Situated on the same ridge as the Freeman farmhouse, the Balcarres Redoubt extended approximately 500 yards in a north-south direction. The redoubt was an enclosed work mounting eight cannon, with walls from 12 to 14 feet in height and constructed of logs with earth thrown over them. The front of this work was covered with a strong abatis built of felled trees. The Balcarres Redoubt thus constituted the strongest fortification of the British line. Under the command of the Earl of Balcarres, the fortification was erected shortly after the Battle of September 19 and was occupied by the British Light Infantry. In fierce attacks, the American forces, on October 7, repeatedly assailed this redoubt in vain. Arnold’s successful assault on the Breymann Redoubt, however, finally served to outflank the position and force its evacuation.
This shaft was erected in 1931 by the Daughters of the American Revolution of New York State as a memorial to the American soldiers who died at Saratoga.
BREYMANN REDOUBT.
The Breymann Redoubt was situated on the extreme right flank of the British line and was erected to defend the right flank of the Balcarres Redoubt and to cover a road that ran from this point to the American camp. The Breymann Redoubt thus served as the key to the entire British position. The redoubt was constructed and defended by German troops, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Breymann, shortly after the battle of September 19. It consisted of a single line of breastworks, approximately 200 yards in length, with short flank defenses and no works in the rear. On the right, on high ground, it mounted a battery of two cannon that was captured by the Americans on October 7. The ground before the redoubt was cleared and there was no abatis before this work. The walls of the redoubt were constructed of logs and rails. The logs were laid horizontally one upon the other and were supported between upright pickets, or posts, driven into the ground on either side of the wall and fastened together at the top. The breastwork was between 7 and 8 feet in height, with an opening of about 9 or 10 inches wide, at a suitable height for small arms. It was here in the closing hours of October 7 that Arnold took part in the dramatic assault that sealed the fate of the Burgoyne Campaign. The unique monument to Arnold’s wounded leg is located on the site of the Breymann Redoubt.
FIRST LINE OF BATTLE, OCTOBER 7.
Situated approximately three-fourths of a mile northwest of the site of Fort Neilson and extending some 1,000 yards west of present State Route 32, is the position which the flanking column of 1,500 soldiers under Burgoyne occupied at the beginning of the American attack on October 7. Here on the southern slope of the rise of ground, just north of the Middle Ravine, the British met the full fury of the first American attack. It was in this area that General Fraser received his mortal wound and many other British officers were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner before Burgoyne ordered a retreat to the Balcarres Redoubt. The badly wounded Major Acland, commander of the British Grenadiers, and Major Williams, commander of the British Artillery, were both taken prisoners by the Americans in this area on October 7.
The Schuyler House. The main part of this building was erected by Gen. Philip Schuyler to replace an earlier house, which was burned by Burgoyne’s troops on October 10, 1777. The house, situated in Schuylerville (Old Saratoga), is being restored to the period of Schuyler family occupancy.