At this point in history, 1777, the 13 colonies were still a part of the British Empire. However the colonists were growing tired of the laws and bills that were being imposed on them from Britain. The colonist sent several petitions such as the Olive Branch Petition asking the King to repeal the unfair laws. The King refused to hear the complaints of the colonist and continued to enforce the laws. The Tea Act and Revised Quartering Acts pushed the colonist over the edge, they had enough and declared their independence from Britain. England decided they did not want lose the colonies and choose to fight the colonists to regain control which began the Revolutionary War . There were many battles fought during the Revolutionary War that lasted …show more content…
As a part of their battle plan, the English were moving towards Albany in September of 1777. On their way, the British observed American troops in a clearing near Freemans Farm, approximately 10 miles south of Saratoga. At this time, American general Benedict Arnold ordered Colonel Daniel Morgan to take 400 of his best sharpshooters and assault the British troops. This minor squabble on September 17 resulted in the death of several British troops and the capture of about 20. A week prior to the battle, on September 12, General Horatio Gates moved his 7,000 troops to Bemis Heights to fortify their position. On September 19 at 11:00 AM, American patrols observed the deployment of three British columns . The British had planned to advance southward toward Freemans Farm in three columns each led by Generals Fraser, Hamilton, and Riedesel. The Americans ran out of ammunition three hours into the battle, causing them to retreat. The British claimed victory, but it was a hard victory due the many casualties they suffered. Although the Americans did not win this battle not all was lost, the British were exhausted and suffered many casualties as well as severely injuring General Fraser a lead under General Burgoyne