Branson D. Brewer Woodward America’s Turning Point America, the land of the free and home of the brave. Most people know that the Revolutionary War is what set The United States of America apart from Great Britain. However, the majority of people do not know what kicked off America’s lead toward gaining independence. This major step towards freedom was taken with a victory at the Battle of Saratoga. The war was not won over night. It took over eight years to win the war. There are several key factors to the victory, including what led up to the Battle of Saratoga, the battle itself, and why this battle has been known as the main turning point during the Revolutionary War. This battle was not expected to go the way that it did. According to Saratoga.com in The Battle of Saratoga – Sept & Oct 1777, the battle was actually a plan set in motion by the British to control Upstate New York and separate New England from the colonies and put a halt to the war. This however, was not the case for Great Britain. Colonist troops acted fast in decreasing the number of British troops led by General John Burgoyne … “a man of wide military and political experience… and had been assigned a command in the army to crush the War for Independence,” (Battle of Saratoga and Surrender of Burgoyne, 10). The patriots were also successful in slowing down the red coats …show more content…
“Americans had just suffered a major setback from the Battle of the Brandywine along with news of the fall of Philadelphia to the British.” This crucial victory ignited a fire in the patriots that led to many more victories, but it also pushed other forces to join in. Saratoga.com in The Battle of Saratoga, said that these important colonist victories at the Battle of Saratoga were what persuaded the French to support the Americans with military aid and that is why this battle is considered to be the major turning point in the American
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 British highly ranked, educated militia outnumbered the colonial army. At this point of the war, the patriots were lacking physical supplies and mental dignity from their previous losses. Despite their defeats, the patriots won the battle in Saratoga and this battle became the “turning point” of the Revolutionary War. What made this victory such a critical point of the war was behind the work of Kościuszko. His strategic planning in the fortification for Burgoyne’s army delayed the British and effectively allowed the army to win the victory.
The Battle of Trenton was a substantial turning point early in the Revolutionary war. Though this was a relatively small battle, the significance cannot be overlooked as it was an extremely important victory for the fight for independence. The battle took place in the winter of 1776 after a series of defeats for the Continental Army. It was in fact the first major victory for the Continental Army. This battle changed the momentum of the war by increasing morale and giving the Continental Army new purpose.
The battle Saratoga was an important turning point in the American Revolution. After the battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777, the British forces under General Howe and Lord Cornwallis moved all of their troops to New York. Following this, another British general, John Burgoyne, who was positioned in Canada, planned to move South from Quebec, capture Ticonderoga, and then join Howe and another British force led by Lieutenant Colonel Barry St. Leger in Albany. If they were successful in doing this, then the British would have cut of the New England Colonies from the South. Burgoyne’s strategy was initially going to plan.
Vicente Mendoza Mr. Montgomery US History 9 October, 2014 Battle of Saratoga and Yorktown The Battle of Saratoga was a battle fought between the British and the Continental Army just nine miles off of Saratoga, New York. This battle took place on September 19, 1777 all the way to October 7 of 1777. Eighteen days to be exact. The leader for the Continental Army was Horatio Gates and the leader for the British was John Burgoyne.
Saratoga was the turning point of the American Revolution because they gained allies and support from other nations that ended up helping them win the last major battle and declare independence. After the Battle of Saratoga the Americans gained French allies. Those allies helped them win the final battle. In 1780, French warships in Rhode Island were filled with thousands of French soldiers that were commanded by Comte de Rochambeau. Rochambeau ended up joining General Washington and they both waited for the arrival of the second French ship.
First, the British General was able to conquer Fort Ticonderoga losing only a few casualties. However, along his travel south he was going to encounter several more guerrilla type attacks. This cost the British Army several resources and made for a very slow movement, which the Americans were able to capitalize on. Later, on August 16, Burgoyne lost nearly one-thousand troops in an attempt to capture much needed American supplies in Bennington. This left General Burgoyne at an even greater disadvantage for the upcoming events at Saratoga.
After Lexington and Concord, America spiraled into a losing streak, and were running out of options. Then, Washington and his soldiers came up with a winning idea. The continental army would cross the Delaware river on the night of Christmas, in the hopes of the British soldiers all being fast asleep from the celebrating the night before. Moreover, during the 1700s war was very different, battles tended to be fought face to face, and not during the winter, so the Americans were throwing a total wildcard at Britain. As you can imagine, the result of the war was an American victory, and many refer to this battle as the turning point of the war.
(“Battle of Saratoga” n.d.). As a result of this Battle, the French were confident with the Americans and joined the war effort as an ally to America. The French would later aid the Americans during the “battle” at Yorktown, in which French ships were able to defeat the British Navy who were headed to give supplies to General Cornwallis. As a result Cornwallis surrendered and America won the Revolutionary War gaining their independence and all land east of the Mississippi River. The Battle of Saratoga was an important contributor to winning the Revolutionary War and as a result it was the start of making America what it is
There was The Battles of Lexington and Concord. THe BAttles of Lexington and Concord left Thomas Gage and his British Army pinned down to Boston. Then, the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga which happened shortly after The Battles of Lexington and Concord. And finally, THe Creations of The Continental Army. Prescott and his men had captured Bunker Hill.
The Battle of Saratoga was a crucial victory for the Patriots and takes credit for the turning point of the American Revolution. The battle is considered to be the turning point of the war because “… it won for Americans the foreign assistance which was the last element needed for victory.” Even though the two battles took place on two separate occasions, both battles had a similar outcome and both contributed to the ridding of Great Britain. British General John Burgoyne, or “Gentleman Jonny”, was known for his was manners on the battlefield. In June of 1777, he moved south in hopes of taking control of the upper Hudson River valley.
The American Revolution was one of the most important wars that was fought in the history of the United States. The Patriots and the British had two different views on how things should be run in America. Many people have different opinions on why, where and how the war was started. There were a few key battles that helped to influence the outcome of the war. The outcome of the American Revolutionary War influenced the United States way of Freedom and the way the American people live today.
However, in all of the battles fought there had never been large scale surrenders (for the British anyways). Once Saratoga was over, and the violence was through, there was a mass of captured British men counting up to around 5,000 men from the British side (2). This was due to mainly Burgoyne’s failure in the attack, freeman’s farm, and Arnold’s mad charge. This was not only a huge morale booster for the Americans, but it also caused a huge loss for the British, for it ended their victories in New York for the time being, and also stopped their forward growing momentum towards victory giving America its chance to push back. Going even further into British loss, five thousand highly trained regulars were captured hurting the British advance until reinforcements arrive (3).
The American Revolution was a period of great anxiety and hope for the colonies that wanted to have a better life separated from British rule. The advantage switched between sides several times during the war, including the battle at Moore’s Creek and Guilford Courthouse. Moore’s Creek was the American’s first victory in the Revolutionary War and led North Carolina to vote for independence. Guilford Courthouse was a major turning point in the war. While Guilford Courthouse is considered a tactical victory for the British, the results of the battle were widespread and led directly to winning the war for the American Patriots.
The Second Continental Congress declared that the 13 colonies were marked independent from Britain. However, the American Revolution continued because the British did not want to have the American colonies taken away from them. On September 19, 1777 and October 7, 1777, the Battles of Saratoga were fought and it marked a turning point for the Revolutionary War. After both of these battles occurred, John Burgoyne, who was the British commander, surrendered to the American troops. Another major event of the American Revolution was when the Treaty of Paris was signed, which ended the American Revolutionary War.