Battles of Saratoga

The Battles of Saratoga were the turning point of the Revolutionary War and one of the decisive engagements in world history. Burgoyne's invasion from Canada — designed to cut off New England — had stalled after the disasters at Bennington and Oriskany. By mid-September his increasingly isolated army of 6,000 men had advanced to Bemis Heights south of Saratoga, where Gates's growing army blocked his path.

The First Battle of Saratoga (Freeman's Farm, September 19) was tactically inconclusive but strategically disastrous for Burgoyne. Daniel Morgan's riflemen and American infantry repeatedly drove the British back in savage fighting through forest clearings, though Gates controversially kept Benedict Arnold from fully engaging his forces. The British held the field but suffered over 600 casualties — irreplaceable losses for an isolated army. In the three weeks between the battles, Burgoyne's situation deteriorated daily as his supplies dwindled, his Native American allies deserted, and Gates's army grew with militia streaming in from across New England.

The Second Battle of Saratoga (Bemis Heights, October 7) began when Burgoyne sent a reconnaissance in force of 1,500 men that was crushed by Morgan's riflemen and Poor's brigade. Then Benedict Arnold — who had been stripped of command by Gates after a furious quarrel but remained on the field — led an unauthorized charge directly into the British fortifications, despite having no official command. Arnold was shot in the leg as he led his men forward. The British defensive position collapsed.

Surrounded with no hope of relief, Burgoyne surrendered his entire army of 6,222 men on October 17. It was the first time a British army had surrendered in the field in living memory. France formally recognized American independence and declared war on Britain in February 1778. Spain and the Netherlands eventually followed. Saratoga transformed a colonial rebellion into a world war and made American independence virtually certain.