History of the Saratoga Monument

by Elaine Marie Cooper

For years in the early 1800’s, the grassy bluff overlooking the Hudson River in Schuylerville, New York, looked like an ordinary field. But the residents of the area knew differently. On October 17, 1777, it was the site where British General John Burgoyne surrendered to the American Army after the Battle of Saratoga—and the course of history changed as the Revolution began its victorious turn toward the birth of a new nation.

While other historic locales often had granite rocks of remembrance, the site of the surrender in Saratoga was left unmarked. Several citizens of New York State bemoaned the lack of a monument and determined to erect one.

On October 17, 1856 (the 79^th anniversary of the surrender), a group of patriotic gentleman met in the town of Schuylerville to discuss a plan. After a small celebration including a banquet, the group organized a Saratoga Monument Association, with the intent to erect “a fitting memorial on the site of Burgoyne’s surrender.”

The outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 cast a gloom over the country and suspended all planning for a Saratoga Monument. It wasn’t until 1872 that the association was able to reconvene. In the meantime, several of the association’s original trustees had died—but the dream of creating a monument had not.

New members joined the cause and petitions were sent to the legislatures of the original thirteen colonies asking for their support. An architect designed a plan for the monument and a letter was sent to Congress requesting an appropriation of funds for this memorial to celebrate the upcoming centennial of the battle.

A petition to the Senate and assembly of the State of New York earnestly entreated support for “considerations of high patriotic duty…to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the great victory.” It was hoped that the laying of the corner stone might take place at that time.

Years of effort were finally accomplished on October 17, 1877, when a two-mile procession, replete with civic, masonic and military pageantry, marched to the site of the surrender where, in front of 40,000 viewers, the cornerstone for the Saratoga Monument was laid.

When the ground was broken during the memorial’s construction, the architect discovered two bullets from the 1777 battle within a foot of each other. While excavating the same area, workmen dug up two cannon balls.

Finally in 1883, the completed granite obelisk rose to its full height of 155 feet. It is an impressive sight both from a distance and up close. The four sides have arched alcoves, one for each heroic American officer who led at Saratoga in 1777. The niche facing west has a statue of sharpshooter, Colonel Daniel Morgan. The eastern alcove holds a likeness of General Phillip Schuyler and the northern niche, General Horatio Gates. Only the southern alcove is empty, representing Benedict Arnold who was a hero in Saratoga but turned traitor during the American Revolution. It is often said that if Arnold had died of the wounds he received in that battle, he would today be remembered as a hero. Instead his name is synonymous with being a turncoat.

The Saratoga Monument is now overseen by the National Park Service and is open for visitors during the summer months. For more information about visiting the monument and the Saratoga battlefield, you can visit their website here. 

Elaine Marie Cooper is the author of the award-winning historic novel, Fields of the Fatherless. Her upcoming novel, Saratoga Letters, will be released by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas in 2016. You can visit her website/blog here.

Researching Saratoga

by Elaine Marie Cooper

Researching for a historical novel set in Colonial America is both daunting and fun. Daunting because you don’t want a knowledgeable reader saying, “Aha! That isn’t accurate!” Fun because seeing how the people lived so long ago is both amazing and, at times, frightening (think: Colonial medicine).

And then there are the moments that bring a pause with a sigh, when a researcher longs for the simpler times. When you envision dinner by candlelight—every night—a warm fireplace to warm your toes, and the faith cradled in prayer that seemed so much stronger then. God was looked upon as the Great Defender. Along with a musket and gunpowder. :)

There is something even more inspiring to me, personally, when I tread on the ground where my great grandfathers trod—literally. Such was the case last May when my husband and I visited Saratoga National Historic Park.  It was the location of the turning point in the American Revolution that led to the colonists winning freedom from England.

It was also the turning point in my lineage. One of the British soldiers escaped after the surrender. He met and married my fourth great grandmother in western Massachusetts where they settled and raised a family.

While visiting this National Monument, small seeds of a novel began growing in my mind. It slowly took root in the next days and weeks until the blooms of characters and dialogue were ready to burst from the fields in my head. I knew the novel was ready for harvest, and the writing has now begun.

 

View near Freeman's Farm

My focus on this current historical fiction is not my grandfather nor solely about the men who fought in the battle. It is mostly about the many people who were caught in its web of weariness, destruction and pain. There were not just soldiers who fought; there were women who nursed the wounded, washed the clothes, raised their children and tried to survive the war just like the men did.  There were surgeons, surgeon’s mates, cooks—an entire entourage of individuals functioning as a transient city run by a military general responsible for the success or failure of the mission.

There are several nonfiction titles that cover the details about this campaign. My favorite is simply entitled “Saratoga” by Richard Ketchum. The battle took place in September and October of 1777, and the British hoped to divide the New England colonies from the rest of Colonial America. The endeavor was a miserable failure, partly due to English pride. It was assumed that a band of farmers couldn’t possibly win a war against the best-trained army in the world.

There were some who did not underestimate the abilities of the Continental Army however. The much loved Baroness Riedesel , wife of the German general fighting with the British, was far more astute in her observations of the Americans:

“The thought of fighting for their country and for freedom made them braver than ever.”

So this author reads books, double-checks facts and sits at her laptop creating characters that I love or hate (or sometimes both). I hope and pray that my readers love them as well. Mostly I hope and pray that my writing is pleasing to the One who created the craft of writing and planted the passion for it in my heart.

Elaine Marie Cooper is the author of the Selah Award Winning Fields of the Fatherless. Her upcoming release, Bethany's Calendar, will be available in December.