Snags and Saratoga

Day 9

Michael:

Seven National Park-related snags already. Yes, we have only been traveling for about a week. Some we knew, some we should have known and some we did not know. Here they are:

*Thomas Edison NHS in Edison, NJ. Closed for renovations until sometime in 2005. We knew, called to see if they would let us in anyway. No dice.

*Martin Van Buren NHS in Kinderhook, NY. Open Memorial Day through October. We knew, called to see if they would let us in anyway. Again, no dice.

*Saint-Gaudens NHS in Cornish NH and
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP in Woodstock, VT. Given that Saint-Gaudens is a sculptor’s house and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller is a mansion, I had assumed that they would be open in late-March, early-April. I was wrong. They do not open until Memorial Day. These, sadly enough, fall into the ‘I should have known’ category. I am a little embarrassed about this one, but at least we had not driven the whole way to New Hampshire before realizing this error.

*Vanderbilt Mansion NHS near Hyde Park, NY. As you may have realized, we were in Hyde Park a few days ago and have nothing written about an Historic Site located there. This is for good reason. We did tour the lovely and crowded grounds of the Mansion on the first gorgeous day of the spring. We stamped our National Parks Passport. We took plenty of pictures. But we did not tour the Mansion. Nearly all of the furniture and spectacular opulence of the Vanderbilts is covered with white sheets. Just as it would have been when the Vanderbilts would have been traveling. The reason: a new boiler has just been installed in the Mansion. The beginning of spring seems like a funny time for a new heating contraption, but who knows. They are worried about soot bellowing out onto the furniture. So until the Park Service works out the kinks, you can tour the Mansion but you can’t actually see anything inside of it. We will try to come back.

*Springfield Armory NHS in Springfield, MA. This one is a little maddening. We got there on a Sunday. The National Parks Guide indicates it is open Wed-Sun. In fact, it is open Tues-Sat. The web site gives the correct open days, but I am not taking responsibility for this one. I love armament museums, so we will find a way to come back. I do not think we will see a armament collection that will compare to the Askeri Müzesi (Military Museum) I went to in Turkey, but I am keeping an open mind.

*Saratoga NHP near Stillwater, NY. We will get to this one in a bit.

Needless to say, our itinerary is wildly off course. I was worried that planning every single day would be too stifling and not spontaneous. What a silly worry. In the first two months, the northeast corridor, we will not be at one planned site on its prescriptive day. Not once. Not at all. It is great.

Back to Saratoga. We arrived on March 29th. Auto tours along the ten-mile Park loop do not start until April 1st. Had my logistical planning failed again? A volunteer said ‘no way, we couldn’t drive. That doesn’t start until the 1st’. ‘But that’s only a few days from now’. ‘Doesn’t open until the 1st. You can walk it though.’ OK. We toured the small but helpful museum and watched the year old film hoping upon its finish to ask to Ranger for permission to drive.

The film was good and informative, but too much in the Ken Burns style of documentaries. Why do people insist on copying that man? Must we suck the life out of every instance in history? The museum near the theater entrance was small but did include a few nice artifacts, dioramas and battle explanations. It is clear that a dedicated local community as well as the Rangers love this Battlefield but there is simply not enough money to do much upkeep, museum improvements or much else.

After the film we did not bother to talk to the Ranger. It was a beautiful day and we were walking. What a wonderful decision it turned out to be.

About a mile into the walk along the auto tour path there was a high-pitched din emanating from a pond on the right. It was hundreds of frogs a courting. Nothing spoiled the sound. The park was ours. It was refreshing.

It is easy to make comparisons between Saratoga and Gettysburg. They were both turning points in their respective wars. The terrain is similar and the parks are about the same size. At least the five hour walk along the auto tour in Gettysburg seemed a lot like the five hour walk along the auto tour we took at Saratoga.

I would even argue that the Battle of Saratoga was far more important than the Battle at Gettysburg. The National Parks Guidebook ranks the Battle at Saratoga as one of the 15 most decisive battles in World History. I should say so. It was our nation’s first significant victory of the Revolution. Had we not won, the Britons would have effectively cut New England from the remainder of the breakaway nation, dooming our chances for success. From the victory came French support and perhaps most importantly an impetus to France to rekindle war efforts in Europe against England. No Saratoga victory, no United States. It is as easy as that.

We as Americans forget that. We think that the Revolution was a foregone conclusion; an end ensured by destiny. It was not. Our successful breaking from our colonial power was a long shot, a miracle. Saratoga helps one to remember this. But how many of us know anything about the battle? Quick, who was our commanding General there? Who was the British Commander? Who brilliantly chose the encampment site at the Hudson narrows designed the fortifications? Which American officer’s heroic charges in battle led to the British surrender? Here are your choices: Benedict Arnold; John Burgoyne; Horatio Gates; Thaddeus Kosciuszko. Answers at the end.

The Park is equally neglected. Although this is not necessarily a bad thing. There is not the abundance of monuments, akin to Gettysburg. There is very little clutter to the eye. Helpful colored stakes in the ground indicate the position of the British and American fortifications. One can very easily place oneself in the field of battle. Except for the paved road very little has changed. And without the myriad cars and the fast food restaurants in the background, like Gettysburg, the imagination can run wild.

The most powerful part of Saratoga was the hike through the woods from the American fortifications to the Balcarres Redoubt, the place where the most decisive fighting occurred. The path is the same trail that the soldiers took over 225 years ago. When you edge out of the forest and see the cannons pointed toward you and the British fortification stakes it is not hard to be transported back in time, to the fighters who we as American should be eternally thankful to.

What we thought had been a logistical snag here at Saratoga turned out to be a blessing. It was probably the perfect day to visit this Site. Beautiful weather and before the cars. If you come here after April 1st, get out of your car and walk through the woods from the Barber Wheatfield to the Balcarres Redoubt. For me it was an unexpected pilgrimage and one of the most important retracing of steps we as Americans can take.

Here are your answers. Horatio Gates led the American forces. John Burgoyne was the British General. Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish Patriot, planned the American fortifications. Yes, Gabby’s Polish students, we should be thankful to your native son. And Benedict Arnold was the heroic America soldier. Yes, his name has come to be synonymous with traitorous activities. It was not the case at Saratoga. Click here to learn more.