A shadow was falling on the path
of Gates. The term of service of some of his men had expired. The
New Englanders were determined to stay and see the end of
Burgoyne but a good many of the New York troops went off.
Sickness, too, was increasing. Above all General Clinton was
advancing up the Hudson. British ships could come up freely as
far as Albany and in a few days Clinton might make a formidable
advance. Gates, a timid man, was in a hurry. He therefore agreed
that the British should march from their camp with the honors of
war, that the troops should be taken to New England, and from
there to England. They must not serve again in North America
during the war but there was nothing in the terms to prevent
their serving in Europe and relieving British regiments for
service in America. Gates had the courtesy to keep his army where
it could not see the laying down of arms by Burgoyne's force.
About five thousand men, of whom sixteen hundred were Germans and
only three thousand five hundred fit for duty, surrendered to
sixteen thousand Americans. Burgoyne gave offense to German
officers by saying in his report that he might have held out
longer had all his troops been British. This is probably true but
the British met with only a just Nemesis for using soldiers who
had no call of duty to serve.
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