This edition of the Yankee Doodle Spies begins a series that profiles key historical figures in the upcoming novel of the acclaimed series, The North Spy. As a minor spoiler, this part of Jeremiah Creed's adventures centers on the British invasion of New York from Canada in 1777. No one is more pivotal to that event than John Burgoyne.
The flamboyant and controversial figure at his best, Burgoyne embodies the classic noble-warrior-literati-celebrity archetype. As distinctive a personality as any archetype can be... His nickname, Gentleman Johnny, reflects how his soldiers see him—and how he perceives himself.
Military Brat or Bastard?
Burgoyne was born on February 24, 1722, in Sutton, to Captain John Burgoyne and his wife Anna Maria, the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Speculation suggests that young John might be a bastard—the illegitimate child of Lord Bingley. Bingley became John’s “godfather” and named him in his will as his heir if his daughters did not produce male heirs.
There was definitely money available to give John a head start in life. So at age 11, Burgoyne began attending Westminster School in London. There, he made some useful friends (always the goal), including Thomas Gage – a future General and the last Royal Governor of Massachusetts. Another close friend was James Smith-Stanley, also known as Lord Strange, who was the son of the wealthy and influential Lord Derby. At 15, Burgoyne joined the British Army by purchasing a commission in the Horse Guards.
Since the Guards were based in London and his duties were light, he had plenty of time and opportunities to socialize with high society. He soon earned the nickname, "Gentleman Johnny" for his stylish uniforms and fast lifestyle. However, he quickly accumulated large debts, and it is believed he sold his commission in 1741 to pay them off.
Return to the Colors
The War of the Austrian Succession gave the young dilettante a chance to reinvent himself or, better yet, to rebuild his military career. The British Army was expanding to counter the threat from France, and in April 1745, he was commissioned in the newly formed 1st Royal Dragoons. Unlike most “bought” commissions, as a new regiment, Burgoyne received his commission without any cost.
Promoted to lieutenant later that year, he served with his regiment at the Battle of Fontenoy, leading troopers in several charges against the French. By 1747, Burgoyne had saved enough money to buy a captaincy—a rank that would give him the platform to get noticed, but the end of the war in 1748 ended any chances of further active service.
Cupid’s Arrow
After the war, Burgoyne began courting Charlotte Stanley, the sister of his close friend at Westminster School, Lord Strange. When Charlotte's father, Lord Derby, disapproved of the match, John and Charlotte eloped, causing a scandal and leading his father to cut off her substantial allowance. Since officers on inactive duty received no pay, Burgoyne was forced to sell his commission for 2,500 dollars.
The young lovers then traveled around Europe, mainly in France and Italy. But it wasn't just about love. During this period, Burgoyne became a dedicated fan of the arts and literature, and this journey helped inspire his creative side. He also began studying treatises on warfare and touring battlefields and fortresses.
Return to England and the Army
When his wife gave birth to their only child, Charlotte Elizabeth, they moved back to Britain. Arriving in 1755, his former schoolmate Lord Strange helped the couple reconcile with Lord Derby, who then assisted Burgoyne in purchasing a captaincy in the 11th Dragoons.
In 1758, Burgoyne joined the prestigious Coldstream Guards, where the ongoing Seven Years' War helped him rise to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In June 1758, he took part in a raid on St. Malo, France, where British forces burned French ships. This was followed by another raid on Cherbourg under then-Captain Richard Howe, who would later lead the Royal Navy in North America during the American War.
A New Kind of Command
But John Burgoyne quickly developed new ambitions—to command one of the British Army's two new cavalry regiments, the 16th Light Dragoons. This new unit allowed John to apply some of his ideas about military science in practice. Burgoyne was no longer a dilettante. Unlike others who did not get directly involved in managing their regiments, he personally oversaw the formation of his unit and recruited officers from the landed gentry in Northamptonshire.
He aimed to create a model unit built around his principles of military service: honorable officers, a strong sense of duty, and well-trained, well-equipped men treated with respect. He did not want his men to be the stereotypical dregs of society. To attract high-quality recruits, he worked to provide his men with the best horses, uniforms, and equipment.
Unlike British Army traditions, Burgoyne encouraged his officers to get to know the “other ranks.” His concept of warfare emphasized that men should be independent thinkers in combat, not mindless robots like Frederick the Great’s. To facilitate this, he created and published a transformative regimental code of conduct. He also expected his officers to be better educated, urging them to spend time each day reading and learning French, since many of the top military texts were in French, such as the writings of Marechal Maurice de Saxe.
