Saratoga Surrender Site

NELSAPNELSAP
in The Pit Posts: 1,096
Thought I'd share this historic place, since we all enjoy before and after photos:

Recently I learned that the Saratoga Surrender Site in Schuylerville NY, where Gen Burgoyne surrendered to Gates, is nothing more than a preserved open field. It was the site of the first British surrender anywhere, and one of the most significant moments in US history as it was the turning point in the Revolutionary War.

So of course I had to stop by and see it as I'm only 20 min away. A famous painting of the surrender hangs in the US Capitol.



Compare it to the view today. This historic place won't remain like this for long, as an interpretative park is planned.



Jeremy

Comments

  • bmwskierbmwskier
    Posts: 1,032
    Hope they do something with it-- always fascinated with how historical places look today. The images of WWI battlefields today are surreal.
    "Making ski films is being irresponsible with other people's money, in a responsible sort of way..." <div>Greg Stump</div>
  • ski_itski_it
    edited June 2018 Posts: 4,667
    Is that looking towards 32 or 338?
    I stopped at the monument a few years back but didn't venture down the paths too far. Recall either the grass was too tall (ticky) or I didn't know which way to head or was pressed for time or all of the above.
    So Burgoyne didn't hide out like Cornwallis would later do at Yorktown?
    Now if I had this map....
    https://www.nps.gov/sara/planyourvisit/victory-woods.htm

    That's true about the WWI sites, Belleau Woods has been in the news since it started 100 years ago today and it invoked memories of my visit there. When I visited 30+ years ago, there were still battle scars visible . .
    https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/04/26/recalling-belleau-wood/VRlOdqvfVvVltxXMmEqToO/story.html
    ISNE-I Skied New England | NESAP-the New England Ski Area Project | SOSA-Saving Our Ski Areas - Location SW of Boston MA
  • NELSAPNELSAP
    Posts: 1,096
    Hi Ski_it - actually it's towards Route 4. If you put in 133 Schuyler St into Google Earth, it is the hillside about 150 feet east that slopes to Route 4.

    I also went to Victory Woods on Memorial Day. Interested in seeing a photo? It is a spooky place.
  • ski_itski_it
    Posts: 4,667
    Yes. Oh so a different spot all together
    ISNE-I Skied New England | NESAP-the New England Ski Area Project | SOSA-Saving Our Ski Areas - Location SW of Boston MA
  • rickbolgerrickbolger
    edited June 2018 Posts: 2,962
    NELSAP said:


    I also went to Victory Woods on Memorial Day. Interested in seeing a photo?

    yes
  • NELSAPNELSAP
    Posts: 1,096
    Here's a shot of the boardwalk and trail through the Victory Woods.
  • bmwskierbmwskier
    Posts: 1,032
    https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/05/the-fading-battlefields-of-world-war-i/561353/?utm_source=fbb

    "Making ski films is being irresponsible with other people's money, in a responsible sort of way..." <div>Greg Stump</div>
  • ski_itski_it
    Posts: 4,667
    http://friendsofsaratogabattlefield.org/saratoga-surrender-site/site-location-plans/
    ISNE-I Skied New England | NESAP-the New England Ski Area Project | SOSA-Saving Our Ski Areas - Location SW of Boston MA
  • Bill29Bill29
    Posts: 401
    Gates, who stayed in his tent for much of the battle according to some accounts, had dinner with Gen. Burgoyne, who surrendered, after the battle, Burgoyne attack had been stopped by a counter attack by colonials who had been rallied and led into battle by a general who Gates had banished from the field. Earlier he had, with several delaying actions, had slowed the British invasion of the Hudson Valley so much the year before that the British called it off for a year. The victory at Saratoga led to the French coming into the war on the side of America, which made a hell of a difference.
    That general who had earned Gates' wrath was wounded in the leg at Saratoga and there is a statue replicating only his leg near the battlefield, I am told. He was the best general Washington had in his army until he changed his mind. His name was Benedict Arnold. (You historians out there please feel free to correct any and all mistakes in the above narrative. I'm operating from memory, which is hazy at best, so I may have mad several errors.)
  • NELSAPNELSAP
    Posts: 1,096
    Hi Bill, quite accurate! I have a picture of the Boot Monument that I'll post later. The whole history at Saratoga is fascinating.
  • bmwskierbmwskier
    Posts: 1,032
    Gates was not a good commander though Arnold, Stark and Morgan basically saved his bacon. Oh, and his best general was Burgoyne-- who made some incomprehensible decisions given the terrain and difficulties he faced in his drive south.
    "Making ski films is being irresponsible with other people's money, in a responsible sort of way..." <div>Greg Stump</div>
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