# Burgoyne — The Columbiad character guide

> Burgoyne in The Columbiad by Joel Barlow.

**Role:** supporting

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

**First appearance:** 0008-book-v

## Snapshot

A British general whose northern campaign collapses into surrender, a proud commander undone by wilderness, distance, and the stubbornness of farmers in arms.

## Who they are

Burgoyne arrives in the poem as the embodiment of Britain's overreach, marching a fine army into country that swallows it. His defeat at Saratoga becomes the hinge that brings France into the war, and the poet grants him the dignity of a tragic fall rather than mere villainy. His ruin shows that empire's confidence can be broken by terrain, timing, and men fighting for their own soil.

## Relationships

### [Greene](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_columbiad_se/characters/greene)

_rivalry_

Burgoyne, a British general, is a military opponent of Greene, an American general, during the Saratoga campaign.

## In the story

### [Book VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_columbiad_se/chapters/book-vi)

Leads British forces from the St. Lawrence and is captured at Saratoga.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_columbiad_se/characters/burgoyne
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_columbiad_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_columbiad_se/characters