Day of Decision: The Battle of Saratoga

Background

In 1777, the American Revolutionary War had dragged on for two years. The British had some major successes, both in the South, and in the Middle Colonies where they had chased George Washington’s Army out of New York and across the Delaware River. Even though Washington had struck back, winning victories at Trenton and Princeton, the British found themselves in a strong position for subduing the American rebels.

The British decided to launch a campaign to isolate the New England colonies from the rest of America and destroy the American forces there in detail. For that purpose, they planned to march three columns from three different directions to converge at Albany, New York, seizing the Hudson River Valley.

General Henry Clinton would lead a force out of New York City, north up the Hudson River Valley. General Barry St. Leger would lead a small, diversionary force east from Canada along the Mohawk Valley. General John “Gentleman Johney” Burgoyne would lead the main force south, down the Hudson River Valley from Canada. The three columns would meet at Albany some time in the summer.

At first, even though Clinton’s column was delayed, the plan seemed to be working. Burgoyne won victories at Hubbardton and Fort Ticonderoga and seemed on the brink of overrun the Hudson River Valley.  But by late July, his progress slowed to a crawl. Burgoyne was hampered by a lack of supplies and by the guerilla tactics of the Americans, who sniped at his soldiers from behind trees and fences, and destroyed bridges in his path.

Burgoyne sent a column of Hessians (actually soldiers from Brunswick in Germany), Loyalist Americans, Canadians, and Indians under Lt. Colonel Friedrich Baum to raid the American supply depot at Bennington.  Unfortunately for Baum, he faced far more American militia than he had counted on, about 1500 led by General John Stark, who defeated the Hessians at the Battle of Bennington on August 16th, which is still a legal holiday in Vermont.