As a nascent fighting force, the Continental Army was underestimated for the entirety of the American Revolutionary War. Just one year before the outbreak of the war in April 1775, British Prime Minister Lord Frederick North predicted that the rebellious colonies would submit without any military action by the mere presence of the British Royal Navy. Thanks to crucial victories like the Battle of Saratoga, however, the Continentals demonstrated to potential European allies that they could do real damage to Britain.
When Was the Battle of Saratoga?
The Battle of Saratoga began on September 19, 1777, and included two major actions over a two-month period. The second exchange, known as the Battle of Bemis Heights, commenced on October 7 following a failed reconnaissance patrol of the Continental Army’s left flank. By October 17, 1777, British General John Burgoyne ran out of supplies and surrendered his forces to General Horatio Gates, commander of the Continental Army’s Northern Department. The timing of the American victory, however, came at a crucial point in the Revolutionary War amid alarming losses to the British.
Despite a crucial victory by General George Washington over Hessian mercenaries at the Battle of Trenton in December 1776, the Continental Army suffered a crushing defeat in the summer of 1777. Just a week prior to the Battle of Saratoga, General William Howe and British forces succeeded in capturing Philadelphia, the seat of the Second Continental Congress, after defeating Washington at Brandywine on September 11. Washington’s troops attempted to retake Philadelphia at the Battle of Germantown on October 4, 1777, but the attack was repulsed by effective British defenses.
The winter of 1777 to 1778 was notoriously challenging for the Continental Army. Bunkered down at Valley Forge to the northwest of Philadelphia, Washington’s men spent six months facing inadequate shelter, little food, disease, and desertion. The American victory at Saratoga provided crucial hope that the Continental Army could ultimately overcome the Redcoats, giving the men a crucial morale boost during the winter.
Where Was the Battle of Saratoga?
The location of the Battle of Saratoga, in modern-day upstate New York, was vital to the Continental Army for several strategic reasons. Most importantly, control of Saratoga for either side brought control of the Hudson River, which connected New York City to the Great Lakes and Canada, serving as an essential highway for the transportation of supplies, artillery, and troops during the war. The Hudson’s importance was underlined by the siting of several fortresses along its banks including West Point, now home to the United States Military Academy.
Saratoga was a desirable target for the British. If they could capture Saratoga and its surrounding upper Hudson River Valley, the British could effectively cut off the Continental Army’s more radical colonies in New England from the more conservative colonies further south and cripple the revolutionary cause. During the war, George Washington identified Saratoga and the Hudson River as the key to America’s prospects of independence.
At the Battle of Saratoga, the Continentals were well-positioned on the fortified high grounds of Berris Heights overlooking the Hudson River. By firing down into the approaching British attackers, the Continental Army prevented their foes from moving south along the Hudson. This strategic advantage was fundamental to the successful defense of Saratoga, leading to a much-needed American victory in the battle.
Who Won the Battle of Saratoga?
The Battle of Saratoga was an overwhelming victory for General Horatio Gates and the Continental Army. During the Battle of Freeman’s Farm, the first exchange of the Saratoga Campaign, momentum shifted several times amid multiple British assaults. While General John Burgoyne’s Redcoats gained a significant advantage late into the battle, the British failed to take advantage of the American retreat. Burgoyne chose to await reinforcements from New York City and failed to recognize that Gates had also received substantial reinforcements.
Two weeks later, British supplies were nearly exhausted, compelling Burgoyne to launch a final attack to avoid having to withdraw. Desperate for information about the enemy’s dispositions, the British commander ordered a reconnaissance patrol to investigate the Continental Army’s left flank at Bemis Heights, where the American position was especially well fortified thanks to the Polish engineer, Colonel Tadeusz (Thaddeus) Kościuszko. The small force was exposed by Continental sentries, forcing the British to withdraw from Saratoga.
