PREPARING FOR BATTLE

. . .they Say that Burgoin marches to meet us this Day with his whole army Collected. . . ~ Cousin Jeduthan Baldwin

Brandywine

While General Stark was enjoying his stunning success at Bennington, Commander in Chief George Washington on the western front wasn't having an easy go of it. British General William Howe, who had been doggedly pursuing Washington and his army across New Jersey, now had his sights set on the American capitol at Philadelphia, PA. On August 25th, Howe landed with his troops at Head of Elk, Maryland, planning an assault on the city from the southwest. In an effort to protect the Capitol, Washington positioned his men in a defensive stance along Brandywine Creek, about 30 miles west of Philadelphia.

(1) Elk's Head, Maryland (2) Washington's position on Brandywine Creek

The Battle of Brandywine took place on September 11. Though the two armies were comparable in numbers, Washington's troops were eventually outmaneuvered and surrounded by the British and Hessian armies. The Americans suffered 1,300 casualties in the battle. It was only due to the quick thinking of three of his generals that Washington was lucky enough once again to escape with most of his army intact.

While the victorious British army marched toward Philadelphia, another battle of even more consequence was raging along the Hudson. Howe, unaware of events taking place in the east, surely felt he had every reason to celebrate. On September 25th, as the American Continental Congress fled their Capitol en route to a temporary home in York, PA, Howe's British troops marched triumphantly into Philadelphia. Little did Howe know that, in less than a month's time, his self-serving decision to take the city would have disastrous consequences for the British.

Our uncle Robert Raiford (5U) from North Carolina served with Washington in the Continental Army and took part in the Battle of Brandywine.

According to testimony by his brother George (5U) for a pension application, our uncle Peter Hilgert (5U) served at Brandywine as a "waggoneer." George reported that he remembered his brother telling stories about driving a wagon to haul the wounded and dead from the field of battle.

The Hilgerts lived in Pennsylvania and became related to our Mohney family through marriage. We'll have more on the Mohney's and Hilgerts in a future post.

Cousin Jeduthan builds another bridge

Meanwhile, on the eastern front, the American's remarkable success at Bennington had bought them some time before the battle they knew was looming near Saratoga. Our intrepid engineer and journal writing cousin, Jeduthan Baldwin (3C7X) was kept ever busy seeing to fortifications, building defenses and, as it turned out, keeping his hand in bridge building.

While writing an essay titled "Burgoyne's Bridges," Stephen G. Strach found allusions to a bridge across the Hudson River that first appeared at Stillwater, then at Bemis Heights and later near Saratoga. He writes that "[I]t was not a 'Bridge of Boats' or 'Pontoon Bridge,' but more likened to a large raft constructed of bouoyant logs with planks laid across and secured by cables and ropes on each shore." Strach's research led to a later paper titled "Baldwin's Floating Bridge."

The person responsible for the building of that moveable bridge was, of course, our cousin Jeduthan Baldwin (3C7X), "who commanded a Company of Military Engineers and Artifices in the American Northern Army during the Campaign of 1777. All bridges built were done so under his supervision."

In his research, Strach found many references to Jeduthan's bridge. Jeduthan's own diary entry for September 9th says that he "[m]arched in the Front with the Carpenters & pionears . . .got to Stillwater about 12 o'clock & at 2 o'clock began a bridge a Cross the River." Major-General Horatio Gates, commander of the American Northern Army wrote on September 10 that ". . .this forenoon, a good Bridge of communication, will be finished across the River." John P. Becker, a young boy soldier at the time, remembered a bridge "made of boards. . .Over this floating structure a brisk foraging was kept."

The bridge was made to be moved to different locations on the Hudson River. On September 12th, "the American Army decamped from Stillwater and marched 4 miles north to a new position. At the same time the newly completed bridge was also floated up the Hudson River and re-establish adjacent to the American line" at Bemis Heights. A week later, one of the defining battles of the Revolutionary War would be waged there.

