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A few minutes later Arnold caught up with some of Learned's Connecticut militia. "My old Norwich and New London friends," he shouted as he rode by, and the cheers of the men rang in his ears. Within moments Arnold was at the head of Learned's brigade, exhorting the troops to follow him, "Come on brave boys, come on!" Three of Learned's regiments charged uphill into withering fire from Specht's men. American and German cannon exchanged canister fire. Finally, as Balcarres' British troops fled past their position, the Germans broke.

Fraser was still trying to form a new line on the right, but one of Morgan's sharpshooters put an end to that. Conspicuous in his scarlet and white uniform and mounted on a large gray horse, Fraser suddenly crumpled backward with a bullet in his abdomen (see "Americans," June 2000). He would die the next morning.

By this time most of Burgoyne's men had fallen back to the protection of the two massive redoubts the British had built at Freeman's Farm during the weeks after the first battle. Arnold wasted no time leading a charge against the nearest to him, the Balcarres Redoubt. He waved his sword and dashed among the troops as musket balls and grapeshot whizzed around them. But the huge log walls--bristling with abatis and defended by desperate infantry--kept the Americans out.

Looking north toward the less-heavily defended Breymann Redoubt, Arnold spied an opening, and in a heartbeat he raced for it through a hail of lead. As Morgan and Dearborn attacked it head-on, Arnold led a furious charge toward a pair of cabins that separated the fortifications, then turned his force headlong into the Breymann Redoubt's unprotected left flank. Dozens of shocked Germans dropped in the rush; countless others ran for their lives.

Arnold had just entered the works when a German soldier fired at him, striking him in the same leg he had nearly lost in the Quebec Expedition. Another bullet killed his horse, which fell and crushed Arnold's leg beneath it. As Massachusetts soldiers chased off enemy soldiers and burned British tents, Connecticut militiamen carried Arnold off the field. His left leg was ruined, but Arnold would not allow it to be amputated. Several agonizing months of recovery would leave it two inches shorter than the right.

By now darkness had fallen and the Second Battle of Saratoga had ended. At 1:00 a.m., with his army shattered, Burgoyne issued an order for the troops still on the field to withdraw. British and German losses for the day totaled 278 killed, 331 wounded, and 285 captured--roughly half the force that had ventured forth that morning. American casualties came to about 130. Burgoyne's dream of conquering the northern colonies for the Crown had clearly ended.