| « Previous | Home | Next » | British Canon Friday, August 11, 2006 |
 In September and October of 1777, the upstart Amrican revolutionary army met the British regulars, under the command of General Burgoyne, on a few farm fields in the vicinity of Saratoga, NY. I am no military historian, so I cannot relate the details of the battle other than to say that after a few weeks, with no reinforcement from British troops located in New York City, Burgoyne faced overwhelming opposition and was compelled to surrender. History tells us several important facts from this battle. It was in many ways a watershed event in the revolution...the first major victory of the Americans. And it was significant enough to spark the interest and support of the French. A second important event deals with the fate of one of the most notorious figures in US History, Benedict Arnold. Arnold, known to almost all school children for his treason during the war, was in the early years a true American hero. By all accounts, it was Arnold's bold attack on Breymann Redoubt at Saratoga that swung the tide in favor of the Americans. But the American commander at Saratoga, Horatio Gates, already in a battle of personality with Arnold, did not give Arnold the credit he rightly deserved. Arnold was injured seriously at Saratoga and it has been noted that he later said he wished he had been killed. | |
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Posted by forgingahead Archived under: History |
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