When General Gates' army left Bemis Heights in pursuit of Burgoyne's army after the battle, they took Jeduthan's bridge with them once again. Our cousin Daniel Granger (4C7X), who will feature in the next section of this post, saw it when he neared Saratoga on October 16th, the day before Burgoyne's surrender. He later wrote that ". . .There was a Bridge placed across the River, of buoyant logs, and Planks laid on them, and each end fastened to the Shores."

The map below shows the first bridge at Stillwater (1), the second 2.6 miles away at Bemis Heights (2), and the third about 9 miles up-river at Saratoga (3), the site of Burgoyne's surrender.

Sadly, Cousin Jeduthan's newest engineering feat went the way of his Great Bridge built at Ticonderoga. Strach writes that "[t]he American Bridge near Saratoga was undoubtedly dismantled almost immediately after Burgoyne's Army began its march into captivity on October 17th."

a call to arms

While Cousin Jeduthan was working on fortifications and bridges at Saratoga, General John Burgoyne's army had suffered three major blows. The double defeats at Fort Stanwyx in upper New York and then Bennington, VT had left the British short of both arms and men. Even worse was General William Howe's decision to take Philadelphia instead of joining Burgoyne in New York. The task at hand remained, however, and Burgoyne went forward with his plans to engage the Americans in battle. He had hoped for a quick confrontation while the Americans were still in disarray after their hasty retreat from Ticonderoga but that was not to be. The delays had given the Americans time to recoup and gather a larger army.

Two who answered the American call to arms were brothers Jacob (4C7X) and Daniel Granger (4C7X) who descended from our Adams family of Newbury. We wrote about Daniel's exploits in the Boston siege when he was a young lad of 13 was in our "More Revolutionary Stories" post. We know much of Daniel's story because, in his 80's, he wrote a vivid account of his service in the war. Below is his account of joining up for the Saratoga campaign when he had reached the ripe old age of 15:

I went home about the last of February 1776, (after his service at Cambridge) and worked with my Father on the Farm until the latter part of September 1777, when Gen’ Burgoine with a powerful Armey was progressing from Canida to New York, and another brittish Armey at New York (Fort Stanwix), ready as it was supposed to march. . .Burgoine was stoped at Stilwater by Gen’ Gates: and that if the Country would turn out spiritedly, he, Burgoin and his Armey might be captured. The People were called together, both Old and Young there was a general rally, spirited and patriotic addresses were made to them. I now well recollect the address made by Samuel Phillips, full of courage and pathos, and the word was given, who will turn out and follow the Music? which soon struck up & marched around, Capt John Adams & Lieut Co Marble immidiately steped out & followed the Music, and a goodly number of young and spirited fellows, followed the two Officers, and I among them. We were then addressed again by Samuel Phillips, & urged to proceed on the very next Morning, which was agreed to by all. And it was, I beliave, proposed by Phillips to make up a Purse towards our expenses in traveling on, which was well don & the Money given to Capt Adams for the Purpose. We agreed to take Horses & rid[e] on the first day, with a Man to bring back the Horses, and we did so, and then footed on.

making use of a Tory's house

Daniel continued his account of their march to Saratoga:

After we had passed over the hoosuck Mountains, we came to a small Village just at Night, the building[s] very small, except one, a very good House & other out buildings, whin the owner saw us approaching He was seen to run into his House and to close all the doors and & Windows. Capt Adams haulted the Companey, went to the Door and nocked, but no Answer was given, at length the Owner, run up a Window of the upper Storey, put out his Head and told the Capt that he should not come in, the Capt told him that he & his Men should have quarters in his House that Night and that if he didnt open his dowers like a Man & Patriot, he would open them for him, and take him and carry him on to head quarters, considerable altercation ensued, but, he was told that if he would behave like a Man he should be well paid for every Thing that he might furnish. We all understood that he was a rank Torey, and if the Word had been given, his buildings would have been demolished, in short metar but at length, he came down and opened the Doors, let the Officers have the best Room, furnished them with a good Supper, let the Soldiers have the use of his Barn & other out buildings and furnished us with Bread Milk, Butter, cheese and fine smoked hams and we slept on the Hay in his Barn, the Officers had Beds. . .

