Battle of Saratoga

A Revolutionary War Cemetery Reveals More Secrets

May 17, 2015 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

An historical researcher studying the pension files of Revolutionary War veterans has identified a Maryland officer who died at the Fishkill Supply Depot and was buried in a long-abandoned Revolutionary War cemetery threatened by development.

In late 2007, an archaeological team rediscovered the cemetery on privately-owned land just south of the Van Wyck Homestead along U.S. Route 9. The Van Wyck Homestead served as the headquarters for what was George Washington’s principal supply depot during the Revolutionary War and is the site’s only remaining structure. [Read more…] about A Revolutionary War Cemetery Reveals More Secrets

Saratoga National Historical Park Launches Mobile App

May 5, 2015 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Saratoga National Historical Park has announced the launch of its new mobile app for smart phones and tablets. Starting April 2015, visitors using these portable computing devices will be able to use this app to enhance their park touring experience.

The app features content for over 30 points of interest, including images and an audio tour of the battlefield created by the Friends of Saratoga Battlefield. Visitors can also listen to a new Wilkinson Trail Hiking Tour, an immersive soundscape with two distinct tours, one for adults and a student-narrated one for children. The Wilkinson Trail tours were created by park rangers, volunteers, and students. Visitors can also discover points of interest with location-aware alerts and GPS-enabled maps. [Read more…] about Saratoga National Historical Park Launches Mobile App

Report: Saratoga Battlefield Adds $4.1M To Economy

April 24, 2015 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

A new National Park Service (NPS) report argues that 58,772 visitors to Saratoga National Historical Park (known locally as the Saratoga Battlefield) in 2014 spent $3,296,000 in communities near the park. That spending supported 50 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $4,168,300 according to the report’s authors.

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Christopher Huber and National Park Service economist Lynne Koontz. [Read more…] about Report: Saratoga Battlefield Adds $4.1M To Economy

Arnold Or Gates: Who Was The Hero of Saratoga?

April 7, 2015 by Editorial Staff 4 Comments

On Saturday, April 11, 2015, from 2 to 3 pm, the NYS Military Museum at 61 Lake Ave in Saratoga Springs will host a debate on an old question: Horatio Gates or Benedict Arnold…who is the real hero of the Battles of Saratoga?

National Park Rangers Joe Craig and Eric Schnitzer will present this structured discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of American Generals Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold and how each helped, or hindered, the American victory in the world-changing Battles of Saratoga, called the “most important battle of the last 1,000 years.” [Read more…] about Arnold Or Gates: Who Was The Hero of Saratoga?

‘Live Free Or Die’: The Life And Wars Of John Stark

January 25, 2015 by Editorial Staff 4 Comments

Few men contributed as much to the American victory in the Revolutionary War, yet have been as little recognized, as a New Hampshire farmer and lumberman by the name of John Stark. Although he is not well known outside of New Hampshire, a few words he wrote live on there today: Live Free or Die.

A biography by John F. Polhemus and Richard V. Polhemus, Stark, The Life and Wars of John Stark: French & Indian War Ranger, Revolutionary War General (Black Dome Press, 2014) help’s bring this remarkable man’s life into appropriate perspective. [Read more…] about ‘Live Free Or Die’: The Life And Wars Of John Stark

Events Mark NYC Ties to Battles of Saratoga, Yorktown

October 5, 2014 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

A ceremony commemorating the American victories at the battles of Saratoga and Yorktown will be held on Sunday, October 12, 2014 in Manhattan’s historic Trinity Churchyard. The cemetery holds the bodies of General Horatio Gates, the commanding general at the Battle of Saratoga to whom a 10,000 man British force surrendered on October 17, 1777, and Alexander Hamilton, who led the charge against Redoubt 10 at the Battle of Yorktown on October 19, 1781. Both men are buried within a few yards of each other.

The ceremony will be preceded by a two hour walking tour beginning at 12:30 p.m. sponsored by Open House New York in which walking tour historian James S. Kaplan, will lead a group through sites of Revolutionary War importance in Lower Manhattan, ending at Trinity Churchyard. [Read more…] about Events Mark NYC Ties to Battles of Saratoga, Yorktown

Encampment Marks Battles of Saratoga Anniversary

September 10, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

On Saturday and Sunday, September 20th and 21st, Saratoga National Historical Park, located on Routes 32 and 4 in Stillwater, will present an 18th century living history encampment marking the 237th anniversary of the world’s “most important battle of the last 1,000 years.”

This two-day encampment will offers visitors with the sights, smells, and sounds of military camp life from the American Revolution. Dozens of re-enactors portray American and British officers, soldiers, and camp followers from the Battles of Saratoga. [Read more…] about Encampment Marks Battles of Saratoga Anniversary

Saratoga Battlefield’s 19th Annual Frost Faire Jan 25

January 17, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Saratoga Battlefield’s 19th Annual Frost Faire is a free event being held Saturday, January 25th, 2014 from 11 AM to 3 PM at the Battlefield (located on Routes 4 and 32 in Stillwater).

Inspired by Frost Faires in 1700s England, this event offers opportunities to beat cabin fever with activities like horse-drawn carriage rides, snow tubing the “Big Hill” (weather permitting), a 12pm winter nature trek and scavenger hunt, on-going contra-dancing, children’s crafts and games, a warming tent with light refreshments, historic handwriting demonstrations, and musket and cannon firings. [Read more…] about Saratoga Battlefield’s 19th Annual Frost Faire Jan 25

Schaghticoke: An American Revolution Militia Rendezvous

November 13, 2013 by Brian Barrett 15 Comments

At the juncture of well worn roads and trails, Schaghticoke became a hub of activity during September and October 1777. Schaghticoke is located east of the Hudson River in what was at the time Albany (now Rensselaer) County, opposite the hamlet of Stillwater. It was a stopping place for hundreds of militiamen who came and went to battle stations in the area.

Like other nearby communities, Schaghticoke was all but abandoned during late summer and fall of 1777. An 8,000 man British Army, invading the Hudson River Valley, was reason enough for most residents to flee to safer places. Many of these refugees went to Albany to escape the threats of war. This article describes the activities of New England militiamen in and around Schaghticoke during the Saratoga Campaign. [Read more…] about Schaghticoke: An American Revolution Militia Rendezvous

Event to Commemorate the Battles of Saratoga in NYC

September 30, 2013 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

A ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the American victory at the Battles of Saratoga will take place at 2 pm on Saturday, October 12, in New York City’s Trinity Church, in the churchyard where Horatio Gates and Marinus Willett, two of the most important American commanders at the Battles, are buried.

For many years various communities have celebrated the anniversaries of important Revolutionary War battles. For more than 150 years, Boston’s annual celebration of the battle of Bunker Hill has been a major civic event. However, the anniversary of the resounding American victory at Saratoga and its related battles, which most historians consider the clear turning point of the Revolutionary War, is believed to have never been celebrated in New York City. [Read more…] about Event to Commemorate the Battles of Saratoga in NYC