Battles of Saratoga

Battles of Saratoga
Part of the Saratoga campaign in the Northern Theater of the American Revolutionary War

Surrender of General Burgoyne by John Trumbull, 1822. British General John Burgoyne surrenders to General Horatio Gates, who respectfully refuses to take his sword.[1] The painting hangs in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
DateSeptember 19 and October 7, 1777
Location42°59′56″N 73°38′15″W / 42.99889°N 73.63750°W / 42.99889; -73.63750
Result

American victory

Freeman's Farm:

  • British victory

Bemis Heights:

Belligerents
 United States

 Great Britain

Commanders and leaders
Horatio Gates
Benedict Arnold (WIA)
Benjamin Lincoln
Enoch Poor
Ebenezer Learned
Daniel Morgan
James Livingston
William Whipple
Kingdom of Great Britain John Burgoyne Surrendered
Kingdom of Great Britain Simon Fraser 
Kingdom of Great Britain William Phillips (POW)
Friedrich Adolf Riedesel (POW)
Heinrich von Breymann 
Strength
9,000 (first battle)[2]
12,000+ (second battle)[3]
15,000+ (at time of surrender)[4]
7,200 (first battle)[5]
6,600 (second battle)[3]
Casualties and losses
90 killed
240 wounded[6][7]
440 killed
695 wounded
6,222 captured[8][6]

The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign in the early phase of the American Revolutionary War. Resulting in a decisive American victory over British forces led by General John Burgoyne, the battles persuaded France to enter the war as an American ally. Historian Edmund Morgan described Saratoga as "a great turning point of the war because it won for Americans the foreign assistance which was the last element needed for victory."[9] As part of a strategy to divide New England from the southern colonies, Burgoyne led an invasion army of 7,200–8,000 men southward from Canada through the Champlain Valley, hoping to meet a similar British force marching northward from New York City and another British force marching eastward from Lake Ontario; the goal was to take Albany, New York. Burgoyne's strategy began promisingly, but stalled due to logistical issues. British General William Howe never moved his forces north, and Brigadier General Barry St. Leger turned back his forces meant to arrive from the west, leaving Burgoyne surrounded by the Americans in upstate New York, 15 miles (24 km) short of his goal. Burgoyne fought two battles, which took place 18 days apart, on the same ground 9 miles (14 km) south of Saratoga, New York.

In the first battle, at Freeman's Farm on September 19, Burgoyne won a tactical victory over General Horatio Gates and the Continental Army at the cost of significant casualties, with the battle often called a "Pyrrhic victory."[a] The battle began with Burgoyne's attempt to flank the entrenched American position on Bemis Heights with some of his troops. American Major General Benedict Arnold anticipated the maneuver, and placed significant forces in his way. Still, Burgoyne was able to gain the field. Skirmishes continued in the following days, while Burgoyne waited in the hope that reinforcements would arrive from New York City.

Meanwhile, patriot militia forces continued to arrive, swelling the American ranks. Within the American camp, disputes led Gates to strip Arnold of his command. After it became apparent that he would not receive aid in time, Burgoyne attacked again in the Battle of Bemis Heights on October 7, but lost the battle and erased his tentative gains. Culminating in heavy fighting, this battle was marked by Arnold's spirited rallying of the American troops. Burgoyne's forces were thrown back to the positions they held before the action of September 19, and the Americans captured a portion of the entrenched British defenses.

Following this loss, Burgoyne was compelled to retreat to Saratoga (now Schuylerville). Finding himself surrounded by a much larger force, he surrendered his entire army to General Gates on October 17. Although British General Sir Henry Clinton moved up from New York City, attempting to divert American attention by capturing Forts Clinton and Montgomery in the Hudson River highlands on October 6, and Kingston on October 13, these efforts were too late to save Burgoyne. News of the surrender at Saratoga was instrumental in formally creating the Franco-American Alliance, although France had previously given supplies, ammunition, and guns, notably the de Valliere cannon which played an important role in Saratoga.[14]

  1. ^ "Surrender of General Burgoyne". www.aoc.gov. Architect of the Capitol. Archived from the original on 22 February 2025. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
  2. ^ Ketchum (1997), p. 355
  3. ^ a b Ketchum (1997), p. 395
  4. ^ Nickerson (1967), p. 436
  5. ^ Luzader (2008), p. 230
  6. ^ a b Ketchum (1997), p. 405
  7. ^ Ketchum (1997), p. 371
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference K368 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Morgan, Edmund (1956). The Birth of the Republic: 1763–1789. [Chicago] University of Chicago Press. pp. 82–83.
  10. ^ Griswold, William A.; Linebaugh, Donald W., eds. (2016). The Saratoga Campaign: Uncovering an Embattled Landscape. Lebanon, NH: University Press of New England. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-61168-896-2. the British got nowhere near the American lines of defense during the course of the battle and instead expended their efforts on what resulted in a pyrrhic victory
  11. ^ Maloy, Mark. "The Battle of Freeman's Farm: September 19, 1777". American Battlefield Trust. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2025. Freeman's Farm...While a British tactical victory, it had been a Pyrrhic victory.
  12. ^ Leonard Jr, Maj. Gerry W. (2015). The Four Decisions That Changed The Course Of The American Revolution. Pickle Partners Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78289-952-5. Burgoyne's movement to contact on 7 October highlights the magnitude of his desperation...Two weeks had passed since his Pyrrhic victory at Freeman's Farm
  13. ^ Cox, Caroline (2004). A Proper Sense of Honor: Service and Sacrifice in George Washington's Army. Chapel Hill and London: The University of North Carolina Press. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-8078-2884-7. pyrrhic victory at Freeman's Farm in September 1777
  14. ^ "Springfield Armory". Archived from the original on 2014-11-03. Retrieved 2009-07-26.


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