The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the American Revolutionary War. It was fought in two stages on September 19 and October 7, 1777, and resulted in a decisive victory for the Americans, significantly supported by the French, over the British. The battle ended British General John Burgoynes attempt to control the Hudson River Valley. The outcome convinced the Court of King Louis XVI that the Americans could hold their own against the British Army, sealing the alliance between America and France. The victory gave new life to the American cause at a critical time, as Americans had just suffered a major setback in the Battle of the Brandywine along with news of the fall of Philadelphia to the British. The key events of the battle are as follows:

• Burgoynes invasion army of 7,200–8,000 men moved southward from Canada in 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.
• On September 19, Burgoynes columns collided with part of General Gates’ army near the abandoned farm of Loyalist John Freeman. During the long afternoon, the British were unable to maintain any initiative or momentum. Pinned in place, they suffered galling American gunfire as they strove to hold their lines.
• On October 7, Burgoyne took the offensive, but the troops crashed together south of the town of Saratoga, and Burgoynes army was broken. In mop-up operations, 86 percent of Burgoynes command was captured.
• On October 17, Burgoyne surrendered his troops under the Convention of Saratoga, which provided for the return of his men to Great Britain on condition that they would not serve again in North America during the war.
• The American victory at Saratoga was a major turning point in the war for Independence, heartening the supporters of independence and convincing France to enter in the war as an ally of the fledgling United States.

The Battle of Saratoga was one of the greatest battles fought in America and helped secure the foreign support needed to win the war.