Groundbreaking held for Surrender at Saratoga project
Ripples from a shocking military victory that shook the world are still felt today, 240 years later.
Officials on Tuesday held a ceremonial groundbreaking for a project designed to educate and inspire future generations about the Surrender at Saratoga on Oct. 17, 1777.
Plans call for a memorial park at the exact spot, about a mile south of Schuylerville, where British General John Burgoyne turned over his sword to American General Horatio Gates, following the history-changing Battles of Saratoga.
“Our ancestors started something big here,” said Amy Bracewell, Saratoga National Historical Park superintendent. “Our work to develop this site will keep the fire of freedom alive for generations to come.”
An official groundbreaking is expected next spring, with hopes of having the project completed by next October.
Tuesday’s event, with about 50 sponsors and elected officials on hand, also kicked off the public phase of a fundraising campaign for the site, on a hillside just west of Route 4, overlooking the Hudson River.
The total project is expected to cost more than $1 million.
The initial pre-construction phase, about $300,000, included purchase of the property, archaeological and environmental studies, and designing the memorial. Construction will be in excess of $600,000.
The park will have an orientation area and pathways leading to a halfmoonshaped wall, which will include information about the site’s significance. The centerpiece will be a large bas relief of John Trumbull’s 1821 masterpiece painting, “Surrender of General Burgoyne,” which hangs in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Finishing touches such as a gazebo and nature trail account for the remaining expenses.
The property was purchased in 2009 from a private landowner by the Open Space Institute of New York, which was later reimbursed with state funding. Some project money also came from the federally-funded American Battlefield Protection Program.
However, most of the money raised to date has come from private sources such as Thomas Hagen of Erie, Pa., whose ancestor, General Jacob Bailey, was one of three American generals responsible for cutting off the British army’s retreat, forcing it to surrender.
“The British army had lost other battles before,” said Eric Schnitzer, an historical park ranger. “They had lost at places such as Trenton, Princeton and Bennington. Saratoga was the first time in history that a British army surrendered in the field. When they did so, everybody noticed. That was shocking.”
When news reached Europe, France decided to support America’s struggle for independence. Also, Spain and The Netherlands joined in alliances against Great Britain. Fighting in other parts of the globe helped the U.S., by causing Great Britain to divert resources away from the American Revolution.
The ceremonial groundbreaking had 15 shovels, one for each of the 15 American generals on hand when the surrender took place.
In 1777, more than 6,000 British troops and their allies marched south, with their American victors lining both sides of the road. The captives were sent to Albany and then Cambridge, Mass., before eventually going to Virginia where they spent the duration of the war.
Meanwhile, Burgoyne was a guest at the home of Philip Schuyler, in Albany, immediately after the surrender. Later, he and all the top British officers returned home to England.
Friends of Saratoga Battlefield is handling fundraising for the surrender site. The Historic Hudson Hoosic Rivers Partnership will oversee construction.
When completed, the property will be turned over the National Park Service and become part of Saratoga National Historical Park.
For more information, go to friendsofsaratogabattlefield.org.