Transcript The Battle of Saratoga: A Turning Point

The Battle of Saratoga
The turning point in the
Revolutionary War
Waiting in Saratoga
• Burgoyne was in
Saratoga waiting for
reinforcements
– They never came
• Howe was still in
Philadelphia
• St. Leger had been
stopped by the Americans
at Fort Stanwix
– Burgoyne was on his
own
The Battle of Saratoga
• Burgoyne’s troops were
badly outnumbered by the
Patriots – 3/1
– General Horatio Gates –
attacked from the South
– Benedict Arnold – attacked
from the North
• The British troops were
surrounded
• October 17, 1777
– Patriots capture Burgoyne’s
entire army
• 5,700 British Soldiers
• All their Weapons
Battle of Saratoga - Map
The Turning Point in the Revolution
• Great Victory for the
Patriots
– Capture John Burgoyne
– General Howe Resigns
– British appoint a new General
• General Henry Clinton
• Morale Booster for the
Patriots
– Led to increased foreign
support for the Patriots
• “This event will make one of
the most brilliant pages of
American History.”
– Patriot James Thacher
Gaining Foreign Allies
• European nations realized
that the United States
might actually win its war
against Great Britain.
– Some European nations
gave Americans money and
supplies but would not
committed to an alliance.
– Benjamin Franklin seeks to
gain support of the French
and Spanish in the
Americans’ fight for
independence.
France joins the War
• France sees that the
Americans will probably
win
– February 1778 – France
and the U.S. form an
alliance
– France declares war on
Great Britain
– France sends money,
equipment, and troops
to the American Patriots
Spain joins the War
• Spain joins the war
because of their hatred
toward Great Britain
– 1779 – Spain Declares
war on Great Britain
– Bernardo de Gálvez’s raised army against the
British
• Captured British troops
and Forts in the South
Individuals Support Patriot’s Cause
• Marquis de Lafayette
–
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–
Wealthy Frenchman
Summer 1777
Spoke little English
Lacked combat experience
Gave $200,000 to the
Patriots
– Becomes a trusted aid to
Washington
• “The welfare of America
is closely bound up with
the welfare of mankind.”
The Americans were on their way
to Independence