King George by Steve Sheinkin Page B

found lots of good stuff scattered around town. John Greenwood took a German sword as a souvenir. An American drummer threw his own drum away and picked up a much nicer German one. Other soldiers put on fancy brass German officers’ hats and strutted around town.
    Saved, for Now
    A fter beating the Americans all year, British leaders in London had been sure they were about to win the war. “But all our hopes were blasted by that unhappy affair at Trenton,” said George Germain, King George’s top war advisor.
    Washington wasn’t done yet, though. He marched his troops to the town of Princeton and won another quick victory. These winter wins inspired thousands of new soldiers to join the army. The American Revolution was alive.
    A Loyalist named Nicholas Cresswell was truly sorry to see the sudden change in the mood of Americans. “A few days ago they had given up the cause for lost,” Cresswell said. “Their late successes have turned the scale and now they are all liberty-mad again.”
    But King George was still feeling confident. In fact, he had a new war plan. And he looked forward to crushing the Revolution in 1777.

Showdown at Saratoga
    The British General John Burgoyne celebrated Christmas in 1776 by placing a bet on the American Revolution. Burgoyne wagered fifty golden guineas that he could beat the Americans and “be home victorious from America by Christmas Day, 1777.” This was a bold bet. To win it, Burgoyne would have to cross the Atlantic, crush the Revolution, and get back to London—all in one year!

    No Secrets Here
    W hat made General John Burgoyne so confident about crushing the American Revolution? Two words: the plan. Burgoyne had spent the past few months working out a detailed plan for winning the war. He presented the secret strategy to King George. The king loved it.
    So in the spring of 1777, Burgoyne loaded cases of champagne onto a ship (he always traveled in style) and set out across the ocean with high hopes.
    General Burgoyne arrived in Quebec, Canada, in early May. As soon as he got off the boat, he started hearing people talk about his socalled secret strategy. The Quebec newspaper even had an article about it, describing exactly how Burgoyne planned to defeat the Americans! As usual in this war, neither side could keep anything secret.
    Burgoyne was annoyed, but not discouraged. So the Americans knew his plan—so what? That didn’t mean they could stop him.
    The basic idea of the plan was simple: slice the United States in two. This would be done by attacking the centrally located state of New York from the north and south at the same time. Once the British controlled New York, all of New England would be cut off from the rest of the United States. The different regions wouldn’t be able to help each other by sending soldiers or supplies back and forth. It would be like having an enemy’s hands around your neck. The Revolution could be strangled.
    Benedict Arnold to the Rescue
    L ike everyone else, George Washington knew about Burgoyne’s plan. But there was very little he could do. The British still had their main army, under the command of General William Howe, camped in and around New York City. Washington was worried that Howe would try to capture Philadelphia that year. So he had to keep his army nearby to prevent it. You can’t just let the enemy capture your capital city, can you?
    A separate American army, known as the Northern Army, would have to stop Burgoyne’s invasion. Washington couldn’t send many soldiers to the Northern Army, but he could at least send one of his top generals. He picked a former merchant from Connecticut named Benedict Arnold.
    Arnold had already fought in many of the war’s fiercest battles, and he was known for his attacking style and reckless bravery. Here’s
how one American soldier described Arnold’s reputation in 1777: “He was our fighting general, and a