The Death of Jane McCrea by John Vanderlyn Jane McCrea, a patriot’s daughter in love with a loyalist in Burgoyne’s army, gained fame as a martyr in 1777. She met death on her way to join her fiancé—either shot in the crossfire of battle (the British claim) or murdered by Indians (the patriots’ version). American leaders used the story of the vulnerable maiden as propaganda to inspire the American drive for victory at Saratoga. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford/Art Resource, NY.