First Battle of Saratoga
- When
- 1777
- Where
- Freeman's Farm, near Saratoga, New York; Freeman's Farm battlefield; American right wing
- Episodes
- 3
On September 19, 1777, at Freeman's Farm near Stillwater, New York, General John Burgoyne's British army attacked the Continental Army under Generals Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold. Burgoyne won a tactical victory but suffered heavy casualties, and darkness ended the fighting.
Episodes
- Battle of Freeman's Farm
Burgoyne attacked the Continental Army at Freeman's Farm on September 19, 1777, winning a tactical victory at the cost of heavy casualties.
- Arnold's Role in the Fighting
Historians disagree over whether Benedict Arnold remained at Gates' headquarters or actively directed troops during the battle.
- Learned's Brigade Dispatched
Responding to a threat, Arnold requested more forces and Gates allowed him to dispatch Ebenezer Learned's brigade of Massachusetts regiments.
Background and detail
Background. The British command devised a 1777 plan to divide the colonies with a three-way pincer movement, and Lieutenant General John Burgoyne moved south from Quebec in June 1777 to gain control of the upper Hudson River valley. The first Saratoga battle was fought on ground about 9 miles (14 km) south of Saratoga, New York.
American Command Arrangements. Gates assigned the left wing of the defenses to Arnold and assumed command of the right himself, a wing nominally assigned to General Lincoln, whom Gates had detached in August with troops to harass British positions behind Burgoyne's army. Arnold, anticipating a flanking maneuver, petitioned Gates to move his forces from the heights to meet potential movements, where American skill at woodlands combat would be advantageous.
Aftermath of the Engagement. Burgoyne's council discussed attacking the next day but decided to delay further action at least one day, to September 21. That attack was called off when Burgoyne received a September 12 letter from Henry Clinton, commanding the British garrison in New York City. Burgoyne wrote to Clinton on September 23 requesting assistance or a diversion to draw Gates' army away.
People involved
- John Burgoyne · British commander
- Horatio Gates · American commander
- Benedict Arnold · American wing commander
- Ebenezer Learned · American brigade commander
- Henry Clinton · British garrison commander, New York City
Sources
- Battles of Saratoga Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-29
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.