Roads to Saratoga
The Continuing Saga About the Settlement and Defense of New York's Mohawk Valley During the 1700s
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This day of infamy was not the end! It was just the beginning of the end! The next battle which was to be staged in two clashes, which collectively would be known as the Battle of Saratoga. These battles were staged on fifteen acres of farmer Freeman's clared field s would culminate in the demise of the traditional European style of warfare, and the introduction of modern American or guerilla type of battle. The only issues each commander knew was the strategy he planned to implement when he felt it was time to engage to other.
The British commander was General John Burgoyne, a well-trained and experienced military tactician yet ever a gentleman, planned to stay with his proven successful stragety; its marching ranks and files, inevitably leading to face-to-face clubbing and bayoneting of the foe. Innovative, daring, and courageous, Burgoyne preferred to be not far from the front line of action so as to encourage and lead his troops. This strategy had worked for him in the past; he saw no reason to change.
Burgoyne's opposing commander-in-chief, General Horatio Gates, preferred to maintain his distance from the front lines and to depend upon his courier service to keep him informed as the battle ebbed and flowed, and then direct his troops accordingly. His second-in-command, General Benedict Arnold, on the other hand, believed in direct offensive encounters, and he never hesitated to ride into the fray at the head of the troops. So in this dual command the main difference was in the personality of the leaders. One was overly cautious, while the other was, at times too impetuous. Both were predictably unpredictable.
Let's guess who won the battles, and who got credit for the win?
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About the Book
Wednesday, August 6, 1777, was the day of infamy for all British Loyalists (Tories), Colonist Rebels, and Indians living in New York's Mohawk Valley.
The years of pent-up rage and hatred were all disastrously brought together on that day during the Battle of Oriskany that ended with many Tories, Rebels and Indians entangled in a death grip with each other wherever they fell, many never to be found or buried.
Everyone in the "valley" knew that peace could never be reached until both Rebels and Tories were conclusively free from the domination of King Charles III of England or the British completely defeated the Rebels, and returned them as subjects of the Royal Crown. Even if the latter was to occur, the absolute defeat of the British and their Tory supporters could be the only acceptable and ultimate solution.
There will always be controversy as to who won the gouging and slashing Battle of Oriskany, as described in my book, "Roads to Oriskany". The greatest tragedy of this battle was that most of the Rebel forces, which included most of German Flats's Committee of Safety, were killed. According to the Committee of Safety, the "flower of our militia are either killed or wounded except one hundred and fifty of the original eight hundred who had left Fort Dayton en route to Fort Stanwix, which stood the field and forced the enemy (British/Tories) to retreat."
Historians have agreed that despite the relatively small number of men engaged in the Battle of Oriskany, this encounter resulted in what was "one of the bloodiest and most bitterly fought battles of the American Revolution."
About the Author
It's astounding how quickly author, Gil Herkimer, can grab the reader's attention, as he weaves his small cast of fictional characters with well-known historical individuals, such as Generals Benedict Arnold, Hoaratio Gates, and John Burgoyne, and their activities. Herkimer has been told that he tells a "lively story" making America's frontier history entertaining and interesting: blending, when appropriate, historical facts with fiction characters.
Gil Herkimer was born and raised near the Mohawk Valley area of New York State. As Dr. Allen G. Herkimer Jr., he has traveled and worked extensively throughout the United States of America and overseas as a corporate executive, management consultant, university professor, play-wright, and textbook author. Upon his retirement as Professor Emeritus from Texas State University-San Marcos, he has returned to his first two loves, studying history and playing and writing about jazz. His latest accomplishment as a playwright is that of co-operatively directing his play, "Gardenias in Her Hair: An Evening with Billie Holliday."
Herkimer and his partner, Anne Eiseman, proudly declare themselves to be native New Yorkers, who lived in Southern California for nearly twenty years. They presently reside on the tenth floor of a high-rise condo overlooking the beautiful Corpus Christi Bay in Texas with their two cats, Pita and Nudge.
Herkimer's first historical fiction, "Roads to Oriskany," is the first of his historical trilogy, including "Roads to Saratoga" and "Roads to Niagara" of the settlement and defense of New York State's Mohawk Valley concluding with a sequel, "Steps Toward Freedom." Currently, he is writing a play with a working title "The Promised Land: A Journey into the 21st Century".