Editing Battles of Saratoga (section)

===Prelude===
Moving very cautiously, since the departure of his Native American support had deprived him of reliable reports on the American position, Burgoyne advanced to the south after crossing the Hudson.<ref name="N299">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], p. 299</ref> On September 18, the vanguard of his army had finally reached a position just north of Saratoga, about {{convert|4|mi|km}} from the American defensive line, and skirmishes occurred between American scouting parties and the leading elements of his army.<ref name="N300">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], p. 300</ref>

The American camp had become a bed of rising intrigue ever since Arnold's return from Fort Stanwix. While he and Gates had previously been on reasonably good terms in spite of their prickly egos, Arnold managed to turn Gates against him by taking on officers friendly to Schuyler as staff, dragging him into the ongoing feud between the two.<ref name="K351_2">[[#Ketchum|Ketchum (1997)]], pp. 351–352</ref> These conditions had not yet reached a boil on September 19, but the day's events contributed to the situation. Gates had assigned the left wing of the defenses to Arnold, and assumed command himself of the right, which was nominally assigned to General Lincoln, whom Gates had detached in August with some troops to harass the British positions behind Burgoyne's army.<ref name="K352_55">[[#Ketchum|Ketchum (1997)]], pp. 352, 355</ref>

[[File:First Battle of Saratoga.USMA.edu.history.gif|thumb|right|Initial dispositions and movements at the Battle of Freeman's Farm, 19 September 1777]]

Both Burgoyne and Arnold understood the importance of the American left, and the need to control the heights there. After the morning fog lifted around 10 am, Burgoyne ordered the army to advance in three columns. Baron Riedesel led the left column, consisting of the German troops and the [[47th Regiment of Foot|47th Foot]], on the river road, bringing the main artillery and guarding supplies and the boats on the river. General [[James Inglis Hamilton]] commanded the center column, consisting of the [[9th Regiment of Foot|9th]], [[20th Regiment of Foot|20th]], [[21st Regiment of Foot|21st]], and [[62nd Regiment of Foot|62nd regiments]], which would attack the heights, and General [[General Simon Fraser of Balnian|Simon Fraser]] led the right wing with the [[24th Regiment of Foot|24th Regiment]] and the [[light infantry]] and [[grenadier]] companies, to turn the American left [[flanking maneuver|flank]] by negotiating the heavily wooded high ground north and west of Bemis Heights.<ref name="K357">[[#Ketchum|Ketchum (1997)]], p. 357</ref>

Arnold also realized such a flanking maneuver was likely, and petitioned Gates for permission to move his forces from the heights to meet potential movements, where the American skill at woodlands combat would be at an advantage.<ref name="K356">[[#Ketchum|Ketchum (1997)]], p. 356</ref> Gates, whose preferred strategy was to sit and wait for the expected frontal assault, grudgingly permitted a [[reconnaissance in force]] consisting of Daniel Morgan's men and [[Henry Dearborn]]'s light infantry.<ref name="N307_8">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], pp. 307–308</ref> When Morgan's men reached an open field northwest of Bemis Heights belonging to Loyalist John Freeman, they spotted British advance troops in the field. Fraser's column was slightly delayed and had not yet reached the field, while Hamilton's column had also made its way across a ravine and was approaching the field from the east through dense forest and difficult terrain. Riedesel's force, while it was on the road, was delayed by obstacles thrown down by the Americans. The sound of gunfire to the west prompted Riedesel to send some of his artillery down a track in that direction. The troops Morgan's men saw were an advance company from Hamilton's column.<ref name="K358_0">[[#Ketchum|Ketchum (1997)]], pp. 358–360</ref>