240th Anniversary of the Battle of Saratoga

 

September 19, 1777: Saratoga, New York State

 

A dead soldier lay on top of him, but William was too weak to push him off.

Was the corpse an insurgent or his mate? The king’s soldier couldn’t discern regimental colors in the thick, black smoke.

And blood was blood—the smell sickened no matter the allegiance of its owner. The sticky fluid oozed from William’s own arm and leg too. Perhaps his chest. Was his life ebbing closer to eternity? He tried to inhale, but the weight of the body squeezed the air from his lungs.

Dizziness overtook him.

Is this the end?

And so begins Saratoga Letters, the story of both William and Abigail, followed by Ian and Abby. This two-part historical romance covers two separate stories, interconnected through the generations. It is a tale of war and the commemoration of that war two hundred years after the event.

 

Today marks the 240^th Anniversary of the Battles of Saratoga that became known as the turning point of the American Revolution. It was the first great victory for the American Continental Army and drew the allegiance of France in fighting with the Americans against the British. It was a massive victory of mostly farmers armed with muskets fighting against the best trained army in the world at that time. Few believed it could be done, yet history proved the doubters wrong.

 

For more information about the Battles of Saratoga, I recommend Richard Ketchum’s book entitled Saratoga.

For two historical romance novels set in this war, you can read Saratoga Letters (click here to purchase) or Road to Deer Run (click here to purchase). Also available in kindle.

 

So what drew my interest in this particular battle? It was a young British redcoat named Daniel who fought in the 21^st Regiment of Foot in that battle. He was taken prisoner after the defeat, escaped the line of prisoners, and ended up in Massachusetts where Daniel met and married a young woman named Mary. Daniel Prince was my 4^th great grandfather.