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Why Was The Battle Of Saratoga A Turning Point Of The American Revolution?

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The Battle of Saratoga known as a battle that was fought over two battles totaling eighteen days apart in the fall of 1777. The Battle of Saratoga would be considered as another turning point in the American Revolution. On September 19, 1777, British General John Burgoyne pulled off a small, but high-priced victory over American Colonial army led by General Horatio Gates and General Benedict Arnold. Though his troop strength had been weakened, General Burgoyne again attacked the Americans at Bemis Heights on October 7, 1777, but this time his forces were defeated and compelled to retreat. General Burgoyne surrendered ten days later, and the American victory convinced the French government to formally acknowledge the colonist 's cause and enter …show more content…

The scope of the American army victory is clear by a few key facts. The first fact is the divide-and-conquer strategy that General Burgoyne presented to British ministers in London was to invade America territory from Canada by advancing down the Hudson Valley waterways, unite and capture Albany, New York. As General Burgoyne march forces towards Albany, his supply lines from Canada would become longer and less reliable. Enabling him to attack a substantial supply depot at Bennington, Vermont, alleged to be lightly guarded and costing the captured of almost 500 British soldiers. In addition, General William Howe had his own plans to invade Pennsylvania and decides to attack the Colonial rebel capital at Philadelphia, taking the capital, rather than deploying his army to meet up with General Burgoyne and cut off New England from the other Colonies. These two factors contribute to the overall turning of the Battle of Saratoga and American Revolution. If General Burgoyne would have shown more resilience by waiting on reinforcements and supplies this would have allowed his forces to regroup and prepare for the next battle. In addition, he would have also been joined by other British troops under the command of Sir William Howe. Of the 7,000 British and Germans who marched from Canada, only 3,500 were fit for duty at

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