You're listening to an Airwave Media Podcast. Hello and thank you for joining the American Revolution.

Today episode 166 General Burgoyne Surrenders.

Last week we covered the Battle of Beamus Heights.

The final effort by General Burgoyne to push his British force

down the Hudson Valley and cut off New England from the rest of the continent.

Instead, Pergoin found his own army cut off from Canada and unable to reach Albany.

Following his defeat on October 7th, 1777, Vergoin's army moved into a defensive posture. The Americans had remained in the field that night prepared to resume their

attack the following morning.

Burgoyne, however, removed his army about a mile north during the night. The British abandoned their field

hospital and around 400 wounded to be captured by the enemy. They could not

carry the wounded and did not have food for them.

The British leadership believed that the wounded will be better off in the care of the Americans as prisoners of war.

The Americans woke up to find the battlefield was theirs. A cold driving

October rain drenched everyone as they recovered from the battle. Burgoyne spent that day and the next retreating further north to Saratoga Heights, where

his army had built entrenchments as they had advanced weeks earlier.

From his entrenchments for going desperately awaited word from General Sir Henry Clinton,

and clung to the hope of a relief column marching north from New York City.

On the American side, Benedict Arnold's leg was so badly wounded that surgeons wanted to amputate.

Arnold refused to allow it and endured months of suffering as he

slowly recovered. At first he moved to Albany where he spent most of the winter.

Later he returned to Connecticut, where he would continue his rehabilitation.

Without Arnold to urge more offensive action, the victorious General Horatio Gates once again settled into his defenses

...