General John Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a
British army officer,
politician and
dramatist. He first saw action during the
Seven Years' War when he participated in several battles, mostly notably during the
Portugal Campaign of 1762.
During the
American War of Independence, on 17 October, 1777, during the the
Saratoga campaign he surrendered his
army of 6,000 men to the American troops.
Early biography
John Burgoyne was born in
Sutton, Bedfordshire location of the
Burgoyne Baronets family home Sutton Manor. He attended the prestigious
Westminster School, as did many British army officers of the time. In 1740 he purchased a commission in the
13th Light Dragoons, a fashionable cavalry regiment, and soon acquired the nickname "Gentleman Johnny". He became well known for his stylish
uniforms and general high living which saw him run up large
debts. He was promoted to
Lieutenant in 1741.
In 1743 Burgoyne
eloped with Lady Charlotte Stanley, the daughter of
Lord Derby, one of Britain's leading politicians, after which he lived abroad for seven years. By Lord Derby's intervention, in an act of forgiveness, Burgoyne was then reinstated at the outbreak of the
Seven Years' War (known to English speakers in
North America as the
French and Indian War), and in 1758 he became captain and lieutenant-colonel in the
Coldstream Guards.
After the death of his wife in 1776, Burgoyne had four children by his mistress
Susan Caulfield; one was Field Marshal
John Fox Burgoyne, father of
Hugh Talbot Burgoyne,
VC.
Seven Years War
In 1758 he participated in several expeditions made against the
French coast, including the
Raid on Cherbourg. During this period he was instrumental in introducing
light cavalry into the
British Army. The two regiments then formed were commanded by George Eliott (afterwards
Lord Heathfield) and Burgoyne. This was a revolutionary step, and Burgoyne was a pioneer in the early development of British light cavalry. Burgoyne admired independent thought amongst common soldiers, and encouraged his men to use their own initiative, in stark contrast to the established system employed at the time by the British army.
In 1761, he sat in parliament for
Midhurst, and in the following year he served as a
Brigadier-general in
Portugal, winning particular distinction by his capture of
Valencia de Alcántara and of
Vila Velha de Ródão following the
Battle of Valencia de Alcántara, playing a major part in repulsing a large
Spanish force bent on invading Portugal.
In 1768, he became a member of Parliament for
Preston, and for the next few years he occupied himself chiefly with his parliamentary duties, in which he was remarkable for his general outspokenness and, in particular, for his attacks on
Lord Clive, who was at the time considered the nation's leading soldier. He achieved prominence in 1772 by demanding an investigation of the
East India Company alleging widespread corruption by its officials. At the same time, he devoted much attention to art and drama (his first play,
The Maid of the Oaks, was produced by
David Garrick in 1775).
Early American War of Independence
In the army he had become a major-general. On the outbreak of the
American War of Independence, he was appointed to a command, and arrived in
Boston in May 1775, a few weeks after the first shots of the war had been fired at
Lexington and Concord. He participated as part of the garrison during the
Siege of Boston, although he did not see action at the
Battle of Bunker Hill, in which the British forces were led by
William Howe and
Henry Clinton. Frustrated by the lack of opportunities, he returned to England long before the rest of the garrison, which evacuated the city in March 1776.
In 1776, he was at the head of the British reinforcements that sailed up the
Saint Lawrence River and relieved
Quebec City, which was under siege by the
Continental Army. He led forces under General
Guy Carleton in the drive that chased the Continental Army from the
province of Quebec. Carleton then led the British forces onto
Lake Champlain, but was, in Burgoyne's opinion, insufficiently bold when he failed to attempt the capture of
Fort Ticonderoga after winning the naval
Battle of Valcour Island in October.
Saratoga Campaign
Burgoyne's march on Albany June-October 1777.
The following year, having convinced King
George III and his government of Carleton's faults, Burgoyne was given command of the British forces charged with gaining control of Lake Champlain and the
Hudson River valley. The plan, largely of his own creation, was for Burgoyne and his force to cross
Lake Champlain from Quebec and capture Ticonderoga before advancing on
Albany, New York, where they would rendezvous with another British army under General Howe coming north from
New York City, and a smaller force that would come down the
Mohawk River valley under
Barry St. Leger. This would divide
New England from the southern colonies, and, it was believed, make it easier to end the rebellion.
