The Battlements
Spring 2014
Volume 26 Issue 1
2014 Means Exciting Challenges
For The Friends of Saratoga Battlefield
by President, Richard Farrell
For the past several years, the National Park Service (NPS) budget has
taken some very severe hits. Some of the Saratoga National Historical
Park sites can no longer be opened even five days a week during the
peak season, and The Battlefield’s ability to hire summer help has been
curtailed.
For years, the Friends of the Saratoga Battlefield have contributed about
$5000 a year through membership dues to support the educational and
children’s programs at The Battlefield. However, because of the NPS budget cuts, the
yearly need is now in the $10,000 to $15,000 range, just to maintain the present
programs.
To add to this, over the
next few years the
Friends of the Saratoga
Battlefield will be
developing the newlyacquired Saratoga
Surrender Site (on Rte.
4 south of Schuylerville
– the actual site where
General Burgoyne surrendered his sword to General Gates) - at an estimated cost of
$750,000.
Continued on Page 7 - Challenges
Sequestration and Saratoga NHP
By Superintendent Joe Finan
The partial government shutdown last fall was the culmination of a
number of years that have proved difficult for government agencies from
budget perspective. The domestic Government programs including the Department of
Interior and National Park Service have been subjected to Mandatory Sequestration. The
National Park Service programs have seen an 8% reduction over the past two years. For
Saratoga National Historical Park this represents reduction of about $170,000.
There are a number of ways to manage these fiscal
shortfalls. The management teams focus was maintain
service level so our visitors continue to have a
meaningful experience and our resources continue to be
protected. Over the last two years we had two
vacancies that were not filled - the financial savings from
those lapsed positions enabled the team to maintain
Seasonal Hiring Levels so our summer season operating hours were minimally impacted.
The park has moved forward in filling these vacancies in 2014. The position descriptions
have been modified to convert these positions to permanent subject to furlough which
means that the employees are subjected to a minimal of a one month furlough up to six
months depending on need and availability of funds.
Last year we analyzed how to cut back with the least impact to visitors. During the
summer months, the Battlefield Visitor Center, open 7-days a week has about 70,000+
Continued on Page 6 - Sequestration
In this Issue:
2014 Challenges… … … Pg. 1
Sequestration… … … … Pg. 1
What’s This? … … … … . Pg. 1
Arnold on Arnold … … . Pg. 2
Saving Statue of Liberty Pg. 3
Park Beavers … … … … . Pg. 3
Events … … … … … … … Pg. 4
SNHP and Social Media Pg. 6
Historical Teaser … … … Pg. 8
What’s this?
“Recycled barbecue”
You’re a Revolutionary War
soldier or camp follower. Half
of your daily rations is often
gristly, fatty, bone-chip laden
beef or pork preserved with
such heavy salting as to
require soaking it in water,
then throwing out the water,
just to make the meat edible.
You stretch your rations by
boiling the meat, with pieces
of ship’s bread, and a few
occasional vegetables, to
make soup or thin stew nearly
every day. Such monotony
drove some British soldiers to
bend a barrel hoop into this
small grill to broil some of
their meat. This particular
broiler was located during an
archeological dig just west of
Burgoyne’s headquarters.
Such examples of soldiers
recycling or repurposing
implements for cooking gear
are not uncommon; smaller
grills of similar design have
been found in American
camps elsewhere.
Page 2
The Battlements
A Condensation of Seasonal Ranger
Larry Arnold’s Presentation
“Arnold on Arnold”
at the New York State Military Museum
Very early in our Revolutionary War, about one month after the “shot heard around the
world at Lexington,” American forces under Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold captured Ft.
Ticonderoga, setting the stage for many years of action on New York's northern frontier. My
nagging question has always been: Why on earth didn't the British in Canada simply sail up
Lake Champlain from their posts in Canada and retake the Fort Ticonderoga? They certainly
had the troops available and there was a period of time when the fort was defended only by
a bunch of drunken, unruly, poorly lead mountaineer militia.
At the time of the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, the
British controlled Lake Champlain with the “George”, a
large sloop of war stationed at Fort St. John's on the
Northern end of the lake. Its powerful size and
armament allowed it to cruise the lake unimpeded.
There was only one other potential warship on the lake, the schooner “Katherine” which was
based at Skenesborough at the southern terminus of Lake Champlain. However, on the day
before the attack on the fort, Ethan Allen dispatched troops to Skenesborough which captured
the schooner “Katherine” and renamed it “Liberty”. I now take up my story from Colonel
Arnold's own Regimental Memorandum Book:
Contemporary drawing (1776) of
the Liberty. From the Pell print.
