Battles & Wars › Revolutions & Napoleon › American Revolutionary War
Battles of Saratoga
September 19 – October 17, 1777· Battle· Americas
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
American forces surrounded and captured a British army marching south from Canada, a victory that persuaded France to join the war.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
General John Burgoyne led about 7,000 British and German troops down the Hudson valley from Canada, aiming to cut New England off from the other colonies. Help expected from other British armies never came. Americans under Horatio Gates, with Benedict Arnold and Daniel Morgan's riflemen, blocked him in two battles: Freeman's Farm on September 19 and Bemis Heights on October 7. Surrounded and outnumbered, Burgoyne surrendered about 6,000 men on October 17.
Why it matters
It was the first capture of an entire British army. It convinced France the Americans could win; the two signed an alliance in February 1778.
How we know
Burgoyne's own published account, American and British orderly books, and the surrender terms, the Convention of Saratoga. The battlefield is a U.S. national historical park.
Still debated
Credit is still argued: Gates got it at the time, but many historians give the larger share to Arnold, who later betrayed the American cause.
Connections (2)
▸Battles of Saratoga brought France into American Revolutionary WarWell documented
The connection
News of Burgoyne's surrender reached Paris in December 1777. France had been secretly sending money and weapons, but now judged the Americans could win. Louis XVI's government, guided by Foreign Minister Vergennes, signed treaties of alliance and commerce with Benjamin Franklin in February 1778, and France went to war with Britain. Spain joined as France's ally in 1779.
When and how
Saratoga, New York, October 1777; Paris and Versailles, December 1777 to February 1778; Franklin, Vergennes and Louis XVI.
How we know
The signed 1778 treaties and French diplomatic correspondence tie the decision to the news from Saratoga.
Debates and open questions
Some historians argue France was already moving toward war to avenge its 1763 losses, and Saratoga only set the timing.
▸Battles of Saratoga won the French alliance decisive at Siege of YorktownWell documented
The connection
The alliance won at Saratoga made Yorktown possible four years later. France supplied money, about 7,800 soldiers under Rochambeau, and above all de Grasse's fleet, which beat the British at the Battle of the Chesapeake and cut Cornwallis off. Without French sea power, the British could simply have evacuated by sea.
When and how
From Saratoga, New York, in 1777, through the French alliance of 1778, to Yorktown and Chesapeake Bay in 1781.
How we know
French troop and fleet records, and surrender documents signed by both French and American commanders, show French forces at the center.
Debates and open questions
How directly to connect the two is a judgment call; many other events, including Spanish and Dutch entry into the war, shaped the years between.