Innkeeper Provides Important Intelligence Prior to Battle of Saratoga (15 SEP 1777)

Photo By Amy Stork | The bridge of boats near Saratoga that Bryan observed the British crossing prior to the Battle of Saratoga  

UNITED STATES

09.12.2025

Courtesy Story

U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence

by Michael E. Bigelow, INSCOM Command Historian

INNKEEPER PROVIDES IMPORTANT INTELLIGENCE PRIOR TO BATTLE OF SARATOGA
On Sep. 15, 1777, Alexander Bryan, an affable innkeeper, told Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates, commander of the American Northern Army, that British forces had crossed the Hudson River and were advancing southward. Bryan’s information helped General Gates prepare his army for its victory at Freeman’s Farm four days later.

The 44-year-old Bryan was born in Connecticut and moved to New York early in his life. Settling first in Dutchess County, he married into the prominent Tallmadge family of New York. Later, he opened an inn near the town of Halfmoon, near where the Mohawk River entered the Hudson. Located along two major frontier arteries, the inn was a popular way station for travelers. After 1775, Bryan patiently and discreetly gathered information for the American cause, usually reporting to the Patriot’s Committee of Safety in nearby Stillwater.

In late August or early September, General Gates asked the committee for a suitable person to penetrate the British lines and gather intelligence. The committee quickly recommended the steady, easy-going Bryan. Gates then asked Bryan to scout the British forces under Maj. Gen. John Burgoyne, who had taken the strategic Fort Ticonderoga and was advancing south along the Hudson. Gates wanted to know Burgoyne’s strength, the “heft” of his artillery, and his intentions.

Leaving Martha, his pregnant wife, and family at home, Bryan headed north some 20 miles to find Burgoyne’s army. He bought some cloth and pretended to look for a tailor. Over the next several days, he ascertained Burgoyne’s strength and something of his intentions. By mid-September, Bryan broke away from the British after wearing out his welcome with too many questions and too much curiosity.

Rather than return immediately home, however, Bryan continued to shadow Burgoyne’s army as it moved south along the Hudson’s eastern bank. On Sunday, Sep. 14, he watched the British from a wooded hillside. They crossed the Hudson near the village of Saratoga, about 9 miles north of the American positions at Bemis Heights. The next day, he moved south of the village and continued to watch until he saw what he was looking for—the British advancing south. At the same time, the British pushed out scouts and pickets to screen the main force, thus threatening Bryan. Only then did the innkeeper wisely head for the American lines.

By the evening of Sep. 15, Bryan had made his way back to General Gates at Bemis Heights. Much of Bryan’s information had already been noted by traditional American reconnaissance—Gates had some of the Continental Army’s best light infantry. Bryan’s report, nevertheless, provided useful information on the strength of Burgoyne’s forces, confirmation of his intent, and possible timing of an attack against the American defenses. With this information in hand, Gates and his army would win the first part of the decisive Battle of Saratoga.

Bryan returned home to Martha and his growing family; he and Martha eventually had five sons and two daughters. In 1787, he established another inn near High Rock Springs, about 11 miles west of where he had viewed the British crossing the Hudson. He died in 1825 at the age of 92 without ever being fully recognized for his service to the patriotic cause.


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• Date Taken: 09.12.2025
• Date Posted: 09.12.2025 15:58
• Story ID: 548028
• Location: US