October 17, 1777

Convention of Saratoga

Burgoyne's army lays down its arms under the Saratoga Convention

Only two American officers watched the defeated army pile its arms. Gates had kept the rest of his men back, to spare the losers the humiliation.

17 October 1777: arms grounded near Fort Hardy

Under articles negotiated with Horatio Gates, Burgoyne's troops marched out on 17 October 1777 with the honors of war and deposited their arms and artillery near the ruins of Fort Hardy, in present-day Schuylerville, New York.

Only two American officers watched them pile their weapons and empty their cartridge boxes at the Field of Grounded Arms. The defeated column afterwards marched between silent lines of American soldiers.

The sword, and the terms

Burgoyne and Gates met on the road near the Dutch Reformed Church, then dined with their staffs. The ceremonial sword presentation came later, while the surrendered army marched past; Gates returned the sword.

The Convention promised Burgoyne's army passage to Great Britain on condition that its members not serve again in North America during the conflict, with Boston assigned as the port of embarkation.

Who actually marched away

The current NPS accounting puts about 6,300 British and German officers and soldiers under the Convention, with roughly 600 women and children accompanying them; the Library of Congress figure of 5,871 counts British regulars and German troops only. Most Canadiens and Loyalists were permitted to return to Canada instead.

Burgoyne had reported 3,500 effective fighting men left, fewer than 2,000 of them British, and three days' provisions on short allowance. By the end of the day his invasion army had been disarmed and had started toward Massachusetts as the Convention Army.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 8 sources 2 audit passes

How this was checked

Researched from the web into a fact sheet, rewritten from that sheet, then audited against it by a different model. How the pipeline works →

What the sources leave uncertain

The surrender date is secure. The surviving Convention document is dated October 16, while its final article required mutual signature and exchange the next morning and execution followed on October 17.
Published totals differ because returns count different populations—regular soldiers, officers, Canadians, Loyalists, sailors, camp followers, women and children. The current NPS estimate of about 6,300 British and German officers and soldiers is broader than the Library of Congress figure of 5,871 British regulars and German troops.
Most Canadiens, Loyalists and other Canadian-establishment personnel were permitted to return to Canada; roughly 200 Abenaki and Mohawk allies had already departed. Thus “entire army” can obscure who was actually included in the Convention.