Height: 221 millimetres

Width: 363 millimetres

(Description and comment from M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', V, 1935) The Cedars (on the Rapids of the St. Lawrence) was the name given to an incident in the American expedition against Canada in 1776. A small American post was surprised by a party of regulars, Canadians and Mohawks, and captured without resistance. Arnold went out from Montreal to attack the captors, but to prevent the Indians from murdering the prisoners, he consented to a compromise for an exchange. ‘Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History’. This satire is thus a gross calumny. It was perhaps suggested by Brackenridge's propagandist ‘Death of General Montgomery at the Siege of Quebec’, 1777, in which the writer apologizes in a note for some ferocious words put into the mouth of Carleton: “I find my conscience pretty much at ease in this matter . . . I have conversed with those who saw the scalps warm from the heads of our countrymen. I have had the relation from their mouths who beheld the fires lighted up, and heard . . . the horrid shrieks and gloomy howlings of the savage tribes in the execution of the poor captives who, according to the threat of Carleton, were burned on an island in the river St. Lawrence after our unfortunate surrender at the Cedars.” Quoted by M. C. Tyler, ‘Literary History of the American Revolution’, ii. 223. Carleton's humanity to the Americans in the Canadian campaign is well known. Under this is Burgoyne marching at the head of his men who are without arms, their hands tied. He says, “I have led my Rag-o-muffians where they have been Peppered”. He is dressed not in military uniform, but in slashed doublet and cavalier's boots, in his hand is a broadsword whose blade is jagged and worn, inscribed “Physical Impossibility”. His round shield is inscribed “Scale of Talents”; under each arm is a large book, “Maid of the Oaks and Bon Ton &c.”, and “the Devotd Legions, a Poem”. At his feet is the word “Proclamations”. On a hill in the distance is a serried rank of soldiers, on a minute scale, before them stands an officer holding a spear and a large striped American flag; they are Gates, see BMSat 5469, and his Americans, to whom Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga on 17 Oct. 1777. Burgoyne's dress, &c, appears intended to represent him as a theatrical mountebank; his play 'Maid of the Oaks' was acted in 1774 ('Bon Ton', 1775, is by Garrick). He issued a bombastic proclamation before taking the field in May 1777 which was much ridiculed. For contemporary opinion on the campaign see Van Tyne, ‘War of Independence’, 1929, 436-40. Many of the Opposition in England rejoiced at the catastrophe. The lowest compartment shows Scottish soldiers and foreign mercenaries in flight, dying and dead. In the foreground (right) a Highland officer is dying; he says, “How hard O Frazer is thy Lot! Was it for this I sought the Court and Danced?” He is Simon Fraser (not to be confused with Simon Fraser of BMSat 5287); he was a brigadier under Burgoyne, and was mortally wounded on 7 Oct. 1777. A fleeing Scottish soldier looks round saying, “Hoot awa Lads, ken ye not that one Arnold is hard at our heels”. All the soldiers have thrown away their arms, one of three Hessians in jack-boots says, “De Devil vil ave mine Maitre, de Carcas Bucher.” Down the left margin beside the two last designs is inscribed the word “Saratoga”. The supposed artists' names are arranged so that “Bute invt” is under the fleeing Scottish soldiers, “Germaine ext” under the gallows. Beside “Mansfield Sculp” (under the headless figure holding the Manchester Address) is an axe. A satire which ascribes tyranny, failure, and savage atrocities to the influence of Bute, Mansfield, and Germain, and to the obstinacy of the king. For Germain's responsibility for failure see Fortescue, ‘Hist. of the British Army’, iii. 242; G. H. Guttridge, 'Lord George Germain in office', ‘American Hist. Rev.’ Oct. 1927. Chatham, on 2 Dec. 1777, called the Americans “Whigs in principle and heroes in conduct” whose affection had been lost “by employing mercenary Germans to butcher them; by spiriting up savages in America to scalp them with a tomahawk” (‘Parl. Hist.’ xix. 477). For the employment of Indians see ‘Hist. MSS. Comm. Dartmouth MSS.’ ii. 1895, pp. xii, 344-5, 447 [Dartmouth wrote to Gage, 2 Aug. 1775: “The steps which you say the rebels have taken for calling in the assistance of the Indians leave no room to hesitate upon the propriety of your pursuing the same measure.” Cf. a letter of Col. Ethan Allen, 24 May 1775, asking Indians for aid against the king's troops. Ibid., p. 310.] For allegations of Indian atrocities see also BMSat 5339, 5473, 5631, 6024. For Saratoga see also BMSat 5469, 5490, 5548[2], 5857. For 'the Closet' see BMSat 5638. A French engraving (n.d.) by Godefroy, after Fauvel, ‘Sarratoga’, depicts the surrender of Burgoyne “avec 6040 soldats bien disciplines” to Gates with “les milices Americaines nouvellement tirées de l'Agriculture . . .”. Beneath is engraved a “Précis” of the campaign with a note on Indian soldiers in Burgoyne's army: “Leurs affreux services refusés par les Américains, furent sollicités par le ministere britannique, qui convint de prix pour chaque chevelure d'infortunes colons qu'ils apporteraient, mais amis comme ennemis devenaient leurs [sic] proie. Le meurtre surtout de la jeune et belle Miss – Mac - Rea remplit tous les cœurs d'horreur . . . elle fut massacrée par ces sauvages le jour de son mariage avec un officier anglais de l'armée de Burgoine”.