On the evening of October 8, General Burgoyne and his senior commanders gathered on this hilltop to bury General Fraser. The funeral drew the Americans’ attention, and they cannonaded the mourners, showering British officers with dirt. Fraser’s burial marked the burial of British hopes for victory as Burgoyne faced the need to retreat and save what remained of his army. Only two British generals died from combat wounds during the eight-year-long war, and Fraser was one of them. Burgoyne honored Fraser's last request to be buried here because of the beauty of the view, though Lady Riedesel believed it caused unnecessary delay and increased the army’s misfortune.