The Battle of Saratoga
first battle
The Battle of Saratoga was a combination of two different battles during the Revolutionary War. General John Burgoyne made the first move of this battle by planning an attack on the American soldiers. On September 19th, he finally took action and attacked the Patriots, causing havoc throughout the city of Saratoga. The Patriots fought back, not willing to give up on winning. The continuous fighting went on for the whole afternoon. Eventually, Horatio Gates, America's army leader for this battle, broke up the battle, letting Burgoyne take the ground for now. The Patriots regrouped and trained the new soliders that came in for their serving time.
Second Battle
The second battle of Saratoga started with another surprise attack from the British soldiers. Benedict Arnold, a General for the Patriots, had his soldiers fight back, making John Burgoyne retreat back to the opposite side of Saratoga. The Patriots later closed in, trapping Burgoyne and the rest of his soldiers until he surrendered ten days later. The Patriots had a victorious win, causing Britian to become furious. Britain was ready to destroy the colonists, but figured surprise attacks were not a good way to start the next battle.
After Both Battles
These two battles were a great turning point in American history. This pair of battles convinced the French to join the war as an ally of the Patriots. This war also boosted the confidence of the American soliders, convincing some of them to stay for longer than their required serving time. These choices angered Britain, but were very helpful for the Patriots. The British started planning for the next battle right away, making an almost perfect plan against America.