Restricted 77th Regiment, New York Volunteers Monument Saratoga, New York

Norman Dasinger Jr

First Sergeant
Joined
Jan 28, 2021


77th​ Regiment, New York Volunteers Monument

Saratoga, New York

by Norman Dasinger, Jr​





In the fall of 1777, British troops commanded by John Burgoyne were advancing south from Canada towards New York along Lake Champlain and the Hudson River. They clashed with American forces on September 19 at the first battle of Saratoga, New York. On October 7, Burgoyne attacked again. This second battle of Saratoga also called the battle of Bemis Heights was an American success. General Benedict Arnold accepted the surrender of the British and this became a crucial turning point in the Revolutionary War.

On Thanksgiving Day in 1861, over 700 men were organized in Saratoga as the 77th​ New York Infantry. It was nicknamed the Bemis Heights regiment in honor of that famous battle.

This unit served in the East and was present for many well known Civil War clashes including: Antietam, Petersburg and Fort Stevens near Washington D.C. During its term of service the regiment lost 108 by death from wounds and 176 by death from disease.

In 1873, when veterans of the 77th​ met in Saratoga, a committee to design an appropriate memorial to the Bemis Heights Regiment was formed and Maurice J Power was hired to carve the shrine. Power was famous for also producing the Irish Brigade Monument at Gettysburg.

On September 21, 1876, ceremonies were held to dedicate the Saratoga monument. Participants included veterans of the 77th​ and other regiments and a crowd of between 7,000 and 10,000 were in attendance. The Saratogian described the soldier atop the memorial as an “imperishable representative of the army which saved the Union.”

In July of 2020, vandals destroyed that ‘imperishable’ soldier. The Saratogian reported on July 16, 2020, “Around 3:30 am two police officers discovered the vandalized statue. Broken pieces left on the ground were removed as evidence.” Commissioner of Public Works Anthony Scirocco said “It’s pretty frustrating” referring to the statue as one of the park’s treasures that people enjoy.

The Col. G.L. Willard Camp of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) is raising funds to repair this ‘treasure’.

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