' Mrs Schuyler Burning Her Wheat Fields on the Approach of The British .Emanuel Gottlieb ( American 1816 - 1868 ) Oil on canvas circa 1852

Emanuel Gottlieb ( Leutze ) specialised in dramatic scenes from American history . He froze the characters in this painting at the most powerful moment of their story . With the pointing hands , Leutze directs our eyes around the canvas to make sure we take in every detail we need to know . It's September 1777 . The British army is on the march toward Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler's farm , outside Saratoga , New York . Everyone is about to leave , but before they do , Mrs Schuyler decides to torch her fields , preventing the British from harvesting the crop for themselves .