in hand, and manoeuvred so skilfully that the British were employed
for two weeks in getting over the twenty-six miles to Philadelphia.

[Sidenote: Battle of Germantown, Oct. 4, 1777.]

Before Howe had reached that city, Congress had moved away to York in
Pennsylvania. When he had taken Philadelphia, he found that he could
not stay there without taking the forts on the Delaware river which
prevented the British ships from coming up; for by land Washington could
cut off his supplies, and he could only be sure of them by water. So
Howe detached part of his army to reduce these forts, leaving the rest
of it at Germantown, six miles from Philadelphia. On the 4th of October,
Washington attacked the force at Germantown in such a position that
defeat would have quite destroyed it. The attempt failed at the critical
moment because of a dense fog in which one American brigade fired into
another and caused a brief panic. The forts on the Delaware were
captured after hard fighting, and Washington went into winter quarters
at Valley Forge.

The result of the summer's work was that, because Howe had made several
mistakes and Washington had taken the utmost advantage of every one of
them, the whole British plan was spoiled. Howe had used up the whole
season in getting to Philadelphia, and Washington's activity had also
kept Sir Henry Clinton's attention so much occupied with what was going
on about the Delaware river as to prevent him from sending aid to the
northward until it was too late. Sir Henry was once actually obliged to
send reinforcements to Howe.

Thus Burgoyne was left to himself. He supposed that Howe was coming up
the Hudson river to meet him, and so on September 13 he crossed the
river and advanced to attack Gates's army, which was occupying a strong
position at Bemis Heights, between Stillwater and Saratoga. It was a
desperate move. While Burgoyne was making it, Lincoln's men cut his
communications with Ticonderoga, so that his only hope lay in help from
below; and such help never came. In this extremity he was obliged to
fight on ground chosen by the Americans, because he must either fight or
starve.

[Sidenote: Burgoyne is defeated by Arnold, and surrenders his army,
Oct. 17, 1777.]

Under these circumstances Burgoyne fought two battles with consummate
gallantry. The first was on September 19, the second on October 7. In
each battle the Americans were led by Arnold and Morgan, and Gates
deserves