Battle of Freeman's Farm

Map by Wilkinson of "the encampment & position of the army under Burgoyne at Swords's and Freeman's Farms on Hudson River near Stillwater, 1777."

Library of Congress

The Battle of Freeman’s Farm on September 19, 1777 was one of the longest land battles of the American Revolutionary War. It was a British tactical victory; they held the field of battle at the end of the day. Strategically, however, this was an American victory in that it prevented further advancement of the British Army.

"perhaps the hottest ever fought in America"

It was only on September 13-15 that Burgoyne’s army finally crossed the Hudson to begin the final leg of the march to Albany. The British encamped at Swords’s House, about three miles north of Bemus Heights, on September 17, from which Burgoyne made plans to attack.

Burgoyne’s Army packed up camp early on September 19 and marched south in anticipation of engaging the Americans. The army advanced in three columns. The first, commanded by Fraser with about 3,000 combatants, marched west (present-day Wilbur Rd.) and then south along the Quaker Road. The second, commanded by Brigadier-General James Hamilton with about 1,700 combatants, as well as Burgoyne himself, marched south (present-day Phillips Rd.). The third, commanded by Riedesel with about 2,700 combatants and over 1,000 noncombatants and support personnel, advanced along the River Road in the Hudson Valley. The British had a vague idea of the American positions and numbers, and royalists assisted them with local knowledge.

Gates was fully aware of Burgoyne’s position and the inevitability of an attack. Sentinels, which populated to woods as far north as the Great Ravine, encountered Burgoyne’s center column and this was reported to headquarters. Gates permitted Arnold to deploy Colonel Daniel Morgan’s Corps – the Detached Rifle Battalion and the Corps of Light Infantry (about 700 total) to harass the enemy advance, adding that Arnold may support them if necessary. The van of the riflemen ran into the British center column at Freeman’s farm shortly after noon and, after a sharp firefight, the riflemen were scattered, an event which triggered Arnold’s decision to send support. The British center column arrayed in line of battle on Freeman’s Farm and engaged the first wave of reinforcements sent by Arnold at about 3:00 pm.

The principal phase of the battle was fought over the next four hours with little intermission. Arnold managed the battle from a distance, sending regiments in waves to either fight against Hamilton at Freeman’s farm or against Fraser near Marshall’s farm to the southwest until his entire division was deployed. Both sides attacked and counterattacked across open fields and in the surrounding woods. While the British were trained to fight in the woods, they lacked the necessary numerical superiority; while the American were trained to fight in the open, they lacked the professional discipline of the regulars and artillery. The riflemen reformed and proved effective by anchoring the American right flank in the woods.

As the battle waned that evening, both Arnold and Burgoyne required reinforcements to solidify victory. Arnold’s attempt to secure troops from Gates was denied with prejudice – being concerned with Riedesel’s movements, Gates was adamant that none could be spared. Burgoyne ordered Riedesel to send as many as possible, by which the German general appeared on Freeman’s farm with 750 reinforcements, resulting in the wholesale American withdrawal.

While Burgoyne won the Battle of Freeman’s Farm because he remained master of the field, his loss of nearly 600 troops constituted yet another pyric British victory. Arnold’s attack, having lost 320, stymied Burgoyne’s advance completely.