Posted by
Gray Ghost on Monday, September 15, 2008 10:57:05 AM
In early September 1777, General John Burgoyne (and the British army he commanded) groped southward from present day Schuylerville, New York. Burgoyne’s objective was Albany, New York, and the destruction of the American army under General Horatio Gates. Supposedly at Albany, two other British armies would rendezvous with Burgoyne and his army, dividing the colonies and isolating the New England colonies from the rest of the country. The Revolutionary War would be over; and the British Crown could bring the "troops home for Christmas".
The British army had found it increasingly necessary to forage for supplies during this campaign. But after the disaster on August 16, 1777, at Bennington, Vermont, Burgoyne was keeping his foraging parties close to the British main army. At Bennington the British army had lost over 900 "foragers" to a group of ragamuffin militia under the able command of former Rogers’ Ranger (now American general) John Stark. After a day long, heavily fought battle (with both sides being reinforced at critical junctures during the engagement), total British losses were recorded at 207 dead and 700 captured. American losses were recorded at 40 dead and 30 wounded.
However, this "closeness" of the British foragers to the British main army would not be caution enough.
Only a few days before, Gates’ American army had been reinforced by perhaps the best unit in the Continental army, the Rifle Corps under the command of Daniel Morgan. All of these soldiers were volunteers. Each soldier was armed with the technological equivalent (in today's terms) of a long-range "sniper rifle". The "Pennsylvania" rifles of the Rifle Corps had only two equals in the world: the German "Jaeger" rifle and the British "Ferguson" rifle. Unfortunately for Burgoyne, neither of these fine weapons were available to his army (although it is believed that several German units in Burgoyne’s army had a few of the "Jaeger" rifles).
On the morning of September 18, 1777, approximately 100 British regulars, loyalists, French Canadians, and a handful of Indians were digging for potatoes at the abandoned Sword Family farm, some 500 yards in the advance of the British main army.
In a lightning attack, General Daniel Morgan announced his presence on the battlefield. Hitting the foragers from three sides, elements of the American Rifle Corps killed, wounded, or captured over 30 men, without losing a single man. Although this engagement was "small potatoes" in the larger scheme of things, it should always be remembered by Americans. Because of this action at Sword’s Farm, General Burgoyne decided to make a risky, foolhardy assault on American positions on the next day, thus starting the Battle of Saratoga.
(Thirty-five years ago this week, my wife and I first visited the Saratoga National Park. For two young "kids", it was exciting to be in New York State and seeing historical places we had both heard about all of our lives. I have a picture of my wife under a tree in the Saratoga National Park. The leaves on this tree are the most beautiful yellow I had ever seen.
I made a promise to write about this visit "when I was old and gray". A note to my younger self: the promise is fulfilled.)