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Show Ezvzlz'mce of L o e. D B A L c A R R A 3. Erw'dmce of SIR GUY Cnnteron. competent folcly to command; but after the northern army pafl‘cd the frontier, mofi certainly the General who commanded mull aél upon his own judgment. 9. But fuppofing that the order was peremptory to proceed, would he think he had a right to controul or depart from thofc per-Y'I‘i'rptory orders. .4. 'l‘he General's inflrufiions and his were of equal autho- ' ritv. While the General remained within the limits of the the greater part of the diftribution of the force, for the internal defence of the province, being fent out to him by the Secretary of State ; accounts having;r been received, that great numbers of the inhabitants in the General's route were well aflefiled to his Majefly, and would talte up arms and join the Britifh forces, Ste-NIL Eden moved, that the latter part of the evi~ dence might be expunged from the minutes, as it might materially injure the perfons alluded to. province of @ebec, his own authority was defined ; when the General palled them, the fame authority vefled 1n the General EARL of BALCARRAS. :11) equal power, which could not be controuled by any autho- rity fliort of that which delegated it, namely the noble Lord who gave it. A great number of quellions to the fame purport were put, in which it was plain that the witnefs avoided all in his power (and with great dexterity) to give a direél an¢ iWCl‘. 111a} 27r/9, 1779. General Burgoyne moved, that Lord Balcarras be called in. E- 05 micarm The following leading queftions and anfwcrs are {eleé‘tedfms‘i m' out of an examination of upwards of four hours. Q \Vould the witnefs be warranted, upon being informed before the. General had palled the frontier, that there was a very formidable body of the enemy llrongly polled in the line of communication with Albany, to exercife the power vefled in him as Commander in Chief, within the province, to pre- vent the General paliing the frontier, in the execution of the meafures with which the General was charged, by his inllruc. tions from the Secretary of State .9 ' Tl. .nics rte or.4. I think I would not be authorifed to {top the General; ‘Ii" .Sprfims'IIOI‘y-I think he was bound by his inflruélions to carry his Majefty's orders into execution, to the utmoll of his power. Ithink further, that if I had information that there were 20,000 men firongly poiled in the line of communication, I would not be warranted in countermanding the Northern expedition. I do not pretend to fpeak to all poifible circumflances. I am convinced what a delicate and trying lituation a General mull {land in, who is charged with the execution of a certain definite meafure; and how much he muft feel in his own breafl between his duty and his judgment. I did not Willi to evade Exam/329d 5:}: General Burgoyne. .2, What capacity did the noble Lord 3.8: in, or what was his pofl? A. He commanded the grenadiers and light infantry of the C0mm3,"‘led‘h€ right wing, under the late iVIajor General Frazer. 5:631:35?" He had the honour of an intimacy, and had the confidence V y. of that oflicer, being the next in command. He always imagined that General Frazer and General Burgoyne flood upon the moit friendly terms imaginable. General Frazer was of an open, candid difpofition, ready to Gem'- Frazfir'! declare his fentimcnts on all ordinary oceafions and common oc- Chamaer' currences ; but in matters which required fecrecy no man could be more referved, or knew better what was, or was not proper to be communicated. He never heard or learned that General Frazer difapproved Did not difapv of paliing Hudfon's River; on the contrary, when he was Prove Pamnfl‘h" obliged to repafs it early in the campaign (7th or 9th of July) Hu‘m'n' on account of the communication being broke with the army under General Burgoyne, he did it with apparent reluétance. His Lordfhip thought that the route by Skenefborough was or'avoid giving an anfwer to the queftions put to me by the Right Hon. Gentleman. I liand myfelf, for reafons, in a ver‘yeelicate lituation at this bar. I wifh to decline givinganv opinion. As I have been called upon for one by the Committee, I thought it my duty to complv ; otherwife, I muft con- preferable to that of Lake George, it appearing to him to be more expeditious. . As far as he could judge from his knowledge of the country, L.Balcarras ap- :efs. Ifhould have rather avoided to give an anfwer to a queftion the march by Fort Edward, Fort Anne, and Slreenefborough,PrfWéS of Gen- which I did not clearly underltand, nor if I had, could not have quences mufi have induced the garri‘fon of Fort George to anfwer, not the words. abandon that place, being cut off from all intercourfe with the. given a decifive opinion. This was the fubflance of his A variety of other quefiions of lefs moment were afterwards put to him, fuch as his making a requifition for a reinforcement of 4000 men ; 1t beingr complied with but in a very {mall part, and part of that fmall not arriving till late in the feafon; the and the line of communication opened thereby, in its confe-BS' mm" main rebel army. He could not fpeak with precifion ; but he believed ifthe army had pailbd Lake George, the garrifon at Fort George might have eluded a furprize, and have made an effeélual retreat 1:0 D2 t e |
