July 1, 2008

July 1, 2008

We spend most of the morning in Averill Park, NY doing laundry and getting caught up on admin work. At noon we drive north along the Hudson River to Saratoga National Historical Park. Saratoga was the site of a pivotal battle in the Revolutionary War. In 1777 the Revolution looked doomed. New York City had been lost and Washington was on the run. With a decisive northern campaign the British intended to take control of the Hudson Valley, cutting off and isolating the rebellious New England states. General Burgoyne was going to march down the Hudson from Canada, Howe was to sail north from NYC, and St Leger was to cross New York from the west. A great plan, poorly implemented. Howe decided to attack Philadelphia instead, St Leger stopped to siege heavily fortified Fort Stanwix and was repulsed, leaving Burgoyne a long way from safety, running short on supplies. Patriot militias rushed in from all over and dug in here at Saratoga cutting off the British Advance. Eventually Burgoyne surrendered. With the huge victory, France joined the conflict, providing badly needed supplies, and declaring war on Britain.

At the Visitor Center, we watch the movie, peruse the battlefield light map, then take the driving tour around the park. The battle site is a beautiful mostly forested bluff along the idyllic Hudson River. Hard to believe two major battles took place here. After the tour we follow the Hudson eight miles north to Schuylerville where a huge decorated obelisk marks the spot to where Burgoyne retreated and surrendered. Retracing Burgoyne’s advance in reverse we drive north to Lake George where we spend the night at a private park already very busy in anticipation of the holiday weekend.