Special Events and Programs

 

Concert goers at Saratoga National Historical Park.

NPS Photo

November

Battle of Bennington

Fall Lecture Series

November 20, 2025
6:30 pm
Visitor Center

The progress of the army under British Lieutenant-General John Burgoyne was impeded by the logistical requirements of continuing its advance toward Albany in the summer of 1777. Burgoyne sent a detachment commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Friedrich Baum to procure supplies in the newly proclaimed state of Vermont in an attempt to overcome this obstacle. Expecting little in the way of resistance, crown forces instead received a decisive check from the flinty General John Stark who commanded a collection of Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire state militias in addition to Warner’s Regiment. Victory at Bennington paved the way for victory in the Battles of Saratoga and ultimately in the war itself. Interpretive Programs Assistant David Pitlyk will deliver a presentation on the history of the Battle of Bennington drawing from primary source material and archaeological findings. The presentation will also touch on how the battle has been commemorated and interpreted over time, both in New York and Vermont.

David Pitlyk has served as the administrator of Bennington Battlefield for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation since 2015. He previously worked as the Interpretation Coordinator for the Destroyer Escort Historical Museum (USS SLATER) and graduated from the University at Albany with degrees in history and education. In his spare time, he is also a (very green) member of the recreated 24th Regiment of Foot.

Support for the Fall Lecture Series is provided by Friends of Saratoga Battlefield. Reservations are required due to limited space. Email us ([e-mail]) to reserve your seat!

December

The Woes of Richard Montgomery: The Invasion of Canada, 1775

Fall Lecture Series

December 4, 2025
6:30 pm
Visitor Center

Winter is coming for the American Army in Canada and the fate of the soldiers rests upon the shoulders of General Richard Montgomery. Following the flashpoint of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April and the easy capture of Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point in May, Congress authorized an invasion upon the advice of General Philip Schuyler in June. With significant support from Connecticut troops, an invasion force moved north from Crown Point in August. When the Americans encountered resistance from the British Army, command devolved upon Brigadier General Richard Montgomery of Rhinebeck. A former British officer, Montgomery had covered much of the same ground nearly twenty years earlier during the French and Indian War. In contrast to that preceding invasion, the efforts of 1775 would conclude in dismal failure.

Join Historian William P. Tatum III, Ph.D., for an unconventional investigation of this generally overlooked campaign, which partly served as a training experience for many leaders who would appear at the Battles of Saratoga. This presentation will focus on the plethora of personnel issues that threatened to defeat the American efforts more quickly and viciously than British resistance. Learn the fates of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, riding high on the successful captures of Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point, yet soon to face a different experience in Canada. Meet John Brown, the future bane of the British forces re-occupying Ticonderoga. Decode the complicated interplay of the extended Livingston Family relations. Bask in the baleful fury of the age-old enmity between New Englanders and Yorkers. See how these threads came together to form the fabric of Richard Montgomery’s final months of life, a man who wanted nothing more than to be at home in Dutchess County.

William P. Tatum III holds a Ph.D. in British Imperial History from Brown University and has served as the Dutchess County Historian since 2012. He is a peer-reviewed published author and has presented extensively as venues across New York and the East Coast. He also leads Dutchess County’s Rev250 Commission and administers the Dutchess County Rev250 Programming Grant, which has underwritten 22 new projects in 2025.

Support for the Fall Lecture Series is provided by Friends of Saratoga Battlefield. Reservations are required due to limited space. Email us ([e-mail]) to reserve your seat!

Myths and Realities of Col. Henry Knox’s Mission to Lake Champlain

Fall Lecture Series

December 11, 2025
6:30 pm
Visitor Center

In November 1775, Gen. George Washington gave Henry Knox a mission to travel to New York and bring back cannons for the Continental Army. Knox was a 25-year-old bookseller with no military rank. His trek back to Cambridge has become a beloved part of the American saga. This talk digs deeper into that story, examining such questions as who first had the idea to fetch cannon from Lake Champlain, how Knox had contributed to the Patriot movement, the ways weather affected the mission, and how much those cannon changed the British army’s plans.

J. L. Bell is the author of The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War and the National Park Service study General George Washington’s Home and Headquarters, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He maintains the Boston1775.net website, offering daily updates of history, analysis, and unabashed gossip about the people of Revolutionary New England. Bell is now working on a book about the troubled first year of the Continental artillery regiment.

Support for the Fall Lecture Series is provided by Friends of Saratoga Battlefield. Reservations are required due to limited space. Email us ([e-mail]) to reserve your seat!