Seeking records of British POWS after Freemans Farm and Saratoga

Dear Mr. Sturgeon,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

The Battle of Freeman's Farm (First Saratoga) was fought on September 19, 1777 and the Battle of Bemis Heights (Second Saratoga) was fought in on October 7, 1777. Collectively these two battles are sometimes referred to as the Battles of Saratoga.  Another common usage is to consider these two engagements to be two parts of a single Battle of Saratoga.  These battles were the climax of the Saratoga Campaign which began on June 14, 1777.  The Articles of Convention Between Lieutenant-General Burgoyne and Major General Gates; October 16, 1777 were signed on October 16th, 1777. Lieutenant General John Burgoyne surrendered his forces on October 17, 1777, bringing the campaign to an end. The troops surrendered under these terms are commonly referred to as the Convention Army or the Convention Troops.  As explained in the linked article, for a variety of reasons the terms were not honored, and the troops were held prisoner until the end of the war.

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located multiple records relating to prisoners in the Records of the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention (Record Group 360) and the War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records, 1709 - 1939 (Record Group 93), to include the file Letters and Papers Concerning the Convention Troops which specifically pertains to prisoners of war after the surrender of Lt. Gen. Burgoyne at Saratoga. We also located a reference guide to records relating to Prisoners during the Revolutionary War, 1776-1783. These records are in the custody of the National Archives in Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RDT1). To access these records please contact RDT1 via email at Archives1reference@nara.gov.

We also searched Founders Online for “Convention Army” and “British Prisoners” with multiple results. Founders Online was established through a partnership between the National Archives and the University of Virginia Press to make available the papers of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.

Records concerning your ancestor’s service in the British Army may be in the custody of the National Archives of the United Kingdom.  Please see their research guide on the American Revolution. 

There are a variety of articles and books which discuss the collective experience of the Convention Army. Two examples of these are “Demise of the Albemarle Barracks: A Report to the Quartermaster General” published by the Journal of the American Revolution, and “Gentleman Johnny’s Wandering Army” published by American Heritage.

We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!