Questions of Loyalty

Questions of Loyalty. . , Families and communities throughout the United States often found themselves on opposing sides. Most people who lived here on the battlefields of Saratoga in 1777 sided with the United States. Some remained loyal to the empire and even joined units fighting with Burgoyne. Many tried to stay neutral. Here are the stories of two such families., Jotham Bemus lived under suspicion and experienced bullying by hostile neighbors. He was fined for neglecting his militia duty. Jotham was later arrested for disapproving "of the Measures pursued by the United States of America." His wife Hannah was also arrested for corresponding with the enemy. Both were released after years of confinement., John and Effelanah Freeman lived on a nearby farm (Stop 6). They openly sided with the British when war broke out in 1775. The family abandoned their farm in 1777. John and his son Thomas enlisted in the King's Loyal Americans. Effelanah and their other children took refuge under the protection of the British Army., Following the British defeat, the Freemans went to Canada. The entire family, save three of the children, tragically died after contracting small pox the next year., The Bemus family kept a tavern at the foot of these heights. Taverns were a combination hotel and restaurant for travelers. The inn in this photo was built close to where the original tavern was to take advantage of the name made famous by the battles., (photo caption:) , The Historical Bemis Tavern , published by C. W. Hughes, ca. 1930 , Saratoga National Historical Park, SARA 21264