Editing Battles of Saratoga (section)

===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" />