Philip Schuyler Philip John Schuyler ( November 20 , 1733November 18 , 1804 ) was a general in the American Revolution and a United States Senator from New York . He is usually known as Philip Schuyler , while his son is usually known as Philip J . Schuyler . Early life . Philip Schuyler was born in Albany , New York , on November 20 , 1733 , to John ( Johannes ) Schuyler , Jr . ( 1697 – 1741 ) , third generation of the Dutch family in America , and Cornelia Van Cortlandt ( 1698 – 1762 ) . Prior to his father ' s death , on the eve of his eighth birthday , Schuyler attended the public school at Albany . Afterward , he was educated by tutors at the Van Cortlandt family estate at New Rochelle . He joined the British forces in 1755 during the French and Indian War , raised a company , and was commissioned as its Captain by his cousin , Lt . Governor James Delancey . Later in that war , he served as a quartermaster , purchasing supplies and organizing equipment . From 1761 to 1762 , Schuyler made a trip to England to settle accounts from his work as quartermaster . During this time his home in Albany , later called Schuyler Mansion , was built . His country estate at Saratoga ( which is now Schuylerville , New York ) was also begun . After the war he also expanded his estate at Saratoga , expanding his holdings to tens of thousands of acres , adding slaves , tenant farmers , a store , mills for flour , flax , and lumber . His flax mill for the making of linen was the first one in America . He built several schooners on the Hudson River , and named the first " Saratoga " . Schuyler began his political career as a member of the New York Assembly in 1768 , and served in that body until 1775 . During this time his views came to be more opposed to the colonial government . He was particularly outspoken in matters of trade and currency . He was also made a Colonel in the militia for his support of governor Henry Moore . Revolutionary War . Schuyler was elected to the Continental Congress in 1775 , and served until he was appointed a Major General of the Continental Army in June . General Schuyler took command of the Northern Department , and planned the Invasion of Canada ( 1775 ) . His poor health required him to place Richard Montgomery in command of the invasion . As department commanding General , he was active in preparing a defense against the Saratoga Campaign , part of the " Three Pronged Attack " strategy of the British to cut the American Colonies in two by invading and occupying New York State in 1777 . In the summer of that year General John Burgoyne marched his British army south from Quebec over the valleys of Lakes Champlain and George . On the way he invested the small Colonial garrison occupying Fort Ticonderoga at the nexus of the two lakes . When General St . Clair surrendered Fort Ticonderoga in July , the Congress replaced Schuyler with General Horatio Gates , who had accused Schuyler of dereliction of duty . Battle of Saratoga . The British offensive was eventually stopped by Continental Army then under the command of Gates and Benedict Arnold in the Battle of Saratoga . That victory , the first wholesale defeat of a large British force , marked a turning point in the revolution , for it convinced France to enter the war on the American ' s side . When Schuyler demanded a court martial to answer Gates ' charges , he was vindicated but resigned from the Army on April 19 , 1779 . He then served in two more sessions of the Continental Congress in 1779 and 1780 . Schuyler was an original member of the New York Society of the Cincinnati . Later career . He was a member of the New York State Senate from 1780 to 1784 , and at the same time New York State Surveyor General from 1781 to 1784 . Afterwards he returned to the State Senate from 1786 to 1790 , where he actively supported the adoption of the United States Constitution . In 1789 , he was elected a U . S . Senator from New York to the First United States Congress , serving from July 27 , 1789 , to March 4 , 1791 . After losing his bid for re - election in 1791 , he returned to the State Senate from 1792 to 1797 . In 1797 , he was elected again to the U . S . Senate and served in the 5th United States Congress from March 4 , 1797 until his resignation because of ill health on January 3 , 1798 . Family and Relatives . In September 1755 , he married Catherine Van Rensselaer ( 1734 – 1803 ) at Albany . Philip and Catherine had fifteen children together . Among them are : Additionally , Schuyler is related to : Schuyler ' s country home had been destroyed by General John Burgoyne ' s forces in September , 1777 . Later that year , he began rebuilding on the same site , now located in southern Schuylerville , New York . This later home is maintained by the National Park Service as part of the Saratoga National Historical Park , and is open to the public . Schuyler died at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany on November 18 , 1804 , and is buried in the Albany Rural Cemetery at Menands , New York .