Editing Battles of Saratoga (section)

==Second Saratoga: Battle of Bemis Heights (October 7)==
{{See also|Second Saratoga order of battle}}

===British foray===
[[File:Arnold at Saratoga.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Benedict Arnold]] at Battle of Bemis Heights]]

While Burgoyne's troop strength was nominally higher, he likely had only about 5,000 effective, battle-ready troops on October 7, as losses from the earlier battles in the campaign and desertions following the September 19 battle had reduced his forces.<ref name="N358">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], p. 358</ref> General Riedesel advised that the army retreat. Burgoyne decided to reconnoiter the American left flank to see if an attack was possible.  As an escort, the generals took Fraser's Advanced Corps, with light troops and the 24th Foot on the right and the combined British grenadiers on the left, and a force drawn from all the German regiments in the army in the center.  There were eight British cannon under Major Williams and two [[Hesse-Hanau]] cannon under Captain Pausch.<ref name="Bird 1963">[[#Bird|Bird (1963)]], p. 223</ref> Leaving their camp between 10 and 11 am, they advanced about three-quarters of a mile (1&nbsp;km) to Barber's wheat field on a rise above Mill Brook, where they stopped to observe the American position.  While the field afforded some room for artillery to work, the flanks were dangerously close to the surrounding woods.<ref name="N359_0">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], pp. 359–360</ref>

Gates, following the removal of Arnold from the field command, assumed command of the American left and gave the right to General Lincoln. When American scouts brought news of Burgoyne's movement to Gates, he ordered Morgan's riflemen out to the far left, with Poor's men ([[1st New Hampshire Regiment|1st]], [[2nd New Hampshire Regiment|2nd]], and [[3rd New Hampshire Regiment|3rd]] [[New Hampshire]]) on the left; the [[2nd New York Regiment|2nd]] and [[4th New York Regiment|4th]] New York Regiments on the right, and Learned's [[1st New York Regiment|1st New York]], [[1st Canadian Regiment|1st Canadian]], [[2nd Massachusetts Regiment|2nd]], [[8th Massachusetts Regiment|8th]] and [[9th Massachusetts Regiment|9th]] [[Massachusetts]] Regiments, plus militia companies, in the center.  A force of 1,200 New York militia under Brigadier General [[Abraham Ten Broeck]] was held in reserve behind Learned's line.<ref name="N360">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], p. 360</ref> In all, more than 8,000 Americans took the field that day,<ref name="L284_5">[[#Luzader|Luzader (2008)]], pp. 284–285</ref> including about 1,400 men from Lincoln{{'}}s command that were deployed when the action became particularly fierce.<ref name="L286">[[#Luzader|Luzader (2008)]], p. 286</ref>

[[File:Benedict Arnold 1color.jpg|left|164px|thumb|Benedict Arnold portrait by Thomas Hart]]

The opening fire came between 2 and 2:30 pm from the British grenadiers. Poor's men held their fire, and the terrain made the British shooting largely ineffective. When Major [[John Dyke Acland|Acland]] led the British grenadiers in a bayonet charge, the Americans finally began shooting at close range. Acland fell, shot in both legs, and many of the grenadiers also went down. Their column was a total rout, and Poor's men advanced to take Acland and Williams prisoner and capture their artillery.<ref name="N361">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], p. 361</ref> On the American left, things were also not going well for the British. Morgan's men swept aside the Canadians and Native Americans to engage Fraser's regulars. Although slightly outnumbered, Morgan managed to break up several British attempts to move west.<ref name="N361" /> While General Fraser was mortally wounded in this phase of the battle,<ref name="K400">[[#Ketchum|Ketchum (1997)]], p. 400</ref> according to Luzader a frequently told story claiming it to be the work of [[Timothy Murphy (sniper)|Timothy Murphy]], one of Morgan's men, could be a 19th-century fabrication.<ref name="Lxxii">[[#Luzader|Luzader (2008)]], p. xxii</ref> The fall of Fraser and the arrival of Ten Broeck's large militia brigade (which roughly equaled the entire British reconnaissance force in size), broke the British will, and they began a disorganized retreat toward their entrenchments. Burgoyne was also very nearly killed by one of Morgan's marksmen; three shots hit his horse, hat, and waistcoat.<ref name="N364">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], p. 364</ref>

