The Generals of Saratoga: John Burgoyne and Horatio Gates [Paperback]

Professor Max M. Mintz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 1992

This lively and colorful work offers a fresh account of the Saratoga campaign of 1777 through the lives of its opposing generals--John Burgoyne, the British commander, and Horatio Gates, the American (but British-born) commander. The book vividly portrays the two men and the events that developed around them. It is the fullest discussion ever written about both the American and British dimensions of this campaign, the only engagement in the Revolutionary War in which an all-American army captured a major British force. Max M. Mintz has combed the letters and diaries of survivors to craft on-the-scene descriptions of the British taking of Ticonderoga, the slaughter at Hubbardton, the victory of American militia at Bennington, the two hard-fought battles of Saratoga, and the surrender of Burgoyne. Throughout the book new insights are revealed: Burgoyne's difficulties with his superiors, the deep roots of Gates's quarrels with George Washington and Benedict Arnold, the factors that caused Burgoyne to choose the land rather than the water route from Lake Champlain to the Hudson River, and the broken promise that misled Burgoyne into believing that Sir Henry Clinton would come to save him.

Product Details

• Paperback: 306 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (July 29, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300052618
• ISBN-13: 978-0300052619
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,111,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Explicit Window into Eighteenth Century Class Divisions, February 16, 2005

By 

Gregory Canellis "Student of military history... (Tuckerton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Generals of Saratoga: John Burgoyne and Horatio Gates (Paperback)

Max M. Mintz illustrates some interesting parallels in this well-received dual biography. Evidence suggests that John Burgoyne and Horatio Gates were both illegitimate children amid the strict class barriers of eighteenth century England. As was common practice, both men would purchase their commissions more to improve social status rather than to mature any hidden military virtues. Coincidentally, both began their military careers as lieutenants in the same regiment. As their careers progressed, both men would ally themselves politically, or form convenient friendships in order to advance in rank and enhance upward mobility. This vying for social status is the strongest theme in Mintz's work. These two men, destined to oppose one another on the battlefield at a crucial turning point of the American Revolution, were born of dissimilar class origins. Unforeseen circumstances, however, would equalize both class and education ultimately resulting in commissions, reserved only for gentlemen. John Burgoyne was born of privilege in 1723. His father, a captain, was a compulsive gambler, and eventually landed in debtor's prison. The Burgoyne's landlord was Lord Bingley, a wealthy Yorkshire politician. Bingley was exceedingly generous to the Burgoyne's, and it was the curious nature of his kindness that has led scholars to believe he was the boy's real father. He paid off all of Captain Burgoyne's gambling debts, and provided the tuition for John's education at Westminster School, famous for its military and political alumni. According to Mintz, no records of Horatio Gate's birth were ever found, however, it is believed he was born four years after Burgoyne, to working class parents. His mother Dorothy became a housekeeper for the Duke of Bolton, a privileged aristocrat, and womanizer. His father, Robert Gates, was a boatman who peddling produce along the Thames River. Like the Burgoyne's, the Gates family would rise socially from their association with Bolton. Eventually, Horatio would attend a primary school reserved solely for the working class and rub elbows with the aristocracy. Through Bolton's influence, Robert would advance to a position that would elevate his son Horatio to the level of that of a gentleman, and consequently make him eligible to buy an officer's commission. Mintz intricately demonstrates how officer commissions in the eighteenth century were commodities to be bought and sold at will, not a profession. Many years of buying, selling, and resigning of commissions, intermingled with bits of luck, a smattering of merit, and political maneuvering ensued for both men. Burgoyne would see action on the continent during the War of Austrian Succession, and conduct raids on the Normandy coast during the Seven Years War. He fought bravely in Portugal and Spain, and entered Parliament. Gates took to soldiering immediately, and found that he was equally popular with aristocrats and commoners. Lord Charles Cornwallis had observed Gates and admired his excellent staff skills. Gates was later wounded in the infamous Braddock Expedition, settled in Virginia, embraced American independence, and gained a commission in George Washington's army. After Gates defeated Burgoyne at Saratoga, he, attempted to rest on his laurels, and pushed for an invasion of Canada. Instead he was sent to the southern campaign only to be replaced by Nathaniel Green and faded into obscurity. Burgoyne returned to Parliament as a spokesman for the group opposing the war. In his later years, he took a mistress and fathered four children. He wrote plays and composed music, never losing his refined standing.Mintz provides a vital window into officership, and class divisions during the eighteenth century. He does so utilizing mostly primary sources and period literature. Mintz offers so much more than a mere telling of the Battle of Saratoga. Only two short chapters (could have been one) covers the battle itself, but this is no shortcoming. Sprinkled with period illustrations, and adequate maps, this book is a must for anyone seriously interested in this period in military history. Five-stars, Bravo!

5.0 out of 5 stars History Made, June 22, 2009

By 

James E. Sheppard "Army Grunt" (Blacksburg, Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Generals of Saratoga: John Burgoyne and Horatio Gate (Hardcover)

This is a teriffic book and a book that I would reccomend to any historian, student or just a history buff. This book is a great one and one I hope all will read.