British Strategy To Divide Southern States During The Hudson Valley Campaign Of 1777

This historical study will define the major failures of the British strategy to divide New England from the Southern states during the Hudson Valley Campaign of 1777. General John Burgoyne’s strategy of a northerly invasion of New England was meant to control the Hudson Valley region in order to isolate the colonial forces from assistance from the south. Burgoyne’s initial victory over General Horatio Gates forces at the Battle of Freeman's Farm on September 19th, allowed him a small degree of success over the colonists. However, the ever-increasing size of the American military and the lack of British reinforcements from the south isolated Burgoyne’s forces in a defeat at the Battle of Bemis Heights on October 7th. Therefore, the Saratoga

The core plans of this strategy were to divide the newly formed New England states from the southern states as a larger geographical plan. The British army had suffered defeats in the American north, but they still wielded a potential threat in dividing the newly formed United States as a larger strategy for reinstating the colonies. These plans hoped open a two-front system of northerly and southerly British military advances, which would destroy the armies of Gates, Arnold, and Schuyler. General Burgoyne was the primary military leader put forth to achieve this plan in the hopes that it would destroy the northern portion of the Continental Army under General Horatio

General Burgoyne had been abandoned by General Howe at the beginning of the Saratoga Campaign, which resulted in an immediate disadvantage for the British when fighting the American forces. The Battle of Freeman's Farm showed promise for Burgoyne’s forces at the outset of the Hudson Valley campaign on September 19th, 1777, but he could not sustain food supplies and soldier reinforcements for latter battles. During the Battle of Bemis Heights on October 7th, Burgoyne was outnumbered by the American forces, and he struggled with malnourishment of his soldiers. This led to the capture of many British soldiers by the Americans, which resulted in his retreat and surrender in Saratoga on October 17th. The large-scale strategy to divide the Northern states from southern states had failed due to a lack of merger of Howe and Burgoyne’s armies to destroy the American forces under General Gates. These are the primary reasons for the defeat of the British forces in Saratoga Campaign, which resulted in an important victory for the American military in consolidating power in the northern