00
men, had already been sent to occupy the high ground east of the
Hudson opposite Saratoga Ford. Other detachments were sent higher up
the river in the direction of Lake George.

Burgoyne saw that nothing was left for him but a prompt and rapid
retreat to Saratoga, yet in this he was delayed by a melancholy duty
of friendship; it was to attend the obsequies of the gallant Fraser,
who, according to his dying request, was to be interred at six o'clock
in the evening, within a redoubt which had been constructed on a hill.
Between sunset and dark, his body was borne to the appointed place by
grenadiers of his division, followed by the generals and their staffs.
The Americans seeing indistinctly what, in the twilight, appeared to
be a movement of troops up the hill and in the redoubt, pointed their
artillery in that direction. General Gates protested afterwards that
had he known what was going on, he would have stopped the fire
immediately.

Preparations had been made to decamp immediately after the funeral,
and at nine o'clock at night the retreat commenced. Large fires had
been lighted, and many tents were left standing to conceal the
movement. It was a dismal retreat. The rain fell in torrents; the
roads were deep and broken, and the horses weak and half-starved from
want of forage. At daybreak there was a halt to refresh the troops and
give time for the bateaux laden with provisions to come abreast. In
three hours the march was resumed, but before long there was another
halt, to guard against an American reconnoitring party which appeared
in sight.

It rained terribly through the residue of the 9th, and in consequence
of repeated halts, they did not reach Saratoga until evening. A
detachment of Americans had arrived there before them, and were
throwing up intrenchments on a commanding height at Fishkill. They
abandoned their work, forded the Hudson, and joined a force under
General Fellows, posted on the hills east of the river. The bridge
over the Fishkill had been destroyed; the artillery could not cross
until the ford was examined. Exhausted by fatigue, the men for the
most part had not strength nor inclination to cut wood nor make fire,
but threw themselves upon the wet ground in their wet clothes, and
slept under the continuing rain.

At daylight on the 10th, the artillery and the last of the troops
passed the fords of the Fishkill, and took a position upon the
heights, and in the redoubts formerly construct