May 14: "The Schooner "Liberty" arrived at Ticonderoga from Skenesboro . . . We immediately fixed her with four carriages and six
swivel guns and proceeded to Crown Point with 50 men in the schooner . . . "
May 18: "Arrived at St. John's 6 o'clock on Thursday morning where we surprised
and took a Sargt. and his party of 12 men, the Kings sloop of 70 tons, (with) six
brass six pounders . . . “
Here Arnold was recording the action that took place on May 18th 1775, when
he and his small party overran Fort St John's. He captured the garrison, a
sergeant and 12 soldiers, but much more importantly the British Sloop "George"
was now in American hands. Arnold renamed the sloop "Enterprise".
St Johns Raid – May 18th, 1775
By his forethought and aggressive action, Benedict Arnold left the British with no
warships on Lake Champlain and thus, for this critical time period, the
American's were masters of the lake.
Word that American rebels had taken Fort Ticonderoga prompted an immediate
response. British General Sir Guy Carleton had two regiments of regulars stationed in Eastern Canada at the time, and with these had
begun to move even before Arnold's raid, with the intent of recapturing Fort Ticonderoga. However, this was now impossible. The
Americans controlled the lake, and for the immediate future, the British weren’t going anywhere.
Because of Arnold's St. John's raid and with the two American warships controlling Lake Champlain, the British were forced to begin a
major ship building program in Canada. It would be October of 1776, before the British regained naval control of Lake Champlain
following the Battle of Valcour Island. However, even then the lateness of the season prevented Carlton from taking advantage of his
victory, and the British retreated to spend the winter of 1776-1777 in quarters in Canada. It was not
until June of 1777 (twenty five months (!) after the capture of Fort Ticonderoga by Allen and Arnold),
that a new army under the command of Maj. Gen. John Burgoyne was able to move up the lake, only
to meet its eventual demise at Saratoga.
Through his aggressive action in May, 1775, Benedict Arnold gave our new American nation the
most precious of gifts - time; time needed to come together and begin to build our political
institutions, time to organize our military and eventually, time to win a revolution. Had Benedict
Arnold not undertaken his raid against Fort St. John, and thereby not taken naval control of Lake
Champlain, America’s chances of holding back a British campaign from Canada would have been
very, very slim.
Larry Arnold - A Friend of the
Saratoga Battlefield and more.
Last fall, Seasonal Ranger Larry Arnold presented his new treatise on Benedict Arnold’s raid on Fort St. John on May 18th, 1775. Ranger
Arnold attracted the largest crowd in the history of the New York Military Museum, and received a standing ovation for his superb work.
This article is a condensation of Larry’s multi-media oral program.
Page 3
The Battlements
Saving the Statue of Liberty after
Super Storm Sandy
By Superintendent Joe Finan
Shortly after Tropical Storm Sandy had devastated the greater
Metropolitan New York City region, I was asked to serve as the Deputy
Superintendent of Operations to direct recovery operations at the Statue of
Liberty National Monument. The storm flooded Ellis and Liberty Island (home of
the Statue) washing away vehicles, large equipment, fuel storage tanks and
destroying much of the infrastructure. The toxic mixture of sewage, fuel and
debris had left deposits on all structures other than the Statue itself which was
spared from infiltration.
After deliberation with
family and the park’s
Superintendent I arrived
at Ellis Island, where the
park headquarters are
located. There was an
Incident Command Center
(IC) at the Staten Island
Unit of Gateway National
Recreation Area that
deployed workers to
cleanup grounds, roads
The storm flooded Ellis and Liberty Island (home of
the Statue) washing away vehicles, large equipment, and buildings and we
began the damage
fuel storage tanks and destroying much of the
infrastructure.
assessment process.
Essential park staff was
working out of a Budget Rental Box Truck with a couple of propane heaters. The
site had no power, phones, functioning bathrooms, or reliable connectivity. Most
staff had not returned to work, offices were uninhabitable, docks and
transportation infrastructure and security systems were compromised or
destroyed. Thus began initial recovery efforts.
Beavers have been very
busy at Saratoga
A recent pair made the small wetland (near
Tour Road Stop #1) their home, using a huge
root mass from a fallen tree to build their
lodge. The beavers have also built a semicircular dam around a culvert extending below
the tour road, requiring much vigilance (by
park staff as well), enabling the beaver to
regulate the wetland’s water level.
