by them.
Madam Carter was as gentle and good as her parents, but her husband was
wicked and treacherous. She came often to visit us, and also dined at
our house with the other generals. We sought to show them by every means
our gratitude. They seemed also to have much friendship for us; and yet
at the same time this miserable Carter, when the English General Howe
had burned many hamlets and small towns, made the horrible proposition
to the Americans to chop off the heads of our generals, salt them down
in small barrels, and send over to the English one of these barrels for
every hamlet or little town burned down. But this barbarous suggestion
fortunately was not adopted.

"... I saw here that nothing is more terrible than a civil war. Almost
every family was disunited.... On the third of June, 1778, I gave a ball
and supper in celebration of the birthday of my husband. I had invited
to it all the generals and officers. The Carters also were there.
General Burgoyne sent an excuse after he had made us wait until eight
o'clock in the evening. He invariably excused himself on various
pretences from coming to see us until his departure for England, when
he came and made me a great many apologies, but to which I made no other
answer than that I should be extremely sorry if he had gone out of his
way on our account. We danced considerably, and our cook prepared us a
magnificent supper of more than eighty covers. Moreover, our courtyard
and garden were illuminated. As the birthday of the King of England came
upon the following day, which was the fourth, it was resolved that we
would not separate until his health had been drank; which was done with
the most hearty attachment to his person and his interests.

"Never, I believe, has 'God Save the King,' been drunk with more
enthusiasm or more genuine good will. Even both my oldest little
daughters were there, having stayed up to see the illumination. All eyes
were full of tears; and it seemed as if every one present was proud to
have the spirit to venture to this in the midst of our enemies. Even the
Carters could not shut their hearts against us. As soon as the company
separated, we perceived that the whole house was surrounded by
Americans, who, having seen so many people go into the house, and having
noticed also the illumination, suspected that we were planning a mutiny,
and if the slightest disturbance had arisen it would have cost us
dear....

"The Americans," says the b