The Battle of Bennington marked the first significant American victory during this campaign. When General Washington learned that General Burgoyne was in a bad situation, he called to "let all New England rise and crush Burgoyne." On August 19, 1777, General Gates arrived to take command of the Northern Department from General Schuyler. When Gates arrived, most of the 4,000 American troops in the department were stationed at the junction of the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers. On September 12, 1777, General Gates moved his forces from the headquarters at Stillwater, New York to the strategic ground at Bemis Heights, a densely wooded area that was a few miles south of Saratoga, New York. He immediately began entrenching his men there and waiting with his 7,000 troops. .
On September 13, Burgoyne gathered enough supplies to cross the Hudson River to Saratoga, New York with 6,500 men. Because he had only a few scouts left to tell him about the enemy's position, General Burgoyne had to march south quite slowly. On September 19, the Royal army advanced upon the American Camp in three separate columns. Two of the columns marched through the forests that covered the region; the third, which was composed of German troops, marched down the river road. Americans became aware of the British advancement and Gates ordered Colonel Daniel Morgan's corps of Virginia riflemen to track the British march. A battle began in a clearing near Freeman's Farm at around 12:30. Morgan's men violated the rules of war during that time when they purposely targeted the British Officers that were in a small cabin. This sent the rest of the group fleeing in full retreat. The Virginians were quick to follow up on what they had done and they formed a disorganized charge, which put them face to face with the main body of the advancing column. The British troops sent the Virginians back into the forest and the men quickly ran back to Morgan.
