Organization of General Gates' Forces

General Gates established fortifications at Bemis Heights upon the arrival of his army on 12 September 1777. The position occupied a plateau which dominated the Hudson River passing to the east and blocked the way to Albany. Dense woodlands surrounded the bluffs of Bemis Heights, favoring the guerrilla-style fighting tactics that the Americans favored.

The entrenchments were south of Mill Creek along the top of the plateau. The basic structure of the fieldworks was a square with the south side left open, and the fieldworks encompassed Nielson's Farm. The owner was a supporter of the patriot cause, and the breastworks in the northeast corner surrounding the barn were named Fort Nielson.

Each side of the fortifications were approximately three quarters of a mile in length, and an artillery redoubt was built at the center of each of the three walls.

Like Burgoyne, Gates decided to organize his units in three wings. However, due to the development of the battle, the organization of the units played a small role at Freeman's Farm.

Gates' Bemis Heights Forces
LEFT WING	CENTER	RIGHT WING
Commander - Major General Benedict Arnold	Commander - Brigadier General Ebenezer Learned	Commander - Major General Horatio Gates
COL Morgan Elite Light Infantry Corps COL Morgan - Morgan's Rifle Corps MAJ Dearborn - Light Infantry Corps Poor Continental Brigade COL Cilley - 1st NH Cont'l Reg LTC Adams* - 2nd NH Cont'l Reg COL Scammel - 3rd NH Cont'l Reg COL Van Cortlandt - 2nd NY militia COL Livingston - 4th NY militia COL Cook - CT militia COL Latimore - CT militia	Learned Continental Brigade COL Bailey - 2nd MA Cont'l Reg LTC Brooks* - 8th MA Cont'l Reg COL Wesson - 9th MA Cont'l Reg COL Livingston - 1st Canadian NY militia	Glover Continental Brigade COL Vose - 1st MA Cont'l Reg COL Shepard - 4th MA Cont'l Reg COL Wigglesworth - 13th MA Cont'l Reg (unknown) - 15th MA Cont'l Reg COL Wemple - 2nd Albany NY militia COL Whiting - 17th Albany NY militia COL Graham - Dutchess/Ulster NY militia Nixon Continental Brigade COL Greaton - 3rd MA Cont'l Reg COL Putnam - 5th MA Cont'l Reg COL Nixon - 6th MA Cont'l Reg COL Alden - 7th MA Cont'l Reg Patterson Continental Brigade COL Marshall - 10th MA Cont'l Reg COL Tupper* - 11th MA Cont'l Reg COL Brewer - 12th MA Cont'l Reg COL Bradford - 14th MA Cont'l Reg
*COL Hale captured at Hubbardton	*COL Jackson wounded	*COL Francis killed at Hubbardton
Approximately 1,845 men	Approximately 1,297 men	Approximately 4,081 men
CAVALRY	LT Seymour - 2nd Troop, 2nd Reg Cont'l Lt Dragoons MAJ Hyde - 2nd Reg CT Light Horse Cavalry Estimated Strength - 200 to 250 strong
ARTILLERY	MAJ Stevens - Indep BN of Cont'l Artillery 22 cannon of various types Estimated Strength - 400 strong
ARTIFICERS	COL Baldwin - Approximately 140 Artificers
Force Total Estimated 7,963 men - 7,223 Infantry (6,751 Continental Infantry plus militia)

***Numbers are approximations based upon the historical research of COL John R. Elting. His figures are published in

The Battles of Saratoga.

For approximate figures on the size of Revolutionary War units, see British and Colonial Unit Definitions.

Links Back to the Battle

The Battle of Saratoga Background Page
Saratoga Preliminary Study Page
Saratoga Field Study Page
Saratoga Integration Phase Page

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Last modified: October 09, 2006 14:29:35