness, and who, from the nature of the ground, could not be attacked
in any part. In this helpless condition, obliged to be constantly under
arms, while the enemy's cannon played on every part of their camp, and
even the American rifle-balls whistled in many parts of the lines, the
troops of Burgoyne retained their customary firmness, and, while sinking
under a hard necessity, they showed themselves worthy of a better fate.
They could not be reproached with an action or a word which betrayed a
want of temper or of fortitude."

At length October 13th arrived, and as no prospect of assistance
appeared, and the provisions were nearly exhausted, Burgoyne, by the
unanimous advice of a council of war, sent a messenger to the American
camp to treat of a convention.

General Gates in the first instance demanded that the royal army should
surrender prisoners of war. He also proposed that the British should
ground their arms. Burgoyne replied:

"This article is inadmissible in every extremity; sooner than this army
will consent to ground their arms in their encampment they will rush on
the enemy, determined to take no quarter."

After various messages, a convention for the surrender of the army was
settled, which provided that "the troops under General Burgoyne were to
march out of their camp with the honors of war, and the artillery of the
intrenchments, to the verge of the river, where the arms and artillery
were to be left. The arms to be piled by word of command from their own
officers. A free passage was to be granted to the army under
Lieutenant-General Burgoyne to Great Britain, under condition of not
serving again in North America during the present contest."

The articles of capitulation were settled on October 15th, and on that
very evening a messenger arrived from Clinton with an account of his
successes, and with the tidings that part of his force had penetrated as
far as Esopus, within fifty miles of Burgoyne's camp. But it was too
late. The public faith was pledged; and the army was indeed too
debilitated by fatigue and hunger to res