From the beginning Burgoyne was vastly overconfident. Leading what he believed was an overwhelming force, he saw the campaign largely as a stroll that would make him a national hero who had saved the rebel colonies for the crown. Before leaving London he had wagered a friend ten pounds that he would return victorious within a year. He refused to heed more cautious voices, both
British and
American, that suggested a successful campaign using the route he proposed was impossible, as the failed attempt the previous year had shown.
Underlining the plan was the belief that Burgoyne's aggressive thrust from Quebec would be aided by the movements of two other large British forces under
General Howe and
Sir Henry Clinton who would support the advance. However,
Lord Germain's orders dispatched from London were not clear on this point, with the effect that Howe took no action to support Burgoyne, and Clinton moved from New York too late and in too little strength to be any great help to Burgoyne.
As a result of this miscommunication, Burgoyne ended up conducting the campaign largely single-handedly. Even though he was not aware of this yet, he was still reasonably confident of success. Having amassed an army of over 7,000 troops in Quebec, Burgoyne was also led to believe by reports that he could rely on the support of large numbers of
Native Americans and
American Loyalists who would rally to the flag once the British came south. Even if the countryside was not as pro-British as expected, much of the area between
Lake Champlain and
Albany was underpopulated anyway, and Burgoyne was skeptical any major enemy force could gather there.
The campaign was initially successful. Burgoyne gained possession of the vital outposts of
Fort Ticonderoga (for which he was made a lieutenant-general) and
Fort Edward, but, pushing on, was detached from his communications with Quebec, and eventually hemmed in by a superior force, led by
Horatio Gates. Several attempts to break through the enemy lines were repulsed at
Saratoga in September and October 1777. On 17 October 1777, Burgoyne surrendered his entire army, numbering 5,800. This was the greatest victory the colonists had yet gained, and it proved to be the turning point in the war.
Convention Army
Rather than an outright
unconditional surrender, Burgoyne had agreed to a
Convention that involved his men surrendering their weapons, and returning to
Europe with a pledge not to return to
North America. Burgoyne had been most insistent on this point, even suggesting he would try to fight his way back to Quebec if it was not agreed. Soon afterwards the
Continental Congress, urged by
George Washington, repudiated the treaty and imprisoned the remnants of the army in
Massachusetts and
Virginia, where they were sometimes maltreated. This was widely seen as revenge for the poor British treatment of Continental prisoners.
Following Saratoga, the indignation in Britain against Burgoyne was great. He returned at once, with the leave of the American general, to defend his conduct and demanded but never obtained a trial. He was deprived of his regiment and a governorship which he held. Following the defeat,
France recognised the
United States and entered the war on 6 February 1778, transforming it into a global conflict.
While Burgoyne at the time was widely held to blame for the defeat, over the years responsibility for the disaster at
Saratoga shifted to Lord Germain, the
Secretary of State for the Colonies. Germain had overseen the overall strategy for the campaign and had significantly neglected to order General Howe to support Burgoyne's invasion, instead leaving him to believe that he was free to launch his own attack on
Philadelphia.
Later life
Burgoyne's London home in later life
In 1782, however, when his political friends came into office, he was restored to his rank, given a colonelcy and made commander-in-chief in
Ireland and a
privy councillor. After the fall of the
Rockingham government in 1783, Burgoyne withdrew more and more into private life. His last public service was his participation in the impeachment of
Warren Hastings. Burgoyne is buried in
Westminster Abbey, in the North Walk of the Cloisters, where he was a student as a child and where he spent the remaining years of his life.
Dramatist
In his time Burgoyne was a notable
playwright, writing a number of popular plays. The most notable were
The Maid of the Oaks and
The Heiress. Had it not been for his role in the American War of Independence, Burgoyne would most likely be foremost remembered today as a
dramatist.
Popular culture
- Burgoyne appears in the historical novel Jack Absolute by Chris Humphreys set during the Saratoga campaign, and in its prequel The Blooding of Jack Absolute and sequel Absolute Honour.
- Burgoyne (and supposed mystical events leading to his capture) was the subject of the January 28, 1975 CBS Radio Mystery Theater play "Windandingo".
Bibliography
- Burgoyne, John, , London 1808. Facsimile ed., 2 vols. in 1, 1977, Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints, ISBN 9780820112855.
