Timothy Murphy, Mystery Marksman

He was a fearsome rifle shot, a frontiersman in New Jersey during the pre-Revolutionary War years when parts of New Jersey truly were on the American frontier. When the war began, he joined legendary Daniel Morgan’s riflemen. In autumn 1777, he found himself in the upper New York colony among the growing army of Patriots massing to resist Gen. John Burgoyne’s British invasion from Quebec.

Burgoyne’s Saratoga Campaign might have ended the war quickly in England’s favor, but for the staunch defense of Patriots like Timothy Murphy. Murphy was an astonishing if comparatively obscure hero of independence. He once captured an enemy officer from the middle of an encampment. Learning the password, he and a companion gained entry by night. Murphy, posing as a friendly Tory, made his way amid the campfires to an officer’s tent, forced the soldier away at bayonet point and brought him into American custody.

Soon afterward, the climactic engagement of the Saratoga Campaign occurred at the Second Battle of Freeman’s Farm. A rifle ball brought down Gen. Simon Fraser, Burgoyne’s best field commander. Who fired the shot? Many contend it was Murphy – a difficult claim to prove. If true, it might be argued that Murphy’s was the single most important shot of the Revolution. Fraser’s death was a primary factor in Burgoyne’s defeat and surrender of his invasion force. If there was in fact a “decisive battle” of the Revolution, many historians point to Saratoga.