Surrender at Saratoga
Students join in re-enactment of iconic Revolutionary War event
SCHUYLERVILLE, N.Y. » When the smoke cleared and cannons fell silent, the only noise was the sound of British soldiers’ footsteps as they marched to lay down their arms following the Battles of Saratoga.
About 100 school children attended a program Tuesday at present-day Fort Hardy Park in Schuylerville, where a British army numbering more than 6,000 strong surrendered 240 years ago on Oct. 17, 1777.
“It was a stunning, improbable upset victory,” said state Sen. Kathleen Marchione, R-Halfmoon. “It’s unthinkable what occurred, yet it happened.”
The British army was the most powerful military force in the world.
In contrast, the United States was barely 15 months old. Its army was largely comprised of farmers and small-town merchants.
“Our ancestors believed in a set of ideals,” said Assemblywoman Carrier Woerner, DRound Lake. “Every time you say the Pledge of Allegiance think about what happened here at Saratoga 240 years ago. We turned the course of history, not just here, but around the world.”
David Flint of Stephentown belongs to the Saratoga Battle Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution. Four of his ancestors fought at the Battle of Oriskany on Aug. 6, 1777.
They were on their way to Saratoga, to help the patriot cause, when they learned the British had been defeated on Oct. 7 and surrendered 10 days later on Oct. 17.
“Saratoga was the turning point of the Revolution,” he said.
Following the American victory, France decided to join the war against Great Britain, which helped decided its outcome.
Assemblyman Steve Englebright of Long Island helped secure state funding and support for a new Saratoga Surrender Site, just south of Schuylerville on Route 4.
“The victory at Saratoga changed everything,” he said. “This is a place, as much as any, where our country was born.”