The Battle of Saratoga known as a battle that was fought over two battles totaling eighteen days apart in the fall of 1777. The Battle of Saratoga would be considered as another turning point in the American Revolution. On September 19, 1777, British General John Burgoyne pulled off a small, but high-priced victory over American Colonial army led by General Horatio Gates and General Benedict Arnold. Though his troop strength had been weakened, General Burgoyne again attacked the Americans at Bemis Heights on October 7, 1777, but this time his forces were defeated and compelled to retreat. General Burgoyne surrendered ten days later, and the American victory convinced the French government to formally acknowledge the colonist 's cause and enter …show more content…
The scope of the American army victory is clear by a few key facts. The first fact is the divide-and-conquer strategy that General Burgoyne presented to British ministers in London was to invade America territory from Canada by advancing down the Hudson Valley waterways, unite and capture Albany, New York. As General Burgoyne march forces towards Albany, his supply lines from Canada would become longer and less reliable. Enabling him to attack a substantial supply depot at Bennington, Vermont, alleged to be lightly guarded and costing the captured of almost 500 British soldiers. In addition, General William Howe had his own plans to invade Pennsylvania and decides to attack the Colonial rebel capital at Philadelphia, taking the capital, rather than deploying his army to meet up with General Burgoyne and cut off New England from the other Colonies. These two factors contribute to the overall turning of the Battle of Saratoga and American Revolution. If General Burgoyne would have shown more resilience by waiting on reinforcements and supplies this would have allowed his forces to regroup and prepare for the next battle. In addition, he would have also been joined by other British troops under the command of Sir William Howe. Of the 7,000 British and Germans who marched from Canada, only 3,500 were fit for duty at
Gates' troops forced Burgoyne to surrender his 5,700 man army near Saratoga(Scythes). This victory, a major turning point of the American Revolution, convinced France to form an alliance with the Americans against Great Britain in 1778. Tensions between Gates and General George Washington grew immediately following Saratoga, after Gates informed Congress directly of his victory rather than informing his Commander. Washington was further angered that Gates did not promptly return troops sent to help Gates during the New York campaign. General Washington was also convinced that Gates played a role in the Conway Cabal, which was a supposed plot to remove Washington from command and replace him with Gates.
After all, they had more troops and they were better trained. There were many factors, though, that led to their defeat. Just like in the Revolutionary War, the British underestimated the Americans, and that was their main issue. Arrogance was a factor in this. Admiral Cochrane, for example, would not accept his men’s plan of how to move the barges from the bayou and instead wasted days executing his plan of how to do it (128).
During the Revolutionary War the British were the strongest naval and land force in the world. This was due to their ability to expertly fight by lining up and firing directly at each other. From the day that America signed the Declaration of Independence to the very end of the Revolutionary War the colonists and General Washington had to use different strategies to defeat the British. The first example of his unconventional methods was at the battle of Yorktown. General Washington and the French had General Cornwallis trapped by land and sea and they forced him to surrender.
The two main things that the congress in the Second Continental Congress began to work on was to supply an army as well as raise them, and to explore any types of reconciliation that could be made with the British. After congress made the army, there was a horrible deadly battle that took place, and it was known as one of the worst of the entire Revolution. The commander from Britain who was Gage, received many troops as backup and that included some very well-known generals, and also new orders to battle the Massachusetts rebels. After the British closed off the peninsula in the battle against the Americans, Howe wanted to do a very courageous attack. He wanted to send over two thousand soldiers across waters.
When Burgoyne decided that the reinforcements weren’t coming, he attempted a second attack on October 7. Arnold ignored Gates orders of not attacking and joined the battle. His men were able to run Burgoyne’s men up to Saratoga where Gates’ army surrounded them and forced them to
Valley Forge was the winter quarters of the army in 1777, there wasn 't a battle fought there and winter made it hard to find food and forage for the troops, they nearly starved. The Second Battle of Saratoga was also known as the Battle of Bemis Heights. The Americans were above the British and could see the location of the British troops, they could easily send their troops to the right spot to stop the British, this lead to the American victory. The swamps in the south made it easy for the Americans to fight a "guerrilla war" against the British there.
