Neilson House

Neilson House within Saratoga NHP

NPS Photo VIP Gina L.

Quick Facts

Location:

Stillwater, NY

Significance:

Position of the American Army in 1777

Designation:

Historic Structure

Amenities

7 listed

Benches/Seating, First Aid Kit Available, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV, Restroom - Seasonal, Scenic View/Photo Spot

Hours/Season

The grounds are open from sunrise to sunset to pedestrians, while the interior of the house is open seasonally. The hours of accessing this stop on the Tour Road by vehicle also vary. Check our operating hours for more information.

Before and after the Battles of Saratoga John Neilson farmed these heights, located at Stop #2 along the park's auto tour road. Today his restored home looks much as it did when Generals Arnold and Poor used it for quarters in 1777. This single-room house may be small, but the panoramic view from the porch is larger than life!

The Family

John Neilson (1753-1833) hailed from New Brunswick, New Jersey. Well-practiced at tree cutting and rail splitting, the teenager left his home behind in 1772 and, working his way up the Hudson River, eventually came to Stillwater, New York. There, he went to work for a local farmer, Abner Quitterfield (1732-1784). Two years later, in June 1774, he leased about 150 acres of land out of Great Lot 12 of the Saratoga Patent, from Albany merchant John Bleecker (that same day, Neilson sub-leased 52 acres of it to one Isaac German). Later, he leased about 100 acres in Great Lot 14 from Killian De Ridder, which included the ridge upon which the present house stands.

By August 1773, John had a physical relationship with Lydia Quitterfield (1758-1824), who was one of Abner and Esther’s (1737-1816) daughters; he was 20 years old, and she was 15. Their first child, Lydia, was born in June 1774, and the couple subsequently married eight months later, in January 1775. The reason for their delayed marriage is currently unknown. The Neilsons had another child, a son named after John’s father, Samuel (1725-1761), in early 1777. They soon faced an unexpected life-or-death decision.

The War Comes to the Neighborhood

News of Lieutenant-General John Burgoyne’s invasion into upstate New York frightened revolutionary-minded Americans living within Burgoyne’s potential avenue of approach. Although Burgoyne’s ultimate destination remained unclear in the summer of 1777, hundreds of people residing in Albany County’s Saratoga District (and other districts) on both sides of the Hudson River evacuated south while Burgoyne’s army staged in Forts Edward and Miller in August. John and Lydia were no exception. They loaded their ox cart with their belongings and, with their three-year-old daughter and infant son, fled. As with most families in this situation, the Neilsons evacuated south to at least the Mohawk River, or perhaps beyond.

By 1777, John held the rank of sergeant in Captain Ephraim Woodworth’s (4^th) company of Colonel John McCrea’s (13^th) Regiment of Albany County, New York Militia. John Neilson worked as a carter much of that year. For three months in the spring, he carted provisions and other military stores between Albany and Fort George (located at the top of Lake George). In late summer, he was drafted for another three months while at Van Schaick Island (located at the sprouts, i.e., the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers) when the Northern Army’s headquarters was located there. This was during the time that the family evacuated their farm. Now drafted, John again continued as a carter, and he and his team were tasked with transporting army baggage to Stillwater and, subsequently, to the camp at Bemus Heights. He remained in camp and daily would have been positioned to retreat with the baggage entrusted to his care in case orders came to evacuate in the face of British military success.

From Farm to Fortifications

The American Northern Army marched up from the Mohawk River and arrived in Stillwater, where it began to dig in and fortify, on September 9. However, as the ground there was considered too flat and not advantageous, the army marched a few miles north to Bemus Heights on September 12.

The natural landscape of Bemus Heights offered far more defensive advantages than did Stillwater, and the ridge became the anchor for the Northern Army’s control of the Hudson River and the River Road that meandered within its valley. As the river and its paralleling road was the only significant north-south passageway between Albany and points north, it was Burgoyne’s only viable avenue of approach south.

From Bemus Heights, a fortified line extended westward for about ¾ of a mile (fronting Glover’s Brigade) to the northern apex of the hill topped by the Neilson house. From there, the defensive line faced west and ran south-southwest (fronting Poor’s Brigade) for another ¾ of a mile. A small detachment of artillery was positioned toward the end of the line with Learned’s Brigade, which broadly covered the line’s western flank. A small redoubt covered the main road which ran from Saratoga Lake. The entire line was fronted by natural ravines and/or abatis.

The highest point within the camp, home to the Neilson house, was called “the Summit,” and the entire Bemus Heights camp was given the moniker “Camp Now or Never.” 

Headquarters

The Neilson house served as Benedict Arnold’s divisional headquarters and Enoch Poor’s brigade headquarters during the Battles of Saratoga. Daily operations would have been managed here, such as writing, receiving, and disseminating orders, letters, and reports. 

The house would have been a bee hive of activity and home to many residents. While it remains possible there were additional people living in the structure, the following people have been confirmed to be present during this period:

• Major General Benedict Arnold

• Brigadier General Enoch Poor

• Major Matthew Clarkson, aide-de-camp to Arnold

• Major Henry Brockholst Livingston, aide-de-camp to Philip Schuyler and aide-extra to Arnold; he departed for Albany on September 27.

• Officers below the rank of major general had a waiter, a soldier-servant selected from the ranks of an affiliated military unit. Thus far, only Poor’s waiter – Private Farrar Miller (2^nd New Hampshire Regiment) – has been identified. They, and Arnold’s servant(s), probably slept in the upstairs loft.

After the Battles

While the family returned to a largely ruined farm, they soon rebuilt and began to prosper. They continued to farm their property, though John’s financial success later in life owed to his tree cutting, rail splitting, and carting services. He also became a prosperous landowner, with property in Malta, Northumberland, Stillwater, and the island at Fort Edward. He donated land for a new local highway, collected money for the local poor fund, served as Stillwater’s coroner in 1796-98, and subscribed to the Stillwater Public Library. John and Lydia’s family continued to expand after 1777 too, and they eventually had eight children who lived to adulthood. While they likely had other children who died young, there’s currently no proof of that:

1. Lydia (2 June 1774 - 2 April 1821)

2. Samuel (early 1777 - 22 September 1829)

3. John, Jr. (26 March 1778 - 4 December 1850)

4. Susannah; “Sally” (8 May 1781 - 23 November 1817)

5. Charles; “Charley” (2 September 1787 - 2 April 1869)

6. Esther (1789 - 7 April 1846)

7. Maria (1797 - 21 March 1876)

8. Henry (16 October 1799 - 8 June 1872)