The Gruesome Battle of Saratoga | Command Decisions (S1, E6) | Full Episode

NARRATOR: In 1776, the American colonies revolt and threaten to kick the British out. [gun fire] But English General John Burgoyne has a plan to crush the uprising. RICHARD PATTERSON: We're going-- just bold ahead, pretending that you know, to brush aside whatever opposition was there. NARRATOR: Led by American General Horatio Gates, the colonists are ready to fight back. The two forces meet in a decisive showdown at the Battle of Saratoga. It was a huge brawl that lasted almost the whole day. It was very, very bloody fighting. NARRATOR: You are general Horatio Gates. You'll face the questions that could win or lose the war. We ask, you decide. Test your skills, strategy, and nerve in "Command Decisions." [music playing] On July 4, 1776, America declares its independence from England. A year later, the British are struggling to regain control of the 13 colonies. By the late spring of 1777 the British certainly knew that they were no longer up against a disorganized rabble. But they certainly had every expectation of winning. NARRATOR: British General John Burgoyne has 8,000 British and German troops ready to march from Canada into New York. RICHARD PATTERSON: Burgoyne intended to come down from Montreal and reach Albany by winter. He would thus control the upper Hudson and be able to split New England from New York. [drums pattering] NARRATOR: On June 13, 1777, Burgoyne sets off moving south towards Albany, unaware of his enemy's strength. John Burgoyne is a very well-prepared officer in many respects. But he seems to lack a very good grasp of the big picture and gets himself way in over his head. NARRATOR: General Horatio Gates prepares to take command of the American northern army in Albany. The outgoing commander, General Philip Schuyler, has a force of 4,500 men cobbled together from continental soldiers and citizen militiamen. The Americans have to figure out a way to stop Burgoyne's march through the dense forest. You are the commander. Who should be sent to slow the British march? Continental soldiers, they're the best trained men. Woodsmen, they can chop down trees across the British route. Rifleman, they can hide in the woods and shoot British soldiers. The answer-- continental regular soldiers can't be risked on a guerrilla mission. And a rifle skirmish won't slow the British down. Their light infantry are highly skilled marksmen. But woodsmen can fell trees and destroy bridges along the British path. It will slow Burgoyne's advance and give the American army more time to prepare. The answer is B. And there were at least 1,000 woodsmen working overtime to make this road as difficult for Burgoyne as possible. They destroyed every bridge over various creeks. And they fell hundreds of trees that the British had to clear away. NARRATOR: When Gates takes over command of the American forces, dozens of woodsmen are successfully slowing the British march. But Burgoyne won't give up. RICHARD PATTERSON: Burgoyne just bulled ahead, intending to-- you know, to brush aside whatever opposition was there. NARRATOR: While Burgoyne continues towards Albany from the North, a second British army of 2,000 men marches to Albany from the West. On August 2, they attack the American held Fort Stanwix. Half of the British force attacking Fort Stanwix is Indian. Their combat skills are renowned. But they are difficult to control. Burgoyne was going to rely, perhaps too heavily on the participation of Indian Allies. Their loyalty was always suspect. NARRATOR: Two British armies are heading to Albany. And one has already reached Fort Stanwix. A small American force of 900 marches to rescue the fort. But they are still outnumbered. Their commander, Benedict Arnold, tries a new tactic-- spread the rumor of a huge force approaching. It might scare the Indians away. Who should be sent to spread a rumor among the Indians? An Indian medicine men, elders are rarely disobeyed. Captured British officer, these tribes are British Allies. Lunatic, Indians have great reverence for the insane. The answer, the Indian warriors would listen to a medicine man. But most elders wouldn't lie to their own people. And a British officer might be lying to save himself. But the Indians believe insane people are holy and only speak the truth. The answer is C. The Americans managed to send an envoy, a kind of crazy Dutchman who babbled in all kinds of languages, who managed to convince the-- the British and their Indian Allies that they faced an enormous force that they would encounter in the Mohawk Valley. NARRATOR: The tactic is a success. The Indians flee into the woods. Deserted by their allies, Burgoyne's smaller army has to retreat back to Canada. THOMAS FLEMING: That whole column, which was supposedly going to distract the Americans and enable Burgoyne to sort of plow ahead to Albany with a minimum of resistance went up in smoke. It was a marvelous transformation. NARRATOR: Feeling confident, Gates decides the time has come to take action. He moves North near the town of Saratoga, looking for the best battle terrain. Where's the best place to engage the enemy? Narrow ravine, trap the British and destroy them. High plateau, it can be easily fortified. Marshland, the soggy ground will make fighting difficult. The command decision, when we return. September 1777, the Battle of Saratoga-- British General John Burgoyne marches into New York to wipe out the American resistance. To defeat Burgoyne, General Horatio Gates must find the best battle terrain along the Hudson River. You are General Horatio Gates. Where's the