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Hello! Hello and thank you for joining the American Revolution.

Today the Battle of Freeman's Farm or First Saratoga.

Last week we ended a series of episodes as General Howe made his long slow sailing voyage

from New York to Maryland and then marched his army up to capture Philadelphia.

While all that was happening, General Berghoyne was marching his northern army

from Canada down through upstate New York with the hope of taking Albany and eventually

linking up with British forces in New York City.

We last left General Brigoyin in episode 155 as his army suffered a loss at Bennington in an attempt to capture food and supplies.

And despite that loss, Bergoin's main army had reached the Hudson River and planned to march downstream to Albany.

His hope, to recruit an army of Tories in upstate New York had proven to be a joke.

Almost all of his loyalist soldiers were men who had already fled New York to Canada and

had joined at the outset of the expedition.

Promises of locals in New York who would flock to the King's Banner had pretty much proven

empty.

A Burgoyne found his supply lines from Canada too long and attenuated to do much good.

He was frustrated that no British Relief Force seemed to be on its way from New York City.

After receiving word that General St. Ledger's Force had given up capturing Fort Stanwykes and

was returning to Canada, Berghoy lost the only other prospect of reinforcements.

Berghoyne's situation was becoming more threatened each day. His army was shrinking while his opponents were growing.

His men were isolated and largely cut off from additional food and supplies.

At the outset of the campaign,

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