Battle+of+Saratoga

Battle of Saratoga by: Bryan Delaney and Anna Lusnia

The Battle of Saratoga was between two forces, the Patriots and the British. The leader of the Patriots was Major General Horatio Gates, and the leader of the British was Major General John Burgoyne. The Battle of Saratoga took place at Freeman's Farm on the west bank of the Hudson River, near Saratoga NY. There were two parts of the Battle of Saratoga.

The First Battle of Saratoga The First Battle of Saratoga began in the middle of September, 1777. The British finally reached an area of farmland south of Saratoga, and north of Albany, New York. On the morning of September 19, the British finally gained the courage to move forward, in an attempt to lure the Patriots into fighting. After reaching this battle field, a Patriot rifleman was the first to open fire on the British officers. The British and the Patriots went into battle and after a long day of battle, the fight ended in a draw. The Patriot General, Gates, then called in reinforcements and soon had 11,000 men on the battle field. On October 7, the second battle began.

The Second Battle of Saratoga = = The Second Battle of Saratoga took place south of Saratoga NY on October 7,1777. The Patriots and the British still had their same leaders for the second battle. By the time the second battle started the British had lost 600 men that had either been captured, killed, or injured. The British decided that they would attempt to break through the Patriots lineup. The Patriots outsmarted them, and the British were set back. The British were slowly losing control, and things went downhill from there. A few days later their leader John Burgoyne died. The Patriots won the battle, and created a major turning point in the American Revolution.



How did the people feel about the Battle of Saratoga? Below is a letter that American soldier, John Glover, wrote to a relative in MA on September 29,1777, while fighting in the battle....

"We have taken thirty prisoners since the battle, and many more deserted. Our men are in fine spirits, and are very bold and daring....Matters can't remain long as they now are. Burgoyne has only twenty days' provision. He must give us battle in a day or two, or else retire back. ....In either case, I think, with the blessing of heaven, he must be ruined."

A Diplomatic Victory The Battle of Saratoga also caused a major diplomatic victory for the Patriots. Congress sent Benjamin Franklin to France to gain an ally. Unaware of the victory at Saratoga, France declined the request to become an ally. After finding out about the victory, France agreed to become allies with the Patriots because France’s main rival, Britain, was defeated. In February 1778, an official formal treaty was signed officiating the new alliance. If Britain had won... If Britain had won the Battle of Saratoga they would have taken over NY. This would be a huge disadvantage to the colonists because it would cause many problems. If the colonists no longer owned NY, and it were owned by the British, it would totally divide up their land. This would be a problem for trading, traveling, and communication. If they were allowed to move west at some point they would not be able to because of the British territory. Not to mention, they would have no where to go if they were invaded. The colonists would be left in plain sight. As you can see, if the British had won it would have caused so many problems for the colonists.



Analysis of Picture This painting shown above was painted by an American painter, John Trumbol. He was a colonel in the General Washington Army. The painting shown above was painted in 1817. The painting was painted forty years (exactly) after the Battle of Saratoga when he was told by congress to paint pictures for the capitol building. Since then, we gained our independence and we started governing ourselves. Prior to when this was painted, the Battle of Bunker Hill, Yorktown, and the Battle of Lexington and Concord took place, along with the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre and the Treaty of Paris. After the battle, France became our ally and our independence was gained. In this painting John Burgoyne is surrendering to the Patriots. Everyone is gathering around to witness the British surrender to the Patriots. There is a canon and it seems as though they are surrendering on the Patriots side. The Patriot flag is flying above the tent which shows us that this is the American side. This painting portrays exactly what happened at the end of the Battle of Saratoga. (The British surrender to the Patriots). __Citations__ 6. Janda, Lance. "First and Second Battles of Saratoga." In Tucker, Spencer C., gen. ed. //Encyclopedia of American Military History//. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE52&iPin=EMHIII0132&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 9, 2012). 7. "13 Colonies Map/Quiz Printout - EnchantedLearning.com." //ENCHANTED LEARNING HOME PAGE//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2012. [] 8. "The Battle of Saratoga." //The Battle of Saratoga//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2012. ."The Battle of Saratoga." //The Battle of Saratoga//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2012. []. //9. Surrender of Gen. John Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga//. Photograph. //Encyclopædia Britannica Online//. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <[]>.//Surrender of Gen. John Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga//. Photograph. //Encyclopædia Britannica Online//.Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <[]>. 10. " John Trumbull." //Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online//. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2012.
 * 1) "First Battle of Saratoga." In Purcell, L. Edward, and Sarah J. Purcell. //Encyclopedia of Battles in North America//, 1517 to 1916. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2000. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE52&iPin=AMHC0088&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 8, 20 "First Battle of Saratoga." //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE52&iPin=AMHC0088&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 8, 2012).
 * 2) Purcell, L. Edward, and Sarah J. Purcell. "First Battle of Saratoga." //Encyclopedia of Battles in North America, 1517 to 1916//. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2000. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE52&iPin=bna305&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 8, 2012).
 * 3) "Second Battle of Saratoga." In Purcell, L. Edward, and Sarah J. Purcell. //Encyclopedia of Battles in North America//, 1517 to 1916. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2000. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE52&iPin=AMHC0081&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 8, 2012).
 * 4) Second Battle of Saratoga." //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE52&iPin=AMHC0081&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 8, 2012).Anderson, Dale. //Key battles of the American Revolution, 1776-1778//. Milwaukee: World Almanac Library, 2006. Print.