The Real Sites of the Battles of Saratoga

Did you know that the Battles of Saratoga marked the first time in world history that a British Army surrendered in the field? By the fall of 1777, the American Revolutionary War had dragged on for over two years.

John Burgoyne planned to crush the rebellion by marching a massive force south from Montreal to Albany. But instead of an easy victory, his forces met a fiercely prepared Continental Army under Major General Horatio Gates.

The American success at Saratoga was deeply rooted in brilliant military engineering. Recognizing a natural bottleneck where a bend in the Hudson River forced the road against steep hills, the Continental Army fortified the ridge known as Bemis Heights.

Under the masterful direction of a 31-year-old Polish engineer, Colonel Taddeusz Kosciuszko, the Americans constructed formidable log and earth walls. The bluffs provided a sheer drop of over 100 feet to the floodplain below, allowing American artillery to perfectly command the river valley.

Seeking a way around the formidable Bemis Heights defenses, British and German troops clashed with the Americans on September 19, 1777, at a modest 150-acre property known as Freeman's Farm. For more than four hours, a vicious battle rolled back and forth across the stump-studded, weed-grown clearing.

The combat pitted elite British grenadiers and light infantry against Colonel Daniel Morgan’s legendary rifle corps and Stockbridge warriors. Unlike standard troops, Morgan's men utilized rifled muskets for deadly accuracy from the woods.

During the second battle on October 7, the decisive moment occurred at a modest log fortification known as Breymann’s Camp. As American forces overwhelmed the German defenders, General Benedict Arnold rode furiously into the open flank of the fort, where he was severely wounded in the left leg.