The 1777 March of the Saratoga Convention Army

I've walked short sections of the Convention Army's route of march from Saratoga to Cambridge in the past.  My favorite, so far, runs for a mile or so from the Joshua Spooner well marker on East Main Street in Brookfield, and then along Slab City Road in North Brookfield.  This year I decided to commemorate the Convention Army's 1777 journey  by, among other things, walking an entire day's march on its anniversary date.   In terms of selecting a section to march in its entirety, the German column's march on November 4, 1777,  from Leicester into Worcester , had a lot going for it.  Practically speaking, it begins a couple of miles from where I live; there are sidewalks along the entire length of this section of the route; and for the most part it is downhill.  As I hiked, I also realized that the anniversary of the day's march I'd chosen fell exactly one week before Veterans Day. It's also relatively short, about six miles, compared to more than half

A number of museums have displayed items said to be associated with British Lieutenant-General John Burgoyne.  They offer visitors a physical connection to the Saratoga campaign, and serve as a reminder of the American victory in October of 1777, which changed the course of the Revolutionary War.  One of these objects is a kettle described as “Burgoyne’s Camp Kettle” which, up until recently, was on display at the Bennington Battle Monument in Bennington, Vermont. My introduction to Burgoyne’s Camp Kettle came by way of a postcard, as pictured here.  In addition to the painted description on the kettle itself which identified this as “Gen. Burgoyne’s Camp-Kettle”, the back of the postcard indicated that this was “Gen. Burgoyne’s Camp Kettle captured October 17, 1777, in the battle of Saratoga, where Gen. Burgoyne surrendered” .  A caption on the front of the postcard indicated that the picture was taken at the Bennington Battle Monument, a Vermont State Historic Site. Curiosity, and a