ber,
quickly put his men in fighting order. The battle was quick and sharp.
Colonel Rall fell mortally wounded; and the main body of his troops,
attempting to retreat, were captured. Some British light horse and
infantry escaped, but all the Hessians, their standards, cannon and
small-arms, fell into the hands of the Americans. The victory gave new
vigor to the friends of independence, depressed the Tories, and
astonished the British, who had looked upon the war as virtually over.
General Howe was afraid to march upon Philadelphia, lest Washington
should cut off his supplies, and for five months longer the invaders
remained in the vicinity of New York. The patriots were further
encouraged by the arrival in April, 1777, of the Marquis de Lafayette, of
General Kalb, known as Baron de Kalb, and other foreign military officers
of real merit and sincere devotion to the American cause. These offered
their services to the Congress, and received commissions in the
Continental army.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Sir John Burgoyne's Campaign--His Bombastic Proclamation--The Tragic
Story of Jane McCrea--Her Name a Rallying Cry--Washington Prevents Rowe
from Aiding Burgoyne--The Battle of Brandywine--Burgoyne Routed at
Saratoga--He Surrenders with All His Army--Articles of Confederation
Submitted to the Several States--Effect of the Surrender of Burgoyne
--Franklin the Washington of Diplomacy--Attitude of France--France
Concludes to Assist the United States--Treaties of Commerce and Alliance
--King George Prepares for War with France--The Winter at Valley Forge
--Conspiracy to Depose Washington Defeated--General Howe Superseded
by Sir Henry Clinton--The Battle of Monmouth--General Charles Lee's
Treachery--Awful Massacre of Settlers in the Wyoming Valley--General
Sullivan Defeats the Six Nations--Brilliant Campaign of George Rogers
Clark--Failure of the Attempt to Drive the British from Rhode Island.

The disastrous campaign of General Sir John Burgoyne in the summer of
1777, against northern New York, was the turning point of the war. The
object of the invasion was to seize the Hudson River, and divide the
colonies by a continuous British line from Canada to the city of New
York. Had the plan succeeded it would have been an almost fatal blow to
the cause of independence. Its failure was not due to the courage or
skill of any one American commander, but to the indomitable resolution
with which every step of the invading army was resis