best place to engage the enemy? Narrow ravine, trap the British and destroy them. High plateau, it can be easily fortified. Marshland, the soggy ground will make fighting difficult. The answer-- it is unlikely the British would walk blindly into the trap of a narrow ravine. And a marshland would make it hard for both sides to fight. But a high plateau has a view of the surrounding countryside and is easy to defend. The answer is B. As general gates and his army moved North to confront Burgoyne, they were looking for a naturally strong defensive position. And they found this at Bemis Heights. NARRATOR: Bemis heights is a high plateau over the Hudson River. It is the best area that Gates can see to set up his ultimate defense against Burgoyne's oncoming army. NARRATOR: On September 19, Gates' men finish preparing trenches and massive wooden barricades. Burgoyne arrives in three columns. He sets up positions on a piece of land known as Freeman's Farm. RICHARD PATTERSON: Freeman's Farm was essentially a clearing in the woods with stumps and one or two log buildings. NARRATOR: Gates prefers a defensive battle. He plans to wait for the British to advance. But he is challenged by Benedict Arnold, an aggressive officer. Arnold wants to attack immediately. Arnold was the exact opposite of Gates in almost every way. He loved to be-- to be in the thick of a fight. NARRATOR: It is a challenge to Gates' authority. And he must respond. How do you respond to Benedict Arnold's challenge? Compromise with him. Send out a small rifle corps. Jail him, prevent him from taking part in battle. Demote him, make him a common soldier. The answer-- jailing Arnold or demoting him would clarify your authority. But you will need aggressive soldiers like Arnold in this battle. However, if you come to a compromise with him and send a small rifle corps, you can keep Arnold quiet. The surprise attack might even kill a few British soldiers. The answer is A. THOMAS FLEMING: He told Arnold that he could take a relative handful of men out into the woods if the British came that way. Well, the British did indeed come that way. NARRATOR: At 1 o'clock in the afternoon, the American Rifle Corps, led by Colonel Daniel Morgan, sees a British advance party emerge into the open. The Americans hid at the edges of the woods and fired across the clearing at the British. [gun fire] The British were cut to pieces. NARRATOR: The ambush kills dozens of British soldiers. In their excitement, the American gunman rush out from the woods. The Americans thought they could route them. And they came rushing out. And they suddenly found that 330 or 40 men were face to face with a couple of thousand. And they then had to run for their lives. NARRATOR: Masked in a long line, the British fire their muskets again and again. The entire American Rifle Corps could be wiped out, unless they can regroup. What signal will tell the rifleman to come together? Cannon fire, drum roll, turkey call? The answer, cannon fire is primarily a British signal. The Americans won't recognize it. And since the rifle corps is a small group, they have no drummers with them. But a turkey call is easy to make and is high pitched. It will attract the rifleman's attention immediately. The answer is C. Morgan, the rifle commander, lets out a familiar sound. BARNET SCHECTER: He kept his cool and did what he did on all such occasions, which was to make a wild turkey call, which was the signal for his men to gather around him. And this reconstituted his men. And they were able to keep fighting. NARRATOR: Gates then unleashes his troops to engage with the British. For the next eight hours, a pitched battle rages back and forth across Freeman's Farm. It was a huge brawl that lasted almost a whole day. It was-- it was a seesaw struggle. It was very, very bloody fighting. NARRATOR: By the end of the day, the Americans have nearly destroyed the British center column. Suddenly, Burgoyne's left column attacks the American flank. THOMAS FLEMING: They came up from the riverbank with their drums beating and their trumpets blaring. And they attacked the Americans on the flank. It destroyed the momentum of the American attack. NARRATOR: The Americans fall back and retreat. The battle is a draw. But Gates and his troops have proven there might. Having been killed 600 British soldiers, American morale soars. Gates' object was to keep Burgoyne going from going to Albany. So he has now stopped Burgoyne's advance. NARRATOR: But American troops have a new problem. [gun fire] There seriously low on ammunition and must find a way to get more bullets. Where can your men find more ammunition? Local houses, take led objects to melt down. American militia, they will have bullets. Indians, trade with allied tribes. The command decision when we return. September 19, 1777, the Battle of Saratoga-- the British and the Americans have fought to a draw. Horatio Gates' army prepares for the next round against the British. But the Americans are dangerously low on bullets. You are general Horatio Gates. Where can your men find more ammunition? Local houses, take lead objects to melt down. American militia, they will have bullets. Indians, trade with allied tribes. The answer, American militiamen had enough ammunition for themselves, but could not be trusted to provide bullets for other troops. Indian allies will have ammunition, but would want to keep it for their own use. But local houses are full of lead items, all of which can be melted down and turned into bullets. The answer is A. Any place they could find lead they would strip it out, even from the windows-- the window