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Gen. Arthur St. Clair



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OK, boys and girls.  I'm part way into the book, "Saratoga" by Richard M.
Ketcham and lots of things are happening in the life of our illustrious
"cousin".

He is in charge of the reconstruction and fortifying of a badly decayed Ft.
Ticonderoga which has been going on through the winter of 1776 and 77 and
Spring is coming.  John Hancock, one of the pre-presidents of the US, and
other Generals have assured him that Gen. Burgoyne and the British at
Montreal will not come south down Lake Champlain and attack but sail out the
St. Lawrence for NYC to join Gen. Howe.  He (St. Clair) was "sufficiently
persuaded that he brought with him his eleven-year-old son, to give the boy
a taste of military life and 'to superintend his education.'".

    So unless I learn later that he sent this son home, there are St. Clairs
out there descend from two generations that were at this battle.  Hope the
son lives.
Arthur is described as a Scot by birth, a handsome forty year old with
chestnut hair, penetrating blue-gray eyes and a determined chin.  With his
tricorn hat cocked at a rakish angle and his mouth turned slightly down on
one side, he  had the look of a tough soldier who had seen much and was not
about to take anything for granted.
There is a portrait of him by John Trumbull in this book.
It goes on to say "That was one aspect of the man; another came through in
his literate, extremely articulate letters, which were likely to be
sprinkled with references to ancient military campaigns and quotations in
Latin from Horace."
By the way artist John Trumbull was there at Ticonderoga so he was able to
sketch Arthur in a more natural life-like setting than the usual posed
portraits.  And if his advice would have been heeded, things could have gone
differently at Ticonderoga.

    A tremendous building effort went on throughout that winter by a MOST
able engineer who also built a bridge across that stretch of the frozen
water that connected itself to the lake bottom.  It was so amazing that one
German officers declared it one of the 7 wonders of the modern world.  I'm
not kidding you about this!!



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