Such was the strange sequel of a campaign which, whether we consider the picturesqueness of its incidents or the magnitude of its results, was one of the most memorable in the history of mankind. Its varied scenes, framed in landscapes of grand and stirring beauty, had brought together such types of manhood as the feathered Mohawk sachem, the helmeted Brunswick dragoon, and the blue-frocked yeoman of New England,--types of ancient barbarism, of the militancy bequeathed from the Middle Ages, and of the industrial democracy that is to possess and control the future of the world. These men had mingled in a deadly struggle for the strategic centre of the Atlantic coast of North America, and now the fight had ended in the complete and overwhelming defeat of the forces of George III. Four years, indeed,--four years of sore distress and hope deferred,--were yet to pass before the fruits of this great victory could be gathered. The independence of the United States was not yet won; but the triumph at Saratoga set in motion a train of events from which the winning of independence was destined surely to follow. FOOTNOTES: [14] In the spring of 1776 Lee had written to Edward Rutledge: "By the eternal God! If you do not declare yourselves independent, you deserve to be slaves!" In several such letters Lee had fairly bellowed for independence. VOLUME II CONTENTS CHAPTER VIII THE FRENCH ALLIANCE PAGE The four periods of the Revolutionary war 1-3 Consequences of Saratoga; consternation in England 4 Views of the different parties 5, 6 Lord North's political somersault 6 Strange scene in the House of Commons 7, 8 Treaty between France and the United States (February 6, 1778) 8, 9 Great Britain declares war against France (March 13) 10 Demand for Lord Chatham for prime minister 11, 12 The king's rage 12, 13 What Chatham would have tried to do 13, 14 Death of Chatham 14-16 His prodigious greatness 16-20 Lord North remains in power 20, 21 His commissioners in America fail to accomplish anything 22 Germain's new plan for conducting the war 22, 23 CHAPTER IX VALLEY FORGE Distress in America 24 Lack of organization 25