﻿170 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  selected 
  the 
  former 
  and 
  entered 
  the 
  swamp 
  region 
  of 
  Wood 
  creek, 
  

   following 
  this 
  creek 
  with 
  its 
  immature 
  swampy 
  drainage 
  up 
  toward 
  

   the 
  Hudson. 
  Here 
  it 
  was 
  extremely 
  easy 
  to 
  impede 
  his 
  progress 
  

   by 
  cutting 
  trees 
  and 
  throwing 
  them 
  across 
  the 
  road, 
  an 
  opportunity 
  

   of 
  which 
  the 
  Americans 
  made 
  the 
  fullest 
  use. 
  Burgoyne 
  wasted 
  

   months 
  of 
  valuable 
  time 
  and 
  his 
  best 
  energy 
  and 
  provisions 
  in 
  

   these 
  swamps 
  of 
  glacial 
  origin. 
  When 
  he 
  finally 
  reached 
  the 
  

   Hudson 
  he 
  followed 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  until 
  he 
  found 
  the 
  place 
  

   where 
  at 
  Thomson 
  the 
  river 
  falls 
  over 
  a 
  ridge 
  of 
  harder 
  Normans- 
  

   kill 
  shale 
  below 
  which 
  a 
  bridge 
  could 
  be 
  easily 
  built. 
  After 
  cross- 
  

   ing 
  he 
  was 
  again 
  forced 
  to 
  the 
  river 
  bank 
  by 
  the 
  only 
  road 
  avail- 
  

   able, 
  while 
  deep 
  ravines 
  cut 
  into 
  the 
  thick 
  clays 
  of 
  Lake 
  Albany 
  

   made 
  excellent 
  opportunity 
  for 
  a 
  defensive 
  position 
  for 
  the 
  Ameri- 
  

   can 
  army. 
  Such 
  a 
  position 
  was 
  selected 
  at 
  Bemis 
  Heights. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  towers 
  Willard 
  mountain, 
  an 
  

   erosion 
  remnant 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  hardness 
  of 
  the 
  grits 
  and 
  cherts 
  of 
  

   Normanskill 
  age 
  that 
  compose 
  the 
  syncline. 
  From 
  this 
  bold 
  

   mountain 
  every 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  army 
  could 
  be 
  easily 
  seen 
  

   by 
  the 
  patriot 
  Willard 
  and 
  signalled 
  to 
  General 
  Gates. 
  

  

  After 
  his 
  defeat, 
  Burgoyne 
  retreated 
  leisurely 
  and 
  sullenly 
  up 
  

   the 
  river. 
  Hessian 
  officers 
  advised 
  him 
  to 
  leave 
  his 
  cannon 
  and 
  

   baggage 
  behind 
  and 
  save 
  the 
  army 
  by 
  a 
  forced 
  retreat 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  

   Lake 
  George, 
  but 
  the 
  obstinate 
  though 
  brave 
  general 
  decided 
  to 
  

   return 
  by 
  the 
  crossing 
  at 
  Thomson, 
  allowing 
  by 
  his 
  slow 
  and 
  unde- 
  

   cided 
  action 
  the 
  Americans 
  to 
  overtake 
  him 
  and, 
  in 
  using 
  the 
  

   peculiarly 
  favorable 
  topography 
  of 
  the 
  locality, 
  which 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  its 
  

   remarkable 
  geology, 
  to 
  prepare 
  a 
  trap 
  for 
  him. 
  The 
  most 
  important 
  

   feature 
  of 
  this 
  topography 
  is 
  that 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  Thomson 
  crossing 
  

   a 
  volcanic 
  rock, 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Northumberland 
  volcanic 
  plug, 
  juts 
  

   out 
  prominently 
  toward 
  the 
  river, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  complete 
  com- 
  

   mand 
  of 
  the 
  crossing 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  prevents 
  an 
  army 
  from 
  

   passing 
  under 
  it 
  at 
  the 
  west 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  This 
  important 
  

   strategic 
  point 
  was 
  occupied 
  by 
  Colonel 
  Stark. 
  It, 
  and 
  Fellows's 
  

   batteries 
  which 
  could 
  be 
  advantageously 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  bluffs 
  of 
  

   Albany 
  clay 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  were, 
  with 
  Morgan's 
  

   sharpshooters 
  in 
  the 
  woods 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  army, 
  the 
  principal 
  

   means 
  of 
  forcing 
  Burgoyne 
  to 
  surrender. 
  Thus 
  we 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  

   peculiar 
  combination 
  of 
  a 
  ford 
  over 
  a 
  shale 
  ridge, 
  a 
  volcanic 
  rock 
  

   close 
  by 
  and 
  bluffs 
  of 
  clay 
  aided 
  greatly 
  in 
  bringing 
  about 
  the 
  

   decisive 
  victory 
  of 
  Saratoga. 
  

  

  