Burgoyne
Burgoyne names 2 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below.
Burgoyne JOHN, an English general and dramatic author
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
JOHN, an English general and dramatic author, born Feb. 24, 1723. After having served with distinction in Portugal, he was sent to America in 1775. He joined General Gage at GENERAL JOHN BURGOYNE Boston, with large re-enforcements, and witnessed the battle of Bunker Hill, of which he has left an animated description. After proceeding to Canada as Governor, he returned to England, but, in 1777, was dispatched to take command of that expedition from Canada against the United States, the failure of which so largely contributed to the establishment of American freedom. Few battles, indeed, have achieved, in their ultimate influence, results so great as the surrender of Burgoyne with 5,791 fighting men, well provided with artillery, at Saratoga, to the army of General Gates. On his return home, he was received by the King with marked disfavor. Burgoyne did not possess the genius of a great general, and was in many respects utterly inadequate to the tasks imposed upon him, yet no one can read the work published in his defense, State of the Expedition from Canada" " (London, 1780)-without acknowledging his courage, and detecting qualities, which, in a less exalted station, might have been of service to his country. Disgusted with his treatment by the govgusted ernment, he retired into private life, and devoted his leisure to the production of dramas, ma many of which, as the "Maid of the Oaks," "The Lord of the Manor," etc., were highly popular in their day. ," still His best play, "The Heiress keeps the stage. He died in London, Aug. 4, 1792.
Burgoyne SIR JOHN FOX, an English engineer
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
SIR JOHN FOX, an English engineer, son of the preceding, born in London, July 24, 1782. Entering the Royal Engineers he served in Malta, Sicily, Egypt, and, with Sir John Moore and Wellington, in the Peninsula from 1809 to 1814, and was present at all the sieges, generally as first or second in command of the engineers. In 1851 he was made a lieutenant-general, and was chief of the engineering department at Sebastopol till recalled in 1855. In the following year he was created a baronet, and in 1868 a field marshal. He died Oct. 7, 1871.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
The outline Collier's gave in 1921 still stands: Burgoyne marched south from Canada in 1777 and surrendered at Saratoga, a defeat that helped bring France into the war as an American ally in 1778. What has shifted is the apportioning of blame — modern historians put far more weight on Lord George Germain and on William Howe's decision to move on Philadelphia instead of up the Hudson, and less on Burgoyne's personal inadequacy, though his baggage-heavy march through the wilderness still draws criticism. Collier's claim that his comedy "The Heiress" "still keeps the stage" has not survived; Burgoyne is far better known today as the urbane "Gentleman Johnny" of Shaw's "The Devil's Disciple" (1897). The battlefield itself was made Saratoga National Historical Park in 1938, and it is Burgoyne's defeated opponent-turned-traitor Benedict Arnold who is commemorated there by the anonymous Boot Monument.
Written for this edition, 2026.