Bemis Heights
Battles of Saratoga · September 19 - October 7, 1777 · Stillwater, New York
13 contours at 10 m, traced from USGS 3DEP 10 m elevation data. Every 5th line is drawn heavier.
What happened
Burgoyne's army marched south from Canada to cut New England off from the rest of the colonies and never arrived. Two battles around Bemis Heights stopped him and forced a surrender that brought France into the war as an American ally - the turning point of the Revolution.
Why the ground mattered
The American position was chosen by an engineer, Thaddeus Kosciuszko, and the choice is the whole story. Bluffs on the west bank of the Hudson pinch the river road into a narrow gap; Kosciuszko fortified the heights above it, so Burgoyne could not use the road and could not leave it alone. Forced inland through dense woods, his army lost the artillery advantage that European tactics assumed and had to fight in broken clearings where American riflemen picked off officers. He was beaten by the ground before he was beaten by the army.
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