In the fall of 1781, Colonial and French troops attacked to the British Army at Yorktown, Virginia. Led by George Washington and French General Comte de Rochambeau, they began their final attack on October 14th, capturing two British defenses and leading to the surrender, just days later, of British General Lord Cornwallis and nearly 9,000 troops. Yorktown proved to be the final battle of the American Revolution, and the British began peace negotiations shortly after the American
In the starting years of the war, the British generally won most battles due to their far superior sea power. After the invasion of Canada, the American colonist rebellion invasions and attacks continued. Battles after battles were being fought and everywhere the anger and the revenge taking nature was visible in both the colonists and the British officials’ eyes. The next 2 battles occurred in Trenton and Princeton of New Jersey. The Battle of Trenton occurred 26 December 1776.
Burgoyne surrendered after a failed escape attempt since his troop were underfed and under-supplied without the reinforcements and supply fleet that Burgoyne had asked for over two weeks prior to the second Battle of Saratoga. The Continental Soldiers were surprised and in disbelieve as each of the five-thousand British Soldiers handed them their weapons and admitted defeat. As previously mentioned, Colonial pride was not the only gain from the victory in the Battle of Saratoga, international support can also be heavily contributed to
Major Events of the Revolutionary War and Why America Won 2nd Celebration of Knowledge Essay Answer Every event that occurred during the Revolutionary War had an impact in the rise of our country’s independence and the fall of Britain’s power. Everything from the loss in the Battle of Bunker Hill to the approval and signing of the Declaration of Independence, it all had its role in making such a unique nation’s history. There are, however, some events that help describe the importance of the Revolutionary War better than others, such as the Battle of Saratoga, the Declaration of Independence, and the Battle at Bunker Hill.
In my opinion there are many reason why the colonists won the revolutionary war. Perhaps it was how familiar they were with the land, or their helpful french allies. One of the most important battles of the war was the battle of saratoga. To me this seems to be the most important battle and moment in the whole war. After the colonists defeated the English in the 2 battles of Saratoga, it proved to the french that the americans could win the war and the french should come to aid the americans.
The battle of Quebec (Dec. 31, 1775) (www.history.com) was a big victory for America; it ended the “Snow Campaign” in Canada and it downed many British forces in the occupied territory. The “Snow Campaign” was the first major military operation for the 13 colonies. This battle was the last one in that operation for after this battle Colonel Benedict Arnold went to West Point where he talked with the British and told them that they could take over West Point. He did this because he was not promoted to
General Burgoyne was taking fort after fort, city after city in a plan to capture the key city of Albany, New York. However, due to unexpected monkey wrenches thrown into the original plans and miscommunications, General Burgoyne was essentially without any sort of support from his fellow Generals by the time he reached Saratoga. The Battles of Saratoga lasted two battles; the first one resulting in a pyrrhic British victory, with the British in control over the field and the Americans retreated into their defenses as it was getting dark. Twenty days later, General Burgoyne launched another attack, even though his army was in need of men and supplies after the first battle. This time, the Americans repelled the attack and launched a counterattack on Burgoyne's retreating army all the way to the town of Saratoga (modern day Schuylerville), about 9.7 miles north of where the second battle took place (Bemis Heights).
The Battle of Valley Forge was the turning point of the Revolutionary War. Although no actual military battle was waged here, George Washington’s Continental Army faced some physical and mental battles of their own in this Pennsylvania town. It was here at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania where the Continental Army Soldiers of the Revolutionary War chose to go after being defeated in the Battle of Germantown in October 1777. During this winter, Washington’s troops came to this encampment to recuperate and train for future battles with the British.
Where the British lost men to the ratio 2:1 to the colonists. The second battle, the Battle of Bemis Heights, on October 7th, 1777 is named Victory NY now is where the Saratoga Monument is placed and memorializes that day. The colonists winning the Battles of Saratoga caused British general Burgoyne to return to England and never give another command. This is why the Battles of Saratoga are considered the major turning point in the American Revolution. Others might say the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the first battle, where the British attempted to seize Patriot arms is the turning point.