AI Summary
5 min readIn the heat and humidity of early August 1777, Major General Benedict Arnold rushed west with 700 soldiers on a rescue mission. Fort Stanwix was in trouble, surrounded by a British column of 1,500 men. As Arnold hurried along the Mohawk River, he spread a rumor: 3,000 soldiers were on the way. It was a lie. But the British commander, Brevet Brigadier General Barry St. Leger, believed it. He abandoned the siege and retreated to Lake Ontario. Arnold’s column turned around and marched back to the main American army without firing a shot. No one knew it at the time, but that bloodless bluff had just knocked out one of three British columns meant to converge on Albany, New York, and seize control of the Hudson River. It gave the Americans a fighting chance.
The British Plan to Split the Colonies
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:08) **Fort Stanwix Under Siege** - Benedict Arnold rushes west with 700 men to relieve a trapped American garrison.
- 2 (05:26) **1777 Campaign Setup: Howe vs. Burgoyne** - The British plan to capture both Philadelphia and Albany, splitting their forces.
- 3 (08:12) **British Capture Philadelphia** - The American main army suffers two crushing defeats in Pennsylvania.
- 4 (10:38) **Burgoyne's Invasion from Canada** - The British Northern Army begins its slow march south toward Albany.
- 5 (14:05) **The Scorched Earth Retreat** - The American Northern Army falls back, skirmishing constantly, as Burgoyne's tidal wave approaches.
- 6 (15:38) **Benedict Arnold's Rescue Mission** - Arnold leads a column west to break the siege of Fort Stanwix.
- 7 (19:29) **Burgoyne's Fatal Mistake at Bennington** - A supply raid into Vermont ends in disaster for the British.
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Show Notes
After boosting American morale with successes at Trenton and Princeton, the American main army suffers seemingly disastrous losses outside Philadelphia in 1777. The British capture the American capital, but the accomplishment comes with unintended consequences. A campaign by the British northern army to take control of the Mohawk and Hudson rivers starts well but then falters. Near Albany, New York, the American northern army saves the war effort with a shocking result at the pair of engagements known as the Battle of Saratoga.
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