Questions to Focus Inquiry: Oh, Fatal Ambition

The questions below will focus your attention during the video. They will help you understand George Washington's actions and motives during the six months following the signing of the Declaration of Independence. They also focus on other issues that were important at this time.

1. What were the two primary reasons that Benjamin Franklin was sent to France in December 1776?

2. Name several of Franklin's qualities that made him attractive to the French.

3. Why was France in December of 1776 reluctant to provide public support to the United States and enter a treaty of alliance with it?

4. Explain several of the major factors which contributed significantly to the slow progress of Burgoyne's army through northern New York.

5. Before he turned traitor, Benedict Arnold contributed greatly to the defeat of Crown forces in the North. What specific contributions did he make in the defeat of Burgoyne's army?

6. Could Benedict Arnold be labeled an American hero? Why or why not? Justify your arguments with specific evidence.

7. From 1776, the French king and his ministers considered signing an alliance with the United States. How might Burgoyne's surrender have influenced the their decision to form an alliance?

Student Resource 4-B

Context and Overview: Oh, Fatal Ambition

The description below is an overview of the video entitled "Oh, Fatal Ambition". It follows the story in video, but expands the context and focuses of the general moods and attitudes of the men and women involved in these events.

In December 1776, the Declaration of Independence was six months old. Twenty thousand Crown troops occupied New York, most of whom were stationed in or just outside New York City. Thousands more were on their way. The Crown army was ready to move inland to capture Philadelphia, the headquarters of the Continental Congress. Given the easy defeat and near destruction of Washington's army on Long Island, Crown officials and military leaders were certain that the massive army would bring a quick end to the rebellion in early 1777. The idea of the colonies declaring independence was viewed by the vast majority of people in England and by a large portion of the population in the colonies as being folly. These people still believed the colonies were part of the empire and that the troops were being sent to put down an internal rebellion, not fighting a war. In this environment, the Continental Congress sent Benjamin Franklin and others to Paris. The legislators knew they needed an ally, one powerful enough to force Britain to shift her war efforts outside the colonies. Franklin was to use his charm and intelligence to persuade King Louis XVI to declare war on Britain. Franklin knew that he would not be successful until the colonists showed they could stand up on their own and defeat the British. Except for the small successes at Trenton and Princeton, he had only American defeats and retreats.

During his stay in Paris, Franklin often found himself the center of attention. He used his charm, brilliance, cleverness and wit to become a celebrity. Soon French homes had pictures of Franklin and other objects with his name or likeness were everywhere. He symbolized a new way of looking at things. He had the king of France and his people in his hands. He could not find, however, a way to get open French support without a victory on the battlefield.

In June 1777, the Crown forces launched another invasion. This time the plan was to split the New England colonies from New York. One part of the army would move from northern New York southward to Albany. Meanwhile, the other part would move with naval support up the Hudson River. The two armies were supposed to meet near Albany. On the drawing board, the plan should have worked. General William Howe led the north division heading south, and General John Burgoyne, a very ambitious soldier, commanded the troops that headed south. He was a well-known and successful playwright, charming man and highly interested in furthering his military career. He had a very low opinion of the colonists who took up arms against Crown forces. Burgoyne began his march with the expectation he would meet General Howe in Albany within two or three months. His invasion began with numerous small victories. He captured the seemly uncapturable Ft. Ticonderoga without firing a shot. But gradually the colonists increased their efforts to delay his advance. They cut down trees in his way, tore down bridges, and harassed his supply lines. Burgoyne did not expect the route to be covered with dense forests and underbrush. He soon found that the march would not occur as quickly as he had hoped.

Nonetheless, Burgoyne was able to obtain the help of over 400 Indians who favored the British over the colonists. These Indians were the eyes, ears and scouts of his army. They explored the route ahead and brought back information about the colonists. However, their presence in the British army led many colonists to take up arms against this invasion force. The Indians engaged in activities that scared more and more colonists. The British were said to have hired the Indians to massacre defenseless women and children. Their murder of Jane McCrea was used by colonial propagandists throughout the colonies. In a short period of time, the Indians became as much a handicap as a benefit to Burgoyne.

