In 1775, only fifteen years had elapsed since the expulsion of the New France from Canada following the French and Indian War (1754-1763). The concentration of French power in the valley of the St. Lawrence had impressed upon the minds of colonial leaders the importance of Lake Champlain, of its tributary Lake George, and of the Hudson River, as forming a consecutive, if not continuous, water line of communications from the St. Lawrence River to the city of New York. [Read more…] about The Naval Campaign on Lake Champlain in 1775-1776
John Burgoyne
Crown Point Historic Barracks To Be Stabilized
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) is embarking on a $750,000 barracks preservation project at Crown Point State Historic Site.
Located on a peninsula on the shores of Lake Champlain, the historic site contains the ruins of two forts, one French (Fort St. Frederic) and one British (Fort Crown Point), which played crucial roles in 18th-century military events and the American Revolution. [Read more…] about Crown Point Historic Barracks To Be Stabilized
HMS Cerberus: The Warship That Brought Burgoyne, Clinton, and Howe to the Colonies
A few weeks after the April 1775 battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, the British warship HMS Cerberus, a 28-gun frigate, arrived in Boston harbor carrying three British generals that would go on to play key roles in the American Revolution: John Burgoyne, Henry Clinton, and William Howe.
The very name of the sixth-rate ship, Cerberus, did not go unnoticed to Bostonians. Cerberus was a mythical Greek god, a monstrous three-headed dog often called the “hound of Hades.” [Read more…] about HMS Cerberus: The Warship That Brought Burgoyne, Clinton, and Howe to the Colonies
Angelica Schuyler Church: A Woman at the Center of Revolution
Angelica: For Love and Country in a Time of Revolution (W. W. Norton & Company, 2025) by Molly Beer is a women-centric view of revolution through the life of Angelica Schuyler Church (1756-1814), the eldest daughter of General Philip Schuyler and Catherine Van Rensselaer.
The Van Rensselaers of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck were one of the wealthiest and most politically influential families in what was then the still heavily Dutch-influenced Province of New York. [Read more…] about Angelica Schuyler Church: A Woman at the Center of Revolution
The 1777 Battle of Diamond Island Podcast
The Battle of Diamond Island was the only naval engagement of the American Revolution fought on Lake George. In the latest Lake George Battlefield Moments podcast, Bruce Venter provides context for the battle, which occurred on September 24, 1777, and its effects on British General John Burgoyne‘s campaign to capture Albany for the British. [Read more…] about The 1777 Battle of Diamond Island Podcast
The Battle of Diamond Island on Lake George
Today it’s a State-owned island – a day use area for picnics – but Diamond Island on Lake George witnessed a horrific bombardment by gun boats manned by Patriots during the American Revolution.
The fight occurred during British Lieutenant General John Burgoyne’s 1777 campaign to capture Albany. Initially, Burgoyne’s 9,000 man army had successfully captured Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence in July. [Read more…] about The Battle of Diamond Island on Lake George
Lady Acland’s Voyage: A First-Hand Account of the Battles of Saratoga
The latest episode of the A New York Minute in History podcast tells the story of Lady Christian Henrietta Caroline “Harriet” Acland, aristocratic wife of Major John Dyke Acland, who commanded the British 20th Regiment of Foot during the Saratoga Campaign of 1777.
During the American Revolution it was not uncommon for the family of military officers to accompany them to camp. This was the case for Major Acland, who was accompanied by his wife Lady Harriet Acland. [Read more…] about Lady Acland’s Voyage: A First-Hand Account of the Battles of Saratoga
The Fall of Fort Ticonderoga in July 1777
Fort Ticonderoga was a strategic fort in Northern New York on Lake Champlain that was captured by American Revolutionaries in 1775. It’s loss in 1777 was a major blow to the war effort during the American Revolution, resulting in court-marshals of the commanding officers.
The British army, led by General John Burgoyne, began its attack on the Fort in July 1777. The Americans, under the command of General Arthur St. Clair, were outnumbered and outgunned. Burgoyne’s forces surrounded the fort and began shelling it from the north. [Read more…] about The Fall of Fort Ticonderoga in July 1777
July 7, 1777: The Battle of Hubbardton in Vermont
July 7th marks the anniversary of the 1777 Battle of Hubbardton, in Vermont. The battle was one of the only engagements in what’s now the state of Vermont during the American Revolutionary War, although the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 and the Battle of Valcour Island in 1776 did spill over into Vermont as well.
