Composition of the American Army
Behind the right wing of the American position were stationed the Continental brigades of Nixon, Paterson, and Glover under the immediate command of Gates. Behind the center and left were the Continental brigades of Poor and Learned; also the 500 Virginia riflemen and 300 Light Infantry of Major Dearborn, which together composed a corps led by Col. Daniel Morgan. Morgan’s riflemen had been specially assigned by General Washington to the force confronting Burgoyne, as they were well versed in backwoods fighting and were calculated to offset the Indian and Tory allies of the British. The troops led by Poor, Learned, and Morgan constituted a division under the command of Arnold. Present with the American Army was an artillery train of 22 cannon. Thus stationed, and continuing to improve their fortifications, the American troops awaited the advance of Burgoyne.
The Battle of September 19
It was at this point in the campaign that Burgoyne felt most severely the loss of his Indian allies. After his attempt to discipline the Indians for their brutal murder of Jane McCrea at Fort Edward on July 27, and the two British reverses at Oriskany and Bennington, the Indian nations rapidly began to abandon the royal cause. Up to this time the front and flanks of Burgoyne’s army had been covered with an almost impenetrable cloak of savage warriors who had closely harassed the retreating American Army, attacking small detachments and bringing Burgoyne valuable information on American movements. With the loss of his Indian warriors, however, the situation was reversed. Burgoyne was deprived of military intelligence; and, hovering about the Royal Army were hundreds of American scouts who attacked small British units and counted in detail the numbers of men, tents, wagons, and boats in Burgoyne’s army.
Thus, on September 19, Burgoyne had little accurate information on the strength or disposition of the American Army that blocked his way to Albany. A heavy fog covered both the American and British camps that morning. While the Royal Army waited for the heavy mists to lift, they prepared to advance in three parallel columns, as they had previously done since crossing the river at Saratoga. Burgoyne’s objective that day was to move his army safely forward through the heavy forests to a position near enough to the hidden American camp to enable him to begin effective operations against the American lines.
THE FIRST BATTLE OF FREEMAN’S FARM (SARATOGA)
SEPTEMBER 19, 1777.
RECONNAISSANCE CONVINCED BURGOYNE THAT IN ORDER TO REACH ALBANY HE HAD TO ATTACK THE AMERICAN ARMY WHICH BLOCKED HIS WAY AT BEMIS HEIGHTS.
ON SEPTEMBER 19, 1777 BURGOYNE MOVED FROM HIS CAMP NEAR THE SWORD HOUSE IN THREE DIVISIONS. RIEDESEL MOVED FORWARD ON THE RIVER ROAD. BURGOYNE COMMANDED THE CENTER. FRASER MOVED THROUGH THE WOODS ON THE RIGHT. AT MIDDAY BURGOYNE’S TROOPS ACCIDENTALLY ENCOUNTERED SOME OF MORGAN’S MEN NEAR FREEMAN’S FARM, ABOUT ONE MILE NORTH OF THIS POINT.
A SAVAGE BATTLE ENSUED. REINFORCEMENTS WERE THROWN IN BY BOTH SIDES. THE FREEMAN FARM CLEARING WAS REPEATEDLY WON AND LOST BY THE OPPOSING FORCES UNTIL NIGHTFALL. RIEDESEL’S TIMELY ARRIVAL FROM THE RIVER SAVED BURGOYNE FROM TOTAL DEFEAT. THE AMERICANS WITHDREW INTO THEIR CAMP, WHERE YOU NOW STAND, LEAVING BURGOYNE MASTER OF THE FIELD.
Col. Daniel Morgan.