Overnight Stopping Points of the Convention Army On Its March From Saratoga to Cambridge in 1777

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Albany [New York]
22 Oct., 1777

To the Hon'ble Jer'h [Jeremiah] Powell.
Sir; This will inform your Honour, that I have sent on one Division of the prisoners, Consisting of 2,442 British troops, by Northampton, the other by way of Springfield, Consisting of 2,198 foreign troops...
[Brigadier-General] John Glover.
 

The British route (in red) from Stillwater, New York to Brookfield, Massachusetts through Williamstown, Pittsfield, Northampton, and Hadley; and German route (in blue) through Kinderhook and Hillsdale, New York to Brookfield through Great Barrington and Springfield, Massachusetts converge onto a common route (in black) from Brookfield through Worcester to Cambridge.  An element of the British column appears to have taken an offshoot from the common route through Westborough to Weston.  The routes have been overlaid on Bowles's 1775 Pocket Map of New England.

The circles on the routes above align with the chart below that indicates when and where elements of the Convention Army spent the night during the march.  Each column often stretched out over many miles, due to its size, and slow travel over poor roads, mountains, rivers and streams.  Massachusetts Militia Private David How, a guard with the British column, noted on November 1st in Brookfield: “This Day we have Ben waiting for the Prisoners all to Get together & Draw provisions”.

Date:

British Column


German Column


Burgoyne:

Oct. 18

Cross Hudson River at Stillwater, NY

Stillwater, NY 

Burgoyne departs Stillwater

Oct. 19

Tulls Mills, NY

Cross Hudson River to 

Schaghticoke, NY


Oct. 20

St. Croix (now North Hoosick), NY

New City (now Troy), NY

Burgoyne writes to Lord Germain from Albany

Oct. 21

5 miles from St. Croix, NY; Williamstown, MA

Greenbush, NY

Burgoyne remains in Albany

Oct. 22

Williamstown, MA

Kinderhook, NY

Burgoyne remains in Albany

Oct. 23

New Ashford and Lanesboro, MA

Second night in Kinderhook, NY

Burgoyne remains in Albany

Oct. 24

Lanesboro and Pittsfield, MA

Nobletown, MA (now Hillsdale, NY) and Egremont, MA

Burgoyne remains in Albany

Oct. 25

Pittsfield and Worthington, MA

Great Barrington, MA

Burgoyne’s baggage sent across Hudson River; Burgoyne remains in Albany

Oct. 26

Partridgefield (now Dalton, Hinsdale and Peru) Worthington and Chesterfield, MA

Tyringham and Green Woods (now in Otis), MA

Burgoyne's last night in Albany

Oct. 27

Worthington and Northampton, MA

Blandford and Westfield, MA

Kinderhook, NY

Oct. 28

Second night in Northampton, MA

Westfield, MA

Nobletown, MA (now Hillsdale, NY)

Oct. 29

Upper Chesterfield, and cross Connecticut River into Hadley and Amherst, MA; 

West Springfield and initial elements cross Connecticut River into Springfield, MA

Great Barrington, MA

Oct. 30

Northampton, Ware and Western (now Warren), MA

Second night in West Springfield and Springfield, MA

Tyringham (in the section that is now Monterey), MA

Oct. 31

Hadley and Brookfield, MA

Cross Connecticut River into

Springfield, MA

Westfield, MA

Nov. 1

Belchertown, second night in Brookfield, and Spencer MA

Palmer, MA

Springfield, MA

Nov. 2

Brookfield and Worcester, MA

Western (now Warren) and Brookfield, MA

Remains in Springfield, MA

Nov. 3

Worcester, Shrewsbury & Northborough, MA

Leicester, MA

Brookfield, MA

Nov. 4

Marlborough and Sudbury, MA; Westborough, MA

Worcester, MA

Somewhere between Worcester and Marlborough, MA

Nov. 5

Weston, Waltham, and Watertown, MA

Marlborough, MA

Watertown, MA

Nov. 6

Cambridge (officers) and Charlestown (now Somerville) at Prospect Hill, MA

Weston, MA

Remains in Watertown, MA

Nov. 7

N/A – Arrived day prior.

Cambridge (officers) & Charlestown (now Somerville) at Winter Hill, MA

Burgoyne arrives Cambridge, MA


For more on the Convention Army's 1777 march from Saratoga to Boston, see:

1777 March Blog Home        Towns and Villages       Annotated Bibliography 

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