From the Battlefield to the Stage

The Many Lives of General John Burgoyne

Norman S. Poser

• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN:
  9780228014539
• eBook ISBN:
  9780228015642
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military Biographies
• Index: History

Known today chiefly for his surrender to the American forces at Saratoga, New York, in 1777, General John Burgoyne was one of the most interesting – and extraordinary – figures of the eighteenth century.

In From the Battlefield to the Stage Norman Poser provides a rounded biography, covering not only the Saratoga campaign but also elements of Burgoyne's eventful life that have never been adequately explored. At the age of twenty-eight, Burgoyne eloped with Charlotte Stanley, the daughter of the immensely wealthy and influential Earl of Derby. Though initially furious, the earl, convinced of the young officer's good character, eventually forgave the couple, and the Stanley family became a major influence in Burgoyne's life and career. He was a socialite, welcome in London's fashionable drawing rooms, a high-stakes gambler in its elite clubs, and a playwright whose social comedies were successfully performed on the London stage. As a member of Parliament for thirty years, Burgoyne supported the rule of law, fought the corruption of the East India Company, and advocated religious tolerance.

From the Battlefield to the Stage paints a vivid portrait of General John Burgoyne, remembering him not only for his role in one of Britain's worst military disasters but also as a brave, talented, humane man.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1 Early Days
• 2 Army, Elopement, Exile
• 3 Raiding the French Coast
• 4 Belle Île: Blood and Champagne
• 5 Portugal: Making a Reputation
• 6 A Soldier in Peacetime
• 7 The Preston Election
• 8 Politics and India
• 9 The Maid of the Oaks
• 10 A General without a Command
• 11 How to Plan a Disaster
• 12 The Saratoga Campaign: Before Crossing the Hudson
• 13 Dangerous Allies
• 14 The Saratoga Campaign: After Crossing the Hudson
• 15 The Captive Army
• 16 The Politics of Saratoga
• 17 Man of the Theatre
• 18 Last Days
• Epilogue
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index