Autographs
American Major General “Horatio Gates” 1777 Dated Revolutionary War Letter to General George Washington
HORATIO GATES (1727-1806). American Major General during the Revolutionary War taking credit for the American victories in the Battles of Saratoga (1777) and was blamed for the American defeat at the Battle of Camden (1780).
January 31, 1777-Dated Autograph Letter Signed “Horatio Gates”, 1 page, 7.75” x 12.75”, Philadelphia, Very Fine. Gates writes to General Washington to discuss the prevention of spreading small pox. Letter reads in part, “Sir Yesterday Evening I had the Honour to receive your Excellency’s Letter of the 28th, Instant; I immediately consulted with Doctor Shippen, & Mr. Morris, upon the best method of preventing the spreading of The Infection Small Pox, & have Issued Orders to Oblige all the Troops & Recruits, upon their March from the Westward, to Avoid this City, & take their Route through German Town. Gates was given command of the Canadian Department and was quite disorganized with the retreat from Quebec. At this time, disease, especially smallpox, had taken a significant toll on the ranks. He eventually made it to Fort Ticonderoga, but had a tiff with Phillip Schuyler, as that was his territory. They eventually worked it out
In 1777, the Continental Congress blamed generals Schuyler and St. Clair for the loss of Fort Ticonderoga, though Gates had exercised a lengthy command in the region. Congress finally gave Gates command of the Northern Department on August 4th, 1777.

This famous and historic Painting of the Surrender of General Burgoyne by John Trumbull shows Major General Horatio Gates is in the center, with arms outstretched. Gates assumed command of the Northern Department on August 19 and led the army during the defeat of British General Burgoyne's invasion in the Battles of Saratoga.

While Gates and his supporters took credit for the victory, military action was directed by a cohort of field commanders led by Benedict Arnold, Enoch Poor, Benjamin Lincoln, and Daniel Morgan. Arnold in particular took the field against Gates' orders and rallied the troops in a furious attack on the British lines, suffering serious injuries to his leg. John Stark's defeat of a sizable British raiding force at the Battle of Bennington, Stark's forces killed or captured over 900 British soldiers, was also a substantial factor in the outcome at Saratoga.

General Gates stands front and center in John Trumbull's painting of the Surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga, which hangs in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. By Congressional resolution, a gold medal was presented to Gates to commemorate his victories over the British in the Battles of Bennington, Fort Stanwix and Saratoga.