Politics, War & Arts
Somehow, Burgoyne found the time and money to get elected to Parliament for Midhurst in 1761. But the next year, he headed to Portugal as a new brigadier general. He gained recognition for capturing Valencia de Alcántara and then defeating the Spanish in the Battle of Vila Velha. During the battle, Burgoyne directed Lieutenant Colonel Charles Lee, future Deputy Commander of the Continental Army, to charge a Spanish artillery battery.
Burgoyne returned to Britain at the end of the war. In 1768, he was re-elected to Parliament and appointed governor of Fort William, Scotland. He was outspoken and somewhat “progressive” in Parliament—advocating for military and colonial reform, especially within the East India Company. By this time, he was a major general, but he also dedicated a significant amount of his time to the arts. He had enough free time to write plays and poetry. In 1774, his play The Maid of the Oaks was performed at the Drury Lane Theater.
Member of the Dream Team
When the American colonial resistance broke out into war in April 1775, Lord George Germain, Minister for the Colonies, sent three of the most promising officers willing to face the Americans (several others refused to serve against fellow Britons). So the dream team of John Burgoyne, William Howe, and Henry Clinton, all highly experienced and renowned veterans, sailed to Boston. With General Thomas Gage in command, there was a surplus of officers, so Burgoyne did not take on field command. However, the debacle at Bunker Hill and the siege gave him plenty of opportunities to learn from others’ mistakes.
Home and Back and Home
Frustrated, Burgoyne returned to England in November 1775. His wife Charlotte died in February 1776, which deepened his sorrow. Although Burgoyne never remarried, he started a long affair with a married actress, Susan Caulfield, with whom he had four children between 1782 and 1788. The children were raised in Lord Derby's household, and the oldest became Field Marshal Sir John Fox Burgoyne.
His wife gone and eager to prove himself, Burgoyne returned to North America in the spring. This time, arriving at Quebec, where he served under Governor Sir Guy Carleton, who had just stopped the American invasion. Although Carleton managed to push American forces out of Canada, he failed to follow up with a drive on Albany, NY. Burgoyne became critical of Sir Guy’s caution and once again sailed for Britain.
A Brilliant Scheme
Among his other traits, Burgoyne was a smooth talker. Once back in London, he began pressing the Minister for the Colonies, Lord Germain, who was the key figure for defeating the rebellion, about his plan to win the war in 1777.
The plan involved a three-pronged attack: a thrust south from Lake Champlain aimed at seizing Albany, supported by a detachment led by Lt. Colonel Barry St. Leger approaching from the west through the Mohawk Valley, and a northward advance up the Hudson River from New York led by Sir William Howe to seal the Americans' fate.
The goal was to cut off New England from the rest of the American Colonies—a classic divide and conquer strategy. Burgoyne’s plan was brilliant but ultimately impractical due to political and geographical challenges.
What we have here is Failure to Communicate
Confusion between Germain and Lord Howe, commander-in-chief in North America, would be their undoing. Howe planned to move south toward Philadelphia that year. It is unclear when Germain informed Burgoyne that his support from New York City would be limited. Still, Burgoyne landed in Canada and assembled more than 7,000 men – British regulars, German auxiliaries, as well as some Canadians and Indians.
Howe (sic) He Lost
I will not delve deeply into this complicated and crucial military event. My future novel, The North Spy, will cover most of the major and some of the minor activities. Burgoyne’s plan was thwarted by several factors.
Time was not on his side, as the campaign season in the north was short, and he started late and slowly. The terrain was some of the most difficult in North America, with dense forests, numerous bodies of water, and mountains to navigate. Additionally, the Americans rallied most fervently against the incursion, spurred on by atrocities committed by Burgoyne’s Indian allies – both rumored and real.
Delays & False Assumptions
The initial delay was gathering enough vessels to exploit the excellent waterways—a virtual superhighway leading straight into the heart of the colonies. It was already late June when they arrived on Lake Champlain. Burgoyne’s assumption that widespread Loyalist and Indian support would rally around him was immediately shattered.
This was a consistent misjudgment in British thinking throughout the war. There was never a large number of Loyal Americans eager to fight, and only a few Native Americans and Loyalists joined his forces. Although Burgoyne captured the northern stronghold, Fort Ticonderoga, by early July, he made a critical mistake by pursuing the Americans. He started diverging from his supply line as his men were lured further away from the waterways.
A Small Win & A Big Loss
A minor victory at Hubbardton on July 7 only gave him false confidence. Burgoyne’s advance south toward Forts Anne and Edward was delayed by the retreating Americans, who blocked roads and trails with trees and destroyed any bridges. Around this time, he learned Howe was sailing to Philadelphia – the crucial push from the south would not happen. Meanwhile, the supply situation worsened as the army lacked enough transport to cross the region's primitive roads.
