The Van Alstyne's Regiment of Militia, also known as the 7th Albany County Militia Regiment, was called up in July, 1777 at

Kinderhook, New York Kinderhook is a town in the northern part of Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 8,330 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous municipality in Columbia County. The name of the town means "Children's Corner" in th ...

to reinforce Gen.

Horatio Gates Horatio Lloyd Gates (July 26, 1727April 10, 1806) was a British-born American army officer who served as a general in the Continental Army during the early years of the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory in the Battles ...

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

during the

Saratoga Campaign The Saratoga campaign in 1777 was an attempt by the British high command for North America to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War. It ended in the surrender of the British ...

. The regiment served in

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Abraham Ten Broeck Abraham Ten Broeck (May 13, 1734 – January 19, 1810) was a New York politician, businessman, and militia Brigadier General of Dutch descent. He was twice Mayor of Albany, New York and built one of the largest mansions in the area, the Ten ...

's Brigade. With the defeat of General

John Burgoyne General John Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British general, dramatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1761 to 1792. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several batt ...

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

on October 17, 1777, the regiment stood down. It is uncertain whether the regiment participated in the October 7 Battle of Bemis Heights, and if it did, whether the entire regiment was there.

Background

In June 1777 British General

began an attempt to divide the rebellious

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

by moving south from the British

province of Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...

to gain control of the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

valley, separating the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

states from those to the south. After his early success at Ticonderoga, his campaign had become bogged down in difficulties. Ketchum (1997), p. 348 Elements of the army had reached the Hudson as early as the end of July, but logistical and supply difficulties delayed the main army at Fort Edward. Ketchum (1997), p. 320 He then moved south, crossing the Hudson near Saratoga and approaching the fortified position that General

had established south of the village.

History

On June 25, when Burgoyne's army had arrived at

Fort Crown Point Fort Crown Point was built by the combined efforts of both British and provincial troops (from New York and the New England Colonies) in North America in 1759 at a narrows on Lake Champlain on what later became the border between New York and Vermo ...

, General

Philip Schuyler Philip John Schuyler (; November 18, 1804) was an American general in the Revolutionary War and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler. Born in Alba ...

wrote to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

's Governor, George Clinton, indicating that he would ask the militia's Brigadier General,

, to send some of his militia companies to assist in the defenses further north. On July 7, when Burgoyne occupied

Fort Ticonderoga Fort Ticonderoga (), formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century star fort built by the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain, in northern New York, in the United States. It was constructed by Canadian-born French milit ...

, Ten Broeck indicated that, on receipt of that news, he had sent some of his forces forward. These forces probably did not include the 7th Albany County Regiment of Abraham van Alstyne, based in

. On September 18, one day before the

Battle of Freeman's Farm The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. British General John Burgoyne led an invasion ...

, Governor Clinton wrote to the state's militia commander, General

, indicating he had ordered the remaining Albany County north to support Gates, issuing orders to Van Alstyne and other regimental leaders directly to speed their movement. It is unclear whether Van Alstyne's regiment reached Saratoga before October 7. Historian Borden Mills notes that Ten Broeck's brigade was clearly not at full strength on the day of battle when his return for October 16, 1777 is compared to a later return listing his entire strength. (The October 16 return does not contain a detailed regimental breakdown.) Brendan Morrissey, in his order of battle, lists the regiment as a probable participant. On October 9, in response to Clinton's request to Gates for militia to deal with the threat of British forces on the Hudson in the aftermath of the

Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery The Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery was an American Revolutionary War battle fought in the Hudson Highlands of the Hudson River valley, not far from West Point, on October 6, 1777. British forces under the command of General Sir Henry Cli ...

, Gates' adjutant,

James Wilkinson James Wilkinson (March 24, 1757 – December 28, 1825) was an American soldier, politician, and double agent who was associated with several scandals and controversies. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, b ...

, wrote to Clinton that "The militia you demand were yesterday ordered down, and the Albany county ilitiawill this day, the weather permitting, follow."Proceedings of the New York State Historical Society, p. 208 This suggests that Van Alstyne's and other Albany County regiments were not present at Burgoyne's surrender, and were probably released after the British threat from New York City had subsided.

References

Sources

* * * * (Paperback )

External links

Bibliography of the Continental Army in New York
compiled by the

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Arm ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Alstyne's Regiment Of Militia Albany militia

Background

History

See also

References

Sources

External links