On October 7, 1777, the forest of Beema's Heights, just south of Saratoga, New York, claddered

with the sounds of battle.

A wounded Hessian soldier, fighting for the British General John Burgoyne, made his way

through the woods.

He was in a column on the right-hand side of a three-pronged attack.

The plan was for the center and left-hand columns to distract the American forces, and

then the right-hand column would flank the colonial soldiers.

It was a solid plan, but Burgoyne hadn't accounted for the hot tempers of the Americans.

The British commander thought the site of two of his columns would paralyze the Colonials,

which would allow the third column to slip around the end and attack.

But instead of staring in fear at the British forces, the Americans sprang out of their

camps and confronted the British directly.

Now things were in disarray, and there was one American in particular who was causing

trouble.

The wounded Hessian soldier didn't know who the American was, but the American rode wildly

through the woods, sometimes firing the rifles of his comrades, sometimes riding straight

into battle using his sword.

The Hessian collapsed, but in the distance he could see the unruly American thundering

through the woods on a great black horse.

With the last of his strength, the Hessian raised his musket and fired and hit the horse.

Then maybe from the Hessian, another shot rang out and hit the American in the left leg.

The American commander, Benedict Arnold, crashed to the ground with his horse.

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