Editing Daniel Morgan (section)

===Saratoga===
[[File:Surrender of General Burgoyne.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Surrender of General Burgoyne]]''<br />Col. Morgan is shown in white, right of center]]
A detachment of Morgan's regiment, commanded by Morgan, was reassigned to the army's Northern Department and on Aug 30 he joined General [[Horatio Gates]] to aid in resisting [[John Burgoyne|Burgoyne's]] offensive. He is prominently depicted in the painting of the ''[[Surrender of General Burgoyne]]'' at [[Battles of Saratoga|Saratoga]] by [[John Trumbull]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Key to the Surrender of General Burgoyne |url=http://americanrevolution.org/burgkey.html|access-date=February 2, 2008}}</ref>

====Freeman's Farm====
Morgan led his regiment, with the added support of [[Henry Dearborn]]'s 300-man [[New Hampshire]] infantry, as the advance to the main forces. On September 19, at [[Battle of Freeman's Farm|Freeman's Farm]], they ran into the advance of General [[Simon Fraser of Balnain|Simon Fraser's]] wing of Burgoyne's force. Every officer in the British advance party died in the first exchange, and the advance guard retreated.

Morgan's men charged without orders, but the charge fell apart when they ran into the main column led by General [[James Inglis Hamilton|Hamilton]]. Benedict Arnold arrived, and he and Morgan managed to reform the unit. As the British began to form on the fields at Freeman's farm, Morgan's men continued to break these formations with accurate rifle fire from the woods on the far side of the field. They were joined by another seven regiments from Bemis Heights.

For the rest of the afternoon, American fire held the British in check, but repeated American charges were repelled by British bayonets.

====Bemis Heights====
[[File:Riflemen at Saratoga.jpg|thumb|The Provisional Rifle Corps at Bemis Heights.]]
Burgoyne's next offensive resulted in the [[Battle of Bemis Heights]] on Oct. 7. Morgan was assigned command of the left (or western) flank of the American position. The British plan was to turn that flank, using an advance by 1,500 men. This brought Morgan's brigade once again up against General Fraser's forces. Daniel Morgan's sharpshooters were ordered to specifically shoot British officers and their Native American Guides. In order to cause maximum confusion and disorder among British Troops.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yost |first=Russell |date=2012-02-16 |title=Daniel Morgan - The Most Innovative General of the Revolution |url=https://thehistoryjunkie.com/daniel-morgan/ |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=The History Junkie |language=en-US}}</ref>

Passing through the Canadian loyalists, Morgan's Virginia sharpshooters got the British light infantry trapped in a crossfire between themselves and Dearborn's regiment. Although the light infantry broke, General Fraser was trying to rally them, encouraging his men to hold their positions when Benedict Arnold arrived. Arnold spotted him and called to Morgan: "That man on the grey horse is a host unto himself and must be disposed of — direct the attention of some of the sharpshooters amongst your riflemen to him!" Morgan reluctantly ordered Fraser shot by a sniper, and [[Timothy Murphy (sniper)|Timothy Murphy]] obliged him.

With Fraser mortally wounded, the British light infantry fell back into and through the [[redoubt]]s occupied by Burgoyne's main force. Morgan was one of those who then followed Arnold's lead to turn a counter-attack from the British middle. Burgoyne retired to his starting positions, but about 500 men poorer for the effort. That night, he withdrew to the village of [[Saratoga, New York|Saratoga]], New York (renamed [[Schuylerville, New York|Schuylerville]] in honor of [[Philip Schuyler]]) about eight miles to the northwest.

During the next week, as Burgoyne dug in, Morgan and his men moved to his north. Their ability to cut up any patrols sent in their direction convinced the British that retreat was not possible.