# General Burgoyne — The American Crisis character guide

> General Burgoyne in The American Crisis by Thomas Paine.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Burgoyne, General Burgoyne

**First appearance:** 0002-the-crisis-i

## Snapshot

The British general whose surrender at Saratoga becomes Paine's measuring stick for victory, invoked to shame Howe's cautious retreat into Philadelphia.

## Who they are

Burgoyne never speaks in these pages, yet his defeat haunts every argument Paine makes about what the American army might achieve. Paine uses him as a rhetorical weapon: if Burgoyne's captured army could force Howe into winter quarters, then the same fate awaits any British commander who underestimates colonial resolve. He matters because his shadow turns Saratoga from a single battle into a template for how the war might be won.

## In the story

### [The Crisis V: To Gen. Sir William Howe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_american_crisis_se/chapters/the-crisis-v-to-gen-sir-william-howe)

Mentioned as a prisoner after Saratoga; his capture is seen as a decisive blow to British prestige.

### [To the Inhabitants of America](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_american_crisis_se/chapters/to-the-inhabitants-of-america)

Referenced as an example of an invader whose initial success at Saratoga led to his defeat.

### [The Crisis VII: To the People of England](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_american_crisis_se/chapters/the-crisis-vii-to-the-people-of-england)

Mentioned as a symbol of British defeat, his conquest being treated as impossible by Parliament.

### [The Crisis XI: On the Present State of News](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_american_crisis_se/chapters/the-crisis-xi-on-the-present-state-of-news)

Mentioned in the Spanish memorial as a lawful prisoner, illustrating British inconsistency.

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_american_crisis_se/chapters/endnotes)

Burgoyne's capture at Saratoga is referenced, and the notes mention that Washington was credited with a role in it.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_american_crisis_se/characters/john_burgoyne
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_american_crisis_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_american_crisis_se/characters