REVOLUTIONARY HEROES
Those who fought in Revolutionary War Battles of Saratoga honored at National Historical Park
STILLWATER, N.Y.>> Saratoga Battlefield honored some of the country’s first fighters this Memorial Day.
In honor of the holiday, Saratoga National Historical Park in Stillwater offered a special program recognizing Americans who fought and died in the 1777 Revolutionary War Battles of Saratoga.
The free, all- day event drew visitors interested in seeing the site of the Battles of Saratoga and learning about those who served and sacrificed hundreds of years ago.
“Nearly 500 Americans were killed or wounded in the Battles of Saratoga,” said Park Ranger Eric Schnitzer, in a press release. “While some were from New York State, most of the fallen were from New England, and most are still buried on the battlefield in unmarked graves.”
This year’s event focused specifically on the sacrifices made by Connecticut militiamen who lost their lives at Saratoga in 1777.
Last Memorial Day, in the first program of this series, the focus was on New Hampshire units and the 75 officers and soldiers killed or mortally wounded in the local battles.
On Monday, the national park did the same for Connecticut. Of these troops about 25 were killed or mortally wounded in the Battles of Saratoga. Schnitzer said Connecticut was chosen for this 2017 Memorial Day program because of its incredible service history.
In years to come the park ranger plans to honor the service members from New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland as well.
On Memorial Day, most people have in mind more recent heroes, but the Americans who perished at the Battles of Saratoga are in the same category, as they were fighting for the United States just like those in later wars.
“Memorial Day is a day in which we honor the fallen servicemen and women, those who died in the armed services of the United States of America,” Schnitzer said.
“The United States of America existed since July of 1776. The United States of America was alive and well in the year 1777,” Schnitzer explained.
So, Memorial Day is a holiday for those Americans who died at or as a result of the Battles of Saratoga. In fact, these were some of the first service members to die in the name of the United States of America.
“The Connecticut militia served here, fought here, some of them died here in the Battles of Saratoga,” Schnitzer said, bringing it back to the topic of Monday’s program. “They knew they were fighting for the United States.”
Throughout the holiday program, living history activities showcased aspects of militia soldier life at Saratoga in 1777.
Joe Craig, a former ranger who is now a volunteer, acted as a Connecticut surgeon, showing off a collection of his oldfashioned tools to event-goers. This character would have been responsible for keeping the soldiers alive, without modern medicine or even a good knowledge of how the human body works. Facing smallpox, dysentery, and horrific battle wounds, Revolutionary War practitioners were poorly armed for the event, Craig said, “but they’re going to do the best they can.”
After Schnitzer’s two presentations on these honored service units, volunteers from the public were asked to read the names of Connecticut men who died in the Battles of Saratoga, which have earned a repu- tation as the most important battle fought in the world over the last 1,000 years.
Furthermore, Schnitzer pointed out that those looking to spend Memorial Day at a national park battlefield site, “Saratoga Battlefield is the earliest one in which you can properly observe Memorial Day.” Other battlefield national parks either post- date Saratoga or pre- date the existence of the United States.
Bob and Corinne Shaffer, who live in Texas but visit the region often, wanted to come to Saratoga Battlefield for Memorial Day. They also stopped at the nearby Saratoga National Cemetery.
“It was pouring rain, but it’s still important to be there,” Corrine said.
More information on Saratoga National Historical Park and its upcoming programs is available at www.nps.gov/sara. The visitor center can be contacted at 518- 670-2985.