Saratoga National Historical Park is an area of exceptional scenic beauty, the terrain of the park being characterized by sharply rising bluffs, deep ravines, and rolling hills. Its present open clearings are in sharp contrast to its heavily wooded appearance in 1777.
Though time has left few vestiges of the American and British fortifications, an effort is being made to establish definitely their original character and position by historical and archeological research.
THE AMERICAN RIVER REDOUBTS.
The river bluffs on which American batteries were emplaced dictated the tactics of both armies and the course of the two battles of Saratoga. The American line was anchored on these bluffs, because here the high ground converged with the river to allow only a narrow corridor along the river plain. The road south to Albany ran through this corridor. Both battles were fought as a result of the British attempt to flank the American positions controlling this passageway. This terrain factor must be appreciated if the course of events at Saratoga is to be understood.
View of the Freeman Farm from the east, showing the scene of the heaviest fighting of the Battles of Saratoga.
View looking northeast from the site of Fort Neilson, a key point dominating the left flank and center of the American defensive position.
SITE OF FORT NEILSON.
Situated on the crest of Bemis Heights at the apex of the American line, stood Fort Neilson. In reality the fort was a fortified barn, named for John Neilson, the farmer who owned it. Strengthened on either side by heavy batteries and protected by a breastwork of logs and felled trees, the fort constituted a key point in the American line. The overlook from this point offers a sweeping panorama of exceptional beauty and charm. From here are visible the Adirondacks, the Green Mountains in Vermont, the Berkshires in Massachusetts, and the Catskills.