Like the Battle of Bennington, it holds a particularly outsized role in the conflict itself owing to it having taken place in the lead-up to the Battles of Saratoga. [Read more…] about July 7, 1777: The Battle of Hubbardton in Vermont
The Battle of Bennington on August 16 1777
This week on The Historians Podcast, Phyllis Chapman of Friends of the Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site discusses the Battle of Bennington, fought about ten miles from Bennington, Vermont, in the hamlet of Walloomasc, in the Town of Hoosick, Rensselaer County, NY, on August 16 1777. [Read more…] about The Battle of Bennington on August 16 1777
Taddeus Kosciusko: A Hero of Two Worlds (& The Name On That Bridge)
Since it opened to traffic on April 11, 1960, millions of vehicles traveling the I-87 Northway have passed over the Mohawk River on what they think are called on “The Twin Bridges.” That bridge however, is really named for a Polish-American hero of the American Revolution – Taddeus Kosciusko. [Read more…] about Taddeus Kosciusko: A Hero of Two Worlds (& The Name On That Bridge)
Freemasons and the Surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga
Over the years, much has been written about the Freemasons (or Masons) involved in the American Revolution, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Paul Revere. Freemasonry is a voluntary self-betterment association that teaches moral, intellectual, and spiritual lessons through theatrical initiation ceremonies. [Read more…] about Freemasons and the Surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga
Revolutionary Albany: The Battles of Saratoga & Loyalist Opposition
In the first days of August, 1777, Albany seemed doomed to be overrun by the British. General John Burgoyne had taken Crown Point, Fort Ticonderoga, Fort George, Fort Anne, Fort Edward and Fort Miller, the last substantial fortified place protecting the city from the north. To the west at Fort Stanwix, a siege was underway requiring many of General Philip Schyuler’s troops being sent to that fort’s defense from their camp on Van Schaick Island, now in the city of Cohoes.
Burgoyne however, had severely stretched his supply line. He was now having problems bringing up food and supplies over primitive roads that had been severely rutted and nearly destroyed by the Revolutionaries. He had to slow down to wait for food and had to keep his supply line protected all the way back to Canada, spreading his troops more thinly. [Read more…] about Revolutionary Albany: The Battles of Saratoga & Loyalist Opposition
The Marquis de Chastellux’s Visit To Saratoga Battlefield
The 1777 battles of Saratoga drew visitors to the region even before the Revolutionary War ended.
It is well known that the American victory at Saratoga garnered the outright support of the French. Not only did the French decide to send part of their navy, but they also sent troops under Marshal Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau.
A member of Rochambeau’s staff, François Jean de Beauvoir, Marquis de Chastellux, was particularly interested in the Battles of Saratoga. Being the ninth child of an aristocratic family, Chastellux entered into a military career. Eventually his military career and his knowledge of English led him to join Rochambeau’s staff, which brought him to the United States. [Read more…] about The Marquis de Chastellux’s Visit To Saratoga Battlefield
Historian Douglas Cubbison on British General Burgoyne
Douglas R. Cubbison is a military historian, who authored Burgoyne and the Saratoga Campaign: His Papers (2012, Arthur H. Clark Company), which presents the documents and letters of British General John Burgoyne. [Read more…] about Historian Douglas Cubbison on British General Burgoyne
Spend an Evening with General Johnny Burgoyne
This Friday, September 18th the Friends of the Bennington Battle Monument will host an evening with Major General John Burgoyne who will give a humorous, rueful and accurate account of “what went wrong” in 1777. Burgoyne was sent to put an end to the rebellion in the colonies and secure the Lake Champlain and Hudson River corridor for England. His loss at the Battle of Bennington in August led to his ultimate defeat and surrender at Saratoga, the turning point in the American Revolution.
“Gentleman Johnny” Burgoyne is portrayed by Howard Burnham, an English-born actor, author, educator and museum curator, touring the area on a journey to Saratoga and Fort Ticonderoga. Howard’s acclaimed one-man shows have played throughout England and have been on the BBC. His fully costumed dramatic monologues/lectures-in-character with Power Point last approximately 45-50 minutes. This is history with humor, a program that can be enjoyed by all ages.
The presentation, sponsored by the Friends of the Monument, will take place on September 18th at 7:30 p.m. in the Old First Church Barn on Monument Circle. It is free and open to the public, light refreshments will be served. For further information contact the Bennington Battle Monument at (802) 447-0550, information on Howard Burnham can be found on his website www.HowardBurnham.com.