40 Fun Facts About Battle of Saratoga

Saratoga's Boot Monument honors which American general without ever carving his name on it?

Benedict Arnold was shot in the leg storming a redoubt at Saratoga, but his later treason kept his name off the stone, which shows a boot and a general's epaulette instead.

After Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga, Congress made December 18, 1777, a national day of what?

Thanksgiving was the word Congress chose, calling for solemn praise after the win. It was the nation's first official observance of a holiday by that name.

News of the American victory at Saratoga persuaded which European power to enter the war as an ally?

France signed a formal alliance in February 1778 and went on to send the soldiers, loans, arms and supplies the young nation badly needed.

At the Saratoga surrender, John Burgoyne offered up which item, only to have it handed straight back?

His sword was accepted for a moment by the American commander and then returned, and the surrendering troops marched out with the honors of war.

Which future father-in-law of Alexander Hamilton lost command of the northern army just before Saratoga?

Philip Schuyler was replaced after a key fort fell without a fight, yet he welcomed the defeated Burgoyne as his guest once the surrender was signed.

Which American general accepted John Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga and was hailed as its hero?

Horatio Gates received most of the credit as commanding general, although he left the direction of the fighting itself to his subordinates.

John Trumbull's painting of the British surrender at Saratoga hangs in which famous building?

The U.S. Capitol holds four Revolutionary War scenes in its Rotunda that Congress commissioned from Trumbull in 1817; he had visited Saratoga to sketch the surrender site.

The British plan behind the Saratoga campaign aimed to cut off which region from the other colonies?

New England was to be isolated from the middle and southern colonies, which British planners believed held far more Loyalists.

Four years after Saratoga, another British army surrendered to the Americans at which 1781 siege?

Yorktown saw the white flag appear on October 17, 1781, four years to the day after the Saratoga surrender; it was the war's last major land battle.

Besides leading the British army at Saratoga, John Burgoyne won London fame in which other career?

A playwright of some note, he wrote stage hits such as The Maid of the Oaks and The Heiress, and without America he might be remembered mainly for them.

American guns on Bemis Heights at Saratoga commanded the only road south and which river beside it?

The Hudson and the road beside it both lay within range of the American cannon, so the British could not simply slip past the bluffs.

Rather than support Burgoyne's march to Saratoga, General William Howe sailed to capture which American city?

Philadelphia, then the American capital, fell to Howe that September, but taking it left Burgoyne's army with no help coming from the south.

Which American envoy used the news from Saratoga to help secure a treaty of alliance signed in February 1778?

Benjamin Franklin signed alongside fellow commissioners Silas Deane and Arthur Lee, and within weeks Britain was at war with America's new partner.

John Burgoyne's army began the invasion that ended at Saratoga from which British-held province?

Quebec was the springboard: some 8,000 men left it in June 1777, travelling south by boat before marching overland toward Saratoga.

USS Saratoga (CV-3), one of several Navy ships named after the battles, was which type of warship?

Aircraft carrier Saratoga was first designed as a battlecruiser, was converted during construction under a naval arms treaty and went on to serve throughout World War II.

Which federal agency now looks after the preserved Saratoga battlefield and John Burgoyne's surrender site?

National Park Service care dates from 1938; New York State had first protected the ground in 1927, on the 150th anniversary of the fighting.

Which common name was given to Britain's hired German troops, thousands of whom surrendered at Saratoga?

Hessians was the catch-all label, though most of the Germans marching with Burgoyne's army actually came from the duchy of Brunswick.

American marksmen opened the first Battle of Saratoga by picking off which men in a British advance company?

Officers were the riflemen's first targets; later in the day they shot down so many gunners that Americans briefly seized British cannon several times.

For winning the Americans a powerful foreign ally, Saratoga is usually given which label by historians?

The turning point is the usual verdict: the surrender of a whole British army convinced a wary European court that the Americans could hold their own.

Congress resolved to hold the army captured at Saratoga until which king ratified the surrender terms?

George III never did, as Congress expected: approving a deal struck with rebels would have meant acknowledging American independence.

