" Burke's great speech
lasted for three and a half hours and Sir George Savile called it
"the greatest triumph of eloquence within memory." British
officers disliked their dirty, greasy, noisy allies and Burgoyne
found his use of savages, with the futile order to be merciful, a
potent factor in his defeat.
A horrifying incident had occurred while he was fighting his way
to the Hudson. As the Americans were preparing to leave Fort
Edward some marauding Indians saw a chance of plunder and
outrage. They burst into a house and carried off two ladies, both
of them British in sympathy--Mrs. McNeil, a cousin of one of
Burgoyne's chief officers, General Fraser, and Miss Jeannie
McCrae, whose betrothed, a Mr. Jones, and whose brother were
serving with Burgoyne. In a short time Mrs. McNeil was handed
over unhurt to Burgoyne's advancing army. Miss McCrae was never
again seen alive by her friends. Her body was found and a Wyandot
chief, known as the Panther, showed her scalp as a trophy.
Burgoyne would have been a poor creature had he not shown anger
at such a crime, even if committed against the enemy. This crime,
however, was committed against his own friends. He pressed the
charge against the chief and was prepared to hang him and only
relaxed when it was urged that the execution would cause all his
Indians to leave him and to commit further outrages.
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