32. Timothy Murphy fired a shot which changed the Saratoga Campaign
During the 1777 Saratoga Campaign one of the Continental Army regiments sent to oppose the invading British army was Morgan’s Riflemen, a unit of Virginia backwoodsmen noted for their skills with the rifle. Timothy Murphy was one of General Daniel Morgan’s best riflemen. When British troops were rallied by General Simon Fraser at the Second Battle of Bemis Heights, Benedict Arnold pointed out Fraser to Morgan, who in turn called to Murphy to shoot the Englishman. Murphy fatally wounded the general, and later in the same action killed Sir Francis Clerke, the senior aide of British commander John Burgoyne. The loss of both officers helped convince Burgoyne to request terms of surrender to the Americans.