1775] SIR WILLIAM HOWE. 381 CHAPTER VI. The three generals appointed to the command were sir William Howe, generals Clinton and Burgoyne; they all had a good military reputation, and it is fair to suppose, that it was for this cause they were nominated, although members of parliament. At the same time they possessed great interest, and it may be presumed that court favour was not entirely absent in their selection. Sir William Howe, the fifth son of the second viscount, was born about 1729. His brother, the admiral, was then fourth in descent. Howe himself eventually became the fifth viscount. He was in the prime of life, forty-seven years of age, and at this time was member for Nottingham. He had entered the army young; at the attack of Louisbourg he was colonel of the 58th. He was present at Quebec in command of the light infantry; he served in the campaign against Belleisle, and in 1762 was adjutant-general in the expedition against Havanna. He became major-general in May, 1772. Howe therefore had been reared in the best school of soldiering; and there was reasonable expectation, that when placed in prominence, his career would be distinguished, and would not disappoint expectation. But he broke down from the fault, through which so many amiable and able men fail in life, self-indulgence. The fourteen years of peace had transformed him into a fine gentleman of the day. His manners were most pleasing, his courage unimpeachable. At intervals he could shew energy and ability; his judgment was, however, more than questionable: his nature was frivolous, and in circumstances which required caution and constancy of purpose, he was guilty of carelessness and neglect. He was, as Napoleon described one of his generals, by far too laisser aller in the enjoyment of life, and had always an excellent cook, and generally a mistress, was a gambler, and fond of play. He was kindly in his nature, and desired to see everybody about him enjoy himself; he was accessible to all who wished to meet him, and his frank manners exercised an irresistible charm over his subalterns. When at New York he greatly impressed the Hessians by his courtesy and affability. * He was extremely popular with the officers and men, both in the British and German ranks. His faults were even regarded as those of a chivalrous gentleman. In danger he was impassible. Munchhausen relates in his journal that, for an hour, under the heaviest fire, Howe remained riding from spot to spot perfectly composed, and, at the same time, expresses his surprise that they were not all destroyed. † One cannon ball came so close as to cover the party with mud and dirt. Munchhausen's horse being shot under him, in a few hours Howe presented him with an English charger. Whatever the discredit attached to the generalship of the British leaders, want of courage cannot in the slightest degree be included in their shortcomings. ‡ General, afterwards sir Henry Clinton, was the only son of * One officer wrote of Howe: "Gen. Howe ist mehr werth als eine Armee.' +"Das wir nicht alle Fünfe zermalmt worden sind." Von Eelking, p. 101. The following is the German estimate of Howe's character, written ninety years after these events: "Er war bei einem vornehmen Anstande freundlicher und zuvorkommender gegen Jedermann, besass aber auch die Energie und Thätigkeit nicht wie Jener; er zeigte sogar bei den wichtigsten Dingen zuweilen eine Leichtfertigkeit und Lässigkeit, die in seiner Stellung unverzeihlich zu nennen war. So wie der altere Bruder nüchtern und enthaltsam war, zeigte Sir William eine grosse Vorliebe zu sinnlichen Freuden und Genüssen aller Art, worüber er nicht selten seine hohen Pflichten als Feldherr vergass. Er führte stets eine gute Küche, gewöhnlich auch eine Maitresse bei sich und sah es gerne, wenn auch Andere sich des Lebens freuten. Auch war er Einflüssen Anderer leicht zugänglich, denen er sein Vertrauen nicht selten etwas übereilt schenkte ; er liess sich daher leicht von Personen leiten oder bestimmen, die er in Betreff ihrer Fähigkeiten weit übersah. Diese Schwächen rechnete man ihm in damaliger Zeit bei seinen sonstigen guten Eigenschaften nicht so hoch an, als man heutigen Tags thun würde; sie galten bei Vielen sogar als chevaleresk. Daher kam es auch, dass Sir William von den Officieren und Soldaten beider Nationalitäten geliebt und geachtet wurde, wie selten ein Feldherr." Die deutchen Hülfstruppen im nordamerikanischen Befreiungskriege, 1776 bis 1783. Max von Eelking. Hanover, 1863, I., p. 29. 1775] GENERAL CLINTON. 383 Seven admiral Clinton, the second son of the sixth earl of Lincoln. The father had been governor of Newfoundland from 1732 to 1741 and afterwards governor of New York to 1748. The date of Clinton's birth is unknown. At the time of his proceeding to America he was under forty. He commenced his military life in the New York militia as captain-lieutenant. In 1751 he became a lieutenant in the Coldstreams. years later he was captain and lieutenant-colonel in the Grenadiers. He accompanied his regiment to Germany, and from his gallantry was appointed aide-de-camp to prince Ferdinand of Brunswick. His career in Germany was in every way distinguished. He was rapidly promoted to a colonelcy, and was appointed to the command of the 12th regiment. In 1772 he became major-general. Shortly afterwards he was elected for Borough Bridge: in 1774 he had been returned for Newark through the interest of his cousin, the second duke of Newcastle. Clinton's antecedents consequently entitled him to the position he obtained, for he had a good military record. Moreover he was