Valley Forge Read Online Free PDF Page B

lightning audacity in combat when required. Proudfoot had seen firsthand evidence of it in two battles and regardedhis companion as superior in every way to Gates. Soldiers merely obeyed the latter. George Washington had earned their respect.
    Beside the elegant commander in chief, Ezekiel Proudfoot looked decidedly unkempt. He was a lean, lanky, bearded man in his thirties with a pockmarked face and long, straggly brown hair. Years of working as a silversmith had rounded his shoulders and given him a tendency to squint. Washington had received only a written report of the victory at Saratoga. Proudfoot's sketches had enabled him to understand more fully what had actually happened.
    "Earlier on," said Proudfoot, "you mentioned a fatal mistake. May I know who made it?"
    "General Burgoyne."
    "Then it's not the only one."
    "Quite so, Ezekiel. Errors on the battlefield cost the lives of his soldiers. This mistake may deprive the survivors of their liberty."
    "I thought that they were being sent back to England."
    "General Gates should never have made such a promise."
    "Nevertheless, it's enshrined in the terms of the convention."
    "They should have been articles of surrender," said Washington. "When a beaten army is surrounded by a force almost four times its size, it is no time to be generous. It is certainly not the moment to make the kinds of concessions that General Gates felt obliged to give."
    "He showed magnanimity in victory," said Proudfoot.
    "Be that as it may, Congress was very unhappy with the terms that were offered to the British. Thanks to this letter," he went on, patting his pocket, "we may not have to abide by them."
    "Why not?"
    "General Burgoyne has been too intemperate. Before he put pen to paper, he should have chosen his words with more care."
    "Oh?"
    "The letter was addressed to General Gates, who dispatched it to Congress. They, in turn, sent me this copy, and they place the same construction upon it as I do."
    "In what way?"
    "Imprisonment clearly irks General Burgoyne. He became so exasperated that he accused General Gates of failing to abide by the terms of the convention.That being the case—and here I quote his exact words—'the public faith is broke.' Do you see what that means?" asked Washington, eyes glinting beneath his prominent brows. "In five words, he has repudiated the document."
    "He does not intend to fulfil his commitments?"
    "Apparently not, Ezekiel."
    "But he is famed for being a man of honor."
    "And rightly so. I have the greatest admiration for him. But he is now trying to threaten us. Read between the lines of his letter and you can see his purpose. He will use our alleged failure to comply with the terms agreed in order to rejoin the conflict. In short," said Washington, "when the transports arrive, he will order the convoy to take his army back to General Clinton in New York. We could never permit that."
    "How can you avoid it?" said Proudfoot.
    "By keeping the redcoats in captivity."
    "In Cambridge?"
    "We'll move them south in due course."
    "So the convention will be torn to pieces?"
    "General Burgoyne started the process," Washington argued. "As part of the agreement, all cartridge boxes were to be handed over by the British, but several went mysteriously missing. There's also the question of regimental colors. Instead of being surrendered, they've been held back somehow."
    "Smuggled away, most probably."
    "General Gates should have insisted on taking them."
    "How will he feel if the terms that he drew up are revoked?"
    "That's neither here nor there, Ezekiel."
    "Oh, I fancy that he'll have a strong opinion on the matter."
    "General Gates will do as Congress dictates," said Washington with a dismissive flick of his hand. "The point is that we now have grounds to act entirely as we wish. Since Burgoyne has no faith in the treaty, then we need have none. A fatal mistake on the part of the British."
    "A very costly one, too," Proudfoot noted. "An army of over four thousand