s long silky hair. A search was made, and the body of the poor
girl was found lying near a spring, pierced with three bullet-wounds.
The Indian's story, that she was accidentally killed by a volley from
the American soldiers, may well enough have been true. It is also known
that she was betrothed to David Jones, a lieutenant in Burgoyne's army,
and, as her own home was in New Jersey, her visit to Mrs. McNeil may
very likely have been part of a plan for meeting her lover. These facts
were soon woven into a story, in which Jenny was said to have been
murdered while on her way to her wedding, escorted by a party of Indians
whom her imprudent lover had sent to take charge of her.

[Sidenote: Battle of Bennington, Aug. 16, 1777.]

The people of the neighbouring counties, in New York and Massachusetts,
enraged at the death of Miss McCrea and alarmed for the safety of their
own firesides, began rising in arms. Sturdy recruits began marching to
join Schuyler at Stillwater and Lincoln at Manchester in the Green
Mountains. Meanwhile Burgoyne had made up his mind to attack the village
of Bennington, which was Lincoln's centre of supplies. By seizing these
supplies, he could get for himself what he stood sorely in need of,
while at the same time the loss would cripple Lincoln and perhaps oblige
him to retire from the scene. Accordingly 1000 Germans were sent out,
in two detachments under colonels Baum and Breymann, to capture the
village. But instead they were captured themselves. Baum was first
outmanoeuvred, surrounded, and forced to surrender by John Stark,
after a hot fight, in which Baum was mortally wounded. Then Breymann was
put to flight and his troops dispersed by Seth Warner. Of the whole
German force, 207 were killed or wounded, and at least 700 captured. Not
more than 70 got back to the British camp. The American loss in killed
and wounded was 56.

This brilliant victory at Bennington had important consequences. It
checked Burgoyne's advance until he could get his supplies, and it
decided that Lincoln's militia could get in his rear and cut off his
communications with Ticonderoga. It furthermore inspired the Americans
with the exulting hope that Burgoyne's whole army could be surrounded
and forced to surrender.

[Sidenote: St. Leger in the Mohawk valley.]

If, however, the British had been successful in gaining the Mohawk
valley and ensuring the supremacy over that region for the Tories, the
fate of Burgoyn