an excellent linguist. Owing to his speaking German readily, his knowledge of German manners, and his kindly genial nature, he was as much beloved by the German troops as by the regular army." The name of the third general John Burgoyne, is one not likely to be unknown even to the superficial reader of history; for by the surrender of his force on the Hudson in 1777, he gave the impetus to the colonial cause, which retrieved it from ruin, and his defeat may be described as laying the foundation for the ultimate attainment of American independence. As this memorable campaign was organized from Canada, it will be my duty to give a narrative of it in extenso. * "Clinton, der nun das Obercommando übernommen hatte war einer der tüchtigsten und thätigsten Generale, dabei ein gefälliger, humaner Mann. Namentlich war er bei den Deutschen sehr beliebt, da er ihre Sprache und Sitte kannte. Clinton war nämlich im siebenjährigen Kriege mit einem englischen Corps aus England nach Deutschland herübergekommen, und hatte fast den ganzen Krieg bei der allürten Armee mit durchgefochten. Der Herzog Ferdinand hatte den intelligenten Officier, damals Capitain, als einen seiner Adjutanten angenommen. Hier hatte er die beste Schule gehabt, und das, was er hier lernte, späterhin wohl zu benutzen gewusst." Von Eelking, II., p. 8. Burgoyne had been returned for Preston in 1768 by the allpowerful influence of the Derby family, a place which he continued to represent to his death. Born in 1722, at this date Burgoyne was fifty-five. He was the younger son of captain, afterwards sir John Burgoyne, a member of a family of respectability. His father had begun life in the army, and was one of those reckless men of that time, who spent all they could lay their hands upon, and as a consequence passed no little of his time in prison for debt. He was so unknown in la haute société, that Horace Walpole was even unacquainted with his name. Burgoyne's mother was Anna Burnestone, represented to have been the possessor of a fortune, and a great beauty. The latter can well be believed, for Burgoyne was singularly handsome, as the portrait, after a picture by Ramsay, taken when he visited Rome, thoroughly establishes. The father brought to grief the wife's fortune and her beauty, for she is spoken of as being in some form la bonne amie of lord Bingley. Such was the openly written scandal of the times. Mrs. Burgoyne, however, was as the French say a femme couverte, and it was a family business. Lord Bingley was certainly Burgoyne's god-father, furthered his fortunes through life, and left him a handsome legacy. We have a letter from the sister of lady Charlotte Burgoyne (a Stanley) telling us that lady Bingley was jealous of " poor Mrs. Burgoyne," and so raised these disagreeable stories. Whatever the facts, Burgoyne's family was, in the sense of social rank, highly respectable. At Westminster, where he was educated, he became acquainted with lord Strange, son of the eleventh earl of Derby, who, dying before his father, never succeeded to the title, but his son became the twelfth earl. Burgoyne entered the army, and at twenty-two was captain in the 13th light dragoons. A year previously, he had run away with lady Charlotte Stanley, lord Strange's sister. As he found he could not live as he thought he should do, he left the service in 1747, and retired to France, where he picked up that imperfect knowledge of French, which passed with his 1775] GENERAL BURGOYNE. 385 contemporaries as being so admirable. Burgoyne never had any doubts of his own excellence in this respect, for he parades his letters in his "State of the expedition" as above all criticism. It is by no means a rare occurrence at this day, to meet this insensibility to a want of knowledge of idiom and style, which certainly does not arise from excessive modesty of character. When the war broke out, Burgoyne's interest enabled him to regain re-admission into the army as junior captain in the 11th light dragoons. There have been few more dashing cavalry officers; his good looks, his youth. his courage, his vanity, the unhappy element of his character, made him a model of a sabreur. He served at the attack on Cherbourg, and at Saint Malo. On his return to England he was promoted to be captain and lieutenant-colonel in the Coldstreams, and afterwards placed in command of the 16th dragoons, then lately raised, known as Burgoyne's light horse. He brought this regiment to the highest point of 'efficiency, and the cavalry memoirs written by him remain worthy of attention. He was present at the attack on Belleisle, and in 1762 accompanied the force to Portugal, and served under the celebrated count La Lippe. Burgoyne behaved admirably, and at Valentia, on the 27th of August, his conduct was the theme of special praise, and made the text of a report to lord Bute, then first minister. He received a present of a diamond ring from the king of Portugal. Burgoyne was promoted to a colonelcy, and he returned to England, having gained great éclat in the campaign. At this date he was member for Midhurst, and took his seat in the house. now possessed a high reputation in social life. His pen was always facile, and his vers de société, which do not now-a-days perfectly repay reading, gained him admirers. He wrote prologues for amateur theatricals, and, later in life, several plays. He lived a great deal in theatrical circles, and was a member of clubs where high play at faro was the habit. Junius hints at his being guilty of cheating, but the accusation was unfounded. Burgoyne doubtless played high at times, it is 2A He |