lled the end but not the means. The king and Germain interfered too
much with the plans of operations. To direct a war from the other side
of the Atlantic in days when letters between the secretary at war and
the commander-in-chief seem often to have been nearly two months on
their way, was to court failure.

At the outset of the war the enemy was unduly despised both by ministers
at home and soldiers in the field. As the British general in command at
Belmont is said to have rejected a proposal for turning the Boers'
position, declaring that he would "put the fear of God into them," so
Howe at Bunker hill delivered a frontal attack on the enemy's
entrenchments which cost him over 1,000 men. Then he went to the
opposite extreme of over-caution. It is needless to recapitulate the
occasions on which either from over-caution or supineness he allowed
great opportunities to slip, as notably on Long Island. He, indeed, in a
greater degree than any one else is responsible for the British failure
to bring the war to an end. Every month improved the fighting qualities
of the Americans, under the judicious handling of Washington, and at
last France and the other enemies of England saw that they might take
them seriously and might turn the war to their own profit.[134]

FOOTNOTES:

[112] Johnston, _Campaign of 1776_, p. 125.

[113] Mr. Johnston contends that the American casualties were about
1,000 (_op. cit._, pp. 202-6); they were probably about double that
number (Fortescue, _History of the British Army_, iii., 185).

[114] Howe, _Narrative of Conduct_, pp. 4-5.

[115] Johnston, _Campaign of 1776_, Documents, p. 117.

[116] Carleton to Douglas, Oct. 14, 1776, Add. MS. 21,699 (Haldimand
Papers), ff. 52-53.

[117] _Examination of Joseph Galloway_, p. 14.

[118] Washington, _Works_, iv., 203, 223, 231.

[119] _State Trials_, xx., 1365.

[120] _Parl. Hist._, xix., 103-86.

[121] Germain to Carleton, March 26, 1777, Add. MS. 21,697, f. 158; for
Carleton's reply (May 20) and Germain's rejoinder (July 25) see _Report
on Canadian Archives_ for 1885, pp. 132-37.

[122] _Hist. MSS. Comm._, _App. to Report_, vi. (Strachey Papers), p.
402.

[123] Jones, _History of New York_, i., 193, 219.

[124] Washington, _Works_, v., 193 _sqq._, 239; _Galloway's Evidence_,
pp. 21, 29.

[125] Stedman, i., 309-11, 317.

[126] Lieut. Hadden, _Journal and Orderly Books_, p. 153.

[127] Howe to Germain, Jan. 20; Germain to Howe, May 18