Cannon exhibit at Stop 5 on the Saratoga Battlefield Tour, Saratoga National Historical Park

SARATOGA BATTLEFIELD TOUR

STOP 5: THE TIDE TURNS / SIMEON BARBER’S WHEATFIELD

 Allow 10 minutes for a visit

The Tide Turns stop on the Saratoga Battlefield Tour marks the general location of Simeon Barber’s wheatfield where the second battle of Saratoga began on October 7, 1777. Six wayside exhibits at the stop explain the events that took place during what is now known as the Battle of Bemus Heights (aka Second Battle of Saratoga). There is also a cannon exhibit and a monument for the Albany County Militia that fought in the battle. A short trail leads out to the park road, but there is no reason to hike it.

Wayside exhibits about the Battle of Bemus Heights at Stop 5 on the Saratoga Battlefield Tour, Saratoga National Historical Park

After winning the Battle of Freeman’s Farm on September 19th, British general John Burgoyne had his troops dig in and build defensive fortifications while he waited for promised reinforcements from New York City before moving once again south towards Albany. However, a couple of weeks passed without the reinforcements arriving, and with supplies running low, Burgoyne decided to lead a scouting force of 1,700 men to check out the American defenses at the Neilson Farm, the western flank of their battle line. Unknown to Burgoyne, American reinforcements had been arriving since the first battle, and now his army was outnumbered two to one.

When the British troops arrived at Barber’s farm, they found a field of ripe wheat, so they decided to stop and harvest it in order to replenish their food supplies. Little did they know, their movements had been spotted and American general Horatio Gates had ordered a small contingent of Colonel Daniel Morgan’s Provisional Rifle Corp along with New York and New Hampshire Continentals to the farm. This touched off fighting between the two sides that began around 2:30 PM.

When Gates was informed of the fighting, General Benedict Arnold, who had been relieved of command by Gates due to an earlier dispute, convinced him to launch a full-fledged attack. Over 8,000 Americans eventually joined the fight, including Arnold, who did so without permission. In fact, he even led troops into battle. By the end of the day the Americans had victory in hand. The next evening, the British withdrew to the village of Saratoga (now Schuylerville) where they were eventually surrounded and forced to surrender on October 17th.

Albany County Militia Monument at Stop 5 on the Saratoga Battlefield Tour, Saratoga National Historical Park

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