 On September 7, Gates ordered his army to march north.A site was selected for its defensive potential that was known as Bemis Heights, just north of Stillwater and about south of Saratoga; the army spent about a week constructing defensive works designed by Polish engineer Tadeusz Kościuszko.The heights had a clear view of the area and commanded the only road to Albany, where it passed through a defile between the heights and the Hudson River.