How to Use the Images

Table of
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Drawing 1: Saratoga National Historical Park.

Questions for Drawing 1

1. Locate the American River Fortifications, Bemis Heights, the site of the Freeman House, and Barber Wheatfield. What role did each of these sites play in the battles?

2. Use the scale to estimate the narrowest distance between Bemis Heights and the Hudson River. Then, estimate the narrowest distance between Freeman's Farm and the Hudson River.

3. If you were the commander of the Continental Army attempting to stop the British force from reaching Albany to the south, which do you think would be a better location to fortify, Bemis Heights or Freeman's Farm?

4. Locate Burgoyne's Headquarters and the Great Ravine. Why do you think Burgoyne chose this location for his Great Redoubt and defensive line? How did the ravine add to the ability of the British to defend their position? How would this same terrain have made it a less desirable place for the Americans to place their defensive position?

* The drawing on this screen has a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a larger version of Drawing 1, but be aware that the file will take as much as 50 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.