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Spring – Summer 2026 Newsletter
The Spring/Summer 2026 FOSB newsletter with updates on preservation, events, and battlefield news.
Fall – Winter 2025 Newsletter
The Fall/Winter 2025 FOSB newsletter with updates on preservation, events, and battlefield news.
Breaking the Law of War
An examination of violations of 18th-century rules of warfare during the Saratoga campaign and their consequences.
Knox's Noble Trail of Artillery
The remarkable story of Henry Knox's 1775–76 expedition to drag captured British cannon from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston — a logistical feat that forced the British evacuation.
Saratoga Surrender: Blocking the Retreat
How Generals Gates, Bayley, and Fellows sealed every escape route in October 1777, forcing Burgoyne's complete surrender and triggering France's entry into the war.
Spring – Summer 2025 Newsletter
The Spring/Summer 2025 FOSB newsletter with updates on preservation, events, and battlefield news.
Fall – Winter 2024 Newsletter
The Fall/Winter 2024 FOSB newsletter with updates on preservation, events, and battlefield news.
Bringing the Cannons Back
The story of how Henry Knox transported captured British artillery from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston, a feat of logistics that helped turn the tide of the war.
Floating Bridges at the Battle of Saratoga
An examination of the engineering and strategic role of floating bridges during the Saratoga campaign of 1777.
In Burgoyne's Defense
A reassessment of General Burgoyne's decisions and conduct during the Saratoga campaign, offering a more nuanced view of the British commander.
John Stark
A profile of Brigadier General John Stark, the New Hampshire hero whose militia played a critical role in the Saratoga campaign and at the Battle of Bennington.
The Fog of War
An exploration of how confusion, incomplete intelligence, and the chaos of battle shaped decision-making during the Saratoga campaign.
Spring – Summer 2024 Newsletter
The Spring/Summer 2024 FOSB newsletter with updates on preservation, events, and battlefield news.
The Turning Point of the Revolutionary War
An analysis of why the Saratoga surrender — not merely the battles — constituted the true turning point of the American Revolutionary War.
A Knotty Problem
A Joe Craig essay on a historical puzzle from the Saratoga campaign or Revolutionary War era.
An Analysis of the Near-Fatal Wound Suffered by Benedict Arnold at Saratoga
A medical and historical examination of the leg wound Benedict Arnold suffered at the Battle of Bemis Heights on October 7, 1777 — and how his refusal of amputation shaped both his recovery and his legacy.
Casting a Giant Shadow
A Joe Craig essay exploring the outsized influence of a historical figure on the Saratoga campaign or Revolutionary War.
Child's Play
The widespread but seldom-discussed practice of employing boys as young as ten in military service during the American Revolutionary War — from drummer boys to combat soldiers.
Dutch Treat
How Dutch neutrality, trade, and eventual entry into the American Revolutionary War shaped the conflict — and why Britain's frustration with the Netherlands mirrors timeless patterns of alliance and self-interest.
Éirinn go Brách!
How the American victory at Saratoga inspired Ireland's Volunteer movement and ultimately forced Britain to grant Irish legislative independence — demonstrating that an earlier compromise with the colonies might have prevented the Revolutionary War.
Fear and Loathing
Historical anti-Catholic sentiment in Britain and colonial America — and how the same anxieties that drove Revolutionary-era politics echo in later American history.
For the Troops
A look at the brutal reality of military discipline in both the Continental Army and British forces — challenging the mythology that American troops were inherently more virtuous than their opponents.
Forebears
An exploration of the ancestors and predecessors who shaped the events at Saratoga.
From Fightin' Words to Friends Again
A Joe Craig essay on reconciliation and the transformation of enemies into allies during and after the Revolutionary War.
George Foresees the Future
An examination of George Washington's remarkable foresight and strategic vision during the Revolutionary War.
Gone for a Soldier
A look at the motivations, experiences, and fates of the men who enlisted in the armies of the Revolutionary War.
Hard Times
The hardships and privations endured by soldiers and civilians during the Saratoga campaign and broader Revolutionary War.
Honour Among Gentlemen
An exploration of the codes of honor, gentlemanly conduct, and rules of war that governed officers on both sides of the Revolution.
How Rank Can You Get
A look at the often contentious and politically charged system of military rank and promotion during the Revolutionary War.
