During the summer of 1776, a powerful army under British General Sir William Howe invaded the New York City area. His professional troops defeated and outmaneuvered General George Washington’s less trained forces. An ill advised American invasion of Canada had come to an appalling end, its once confident regiments reduced to a barely disciplined mob beset by smallpox and pursuing British troops through the Lake Champlain Valley. The Saratoga Campaign of 1777 was a pivotal moment in the American Revolutionary War where British General John Burgoyne attempted to gain control of the Hudson River Valley by marching south from Canada, but was ultimately defeated by American forces under General Horatio Gates, leading to the surrender of the British army at Saratoga, New York, and marking a major turning point in the war due to the significant boost in American morale and the subsequent entry of France into the conflict on the American side; this decisive American victory is considered one of the most important battles of the Revolution. British General John Burgoyne led the campaign, which began in June 1777 and his army marched south from Canada, capturing Fort Ticonderoga and Fort Edward. Burgoyne planned to meet with Sir William Howe in Albany, but Howe was diverted to capture Philadelphia. This plan became known to history as the Campaign of 1777.

The plan called for Burgoyne to advance south from Canada, up to Lake Champlain, capture Ft. Ticonderoga, and then march south along the Hudson to Albany. There he would join Sir William Howe, who would advance north along the Hudson River from New York City, already under British control. Barry St. Leger would come as a third force, advancing west along the Mohawk River Valley. St. Leger's Force was to act as a diversion, recruiting loyalists along the way and additionally securing a western water route between Canada and New York City. Learning of the Rebels’ position, Burgoyne attempted to move part of his army inland to avoid the danger posed by the American fortifications. On September 19th 1777, his columns collided with part of General Gates’ army near the abandoned farm of Loyalist John Freeman. During the long afternoon, the British were unable to maintain any initiative or momentum. Meanwhile, although St. Leger continued his siege, he was feeling quite exposed, anxious that another Patriot force would emerge from the woods any day. His worst fears appeared to be realized in mid-August when several Loyalist scouts reported that Patriot General Benedict Arnold was marching toward Fort Stanwix with a large relief force; on 22 August, unwilling to be caught between Arnold's force and the fort, St. Leger decided to lift the siege and retreat to Canada.

In the aftermath of his victory at Saratoga, General Gates enjoyed widespread popular support and some campaigned behind the scenes to have him replace Washington as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. The successful conclusion for the Americans in the Saratoga campaign marked a major turning point in the Revolutionary War. While it succeeded in preventing Burgoyne’s plan of severing the American colonies into two, more importantly, it demonstrated to foreign powers that the United States had a legitimate chance to defeat the British. Burgoyne tried to break through the American lines at Freeman’s Farm and at Bemis Heights. Both attempts failed, and the British commander, finding himself outnumbered and surrounded and unable to retreat, surrendered on October 17, 1777. Burgoyne’s defeat and surrender at Saratoga, coupled with the victory months prior at Fort Stanwix, lead directly to the alliances between the United States, France, and the Netherlands. These alliances helped to sustain the new United States throughout the rest of the war and directly contributed to the final victory and British surrender at Yorktown in 1781.