Burgoyne's Invasion of 1777: With an outline sketch of the American Invasion of Canada, 1775-76

In Short

Samuel Adams Drake details the 1777 British expedition designed to sever New England from the other American colonies by capturing the Hudson River line. Opening with a concise retrospective of the 1775–76 American campaign in Canada, the text examines General John Burgoyne's advance southward from Lake Champlain. Drake traces the initial British successes, including the capture of Ticonderoga, through critical reversals at Bennington and Fort Stanwix, to the clashes around Bemis' Heights. The work persists as a lucid operational study that balances structural analysis with vivid tactical narrative.

The Story

The narrative begins with an essential prelude: the failed American attempt to secure Canada in 1775 and 1776. This initial struggle established the strategic importance of the water highway connecting the St. Lawrence to the Hudson, an artery guarded by the strongholds of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. While the Americans were eventually forced to retreat, the expedition delayed British offensive plans and laid the groundwork for the campaign of 1777.

Burgoyne's campaign launches with high expectations. Commanding a superbly equipped force of seven thousand British and German veterans supported by an impressive artillery train, Burgoyne envisions a decisive strike down the lake route. His first major objective, the legendary fortress of Ticonderoga, falls rapidly when British forces occupy key surrounding heights, forcing General Arthur St. Clair to evacuate his garrison without a prolonged defense.

Initial victory soon gives way to severe logistical strain. As Burgoyne advances south toward Fort Edward, the rugged terrain, compounded by American felling of trees and destruction of bridges, slows his progress to a crawl. Needing mounts and provisions, Burgoyne detaches Colonel Baum with a force of German troops to raid rebel stores at Bennington. Instead of encountering intimidated loyalists, Baum is surrounded and defeated by General John Stark's militia, while a relief column under Colonel Breyman is likewise repulsed. Simultaneously, Lieutenant Colonel Barry St. Leger's diversionary expedition along the Mohawk Valley collapses after failing to reduce Fort Stanwix.

Deprived of expected support from Sir William Howe and Sir Henry Clinton in New York, Burgoyne crosses the Hudson to force a passage to Albany. At Stillwater, General Horatio Gates has entrenched the American army on Bemis' Heights. The first clash at Freeman's Farm leaves Burgoyne holding the field but at a terrible cost in casualties, halting his momentum. Weeks of anxious delay follow as British supplies dwindle.

A second assault on October 7 fails completely. Driven back by aggressive American counterattacks, Burgoyne's troops suffer severe losses, including the mortally wounded General Simon Frazer. Flanked, outmaneuvered, and completely surrounded at Saratoga, Burgoyne enters negotiations. On October 17, 1777, the remnants of his army lay down their arms under the convention of surrender, securing a pivotal victory that alters the course of the Revolutionary War.

How It Unfolds

The Canadian prelude set The narrative establishes the strategic geography of the northern frontier. The failed American invasion of 1775–1776 leaves the natural highway of Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River in British hands, establishing the exact route for future invasion.

Ticonderoga falls quickly Burgoyne advances down Lake Champlain and rapidly invests Ticonderoga by seizing the surrounding high ground. Surprised and outnumbered, General St. Clair evacuates the garrison without making a stand, shocking the American public.

The retreat at Hubbardton British light troops pursue the retreating Americans, catching their rear guard at Hubbardton. Though the British claim victory on the field, the engagement costs them heavily and allows the main American force to escape and reorganize.

Disaster at Bennington Attempting to replenish depleted supplies, Burgoyne sends a German detachment toward Bennington. General Stark's militia surrounds and destroys Baum's force, then turns to defeat a secondary relief column under Breyman, inflicting nearly two thousand casualties.

St. Leger's setback A secondary British column under Barry St. Leger marches down the Mohawk Valley to meet Burgoyne. Confronted by the resilient garrison of Fort Stanwix and panicked by rumours of Benedict Arnold's approach, St. Leger's force breaks up and retreats.

