Reminiscing a Battle of The First Revolution
Danny Riley | Show The Law | July 1st 2007
As I traveled along the grounds that the revolutionary war was fought in upstate New York, I couldn’t help but think of how brave these men must have been. They must have known the danger was real and that General Burgoyne was coming at them from the north, not to mention from the south General Clinton could arrive with his army to surround them at any time. The sacrifices these brave men gave to give the blessing of liberty to generations yet unborn, shall, and will not be in vain. Their legacy of bravery, sacrifice and honor, will, and must, be brought forward by the next generation of American Militia Men to restore for future generations the blessing of liberty.
I walked where the American Garrison (5,000 strong) was encamped at Van Schiack Island around the famous Van Schiack Mansion. This mansion was HQ for 3 wars--French and Indian war, the Revolutionary war, and the War of 1812. A very important fresh water spring is on the grounds. Here is where Generals Montgomery, Schuyler, Gates, Stark, Morgan, Gansevoort, St. Clair and Benedict Arnold planned the Battle of Saratoga at the mansion. General Burgoyne stayed at the mansion on his way to Albany as a prisoner. After the war George Washington visited the mansion in 1783 and toured the waterfalls at Cohoes NY. The owner of the mansion, John Van Schiack gave General Gates $10,000 dollars in gold to help supply the militia before it headed north to meet the British at Saratoga. Van Schiack received continental script for his gold, only later to have congress rule that Gates had no authority to issue the script making it worthless.
As I headed north to the battle field I ran across the house of Phillip Schuyler’s son Harmanus in Stillwater NY, just south of where the actual battle took place. Washington stayed here on his 1783 trip to the area. I found Ferry Lane where the British were taken as prisoners across the Hudson by ferry. Just north of here is the Dick Swart House, which was used by General Schuyler’s HQ before the battle of Saratoga. Here is where Benedict Arnold left from, to relieve the siege at Fort Stanwix with a brigade of General learnered’s army. Dirk Swart was a leader of Stillwater and served as an Anti Federalist delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention. He was late for the actual ballot and if he was in time, would have voted against ratification of the United States Constitution.
I arrived at the battle field to see the American defenses at Bemis Heights. The Nielson farm house was Arnold’s field command office on top of the Heights. There is erected a monument to the unknown killed during the fighting. I can not help but think of the suffering these men endured for my, for our freedom, only to be scoped up and buried in an unmarked grave where time slowly fades their memory into obscurity. These men must not be forgotten and their sacrificed must be remembered and repaid. I strolled along the blue markers which represent where the American earthwork fortifications stood. There are ones to the north painted red to represent the British defenses. I followed the blue markers to the artillery emplacements guarding the Hudson River below. These defenses were designed by the Polish Patriot Thaddeus Kosciuszko who also designed the defenses at West Point NY.
I left the battlefield and I followed the route taken by the retreating Burgoyne. The Dovegat House was where Burgoyne stayed during the retreat. Morgan’s riflemen pursued Burgoyne during the retreat. I came across the actual spot where tyranny handed over power to freedom. This must have been a very exciting moment in the American camp. Little did they know 4 ½ years of fighting remained. I advanced to General Phillip Schuyler’s House. This house was rebuilt after the British burned it during the war. The original Doric pillars in the front no longer remain. Around back you find the brick stoves and an outhouse and an old kettle used to boil pigs. Just thinking of the history that went down on these grounds gives me goose bumps. Ben Franklin and George Washington were both known to have been here. The first flax mill was built on these grounds. Flax was used to make linens. This was known as Fort Saratoga before the war. The Fort was attacked by Indians in 1745 and Phillip Schuyler’s ancestors were killed along with 30 others. Phillip Schuyler’s descendants are still dying in wars, most recently his direct descendant, Army Sgt. 1st Class Schuyler Haynes, who died in Iraq on Nov. 15, 2006, was buried Nov. 30, 2006, in the Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, NY. He is buried not far from General Schuyler.
My last visit for the day was the Monument built in Victory NY in 1877 commemorating the 100 year anniversary of the surrender of Burgoyne. The monument has 4 enclaves holding a statue of Daniel Morgan in the west, General Schuyler in the east, General Gates in the north, and no statue in the southern enclave. This spot represents where General Benedict Arnold would have been. The inside has murals carved in the walls depicted the events surrounding the surrender. Overall the British lost 2000 of their 8000 men. The Americans lost around 600 of their 12,000. The American ranks had swelled to 20,000 compared to Burgoyne’s 6,000 making surrender his only option. Once the Patriots cause gains a footing patriots begin to come out in droves, especially when victory is within reach. Like a moth drawn to light, a patriot is drawn to freedom. I hope you enjoyed this little history lesson. I hope it inspires more patriots to awaken from their slumber.
Danny Riley July 1, 2007