Before leaving England in 1776, General John Burgoyne bet a friend 50 gold guineas that he would return home triumphant within a year. His invasion force departed Canada in June 1777 with pomp and spectacle and seemed invincible, but after marching hundreds of miles, the British army suffered stunning defeats in battles near Saratoga. On this hilltop, crowded together in filth and mud and drenched by cold October rains, they lost all hope of victory. Lieutenant William Digby of the 53rd Regiment of Foot recalled that they were obliged to bring their oxen and horses into their fortification because the grass was gone and only the leaves of the trees remained for them, and that as the cattle began to die quickly, the stench became very harmful in so small a space.

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin