[Pharmboy]

Yet another example of incomplete and irresponsible reporting by the NY Times, this time covering a 200+ year old story. Reading this, you would think that Gates was an unfortunate victim here, but Kaplan and Haberman leave out the most important material related to "Granny Gates."

Allow me to sketch out a few things: 1) From the beginning, he believed that HE should be the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army rather than Washington, but Congress wanted an American; 2) He had advised against the attack on Trenton, and when he was overridden, absented himself from the battle; 3) He worked against The General as part of the mutinous Conway Cabal; 4) He got lucky while behind the lines at Saratoga because he had real heroes do the fighting (e.g., Arnold, Morgan, Poor and Lincoln); 5) He was almost court martialed for his abysmal showing at Camden and broke records fleeing north from the advancing Brits.

Great reporting by the Times, eh?

[dware]

Bump

[Pharmboy]

Gen. Horatio Gates

The RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping list...

Freepmail me to get on or off...

[Kartographer]

Gates was a Damn Fool!

[pgkdan]

Granny Gates was a well deserved and well earned nick name for the General. Arnold was the true hero of Saratoga and should have gotten much more credit than he did. Gates was more interested in his personal glory and perks, privelges and creature comforts than he was in executing the war. Gates undermined Washington at every opportunity and worked tirelessly to advance himself at the expense of the Revolution. He’s by far my least favorite Revolutionary Commander...I even prefer Charles Lee over him.

[KC_Conspirator]

This is the same Lee, who committed Treason while in captivity by giving advice to his fellow British on how to beat Washington and the Rebels.

No wonder the NY Slimes is supporting a traitor.

[BlueLancer]

Agreed ... Gates was one of the most useless pieces of flotsam to ever wear the uniform of an American Army. Arnold and Morgan, Poor and Lincoln, were responsible for the victory at Saratoga.

What an uninformed, ignorant piece of work.

[70th Division]

Wasn’t Gates challanged to like 7 duels after he retired?

[Stultis]

James Kaplan resembles "Granny Gates" a bit.

Related? Or do they just share the "weenie" gene?

[Buckeye Battle Cry]

Gates over and above effort to seize all credit for Saratoga and deny Arnold any credit was one of the first dominos to fall in the series of events that resulted in Arnold’s treasonous effort to give West point to the Brits. It was insulting and enraging to Arnold that he suffered severe battle wounds that crippled him for life and Gates, sitting in a tavern near his HQ the whole time, took the glory.

[NonValueAdded]

Enoch Poor 1st NH bump.

Was thinking just the other day that it is time to re-read Ketchum's Saratoga.

Lafayette toasts in 1824 with great emotion: "Light Infantry, Poor, and Yorktown, Scammell."

see Simms, William G, Edward D. Ingraham, and Rufus W. Griswold. Washington and the Generals of the American Revolution: With Sixteen Portraits on Steel. Philadelphia: Carey and Hart, 1847. Free in Google Books.