in the
Revolution.]

BURGOYNE'S INVASION

It had become plain to the British that if they could get control of the
Hudson River, thus cutting off New England from the other States, they
could so weaken the Americans as to make their defeat easy. So they
adopted this plan: Burgoyne with nearly eight thousand men was to march
from Canada, by way of Lake Champlain and Fort Edward, to Albany, where he
was to meet a small force of British, who also were to come from Canada by
way of the Mohawk Valley. The main army of eighteen thousand men, under
General Howe, was expected to sail up the Hudson from New York. They
believed that this plan could be easily carried out and would soon bring
the war to a close.

And their plan might have succeeded if General Howe had done his part. Let
us see what happened.

Howe thought that before going up the river to meet and help Burgoyne, he
would just march across New Jersey and capture Philadelphia. This,
however, was not so easy as he had expected it to be. Washington's army
was in his pathway, and, not caring to fight his way across, he returned
to New York and tried another route, sailing with his army to Chesapeake
Bay. The voyage took two months, much longer than he expected.

When at length he landed and advanced toward Philadelphia, he was again
thwarted. Washington's army grimly fronted him at Brandywine Creek, and a
battle had to be fought. The Americans were defeated, it is true, but
Washington handled his army with such skill that it took Howe two weeks to
reach Philadelphia, which was only twenty-six miles away from the field of
battle.

Howe was thus kept busy by Washington until it was too late for him to
send help to Burgoyne.

Moreover, Burgoyne was disappointed also in the help which he had expected
from the Mohawk Valley, for the army which was to come from that direction
had been forced to retreat to Canada almost before reaching the valley at
all.

[Illustration: General Burgoyne Surrendering to General Gates.]

Burgoyne was now in a hard place. The Americans were in front of him,
blocking his way, and also behind him, preventing him from retreating or
from getting powder and other greatly needed supplies from Canada. He
could move in neither direction.

Thus left in the lurch by those from whom he expected aid and penned in by
the Americans, there was nothing for him to do but fight or give up.

Like a good soldier, he fought, and the result was two ba