Edward Creasy's list of fifteen decisive battles includes Saratoga and runs from Marathon to which 1815 clash?

Waterloo closes the list, and Saratoga is the only battle fought in the Americas that the Victorian historian chose to include.

John Burgoyne, a London man of fashion before he surrendered at Saratoga, was widely known by which nickname?

Gentleman Johnny was a young cavalry officer in London when fine uniforms and high living ran up his large debts.

John Burgoyne's army was halted at Saratoga on its way to which New York town, the planned meeting point?

Albany was where three British columns were meant to converge; the other two never arrived, leaving Burgoyne's army stranded on its own.

The first Battle of Saratoga, on September 19, 1777, is usually named after which Loyalist's property?

Freeman's Farm was a clearing owned by Loyalist John Freeman; the British held it at nightfall but suffered nearly 600 casualties.

Which Polish engineer laid out the American fortifications on Bemis Heights before the Battles of Saratoga?

Tadeusz Kościuszko chose the high ground himself, then spent more than two years fortifying West Point once the campaign was over.

Which colonel led the corps of about 500 hand-picked riflemen sent to help stop John Burgoyne at Saratoga?

Daniel Morgan's sharpshooters were chosen for their marksmanship, and he later named his own home Saratoga in honor of the win.

Which young woman's death, blamed on warriors allied to John Burgoyne's army, drove outraged militia to Saratoga?

Jane McCrea was engaged to a Loyalist serving under Burgoyne, an irony that Patriot newspapers used to stir outrage across the colonies.

Weeks before Saratoga, John Burgoyne lost nearly 1,000 men at which battle named for a Vermont town?

Bennington cost Burgoyne a raiding party sent to seize horses and supplies, and most of his Native American allies left him soon afterward.

Which lakeside fort, thought almost impregnable, did John Burgoyne take without a fight on his way to Saratoga?

Ticonderoga was abandoned by its garrison after British troops occupied high ground above it, and the bloodless loss caused an uproar among Americans.

The American commander who won at Saratoga was routed three years later at which South Carolina battle?

Camden ended his field career: nearly 1,000 of his men were captured there, and he was never again trusted to lead troops in battle.

At Saratoga, John Burgoyne waited in vain for help from which British general commanding in New York City?

Henry Clinton did push upriver and captured two forts in early October, but the effort came too late to save the trapped army.

John Burgoyne's invasion fleet carried his army south in June 1777 along which long, narrow body of water?

Lake Champlain served as the invasion highway, with sailing warships escorting a large fleet of transport boats that carried the troops.

The terms John Burgoyne signed in October 1777 carried which one-word title, followed by "of Saratoga"?

Convention was the chosen word, and the deal promised the troops passage home to Europe; Congress revoked it and held them until 1783.

After a year near Boston, the army captured at Saratoga was marched 700 miles south to which state?

Virginia housed the prisoners in crude barracks near Charlottesville, where money sent from their families brought scarce hard cash to the back country.

Congress honored the victorious American commander at Saratoga by voting him which award?

A gold medal was voted by Congress, where some members were soon talking of making him commander-in-chief of the whole army.

Which British prime minister's government came under fire when news of Saratoga reached London?

Lord North responded with peace terms that stopped short of independence, and Congress rejected them when commissioners finally delivered them.

Barry St. Leger's column never joined Burgoyne at Saratoga after abandoning its siege of which stronghold?

Fort Stanwix held out for nearly three weeks, until a ruse convinced the besiegers that a far larger American relief force was on its way.

Which British general, leading Burgoyne's advance corps, was mortally wounded by rifle fire at Bemis Heights?

Simon Fraser was carried to a nearby house and died the next morning; tradition credits the shot to rifleman Timothy Murphy, though historians doubt the tale.

Which general's wife followed Burgoyne's army with her young daughters and wrote a famous Saratoga journal?

Baroness Riedesel described sheltering with other terrified women in a house cellar while the surrounded army ran short of food.

Which British colonial secretary approved Burgoyne's invasion plan and took much of the blame for Saratoga?

Lord Germain sent William Howe only unclear orders about supporting the invasion, and critics said he was incapable of conducting a war.