Some history and insight into the American Revolution

     After the Brunswicker Colonel Baum’s expedition to Bennington in search of supplies and horses had been a disaster. The Americans were greatly encouraged by the success of Brigadier Stark’s New Hampshire Militia in that battle.

     By August 1777 Major General John Burgoyne’s army had forced its way
down the Lake Champlain route from Canada to Fort Edward on the Hudson River. General Schuyler lay with the American Army to the south, covering the New York State capital, Albany. Burgoyne’s campaign to invade the American Colonies, which had seemed so promising when the army set out, was rapidly souring.

    

     General Schuyler, the American commander until his removal in August 1777, had established his army in a fortified position on Bemis Heights, overlooking the west bank of the Hudson.

     Blamed for the loss of Fort Ticonderoga, Schuyler was removed from his post and ordered to Philadelphia to answer for his conduct. He was replaced by Major General Horatio Gates and Major General Benedict Arnold, two mutually antipathetical personalities. Gates was a cautious ex-British officer. Arnold, one of the two leaders of the American attack on Quebec in 1776, was a mercurial man of action, able to inspire his troops to great feats in battle, constantly aggressive and on the lookout for the tactical advantage.

On 19th August 1777 Burgoyne began a movement to encircle the American fortifications on Bemis Heights. Burgoyne’s intention was to take possession of the heights to the West of the American fortifications and use the advantage of greater elevation to bombard the Americans from their flank.

     Brigadier Fraser with the British Right Wing pushed into the woods along the northern side of a deep ravine. Hamilton followed him with the British Centre, accompanied by Burgoyne. Riedesel and his German troops remained on the riverside with the bateaux and supplies. Once in a line the three contingents would advance on the Americans.
      Gates had no aggressive plan with which to counter the British move. He intended to await attack in his fortified position on Bemis Heights. His subordinate, Arnold, had no such intention. He was determined to take the fight to the advancing British and use the advantage his men had in forest fighting.
Arnold pressed Gates to attack with the whole army. Gates finally agreed that Arnold could take his own division forward against the British line.
     By the early afternoon Burgoyne’s army had cleared the ravine and was in position to begin the advance, signaled by the discharge of a gun.
     Morgan’s riflemen were the first American troops to attack, launching an assault on a small force of Canadians and Indians of Fraser’s Right Wing. Morgan’s men were followed by Arnold’s division of New Hampshire Continentals. Morgan’s riflemen rushed on in pursuit and were dispersed by a counterattack. The Continentals were repelled by Fraser’s Grenadiers and Light Companies.
Burgoyne’s and Hamilton’s Centre approached Freeman’s Farm, leaving a substantial gap between themselves and Fraser’s more distant force. Arnold rallied his men and resumed the attack into the gap between the British Centre and Right Wing.
     More American regiments from Arnold’s Division came up and joined the assault. Burgoyne’s flank regiment, the 21st Foot, was forced to fall back to avoid being overwhelmed. This left the 62nd Regiment at the angle of the line and under heavy fire.
     A desperate battle developed between the attacking Americans and the regiments of the British Centre. During the course of the fighting, which was described by veteran British soldiers as very heavy, General Phillips (the artillery officer who had distinguished himself at Minden) led a bayonet charge of the 20th Regiment to enable the 62nd to withdraw and reform.
     Gates, still in the American camp, refused to commit further formations of the American army to the battle. If he had done so it is generally accepted that the British Centre would have been overwhelmed.
In contrast to Gates’ refusal of requests for assistance from Arnold, Riedesel on the British Left responded with alacrity to the crisis. Leaving the British 47th to guard the baggage, Riedesel marched his regiments up the hill. He arrived to find the British Foot in great difficulty and without delay launched a flank attack on the American troops. The fire of his artillery and foot was sufficient to relieve the pressure on the British regiments and force the Americans to withdraw. By this time night was falling.
     The Americans fell back in some confusion to their fortified camp on Bemis Heights.