The beaver family consists of a male and
female that mate for life, and up to four
young. Currently there appears to be just
one young, but that may soon change—
mating takes place in January or February
with birthing in May or June. The young
remain with their parents for two years and
will leave before a new litter is born.
To survive the long winters many trees are
cut down and stored under water, filling up
their “refrigerator.” The cutting is done using
their incisor teeth which, by the way,
continue to grow throughout their lifetimes!
The beavers have been very busy and most
afternoons can be seen working and heard
chewing—yes, it’s that loud!
I developed a team to review the damage assessment reports and formulate a
prioritized list of projects with estimates and sequencing recommendations. The
Park Museum Collections and Archives housed on Ellis Island were threatened
due to a lack of environmental controls and were packaged to be moved to a NPS
storage facility in Maryland. The $59 million package developed by the team was
used to formulate a funding request to Congress for Hurricane Sandy Recovery.
We also reassigned staff to other parks in the local commuting area and dealt
with a number of employee health and welfare
concerns. A primary role was to coordinate technical
assistance from the IC, NPS Regional and Central
Staff and a host of contractors and specialists. The
recovery plan required that all projects be designed
to sustain future severe storm events and rising sea
levels.
When I visited the site in December it was heartening
to see the Statue of Liberty open, docks functioning,
and recovery moving ahead. It was a challenging
experience that I was proud to be a part of and
believe once recovery is completed future
generations of visitors will again enjoy the Ellis Island
Immigration Museum and the Grand Lady of New
York Harbor.
Visitors to the Statue of Liberty disembark from the first ferry to leave Manhattan,
on Thursday, July 4, the first day the attraction reopened after suffering damage
To learn more about the site or plan a visit go to:
from Superstorm Sandy. Courtesy of: http://www.cnn.com
http://www.nps.gov/stli
Page 4
The Battlements
2014 Calendar of Events Spring - Fall
Author Tom Chambers
Sunday, April 6 2pm
Visitor Center
Dr. Thomas Chambers, chair of the Niagara University History Department, will discuss his new book Memories of War: Visiting
Battlegrounds and Bonefields in the Early American Republic with specific stories about Saratoga Battlefield.
Sponsored by Siena College and the Friends of the Saratoga Battlefield.
Earth Week
April 19 – 27
Visitor Center
Mini Exhibits: Forecasting Weather in the 18th Century, and Climate Change
“Ranger Minutes”: Short videos about weather’s effects during America’s Revolution
Sunset Walk - Woodcock Aerial Displays
Saturday April 26
6pm
Battlefield
Meet at parking lot and walk to Stop 5 and back (1+ mile each way) to see elaborate aerial displays of woodcock; see
migrating birds returning. Bring flashlights and wear sturdy shoes. Event cancelled if raining.
Author Julia Lyman
Sunday, April 27
2pm
Visitor Center
Julia Lyman talks about her award winning book Treasures on Your Doorstep, a fun guide to the lesser known, but
fascinating national parks in every state.
Plein Air Painting at Saratoga
Saturdays, May 10 & 24
10am – 4pm
Visitor Center / Battlefield
Meet at the visitor center for basic historical background…then head onto the Battlefield to capture inspiring views in paint,
pencil, pastel or pixel! Free admission for participating artists, free art classes on-going for children.
Guided Nature Walk
Saturdays, May 24; June 7 & 21
10am – 11:30am
Battlefield
Meet by the parking lot flag pole, then caravan to special places in the park to see blooming flowers, plants and migratory
birds. Nature walks are free of charge. Please bring water, insect repellent and wear sturdy shoes. Event cancelled if raining.
Independence Day at Saratoga Battlefield
Friday, July 4
Visitor Center
10am Celebrate and give cheer to 20 immigrants who become citizens of the USA! Enjoy period music, join-in the 13 toasts
to Independence and the “new” United States. Free lemonade, cannon and musket firings up close!
2pm
Join Park Ranger Joe Craig as he portrays a town crier declaring America’s Independence and participate in 13 toasts
to Independence. Cannons boom and muskets crack in celebration of the day!
Guided Early Morning History Strolls
(see dates and times in the description)
Battlefield
Join Park Volunteers Ray Palmer, Dick Farrell and Jerry Parker on a series of free leisurely guided tours about the first and
second Battles of Saratoga. Caravan to various locations. Please wear sturdy shoes, bring insect repellent and water.