Daniel the jokester

The nexte Morning the Companey was paraded early, and for some reason, they were ordered to ground their Arms, and to stand easy. We had in the Companey an auquard (awkward) gawkey kind of a fellow, tho very clever, on whom I loved to play rogueish tricks, and while the Companey were then standing, I steped round behind, and as this fellow stood by his gun, gawping as usual, I steped in softly took his gun by the brich, drew it back into the rear of the Companey, & went round to my place, he did not mis it until the Order was given, “take up Arms,” when he stooped down to take up his Gun, but it was not there, such a look as he gave then half stooping down, caused all that saw it to bust into a broad Laugh, Officers not excepted but he went back & took up his Gun being told where it was and went to his place, enquiry was mad “whom it was that had don the trick,” and the answer given was, “the greatest rogue in the Company” but all went off well and I escaped a reprimand from the Officers

Freeman's Farm

While Daniel and his brother made their way toward Saratoga, the main body of General Horatio Gates' army, Cousin Jeduthan among them, had been camped since the middle of July at an advantageous high ground known as Bemis Heights on the western banks of the Hudson River (see the map above).

Note: Bemis Heights was named for Jotham Bemis. Jotham was a cousin of Samuel Bemis. Samuel Bemis was well known to our Parrish family. In 1835, both the Bemis and Parrish families would set out from New York with Joseph Smith's Mormons on their long trek west. Samuel's son Edwin Bemis married our aunt Mary Merchant (2A), sister of our grandmother Susan Merchant Parrish (2GGM), wife of Enoch Kidder Parrish (2GGF). And, In 1866, Samuel's son Nephi was killed by Natives in California along with our uncle Edwin Parrish (2U), Enoch's brother.

Burgoyne reached the east side of the Hudson in late August with his 6,000 British soldiers. Bad weather, however caused even more delays for him. Jeduthan's diary entries at Bemis Heights make numerous references to minor skirmishes with the enemy while waiting for Burgoyne's army to cross the river. The September 13th entry, however, indicated that the waiting was about to end: "5 prisoners taken at Saratoga, they Say that Burgoin marches to meet us this Day with his whole army Collected & that (American) Genl. Lincoln is at Skeensborough."

On the 14th, Burgoyne, did indeed, cross to the west side of the Hudson where his men made camp and readied themselves for battle. That same day, Jeduthan reported that the hero of the Bennington battle, John Stark, had arrived on the scene. General Benedict Arnold had also returned from his success as Fort Stanwyx. The American force was now 7,000 strong. All the major players were poised and ready.

On the 17th, two days before the first battle in the Saratoga Campaign, Jeduthan noted that "the people work with high spirits. Dind with Doct Potts & Genl. Gates &c. Lent Genl. Gates 40 Dollars..."

Two days later it was show time. The first battle of Saratoga, also known as the Battle of Freeman’s Farm, occurred almost accidentally on September 19, 1777. Gates, on the cautious side, waited to see what the British would do. The ever aggressive Arnold convinced Gates to at least send out a scouting party. When the British became aware of the scouting party they sent forces out to respond and the battle was on.

Much to Arnold's frustration, Gates would allow none of his major generals on the fighting field. Arnold had to simply wait and fume during three hours of intense and bloody fighting. Reinforcements were sent in on both sides but the British finally held the ground. The toll, however, had been high with nearly 600 British casualties to the American 300. The British remained camped at Freeman's Farm while the Americans retreated back to Bemis Heights. Our cousin Col. Thomas Stickney's (2C8X) regiment was given the task of holding the British at the farm, cut off from either retreat or gathering supplies.

Freeman's Farm wasn't the only game in town at the time. On September 21, Jeduthan recorded in his journal that they had "[r]ecd the news of Col. Browne being at Ty, fired 13 Cannon & gave a genl. Whooray throo all our camp." Brown's raid on Ticonderoga was not aimed to take the fort. It was actually part of a concerted effort to “divide, divert, and harass” General Burgoyne’s supply lines from Canada. As we will see, the tactic worked.

The fighting, of course, wasn't finished. There would be another, larger battle to come and both sides were well aware of that fact.