Battle of Freeman's Farm Burgoyne crosses the Hudson and attacks Gates's defensive position at Bemis' Heights. The British gain the ground around Freeman's Farm, but the bloody tactical draw exhausts their offensive energy and stops their southward momentum.

Surrender at Saratoga A final British attempt to turn the American flank on October 7 ends in complete defeat. Cut off from retreat, short on rations, and facing an overwhelming force, Burgoyne signs terms of surrender on October 17, 1777.

The People

• General John Burgoyne: A confident commander who envisions a swift, triumphant march to cut off New England. Puffed up with optimism, he underestimates the wilderness terrain and the resilience of his opponents, ultimately watching his army disintegrate into surrender.
• General Horatio Gates: The cautious organizer assigned to command the Northern Department. Thorough and methodical, he restores discipline to the American ranks and positions his army behind strong earthworks, forcing Burgoyne to attack on unfavorable terms.
• General Philip Schuyler: The aristocrat initially commanding the Northern Army. His deliberate strategy of harassing and delaying Burgoyne's advance costs him popular support, leading to his replacement just as his preparations begin to pay off.
• General John Stark: A headstrong militia officer who refuses orders to join Schuyler, choosing instead to intercept Burgoyne's foraging column. His decisive victory at Bennington restores American morale and cripples Burgoyne's strength.
• Colonel Benedict Arnold: A fiery and impulsive officer whose aggressive field tactical leadership proves instrumental in blunting the British attacks at Freeman's Farm and breaking their defenses in the final battles.
• General Simon Frazer: The capable commander of the British vanguard. Respected for his energy and bravery, his death during the battle of October 7 breaks the spirit of the British line.

In Its Own Voice

"Among the decisive events of the Revolutionary struggle, Burgoyne's campaign deservedly holds the foremost place, as well for what it led to, as for what it was in inception and execution--at once the most daring, most quixotic, and most disastrous effort of the whole war."

This early assessment underscores the dramatic arc of an army that set out with unmatched fanfare, only to collapse in the wilderness.

"A single company would have turned defeat into victory, when to the British, defeat in the woods, thirty miles from help, meant destruction."

Drake captures the tense margins of wilderness combat during the clash at Hubbardton, where tactical choices yielded immense consequences.

"It really seemed as if fortune had only raised Burgoyne the higher in order that his fall might be the more destructive at last."

Reflecting on the final surrender, the text highlights the stark contrast between Burgoyne's earlier boasts and his ultimate political and military ruin.

What It's Really About

Drake's study is fundamentally about how strategic overconfidence collapses when confronted by logistical reality. Beyond the operational maneuvers, the text demonstrates that military power cannot operate in a vacuum; without secure supply lines and clear communication, even veteran armies become vulnerable.

The work also examines the deep tensions between central military command and local populations. Burgoyne's expectations of widespread loyalist support evaporate in the face of widespread, spontaneous militia mobilization. The invasion transforms isolated rural communities into active combatants who systematically isolate and wear down the invading force. Ultimately, Drake argues that the Saratoga campaign was the pivotal turning point of the Revolution, transforming a colonial insurrection into an international conflict.

Why Read It Today

Samuel Adams Drake offers a clear, structured account of a campaign that shaped the American republic. Readers looking for straightforward military history will appreciate his focus on movement, terrain, and command decision-making. The narrative moves cleanly through complex operations without getting lost in trivial details.

The book's chief difficulty lies in its period-typical assumptions; modern readers will notice nineteenth-century spellings and a traditional political focus that concentrates strictly on campaign officers and high-level decisions. The prose is direct and unadorned, favoring historical precision over dramatic embellishment.

What remains with the reader is Drake's effective portrait of how quick decisions—a missed message from the War Office, a slow march through rain, or an overly ambitious foraging expedition—accumulate to decide the fate of armies. It stands as a sharp, accessible primer on one of the most consequential campaigns in North American history.

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