The need for supplies led him to send a force of Germans foraging to the east, where they stumbled into a hornet’s nest of American militia at Bennington on August 16. The New England militia under John Stark defeated the British, inspiring more men to join the cause.
Many of Burgoyne’s Indian allies began to sense the changing situation and started to drift off to plunder and return home. To make matters worse, Barry St. Leger was turned back at Fort Stanwix. The other part of the triad was gone. Burgoyne had two options: consolidate at Fort Ticonderoga and continue the fight next year – or take a gamble and push farther south.
The Die is Cast
He took the plunge. Burgoyne decided to abandon his supply lines and attempt a “brute squad” push on Albany in time for winter quarters. He crossed to the west bank of the Hudson on September 13. But just south of Saratoga, a rapidly growing American army, fortified with defense works designed by famed Polish engineer Thadeuz Kozciusko at a place called Bemis Heights, waited.
The weak Major General Horatio Gates commanded the force, composed mainly of New England and New York militia, but he also had some elite continental troops sent north by George Washington. Gates may have been called "Granny" (his nickname), but the next line of command included some of the war's best leaders, such as Brigadier General Benedict Arnold, Colonel Dan Morgan, Enoch Poor, Ebenezer Learned, and Benjamin Lincoln.
Freeman's Farm
Burgoyne hesitated. His army was weakened and morale was dropping. Although Gates was happy to stay behind his defenses and wait (which wasn't a bad idea), he let Arnold try a strategy. On September 19, Arnold and Morgan attacked Burgoyne's troops at Freeman's Farm. Intense fighting broke out. Both sides suffered heavy losses, but the British retreated to regroup.
Bemis Heights
An “Unconventional” Surrender
The British retreated to their camp near Saratoga. Meanwhile, the Americans had cut off his retreat to the north and were daily harassing his lines with sniper fire. Stuck in two pitched battles and now unable to fall back on supply lines or break southward, Burgoyne surrendered on October 17 at Saratoga.
Yet “Gentleman Johnny” tried to make the best of a bad situation through a technical protocol. He managed to persuade Gates (a former British officer) to allow him to sign a “convention” instead of an unconditional surrender. Also, he and his men were to be returned promptly to Britain.
Congress later annulled the deal. While British and German officers were sent home on parole, the “other ranks" laid down their arms under the watch of American militia and Continentals, and roughly 5,800 soldiers marched off to captivity in Boston and eventually Charlottesville, Virginia.
Home in Disgrace
Saying Burgoyne returned to Britain in disgrace is an understatement. This was one of the worst defeats in British history – surpassing Malplaquet, Fontenoy, or Carillon. The American militia had routed a British army in the field – convincing France to openly ally with the emerging American nation, later joined by Spain. The impact on world history would be profound.
Attacked by the government for his failures, Burgoyne tried to clear his name by blaming Germain for not ordering Howe to support his campaign. He demanded, but did not receive, a court-martial to clear his disgrace. Instead, King George III stripped him of all titles. Once again, Burgoyne was out of the army. But not for long.
Political Winds
Frustrated by the lack of support from Lord North’s administration, whom he had strongly backed, Burgoyne switched his political allegiance from the Tories to the Whigs. Soon, things turned around for Burgoyne.
When Lord North’s cabinet fell in 1782, Burgoyne gained the favor of the Whigs, and his rank of major general was restored along with a colonelcy in the King’s Own Royal Regiment. Burgoyne maneuvered to secure a top military appointment—commander in chief in Ireland—and also became a privy councilor.
However, he left the government when Lord Rockingham’s administration collapsed a year later. Still, this allowed him time to focus on his literary projects, which had become his main passions besides his mistress.
Acclaimed Playwright
Burgoyne wrote two romantic comedy plays: Maid of the Oaks, completed by 1774, and The Heiress, written in 1786, which is arguably his best work. He also collaborated with Richard Brinsley Sheridan on the production of The Camp in 1778. In 1780, he wrote the libretto for William Jackson’s The Lord of the Manor. Burgoyne translated Michel-Jean Sediane’s Richard Coeur de Lion for a semi-opera at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1788.
Legacy
Despite his failed strategy and campaign at Saratoga, John Burgoyne is best remembered for his literary achievements among contemporary and post-Revolutionary War Britons. He was most admired for The Heiress, which was a great success and beloved by many both before and after his death. Gentleman John Burgoyne died suddenly at his Mayfair home on June 3, 1792. He was buried at Westminster Abbey.
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