British  and  Gernnuis.  St..  Clair  had  sent  stores
iu  boats  to  Skenesborongh  (now  Whitehall),  at
the  head  of  the  lake.  These  were  overtaken
and  destroyed  by  the  pursuing  British.  Bur-
goyne pressed  forward  almost  unopposed,  for
the  American  f(U'ces  were  very  weak.  The  lat-
ter retreated  first  to  Fort  Edward,  and  then


BUEKE


179


BUELrNGAME


gradually  down  the  Hadson  almost  to  Albany.
The  British  advanced  but  slowly,  for  the  Amer-
icans, under  the  command  of  General  Philip
Schuyler,  harassed  them  at  every  step.  An
expedition  eeut  by  Burgoyne  to  capture  stores
and  cattle,  and  procure  horses  in  this  region
and  at  Bennington,  Vt.,  was  defeated  in  a  bat-
tle at  Hoosicls,  N.  Y.  (Aug.  16),  by  a  force  has-
tily gathered  under  General  Stark.  Already
another  invading  force  of  British  regulars,  Car
uadians,  Tories,  and  Indians,  under  Colonel  St.
Leger,  which  was  sent  by  Burgoyne,  by  way  of
0^5wego,  to  march  down  the  Mohawk  Valley  and
meet  the  latter  at  Albany,  had  been  defeated  in
a  battle  at  Oriskany  (Aug.  6).  Schuyler  was
superseded  by  Gates  (see  Schuyler  and  Gates)  in
command  of  the  northern  army.  Gates  formed
a  fortified  camp  on  Bemis's  Heights  to  oppose
the  onward  march  of  Burgoyne  down  the  Hud-
son Valley.  There  he  was  attacked  (Sept.  19)
by  the  British;  and,  aft«r  a  severe  battle,  the
latter  retired  to  their  camp  on  the  heights  of
Saratoga  (now  Schuylerville)  to  await  the  ap-
proach of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  from  New  York.
