John Hill

John Hill rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the British army in September of 1775 and became colonel of the 9th Foot in November of the same year. After the retreat of the Continental forces from Fort Ticonderoga in 1777, Hill and the 9th Foot pursued Col. Pierse Long’s men to Fort Ann, where, on July 8, 1777, the two forces clashed in the dense forests of upstate New York. The British succeeded in effecting an American retreat southward to Fort Edward and, ultimately, Saratoga. At Saratoga, British luck shifted and Hill was present at the moment of General John Burgoyne’s surrender to Patriot forces. He signed his name to the Cambridge Parole and returned to England soon after.