19th. The plan, in brief, was to make a demonstration with Canadians and Indians threaten- ing the American centre, while the grenadiers and light infantry, under Frazer, on the left of Gates's position, and the British left-wing, under Philips and Reidesel, were to move simultaneously and by a cir- cuitous rotite to gain the American rear. Burgoyne himself was with the British right. Digitized by Microsoft® 564 The Hudson River Gates received advice of the advance of the enemy upon his left, but made no movement in response to repeated appeals, until about noon Arnold succeeded in getting permission to order Morgan and Dearborn out. Arnold in person followed this party with an- other detachment and was soon engaged with General Frazer's superior force. Gates refused the reinforce- ments applied for by Arnold, and the latter, finding Frazer's position too strong for him, by a sudden move- ment attempted to flank his adversary, with the result that he soon found himself in conflict with the main line of the British advance. Unperturbed by the numbers opposed to him, he atfecked with his inferior force, advancing so impetu- ously that he nearly broke the British line and com- pelled Philips and Reidesel to hasten to the support of Burgoyne. Grudgingly reinforcements were then given to Ar- nold, and he continued for four hours a spirited action with the whole of the British right, though his force at no time exceeded three thousand, or, as some have said, twenty-five hundred men. Both Reidesel and Burgoyne afterwards described this battle as having been fought with great obstinacy and valour, the fire having been unusually fierce and well sustained. Burgoyne, though he could claim no decisive advan- tage, having indeed been repulsed and thwarted by the Americans, yet remained in possession of his ground and proceeded to strengthen his position. His situa- Digitized by Microsoft® Above Tide- Water 565 tion was sufficiently grave. From almost every quarter came discouraging news, the one exception being the arrival of a messenger with a dispatch from Sir Henry Clinton, informing him of the projected ex- pedition up the Hudson and proposed co-operation with the northern army. In reply to this communica- tion Burgoyne urged Clinton to hasten, and promised to endeavour to wait for him until the 1 2th of October. But, either made impatient by the desertions that were rapidly reducing his army, or rendered bold by the apparent disinclination of the superior American force to oppose him, or swayed from his purpose by the councils of his officers, he determined, upon the 7th of October, "to make a grand niovement on the left of the American camp, to discover whether he could force a passage, should it be necessary to ad- vance, or dislodge it from its position, should he have to retreat." Hidden by the intervening forest, with fifteen hundred picked troops formed within a mile of the American left, the British commander dispatched a reconnoitring party to gain the rear of Gates's position and feign an attack to cover the actual assault. But through the watchfulness of the Americans this plan resulted in a complete failure. A counter-plan of at- tack was arranged by which Morgan, with his riflemen, was to win the hills on Burgoyne 's right, while the New York and New Hampshire troops, under General Poor, with a part of Learned 's brigade, were to make Digitized by Microsoft® 566 The Hudson River a vigorous attack upon the Hessian artillery and grena- diers on the left. The New Yorkers, with their New Hampshire com- rades, did magnificent work that day. The Hessian gunners, serving their artillery with the precision and THE RAPIDS BELOW GLENS FALLS effectiveness of well-trained veterans, were amazed to see the Americans advance without hesitation in the face of a rain of grape-shot. The grenadiers, unused to meeting opponents who could stand before them, found it impossible to meet this impetuous onslaught. The guns were taken and retaken, both sides fighting stubbornly, till at last the Americans drove their Digitized by Microsoft® Above Tide-Water 567 opponents from the position, turning upon them their own artillery. No doubt a great deal of the valour and determination shown by the attacking party was due to the presence of Arnold, who, though without a command, owing to a recent quarrel with General Gates, ^'■et took the lead to which his position as rank- ing officer in the field entitled him, and displayed such mad courage that one historian at least has gravely charged him with being intoxicated upon that occa- sion. In this connection, Irving very justly remarks that " Arnold needed only his own irritated pride and the smell of gunpowder to rouse him to acts of mad- ness." While this action was in progress, in another part of