Diary of Reverend Enos Hitchcock, July 30, 1777

In Council of war held at six this morning it was determined upon to retreat¹ to Surratoga—our Brigade was ordered to decamp immediately the huts to rafted which was done, we left the Island at 12 ^oClock, soon reached Fort Miller, one-half of the Brigade tarried there, the other came down to Mr. Niels 3 miles I came with them & down to Gen1. Schuylers—Gen1. Fornays'² & Tinbrooks Brigade attacked in their rear by a party of the Enemy, one of ours killed, one of Gen1. Arnolds Aid de Camps wounded & two or three others—no great done—Gen1. Lincoln³ came up—met with Mr Shaw at the Barracks, Letter from Home & Rev^d Morrel & Brother David— 

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¹ This was a good movement, bringing our army nearer to its natural base and carrying the enemy farther from his.

² Fornay stands for Roche de Fermoi (or Fermoy), a Colonel from the French army, made Brigadier-General by Congress. We have drawn more blanks than prizes in our European officers, and Fermoi apparently was of the former sort. St. Clair's friends charged him with the worst casualties in the retreat from Ticonderoga, in that he fired his quarters at Mount Independence, thereby exposing the rear to Frazer's pursuit. "One of the worst of the adventurers was this very General Fermoy, who brought disaster upon the rear of St. Clair's army after the successful retreat from Ticonderoga." Smith's St. Clair, I., 65 n.

Gates dismissed Fermoi with a letter to Hancock September 14, 1777, containing this shrewd diplomatic praise: "I have much respect for the "Long Service and Rank of General Fermoi and wish circumstances "had made it convenient to have retained him here." (Gates' MS. Papers, N. Y. Historical Society. Rogers' MS. Notes.)

³ Benjamin Lincoln, of Hingham, Mass., was a Major-General in the army, and after September 29th was second in command under Gates. He had fair military ability and great force of character.

SOURCE: Amos Perry, The Town Records of Rhode Island, Publications of the Rhode Island Historical Society, New Series, Vol. 7 (1899), pp. 124-5

Diary of Reverend Enos Hitchcock, July 31, 1777

Lodged at Gen1. Schuylers² went up to Mr. Niels the Army pass^d down the other side, except Gen1. Poors Brigade which stopt here—Gen1. Glovers Brigade³ arrived at Surratoga—

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² Schuyler's house was afterwards the scene of Burgoyne's last orgy, in company with his mistress and military friends. In the morning he ordered it fired with the barn; for which he has been much censured. Other critics, not partial to him, claim that the burning was a military necessity. See Kingsford History of Canada, VI., 262-3. The story of the supper, commonly received, is disputed in Baxter's note to Digby's Journal, p. 43.

³ Of the Continental line.

SOURCE: Amos Perry, The Town Records of Rhode Island, Publications of the Rhode Island Historical Society, New Series, Vol. 7 (1899), p. 125