Feeling was bitter in
England over the ghastly failure of Burgoyne, and he had gone
home on parole to defend himself from his seat in the House of
Commons. There Howe had a seat and he, too, had need to be on
hand. Lord George Germain had censured him for his course and, to
shield himself; was clearly resolved to make scapegoats of
others. So, on May 18, 1778, at Philadelphia there was a farewell
to Howe, which took the form of a Mischianza, something
approaching the medieval tournament. Knights broke lances in
honor of fair ladies, there were arches and flowers and fancy
costumes, and high-flown Latin and French, all in praise of the
departing Howe. Obviously the garrison of Philadelphia had much
time on its hands and could count upon, at least, some cheers
from a friendly population. It is remembered still, with
moralizings on the turns in human fortune, that Major Andre and
Miss Margaret Shippen were the leaders in that gay scene, the
one, in the days to come, to be hanged by Washington as a spy,
because entrapped in the treason of Benedict Arnold, who became
the husband of the other.
On May 24, 1778, Sir Henry Clinton took over from Howe the
command of the British army in America and confronted a difficult
problem.
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