John Burgoy's Failure At The Battle Of Saratoga

“The world turned upside down!” (Hamilton) Many felt that they were in another universe, when hearing the news that the Americans miraculously triumphed over the British. On April 19, 1775, the Americans embarked on a journey to gain their independence from the British. Despite their incompetent preparations they were restless for the day they could part with King George and his country. However, the British had a naval far superior than any kind the Americans had. Their army dwarfed the Americans’ army. Why would the Americans risk their country against another that was far beyond their league? And most of all, how could the Americans possibly conquer the British? How did the Americans beat the odds? Perhaps the British really were not that

Not only was the army fighting the Americans, they were battling the environment. Burgoyne underestimated the terrain during the Battle of Saratoga, which created many obstacles. The soldiers in Burgoyne’s army, specifically the German mercenaries, were not apt to thick woods and swamps. The harsh environment led them to wear long heavy coats, as well as swords that were dragging on their feet (Mugtis “Burgoyne’s Failure at Saratoga”). Burgoyne miscalculated the weather which took a toll on the army and created hardships as they were trying to battle the Americans. This already put the British at a low because the troops were not adapted to the wilderness of the colonies. The soldiers were uncomfortable in the environment which caused them to not be at their best for fighting. Burgoyne came into the battle overconfident and illogically failed to think about the other aspects of the battle, like the

William Howe was a British Army officer who became Commander-in-Chief of the British forces during the American War. His most significant loss occurred at the Battle of Saratoga. Instead of lending support to Burgoyne he decided to take Philadelphia by moving south from the city of New York (Mugits “Burgoyne’s Failure at Saratoga”). Howe should have departed his army north, along the Hudson and been present to aid Burgoyne. This would have helped make the American army much stronger and been more presumptive to winning the battle against the Americans. Even though the American soldiers were outnumbered by the British, the lack of communication between Burgoyne and Howe led them to be easily defeated. It would have been more strategic if the two supported each other with their armies. They would have efficiently conquered the Americans and the French would not have become an