Once General Burgoyne's flanks and center collapsed, the Americans had the rare chance to take a pair of the most powerful British cannons in Burgoyne's army: 12-pounders. These much-feared weapons were among the eight cannons claimed by the United States that day. Colonel Joseph Cilley ordered his 1st New Hampshire Regiment to seize the largest British cannons. After claiming these guns for the United States, Cilley was found "a straddle a brass twelve-pounder and exulting in the capture."