Over the next few weeks, Burgoyne's progress was slow. Neither the British nor Hessian troops had ever faced such harsh conditions. The humidity, thunderstorms, hilly terrain covered with dense growth, and snakes and the insects all were cursed by the army. In addition, it was accompanied by over 2,000 camp followers. These people, the cooks, nurses and wives and children of the soldiers, were traditional parts of a European military campaign. They were along to help the soldiers and keep their spirits up. Yet the camp followers also needed to be fed and sheltered. Their presence significantly added to the problems of supplies. From the beginning of this march, Burgoyne's supply line was almost as long as his army. For several weeks he averaged less than a mile a day. Meanwhile colonists from New York and surrounding colonies marched towards Albany to defend the city. They wanted Burgoyne stopped before he received reinforcements from General Howe. From August into October, Burgoyne felt the effects of fewer and fewer supplies. His men and animals became more desperate. He was hoping for supplies from General Howe coming up from Albany, but he did not know that weeks earlier Howe had abandoned the plan to meet in Albany. Instead, Howe, unaware of Burgoyne's needs, had sailed to capture Philadelphia.

In order to get supplies, Burgoyne sent out Indians and Hessians. The Indians eventually created more problems for him. They murdered Jane McCrea, a white colonist, which scared the entire New England population. The propagandists in all thirteen colonies reported on this murder. The British, they said, ordered the Indians to loot, rape and kill defenseless women and children. Meanwhile, the Hessians ran into a colonist trap. All 700 who were sent out for food for the animals were either killed or captured. Burgoyne sensed that he could not retreat. He did not know that Howe had decided not to met him, and he did not feel he could retreat. He felt he had but one chance: he would move forward quickly and take Albany, less than twenty miles ahead.

On September 19, 1777, Burgoyne, now facing General Horatio Gates's colonial army of over 10,000 men, moved his army into a clearing at Freeman's Farm along the only road to Albany. Gates's men opened fire, many aiming deliberately at the officers, a flagrant breach of military etiquette. Burgoyne retreated. On October 5, he considered his options. He knew that he was outnumbered by Gates's army. But, against the advice of his fellow officers to withdraw across the Hudson River, Burgoyne ordered a march toward Albany. On October 7, another battle near Freeman's Farm was fought. In the battle known as Bemis Heights, Benedict Arnold, known to his men as the most brilliant and fearless general in the Continental army, led a counterattack that forced Burgoyne to retreat. Arnold's presence and performance so inspired his men that he became a hero to the whole Continental army. Unfortunately, in two years he would become a traitor to this same cause and army.

Burgoyne knew his army was almost surrounded and his supplies were gone. He knew he had no hope of being saved by General Howe's army that was supposed to meet him. He decided to surrender. On October 19, 1777, Burgoyne's army surrendered their weapons. The defeat of Burgoyne was just the evidence King Louis XVI and his ministers needed. They now believed that England could be defeated by a two-front war. Within weeks after receiving the news, the French and their Spanish allies declared war on England. At that moment, a second world war began.

Although Burgoyne's ambitions turned out to be a source of his downfall, his surrender gave rise to the fulfillment of the ambition of Benjamin Franklin. He had gone to France to get the French to become the United States of America's first allies. With news of Burgoyne's surrender, Franklin knew that an alliance with France was not far off.

Questions:

1. What is the definition of ambition? Does a context determine the meaning? By some, John Burgoyne was considered an ambitious man. Using your definition above, how was he an ambitious person?

2. In December 1776, the Continental Congress sent Benjamin Franklin to Paris. What was the primary reason why it sent him there?

3. What were at least five problems that prevented Burgoyne from successfully reaching Albany?

4. What is the definition of a hero? Does a context determine what a hero is? During the invasion of Burgoyne, what did Benedict Arnold do that made him a hero?

5. Burgoyne's defeat was very important to the colonists who resisted the Crown. For the colonists, what were at least three important consequences of his surrender?

Student Resource 4-C

Noteworthy Quotations: Oh, Fatal Ambition

This exercise provides quotations illustrative of the various moods and feelings from December 1776 though the defeat of General Burgoyne outside Saratoga in October 1777. You should be able to interpret each quotation in the context of the person and situation within which the words were stated.

"To Lord Weymouth: I learned yesterday evening that the famous Doctor Franklin is arrived at Nantes. Some people think that he has come to France on personal business. I am convinced that he is here on some secret business from congress. He's a devious man, incapable of truth and will, I'm sure, try to draw the French into openly supporting the cause of the rebels."

-- Lord Stormont on hearing of Benjamin Franklin's arrival in France in December 1776

"I can't ask for anything better than this army of professionals. The mob of undisciplined provincials won't have a chance against them. I have instructed the officers to count on the bayonet. The rebels can't stand up against the bayonet. They hide behind trees relying on the rifle pieces."

-- General John Burgoyne, commander, British army preparing to march South from Canada, June 1777

"General Howe's strange maneuvers puzzle us beyond measure. One day his ships seem ready to head up the Hudson; the next day they seem headed toward Philadelphia. I am completely perplexed as to what his real design is. Our conduct must be governed by his. If we can keep General Howe at bay, I think that any success which Mister Burgoyne has will be partial and temporary."