The first phase of the battle lasted about one hour and cost Burgoyne nearly 400 men, including the capture of most of the grenadiers' command, and six of the ten field pieces brought to the action.<ref name="N364" />

=== American attack ===
[[File:Second Battle of Saratoga.USMA.edu.history.gif|thumb|right|Troop dispositions and initial movements at the Battle of Bemis Heights.  The only known contemporary American map showing the positions of the two armies was made by [[Rufus Putnam]], who commanded the 5th Massachusetts Regiment in Nixon's Brigade.<ref>Hubbard, Robert Ernest.  ''General Rufus Putnam: George Washington's Chief Military Engineer and the "Father of Ohio,"'' pp. 61–62, McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, North Carolina.  {{ISBN|978-1476678627}}.</ref>]]

At this point, the Americans were joined by an unexpected participant. General Arnold, who was "betraying great agitation and wrath" in the American camp, and may have been drinking, rode out to join the action.<ref name="L285">[[#Luzader|Luzader (2008)]], p. 285</ref><ref name="N362">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], p. 362</ref>  Gates immediately sent Major Armstrong after him with orders to return; Armstrong did not catch up with Arnold until the action was effectively over.<ref name="N362" /> (A letter, written by a witness to proceedings in the camp, suggests that Arnold did in fact have authorization from Gates to engage in this action.)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2016/mar/26/letters-change-view-benedict-arnold-gen-gates/|title=Letters change view of Benedict Arnold, Gen. Gates|last=Williams|first=Stephen|newspaper=The Daily Gazette|date=March 26, 2016|access-date=2016-03-28|archive-date=2016-03-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331040539/http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2016/mar/26/letters-change-view-benedict-arnold-gen-gates/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The defenses on the right side of the British camp were anchored by two redoubts. The outermost one was defended by about 300 men under the command of the Hessian [[Heinrich von Breymann]], while the other was under the command of [[Alexander Lindsay, 6th Earl of Balcarres|Lord Balcarres]]. A small contingent of Canadians occupied the ground between these two fortifications.  Most of the retreating force headed for Balcarres' position, as Breymann's was slightly north and further away from the early action.<ref name="N365">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], p. 365</ref>

Arnold led the American chase, and then led Poor's men in an attack on the Balcarres redoubt. Balcarres had set up his defenses well, and the redoubt was held, in action so fierce that Burgoyne afterwards wrote, "A more determined perseverance than they showed … is not in any officer's experience".<ref name="L287">[[#Luzader|Luzader (2008)]], p. 287</ref> Seeing that the advance was checked, and that Learned was preparing to attack the Breymann redoubt, Arnold moved toward that action, recklessly riding between the lines and remarkably emerging unhurt. He led the charge of Learned's men through the gap between the redoubts, which exposed the rear of Breymann's position, where Morgan's men had circled around from the far side.<ref name="L291_5">[[#Luzader|Luzader (2008)]], pp. 291–295</ref>  In furious battle, the redoubt was taken and Breymann was killed.<ref name="N366">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], p. 366</ref> Arnold's horse was hit in one of the final volleys, and Arnold's leg was broken by both shot and the falling horse. Major Armstrong finally caught up with Arnold to officially order him back to headquarters; he was carried back in a litter.<ref name="N367">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], p. 367</ref> Arnold wished that he was shot in the heart, knowing that if he died in the battle, he would have kept the fame as a heroic martyr.

The capture of Breymann's redoubt exposed the British camp, but darkness was setting in.  An attempt by some Germans to retake the redoubt ended in capture as darkness fell and an unreliable guide led them to the American line.<ref name="N368">[[#Nickerson|Nickerson (1967)]], p. 368</ref>