On October 7, 1777, American forces dealt a decisive blow to the British army at Bemis Heights near Saratoga, New York. The battle was the second part of the Battle of Saratoga, which began on September 19 at Freeman's Farm and ended ten days later with the surrender of British General John Burgoyne.
The British campaign had a clear strategic goal - control of the Hudson River Valley and severing the connection between New England and the rest of the American colonies. Burgoyne led his army south from Canada to Albany, but the expected link-up with other British forces did not occur. General William Howe's army headed for Philadelphia, and reinforcements from New York arrived too late.
Two battles decide the campaign
At Freeman's Farm, American troops under General Horatio Gates halted Burgoyne's advance, although the British held their ground. However, losses and running out of supplies forced the British commander to halt the advance on Albany and await reinforcements.
On October 7, Burgoyne sent part of his army to reconnoiter the American left flank and seek a better position for an attack. The Americans discovered the movement and went on the offensive. Units attached to Benedict Arnold, who was seriously wounded in the leg, also participated in the battle. The British were repulsed and retreated to Saratoga.
According to the United States National Park Service, the British army was virtually surrounded after the battle. Shortage of food, the impossibility of retreat, and the lack of timely aid left Burgoyne with no real chance of continuing the campaign.
Burgoyne's Surrender
On October 17, 1777, nearly 6,000 British and German soldiers laid down their arms before Gates' army. Burgoyne surrendered his command, and the agreement was framed as a convention rather than an unconditional surrender. This was the first time a British army had surrendered to an enemy during the war.
“There is no doubt that the Americans could not have won the war without their great victory at Saratoga“, says historian Willard Stern Randall.The victory had significance far beyond the battlefield. The news convinced France that the American colonies could successfully oppose Britain. On February 6, 1778, Paris concluded a treaty of alliance and a treaty of commerce with the Americans, and French military and naval support later proved important in the victory at Yorktown.
For this reason, Saratoga is often identified as the turning point of the American Revolutionary War. The British still had significant forces, but after Burgoyne's surrender, the conflict turned from a colonial uprising into an international war.
Sources: history.com