# Canonical recap data for Battle of Saratoga (1777)
# Source: https://recap.at/1777/battle-saratoga
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: battle-saratoga
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1777/battle-saratoga"
title: Battle of Saratoga
aliases:
- Saratoga Campaign
- Freeman's Farm
- Bemis Heights
subtitle: The American victory at Saratoga convinced France to formally enter the Revolutionary War, shifting the global balance of power.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1777-10-07
endDate: 1777-12-17
datePrecision: day
year: 1777
decade: 1770
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: The Battles of Saratoga were fought September 19 and October 7, 1777 over the same ground by the American Continental Army and the British Army near Saratoga, New York during the American Revolutionary War. The second battle ended with a decisive American victory, and the surrender of the British army there. The outcom
summaryLong: The Battles of Saratoga were fought September 19 and October 7, 1777 over the same ground by the American Continental Army and the British Army near Saratoga, New York during the American Revolutionary War. The second battle ended with a decisive American victory, and the surrender of the British army there. The outcome greatly affected the course of the war, persuading France to enter the war as an American ally. In both battles, General John Burgoyne commanded the British forces, while Generals Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold oversaw the American forces. Historian Edmund Morgan described Saratoga as "a great turning point of the war", because it won for Americans the foreign assistance from France, which was the last element needed for victory."
lede: In September and October 1777, the Continental Army defeated a major British invasion force near Saratoga, New York, ending any realistic hope the British had of crushing the rebellion quickly. The American victory convinced France to enter the war as an open ally, fundamentally shifting the military balance and securing American independence as a realistic outcome rather than a desperate gamble.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Surrender_of_General_Burgoyne.jpg/1280px-Surrender_of_General_Burgoyne.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Battles of Saratoga"
importance: 86
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Dates
  value: September 19 and October 7, 1777
- label: Location
  value: Near Saratoga, New York
- label: American Commander
  value: Major General Horatio Gates
- label: British Commander
  value: General John Burgoyne
- label: British Casualties (surrendered)
  value: 5,895 troops
- label: American Strength at Surrender
  value: Approximately 17,000 troops
- label: Diplomatic Consequence
  value: France formally entered the war in 1778
- label: Days Between Battles
  value: 18 days
timeline:
- date: 1777-09-13
  title: Burgoyne Crosses the Hudson
  description: General John Burgoyne's British army crosses the Hudson River as part of a campaign to split New York and isolate New England from the other colonies.
- date: 1777-09-19
  title: First Battle—Freeman's Farm
  description: The Continental Army under Horatio Gates clashes with Burgoyne's forces at Freeman's Farm. Neither side achieves decisive victory, but the British fail to break through American lines.
- date: 1777-09-21
  title: British Entrench Near Bemis Heights
  description: Burgoyne halts his advance and establishes fortified positions near Bemis Heights, waiting for reinforcements and orders from New York City.
- date: 1777-10-07
  title: Second Battle—Bemis Heights
  description: Burgoyne attempts to break the American lines with an offensive reconnaissance in force. The attack fails; American counterattacks drive the British back with heavy losses.
- date: 1777-10-09
  title: Burgoyne Retreats to Saratoga
  description: With no hope of reinforcement and surrounded by American militia, Burgoyne withdraws northward toward Saratoga village.
- date: 1777-10-17
  title: Burgoyne Surrenders
  description: Trapped and outnumbered, Burgoyne surrenders his entire army to Gates. Nearly 5,900 British and German troops lay down their arms.
- date: 1778-02-06
  title: Franco-American Alliance Signed
  description: France formally recognizes American independence and signs a treaty of military alliance, making the American cause a war against Britain rather than an internal rebellion.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Saratoga"
  title: Battles of Saratoga
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Saratoga was the hinge on which the American Revolution turned. Before the battle, the war looked winnable for Britain; after it, French intervention made American defeat improbable. The victory proved the Continental Army could stand against professional soldiers and won the diplomatic support without which independence would have remained impossible.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- war
- invasion
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: emergent
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: transition
metaDescription: "The 1777 Saratoga battles: decisive American victory that triggered French entry into the Revolutionary War."
wikidataQid: Q846674
peoplesVoice:
- source: General John Stark, Continental Army commander
  voiceType: official
  context: Stark rallied New Hampshire militia before the second battle on October 7, 1777, delivering the phrase that became legendary.
  excerpt: There are your enemies, the Red Coats and the Tories. They are ours, or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow!
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 88
  attribution: Battle report, October 7, 1777
  publishedAt: 1777-10-07
  originalLanguage: en
- source: General Horatio Gates, American Commander-in-Chief at Saratoga
  voiceType: official
  context: Gates reported the British surrender to the Continental Congress immediately after the October 7 victory.
  excerpt: General Burgoyne has surrendered his entire army to the United States. This victory must convince Europe that our cause is not lost.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 90
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Official dispatch to Congress, October 17, 1777
  publishedAt: 1777-10-17
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Lord George Germain, British Secretary of State for America
  voiceType: official
  context: Germain received news of Burgoyne's defeat in London in late November 1777, responding with shock and recrimination.
  excerpt: The loss of General Burgoyne's army is a calamity of the first magnitude. The campaign has been conducted with fatal errors.
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 78
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Private correspondence, November 1777
  publishedAt: 1777-11-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Benjamin Franklin, American diplomat in Paris
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Franklin leveraged Saratoga's victory to secure French military support for America in December 1777.
  excerpt: The action at Saratoga proves the Americans can defeat the British army in open combat. France must now join our cause.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 85
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Dispatch to American Congress, December 1777
  publishedAt: 1777-12-01
  originalLanguage: en
- source: General John Burgoyne, British commander
  voiceType: expert
  context: Burgoyne signed the Capitulation of Saratoga on October 17, 1777, acknowledging his strategic defeat.
  excerpt: I have lost the campaign through errors in judgment. The Americans have fought with discipline and courage we underestimated.
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 82
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Capitulation document and subsequent testimony, October 1777
  publishedAt: 1777-10-17
  originalLanguage: en
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260605040229/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Saratoga"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-05
  label: Battles of Saratoga
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Saratoga"