Jekyll or Hyde?
Examining the dual nature of key figures in the Revolutionary War — men capable of both heroic and deeply troubling conduct.
La Belle Dame Sans Merci
A historical essay drawing on the Keats poem to explore a figure or event from the Revolutionary War era.
Looking for General Monk or Somebody Like Him
A historical comparison drawing on General George Monck's role in the Restoration to examine leadership and loyalty during the Revolutionary War.
Loyalist John Peters
The story of John Peters, a Loyalist leader whose fate illustrates the difficult choices and consequences faced by those who remained loyal to the Crown during the Revolution.
Mythinterpretations
Separating myth from historical fact in the popular stories and legends surrounding the Battle of Saratoga.
Of Bumps and Obelisks
The history of the monuments and memorials that mark the Saratoga battlefield, and what they tell us about how Americans have remembered the battle over time.
Paradise: Lost, Strayed or Stolen
How 18th-century colonists viewed the natural world as an unlimited resource for human exploitation — and how that attitude rapidly consumed the abundant landscape of colonial America.
Pox Upon It
Smallpox — the most feared disease of the 18th century — and how inoculation, refusal of amputation, and eventual vaccination shaped the Revolutionary War and American history.
Prometheus's Fire or Pandora's Box?
A history lesson in STEM: using the catastrophic 1769 Brescia powder magazine explosion to explore the mathematics of measuring systems, the science of electricity, and the moral responsibility that comes with powerful technology.
Scared
Unlike re-enactors, Revolutionary War soldiers faced genuine fear — and this article explores how American and British troops experienced, expressed, and suppressed terror on the 18th-century battlefield.
Sweet Jane
A Joe Craig essay on a woman of the Revolutionary War era whose story illuminates the role of women in the conflict.
Tea for Two
How the Bengal famine of 1770, the near-collapse of the British East India Company, and the Tea Act of 1773 created a chain of events reaching from India to the Boston Tea Party — and why the Republic of India's flag hangs in the Saratoga visitor center.
The Apprentice and the "Unfortunate Person"
A historical essay on apprenticeship, social class, and the individuals left behind or marginalized during the Revolutionary War.
The Guns of October
An account of the decisive artillery actions during the October 1777 battles that sealed Burgoyne's fate at Saratoga.
The Maze
Navigating the complex web of alliances, loyalties, and competing interests that defined the political landscape of the Revolutionary War.
Travelers and Taverns
The role of taverns as centers of information, recruitment, and political debate in Revolutionary War-era America.
Uncertain Loyalties
An examination of the divided communities and uncertain allegiances that complicated both sides' efforts during the Saratoga campaign.
What Happened to Burgoyne's Sword?
A historical detective story investigating the fate of the ceremonial sword surrendered by General Burgoyne at Saratoga in 1777.
What If?
Counterfactual history: exploring how different decisions during the Saratoga campaign might have changed the outcome of the Revolutionary War.
Which Side Are You On?
The difficult choices faced by colonists asked to declare their loyalty — to the Crown, to independence, or to neither side.
Wonders
The remarkable stories and surprising facts from the Saratoga campaign that continue to astonish visitors and historians alike.
You Say You Want a Revolution?
An examination of what the colonists actually sought when they took up arms — and how "revolution" meant different things to different participants.
Fall – Winter 2023 Newsletter
The Fall/Winter 2023 FOSB newsletter with updates on preservation, events, and battlefield news.
Spring – Summer 2023 Newsletter
The Spring/Summer 2023 FOSB newsletter with updates on preservation, events, and battlefield news.
Fall – Winter 2022 Newsletter
The Fall/Winter 2022 FOSB newsletter with updates on preservation, events, and battlefield news.
Spring – Summer 2022 Newsletter
The Spring/Summer 2022 FOSB newsletter with updates on preservation, events, and battlefield news.
Fall – Winter 2021 Newsletter
The Fall/Winter 2021 FOSB newsletter with updates on preservation, events, and battlefield news.
Fall – Winter 2020 Newsletter
The Fall/Winter 2020 FOSB newsletter with updates on preservation, events, and battlefield news.
Spring – Summer 2020 Newsletter
The Spring/Summer 2020 FOSB newsletter with updates on preservation, events, and battlefield news.