Fleeing north away from the numerically superior and better supplied Americans, Burgoyne’s troops endured frigid conditions and harsh storms, delaying their retreat. By October 17, 1777, General Gates and the Continental Army surrounded the British and Germans, causing Burgoyne to formally surrender with his 6,000 men. Success at Saratoga quickly proved a vital moment in turning the tide of the American Revolutionary War.
Aftermath of the Battle of Saratoga
Following the climatic loss at Saratoga, the British shifted focus from the North and sought to win the war in the American South. Known as the Southern Strategy, the British forces sought to harness loyalist support in the states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia and defeat the Continental Army in its most vulnerable locations.
Initially, this strategic shift in the aftermath of the Battle of Saratoga was fruitful for the British. In 1778, the redcoats captured Savannah, Georgia, where they established a new base to direct operations on the southern front. The following year, the British repelled a combined operation by American and French forces to recapture Savannah. British strength in the south led to a major British victory at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1780 where 5,000 Americans surrendered. Despite success in Savannah and Charleston, the Southern Strategy was not effective in the long term.
The British forces in the south failed to accurately estimate colonial resolve in traditionally loyalist hubs or effectively counter revolutionary guerrilla tactics employed by intelligent Continental Army leaders like Nathaniel Greene. By late early 1781, the British suffered key losses in the Carolinas. At King’s Mountain near the border of North Carolina and South Carolina, colonial troops killed, wounded, and captured over 1,000 enemy soldiers. The British lost hundreds more at Cowpens, South Carolina, leading General Charles Cornwallis to abandon South Carolina and pursue Greene’s army into North Carolina. A Pyrrhic victory at the Battle of Guildford Court House compelled Cornwallis to withdraw to Yorktown, where he eventually surrendered the British Army to American and French troops in October 1781.
Why Was the Battle of Saratoga Important?
The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the Continental Congress’ efforts to obtain military assistance from Britain’s rivals on the European continent. Although France saw the American Revolution as an opportunity to weaken Britain and offered economic and political support, the Continental victory at Saratoga convinced France to offer military support. Later in the conflict, Spain and the Netherlands joined the American cause as well.
In 1778, less than one year after victory at Saratoga, the United States and France signed the Treaty of Alliance, making France the first country to officially recognize the United States. This alliance was foundational to the success of the Continental Army. Symbolically, recognition by a European power legitimized the conflict for the American revolutionaries, and France’s material goods and training professionalized an otherwise young and inexperienced Continental Army.
After the formal partnership was codified, France supplied their American counterparts with financial loans and donations needed to fund wartime operations. France’s allocation of weapons, uniforms, and ammunition fulfilled dire colonial needs, especially after the brutal winter at Valley Forge. Support from the French navy proved crucial at sea, and French warships at the Battle of the Chesapeake in September 1781 prevented British reinforcements from reaching General Cornwallis at the Siege of Yorktown.
What Happened to Leaders of the Battle of Saratoga?
The Battle of Saratoga involved some of the most controversial leaders on both sides of the war. For the Continental Army, Gates’ leadership at Saratoga was invaluable, but the remainder of the war challenged the colonial officer. After Saratoga, Gates was placed in command of the Continental Army’s Southern Department, an active unit in preventing the British from successfully implementing their Southern Strategy. Gates, however, led colonial troops to a decisive loss against the British at the Battle of Camden, resulting in him being stripped of command for the remainder of the war. Gates was also implicated in an unsuccessful attempt to replace future president George Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.
Following the loss at the Battle of Saratoga, British General Burgoyne returned to England, where he faced immense criticism for his handling of the battle. The British war effort received a boost in 1780 with the defection of the talented American commander Benedict Arnold. Despite being wounded at Saratoga and leading the Continental Army to victory in New York, Benedict Arnold defected to the British due to personal grievances with the Continental Congress overlooking him for promotion. While Arnold is the most famous participant of the Battle of Saratoga, he is not remembered for his role in achieving the most complete American victory of the Revolutionary War.