sashes in Albany. NARRATOR: Meanwhile, Burgoyne has his own problems. His supplies are low. And he has no reinforcements. To strengthen the British position, his army creates a defensive front, anchored by enormous barricades called redoubts. A redoubt is a strong earthwork built of log and earth and fortified with artillery and platforms. NARRATOR: While Burgoyne prepares for battle, American militiamen rally behind Gates. His army swells to nearly 12,000, twice the size of Burgoyne's forces. When the New England militia heard that the regulars had defeated Burgoyne in the first battle of Freeman's Farms, they started turning out. Thousands of militia started to arrive in the American camp. NARRATOR: On October 7, Burgoyne decides to make a probing attack on the American left flank. RICHARD PATTERSON: Burgoyne sends what is technically a reconnaissance in force. It's the majority of his troops-- his best troops. He gets perhaps a half a mile and starts to straighten out his line in the middle of a wheat field. NARRATOR: But Gates has been waiting for this move. Troops prepare to engage the British in the wheat field. What's the best way to attack the British advance troops? Surround and shoot, fire all available guns at the British. Attacked the flank, surprise them from the right. Charge and yell, send all troops running at once. The answer-- if the Americans shoot at the British from the woods surrounding the wheat field, they might hit their own troops on the other side. And an attack on the British flank could be stopped by cannon fire. But if all of your troops charge together while yelling, it will throw the British into a panic, and they won't know which way to shoot first. The answer is C. At 3:00 PM, the Americans charge at the British with loud yells. The British fire. But in their panic, they miss. THOMAS FLEMING: The British really, they should have been able to blast them into oblivion. But the bullets went over the heads of the oncoming Americans. NARRATOR: The British pull back and form a defensive line in front of their redoubts. The Americans will have a hard time breaking through. They will need a shock tactic to throw the British off guard. What is the best way to shock the British? Throw firebombs, launch bottles filled with whale oil. Kill the commander, shoot him off his horse. Fire cannons, knock holes in the barricades. The answer, whale oil is great for lamp's but will not burn fast enough to be a good weapon. And the cannons are far away behind the American lines. It will take too long to bring them over. But British commanders often direct their men from horseback, making them an easy target. If you kill the officer rallying the British defense, it could spark a retreat. The answer is B. BARNET SCHECTER: The Americans decided that that general had to be taken out. And a rifleman went up a tree and shot the British general off his horse, at which point British morale collapsed and they fled back to their forts. NARRATOR: Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, Benedict Arnold leads his men on a fierce attack against the redoubts. The British defense breaks. And they begin a final retreat to the nearby town of Saratoga. THOMAS FLEMING: Gates had an army of 14,000 men. And Burgoyne's army had dwindled to about probably less than 4,000. And it gave them the feeling that he was doomed-- that he was totally outnumbered and he really had no choice but either one more try to fight his way out or surrender. NARRATOR: Burgoyne begins surrender negotiations. But Gates first demands the British remain in the country as prisoners of war. Seeking more honorable terms of surrender, Burgoyne objects. Rather than have his men become prisoners and actually formally surrender, he tells Gates that his men would rather resist you know, to their last round than-- than surrender under those conditions. NARRATOR: Burgoyne is playing for time and hoping additional British troops will come up the Hudson River from New York to rescue him. Gates is anxious to end negotiations, but can't seem to force Burgoyne to lay down his arms. How do you force the British to surrender? Execute prisoners of war, it will shock the British. Call off negotiations, let Burgoyne starve. Threaten attack, only force can convince Burgoyne. The answer-- executing prisoners of war might make the British angry enough to fight to the death. And calling off negotiations won't convince the proud Burgoyne to give in. He would rather starve. But Gates' army is now huge. He knows an attack would quickly wipe out Burgoyne's weakened forces. The answer is C. On October 16, Gates delivers an ultimatum to Burgoyne. THOMAS FLEMING: And finally, Gates said, you have 10 minutes. There are no more negotiations. If you don't accept the current offer that's on the table, I plan to attack again as soon as possible. And that was it as far as Burgoyne was concerned. He agreed to surrender. NARRATOR: Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga put an end to the British plan to control New York. Gates' American army clearly showed they could fight Britain and win. France and other European powers now throw their support behind the revolution. Four years later, the Americans' struggle for independence is over. Saratoga was tremendously meaningful, because it was the first time that Americans proved they could stand and fight in the open field against the British. RICHARD PATTERSON: As considered by many, many historians as being one of the most significant battles In world history, because it turned such a world-changing event as the American Revolution. [music playing]