sep 19, 1777 - First Battle of Saratoga

Description:

General Burgoyne moved south from Fort Ticonderoga at a slow pace, and this allowed General Horatio Gates to regroup. Reinforcements from Washington, Benedict Arnold, and Colonel Daniel Morgan raised Gates' manpower to 6,500 men, and his forces continued to gather reinforcements daily. General Burgoyne on the other hand led a force of 6,500 men total, and had only one month of rations for his army. On September 19, 1777 the Battle of Freeman's Farm took place. The British captured the field for the day, but many British officers were killed by Morgan's elite marksmen that were hidden in the woods. Also, throughout the day, Benedict Arnold hastily attacked Burgoyne's forces, preventing them from establishing any flanks.