Schuylerville in Saratoga County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Fate Of The Defeated
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, November 7, 2026
1. The Fate Of The Defeatef Marker
The survivors of the Battles of Saratoga knew they were witnessing a historical first: the surrender of an entire British Army. And with that surrender, over 5,000 soldiers and 600 women and children became prisoners of war.
The prisoners were marched 200 miles east to Cambridge, MA for transport back to England, but the Continental Congress decided against setting them free and forced them to walk another 600 miles south to deadly, disease-ridden camps in Virginia. Some died during the marches or in the camps, many escaped to live out their lives as Americans, and in 1783, after six years of imprisonment, a few hundred survivors eventually sailed back to England.
The Field Of Grounded Arms
While the senior British officers had the privilege of a formal surrender at another site downriver (followed by a stately dinner with their victorious foes), the mass of the defeated army surrendered here, the spot now known as the Field of Grounded Arms.
At the time it was a ruined fort, strewn with dead horses. As the Continental Army stood at attention, thousands of British troops filed past in great lines, dropping their weapons in growing piles. As one junior officer turned over his sword, he simply told a watching bystander “you damned rebel, take this, I have no more use for it."
Wives, Workers, Widows, Prisoners
Most of the women captured at Saratoga followed their husbands into the British army looking for nothing more than a steady meal and a chance to make some money themselves as seamstresses or nurses. After the battles, they followed them into captivity.
Like so many of the captive women, Anne Reynell was both a new mother and a new widow, having given birth only months before her husband was killed at Saratoga. She and her children would spend two years imprisoned before returning to England
this page online
Erected by Saratoga Revolutionary Experience.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: War, US Revolutionary • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1783.
Location. 43° 5.994′ N, 73° 34.772′ W. Marker is in Schuylerville, New York, in Saratoga County. It can be reached from Reds Road north of Ferry Street (New York State Route 29). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 28 Ferry St, Schuylerville NY 12871, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York, in the Capital District, and in the Albany Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Near This Spot (here, next to this
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, November 7, 2026
2. The Fate Of The Defeated Marker
The marker is the second on the right.
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, November 7, 2026
3. The Fate Of The Defeated Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on November 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 7, 2026, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 7, 2026, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York.
