After winning the September 19 battle at Freeman's Farm, Lieutenant-General John Burgoyne ordered his army to dig in about a quarter mile north of here. He hoped that help would soon come north from New York City, but weeks passed and no help came. As time and food quickly ran short, Burgoyne's army needed to reach Albany without delay. On October 7, a probing force of more than 1300 soldiers set out to observe the American fortifications, with the plan that if those defenses looked weak, Burgoyne would attack with his whole army the next day.