Notes

In early 1777, Brigadier General Benedict Arnold resigned from the Continental Army. But Arnold quickly withdrew his resignation when General George Washington requested that Congress assign Arnold as a militia commander. It was a fateful decision.
Arnold's first assignment as commander was to prevent a British force from descending the Mohawk River Valley in New York and joining up with British general John Burgoyne. The American garrison in that area, Fort Stanwix (at present-day Rome, New York), had been able to withstand the British. They even had launched a successful raid into the British camp. It was not certain how much longer the Americans could hold out, however.
Arnold's relief column was small, but he spread rumors exaggerating its size. The British had a large group of American Indians as its allies. The Indians had become demoralized by inactivity and willingly believed Arnold's false reports. They used the rumors as an excuse to leave. Decreased in number, the British were forced to end their siege of Fort Stanwix and attempts to reach Albany, New York.
Arnold and his men joined up with the northern American army under General Horatio Gates in early September near Stillwater, New York. They arrived at a time of great activity. Major fortifications were being constructed at a place called Bemis Heights. The Americans hoped to prevent the British from using the Hudson River and the adjacent road to Albany. Arnold and his men were assigned to guard the western end of the heights, which was not yet heavily fortified.
Gates was confident in the strength of his defensive positions against the British. He decided to wait and protect his fortifications. Arnold, by contrast, wanted to move against the British and attack at the first opportunity. Eventually, Arnold's division moved northward to meet the advancing British. The remainder of the American army manned the fortified lines.
On September 19, 1777, the British forces under Burgoyne advanced. He had divided his army into three columns, apparently trying to get to the western end of the American lines. The center column ran into a part of Arnold's division at a farm owned by a man named John Freeman. The battle seesawed between the British and the Americans as both armies fought for the upper hand. Late in the day, British reinforcements finally arrived to rescue their exhausted and battered troops.
This battle stopped the British advance. But it also resulted in a dispute between Arnold and Gates. Gates sent a report of the fighting to Congress. But for unknown reasons, he failed to mention Arnold's troops, even though they had done the bulk of the fighting. In addition, part of Arnold's division was removed from his command. Ever sensitive, Arnold took offense. Following a heated argument between the two generals, Arnold was relieved of his command. He intended to travel to Philadelphia and petition Congress for its help. However, other officers who were hostile to Gates convinced Arnold to stay. He remained with the army without any real function or authority.
While the American commanders feuded, Burgoyne's army dug into its position and built a fortified camp. The British hoped to remain there until help could arrive from New York City. On October 7, Burgoyne sent out a strong detachment of about seventeen hundred troops with artillery, to probe the American lines.
The Americans reacted to this movement. Arnold received permission to investigate. He arrived at the site of the battle of Bemis Heights after the British line was giving way. Arnold helped chase the British into fortifications that had been built at Freeman's farm. He then led some unsuccessful attacks on that position.
Other American units were preparing to assault another British fortification. Arnold saw that action and rode to join it. During that battle, he was wounded in the same leg he had injured at Quebec two years earlier (see the article on page 10). Arnold was helped from the field as the battle ended in victory for the Americans. Badly beaten, Burgoyne slowly retreated, but eventually was surrounded on open ground at Saratoga. The British surrendered at Saratoga on October 17, 1777.
The Battles of Saratoga, as they became to be known, were the turning point of the Revolutionary War. They were an important factor in building an alliance with France, which eventually entered the war on the American side.
Arnold recovered from his leg wound in a hospital in Albany, New York. The attending surgeons wanted to remove the limb, but Arnold refused. In 1887, that leg, twice wounded in the service of the United States, was honored with a monument--minus the name of Benedict Arnold--on the Saratoga National Historical Park battlefield. Arnold's personal courage on behalf of the Colonies received a fitting memorial, although his name was tarnished by his treason later in the war.
A garrison is an established military post.
A column is a formation, as of troops, in which all elements follow one behind the other.