9am – 11:00am
Wednesday, July 2—the First Battle
Tuesday, July 15—the Second Battle
Tuesday, July 22—the First Battle
Thursday, August 7—the Second Battle
Wednesday, August 13—the First Battle
Thursday, August 21—the Second Battle
Page 5
Wednesday Children’s’ Series
The Battlements
July 2, 9, 16, 23
12 noon
Visitor Center
Educator Shari Crawford delights children while teaching them about the lives of youngsters in 18th-century America.
July 2 - Open-fire Cooking
July 9 - Toys and Games
July 16 - English Country Dancing for Children
July 23 - Laundry and Dress-up
Artificers’ Weekend
Saturday and Sunday, July 12 & 13 10am – 4pm
Neilson House
Armies in the American Revolution were towns on the move and included important craftsmen like blacksmiths, farriers,
tailors, chandlers and tinsmiths. Learn “How it’s Made” 18th century style!
Guided Evening Bike Tours
Wednesdays, July 16 & 30;
6pm – 8pm
Battlefield
Wednesdays, August 13 & 27
6pm – 8pm
Gentle rides along 5-mile sections of the park and lesser-known stories from the past. Please bring your bike, water and insect
repellant. Helmets required. Event cancelled if raining.
Tuesday Noontime August Music Series
August 5, 12, 19, 26
12 noon
Visitor Center
The track is closed but music echoes through the Hudson River Valley. Bring a bag lunch and enjoy the views while listening to
concerts at noon every Tuesday.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Saratoga Battlefield.
18th-Century Day
Sunday, August 10
12 noon – 5pm
Schuyler House / Schuylerville
Step back in time at the historic Schuyler House as the grounds come alive with 18th-century activities. Listen to music, see
puppet shows, chair caning, candle making, rope making, beer brewing, spinning, dyeing, quilting, blacksmithing, tinsmithing
and more.
Hosted by the Old Saratoga Historical Association.
Battles of Saratoga
Saturday & Sunday, September 20 & 21
(see times in the description)
Anniversary Encampment
Battlefield
Marking the 237th anniversary of the Battles of Saratoga, come see history come alive…join 18th-century soldiers march and
drill, smell the aromas of open-fire cooking, hear cannons and musket firings, take part in a scouting mission or play a role in a
court martial!
• Camps open
Saturday, 9am – 4pm; Sunday, 10am – 3pm
• Wreath laying by Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution. Sunday, 2pm
All are welcome!
Plein Air Painting at Saratoga
Saturdays, October 4 & 11
10am – 4pm
Visitor Center and Battlefield
Meet at the visitor center for basic historical background…then head onto the Battlefield to capture inspiring views in paint,
pencil, pastel or pixel! Free admission for participating artist, free art classes on-going for children.
Surrender Day in Schuylerville
Friday, October 17
10am – 11am
Special location: Fort Hardy Park / Schuylerville
Witness the recreated surrender of British General Burgoyne to American General Gates, sing patriotic songs with Schuylerville
school children, and drink 13 original toasts to the American Victory.
Sponsored by the Village of Schuylerville and Town of Saratoga.
Candlelight Tour
Saturday, October 18
6pm – 8pm
Schuyler House / Schuylerville
Step back in time as members of the Old Saratoga Historical Association offer candle-lit tours through General Philip Schuyler’s
1777 Country Home. Light refreshments, period music and a campfire follow the tour.
Page 6
The Battlements
Continued from Page 1- Sequestration
visitors, with the Old Saratoga Units (Schuyler House and Monument) open 5 days a week
received about 10,000 visitors (the majority of them coming on weekends). So last year
we closed the Old Saratoga units on mid-week days and but remained open 3 days a week.
We served about 3,000 fewer visitors at the Old Saratoga Units, but realized about a
$15,000 in savings.
Another place where we made changes was instituting a certified volunteer program for
long-term and trusted volunteers to provide interpretation at the Neilson House rather
than seasonal park rangers. The expanded use of our volunteers has helped maintained
service levels to visitors. This has a corresponding increased the workload for our
permanent staff to vet, train and work with the volunteers but is considered a strategic
long term investment. It is anticipated that in 2014 the park will experience reductions in
mowing, closing the tour road earlier, providing fewer school programs and adjusting
seasonal operating hours.
The park continues to submit requests for project funding through NPS Regional Programs
and has been successful in receiving maintenance and rehabilitation funding. We have
also been successful in collaborating with our partners in securing grant funding for a
variety regional planning and trail connectivity projects. Some of the recent project we
have received funding for include Painting the Schuyler House, trail improvements, vista
clearing, Planning for the Rehabilitation of Interpretive Wayside Exhibits throughout the Battlefield Unit.