-- General George Washington, on explaining his decision not to move his army against Burgoyne, July 1777

"I beat them, I have beat the rebels!"

-- King George III after hearing of Burgoyne's capture of Ft. Ticonderoga, Fall 1777.

"He symbolized republican simplicity--the new man emerging from the new world in America. He was a myth. The figure of Franklin was extremely popular. In each French home there was a portrait of Franklin. His face could be found on the bottom of beer glasses. He was everywhere!"

-- Historian Bernard Vincent, in discussing Franklin's popularity among the French people after his arrival, 1996

"I sent back most of my baggage and have kept only a small summer wardrobe. As we were going to be marching further, I had a small carriage built with seats for my three children and the servants. So we are traveling in the midst of the soldiers who are merry, singing songs and burning with a desire for victory. General Burgoyne, he likes to make himself comfortable."

Baroness Frederika Von Riedesel, wife of a Hessian officer, who is among the camp followers of Burgoyne's army, Fall 1777

"The Native-American people fought for their own homes. They realized that if the colonists won, their lands would be overrun. They had no great alliance or great support of the British government, but they realized that the British government was . . . their only hope here in defending their homeland against the colonists. . . . It was the lesser of two evils, but it certainly was the preferred choice."

-- Historian R. David Edmunds, describing the situation all the Native Americans found themselves in during the war, 1996

"If I weren't actually here, I could never have believed such a terrible place as this exists in the world. It's hot and sticky in the day and at night it's cold and foggy. Last night we had thunderstorms with much heavier thunder and lightening than I ever experienced in Germany. In camp we are constantly waging war against the flies. At night, snakes come visit us in our tents. I cannot describe how terrified I am of them."

-- Julius Frederick Wasmus, Hessian soldier, with Burgoyne's army, fall 1777

"Gentlemen: General Burgoyne's plan is to cut communications between the Northern and Southern states. He must be speedily and vigorously opposed. We are looking to your militia for support. Every motive of self-preservation, of liberty and happiness has a claim on your efforts."

-- General George Washington's message to the militia in the New England colonies, Fall 1777

"This crusade is to restore to you the blessings of legal government. You Americans are invited to join us in this glorious task. Civilians will not be bothered if you remain quietly in your homes, and make available to our army forage for our animals. . . . To those who continue this stubborn rebellion will come the vengeance of a state against its willful outcasts. The Indian forces under my direction will wreak devastation, famine and every imaginable horror on those who resist us."

-- General John Burgoyne's message to the people in the areas in front of his advancing army, Fall 1777

"New recruits are collecting in every town on the continent. In a few months the rascals will be stronger than ever. Even the preachers have turned their pulpits into drums, summoning all to arms among this cursed rabble. Damn them all!"

-- Nicholas Cresswell, traveler from England who happened to be near Burgoyne's army, Fall 1777

"The Americans who were masters of propaganda said here is a woman, a beautiful woman who was a fiancee of one of the officers with Burgoyne, and Burgoyne's Indians scalped her. Now if this is what's being done to the women who are allied with his own forces, what are they going to do with your wives and your children when they get here, and they're coming! And the New England troops just turned out in droves."

-- Historian George C. Neumann, describing the massacre of Jane McCrea in late July 1777, 1996

"The enemy are at home here. They know this damn countryside, so they have a huge advantage. Every step for us--scouting, reconnoitering--brings new perils. Everywhere there are streams to cross and bridges to build. It takes a week to advance one mile. . . . Stuck here in the middle of nowhere waiting for our supplies. Hot! so hot you couldn't breathe inside the tents; everyone has dysentery. Have to keep on working if we want to stay alive."

-- Sergeant Roger Lamb, officer in Burgoyne's army, Fall 1777

"Arnold rides up and points his sword at the enemy. Morgan's men, urged on by Arnold, hurl themselves against the English and Germans with deadly fire from their rifles. I can't describe the bravery of Arnold on this battlefield. He's inspired with the fury of a demon."

-- John Gill describing Benedict Arnold's efforts on the battlefield to prevent Burgoyne's army from winning a key battle at Freeman's Farm, October 7, 1777

"I rode posthaste from Nantes with the dispatches from America. I didn't have time to get off my horse when Franklin shouted to me, 'Did Howe really take Philadelphia?' 'Yes sir,' I said, and the poor gentlemen sadly shook his head and was heading back to the house. I stopped him, 'But sir, I have greater news than that. General Burgoyne and his whole army are prisoners of war!' The effect was electrical."

-- Jonathan Austin bringing message of Burgoyne's surrender to Benjamin Franklin in France, Winter 1777