The Battles of Saratoga were two engagements fought near Saratoga in upstate New York, at Freeman's Farm and Bemis Heights, during a British attempt to cut off New England from the other colonies. General John Burgoyne led an army south from Canada, but supplies ran short and his Native and Loyalist support faded, while American forces under Horatio Gates, with Benedict Arnold, Daniel Morgan and others, grew in strength. After a second defeat in early October, Burgoyne surrendered his army of several thousand men. The victory persuaded France, which had been giving secret aid, to enter the war openly on the American side in 1778. Saratoga is therefore often seen as the turning point of the American Revolutionary War.
Before and after
- 30 April 1777Birth of Carl Friedrich Gauss
- from 14 June 1777 to 17 October 1777Saratoga campaign
- 14 August 1777Birth of Hans Christian Ørsted
- 11 September 1777Battle of Brandywine
- from 19 September 1777 to 17 December 1777Battles of Saratoga
- 12 December 1777Birth of Alexander I of Russia
- 1778Discovery of molybdenum
- 25 February 1778Birth of José de San Martín
- from 25 May 1778 to 30 May 1778Mount Hope Bay raids
More in Wars, politics & history
- 16 December 1773Boston Tea Party
- from 14 July 1789 to 9 November 1799French Revolution
- from 1821 to 1829Greek War of Independence
- from 12 April 1861 to 9 April 1865American Civil War
- from 24 April 1877 to 3 March 1878Tenth Russo-Turkish War
- 27 August 1896Anglo-Zanzibar War
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 18th century.