With the passing of the Omnibus Bill on January 18th the automatic Sequestration Cuts will not take place. It appears that under
this budget we will see appropriations levels comparable to Fiscal 2012. We are relieved that parks will not be facing another
government shutdown and have planned an annual program that is prudent but provides many opportunities for exceptional
visitor experiences.
Saratoga Battlefield and Social Media
For the last couple years now, Saratoga National Historical Park has been actively engaging visitors of all
ages through social media…a technology that’s a far cry from the flint-and-steel muskets we’re sometimes
more accustomed to. But it’s been a great way to interact with people near and far who share an interest
in the park and the history preserved here.
One way we’ve been sharing some lesser-known stories has
been a monthly “Historical Teaser,” with a post on the Park’s
Facebook page and a link to the Friends of the Saratoga
Battlefield website, with an more extensive article on unique
historical subjects, www.friendsosb.com/resources.html
February’s example is included in this edition of The
Battlements as well.
Another way we’ve done this is through the park’s “Artifact
of the Month” segment on its Facebook page. These
postings provide behind-the-scenes photos and stories
about artifacts that, for lack of display/exhibit space, may
not be available for visitors to experience. Highlighted
artifacts are posted on the park’s Facebook page,
www.facebook.com/saratoganhp along with a brief story
www.facebook.com/saratoganhp
and a link to the park’s website, www.nps.gov/sara/historyculture/collections.htm for additional information. A sample from
August 2013 is included in this edition of The Battlements on page #1.
Join our e-mailing list to receive occasional e-mails that
announce news and upcoming events.
Visit our web site at: www.friendsosb.com and use the link at
the bottom of our home page.
Page 7
The Battlements
Continued from page 1 - Challenges
All of this comes down to the fact that we will have to initiate the
first dues increase in the history of the organization if we are to keep
meeting the needs of the Battlefield and its programs.
The following is the new dues schedule for new members, as
approved recently by our Board of Directors:
•
•
•
•
$15.00
$25.00
$50.00
$100.00 and above
Veterans, seniors and students
Individual membership
Family Membership
“Battlefield Club”
However, the Board of Directors is acutely aware that several
hundred members have supported this organization for years,
and that without your generous support, the Friends of the
Saratoga Battlefield would not even exist. Therefore, the dues
of current members will remain the same as in past years.
If you can support The Friends at the new level of dues, it would of
very real benefit to The Battlefield, but the people who have kept
Fort Ticonderoga Fife and Drums - part of the Tuesday
Noontime August Music Series that the Friends of the
Saratoga Battlefield sponsors
this organization alive over the years are not going to lose their memberships because of a dues increase.
Additionally, the Board has put together a new statement of
membership benefits:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
English Country Dancing for Children - part of the
Wednesday Childrens’ Series that the Friends of the
Saratoga Battlefield Sponsors
•
•
All Members:
Annual Battlefield Calendar of Events;
Friend of the Saratoga Battlefield decal;
Two issues of The Battlements every year;
“Members Only” group tours of The Battlefield,
scheduled 2 – 3 times per year;
Yearly trip to historical site (Fort Stanwix, The Springfield
Armory, etc.) with discount fee for members;
“Members Only” access to the “controlled burns” and other
landscape management programs at The Battlefield;
“Members Only” behind the scenes Curator’s Tour of the
Saratoga National Historical Park’s archives and artifacts;
Members of “The Battlefield Club”:
Private small group battlefield tours by volunteer interpreters
Annual Battlefield Pass for you and passengers in your car.
We are planning on instituting these changes as quickly as possible. If anyone has any questions, concerns or suggestions,
please feel free to contact me any time at [email protected].
Your continuing support will be critical to the success of the Friends of the Saratoga Battlefield and as always, will be greatly
appreciated.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Farrell
President
Be sure to see the video, produced by Saratoga Associates, that tells
the story and shows our plans for the Saratoga Surrender Site.
Go to: www.friendsosb.com
Page 8
The Battlements
Friends of Saratoga Battlefield
648 Route 32
Stillwater, NY 12170
BULK RATE
U.S. Postage Paid
Stillwater, NY
Permit No. 16
Recipient
Historical Teaser:
During the Revolutionary War, Britain would have
loved to have hanged many disloyal subjects. They
also managed to hang some loyal subjects, too. Find
out why: www.friendsosb.com/resources.html