Page 158 - American Stories, A History of the United States

Howe played into Washington’s hands. The British forces were dispersed for the
winter in small garrisons across New Jersey. While the Americans could not possibly 5.1
have defeated the combined British army, they could—with luck—capture an exposed
post. On the night of December 25, Continental soldiers slipped over the ice-filled
Delaware River and at Trenton took 900 sleeping Hessian mercenaries by complete 5.2
surprise. In January, Washington gained another victory, at Princeton. The Patriot
cause revived.
If this victory in the east served to cheer Patriots on, many Americans continued to 5.3
eye their frontiers with trepidation. Many Indian nations, fearing the encroachment of
American settlers, had cast their lots militarily with the British. All along the long fron-
tier, warriors from the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Shawnee, and other nations raided 5.4
American settlements and garrisons from 1776 on. For the Iroquois Confederacy, a
two-century-old alliance of six related nations, the American Revolution became a civil
war as the Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, and Cayuga allied with the British, while the
Tuscarora and Oneida supported the rebel cause. Throughout the war, the move ments Quick Check
of Native American forces would require the diversion of Continental and militia Why did the first year of war go so
troops toward the frontier and away from the war in the East. badly for the Americans?

Victory in a Year of Defeat
In the summer of 1777, General John Burgoyne, a dashing though overbearing officer,
descended from Canada with a force of British regulars, German mercenaries, Cana-
dian and Loyalist militiamen, and Native American warriors—more than 7000 troops
total. They intended to clear the Hudson Valley of rebel resistance; join Howe’s army,
which was to come up to Albany; and cut New England off from the other states. Bur-
goyne fought in a grand style. Accompanied by a German band, 30 carts filled with the
general’s liquor and belongings, and 2000 dependents and camp followers, the British
set out to thrash the Americans. The campaign was a disaster. Military units, mostly
from New England, cut the enemy force apart in the deep woods north of Albany. At
the battle of Bennington (August 16), the New Hampshire militia under John Stark
overwhelmed 1000 German mercenaries. After this setback, Burgoyne’s forces strug-
gled forward, desperately hoping that Howe would rush to their rescue. But when his
situation at Saratoga became hopeless, the haughty Burgoyne was forced to surrender
5800 men to the American General Horatio Gates (October 17).
Instead of moving up the Hudson, Howe had unexpectedly decided to take his
main army from New York City to Philadelphia. What he hoped to achieve was not
clear, even to Britain’s rulers. When Burgoyne called for assistance, Howe was in
Pennsylvania. In late July, Howe’s forces sailed to the head of the Chesapeake Bay and
then marched north to Philadelphia. Washington’s troops obstructed their progress,
first at Brandywine Creek (September 11) and then at Paoli (September 20), but the
outnumbered Americans could not stop the British from entering Philadelphia.
Anxious lest these defeats discourage Congress and the American people,
Washington attempted one last battle before winter. At Germantown (October 4), the
Americans counterattacked on a fog-covered battlefield, but just when success seemed
assured, they broke off the fight. “When every thing gave the most flattering hopes of
victory,” Washington complained, “the troops began suddenly to retreat.” Bad luck,
confusion, and incompetence contributed to the failure. A discouraged Continental Quick Check
Army dug in at Valley Forge, 20 miles outside of Philadelphia, where diseases killed What role did poor British
2500 Americans. Few of the soldiers realized their situation was not nearly as desperate planning play in the American
as it had been in 1776. victory at Saratoga?

The French Alliance

Even before the Americans declared their independence, French agents began to explore
ways to aid the colonists, not because the French monarchy favored the republican cause
but because it hoped to embarrass the British. The French deeply resented their defeat
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