Inventory King William’s and King George’s Wars Battlefields: 1689-1697 and 1744 to 1748

Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc.

The historical documentation and archeological inventory report is focused on a Study Area just south of Fish Creek along the Hudson River in the Town of Saratoga. The rich alluvial flats attracted Native Americans for millennia and later intrepid Dutch, French, and English traders, farmers, and settlers eager to take advantage of the area’s potential for commercial trade and agricultural production. Situated in a contested frontier area between colonial New York and New France (later Canada), the Study Area served as a focal point of conflict for nearly a century. The current study, while providing a broad historical context, focuses more particularly on two major colonial wars: King William’s War1 (1687-1698) and King George’s War2 (1744-1748). During this time, at least five armed engagements of varying sizes occurred within or immediately near the Study Area, with numerous others in the general vicinity. The study utilizes the historical record to identify potential areas of archeological resources associated with the two wars and their related battles. By leveraging data from LIDAR remote sensing, geomorphology, and military terrain analyses, among other sources, the study identifies areas that warrant future archeological study in order to more clearly identify and define these resources upon the landscape. The ultimate goal of this study, and potential future studies, is to protect, preserve, and interpret valuable archeological resources within and around the Study Area. Detailed archeological research designs are proposed from each of the five battles thought to have occurred in the Study Area. The site of Fort Clinton, a King George’s War English outpost that served as the focus of four major battles, bears considerable potential for future studies. The fort has been identified and partially excavated by amateur archeologists for years. Even though no formal excavations have been conducted at the site, significant amounts of cultural material have been produced, and now preserved at the Saratoga National Historical Park curation facility.