Page 62 - ASM Book 9/2020

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• OCTOBER 7 to 17 - AMERICAN ACTION: The victory over General John Burgoyne’s army at the Battle of Saratoga was an important American victory. The British suffered 600 casualties compared to American losses of 150. Ten days later, Burgoyne’s army of 5,700 men surrendered.
• NOVEMBER 15 - AMERICAN ACTION: Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation that established America’s first national government.
• DECEMBER 19 - AMERICAN ACTION: General Washington established winter quarters for his Continental soldiers at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
AMERICAN ACTION: The Continental Congress selected John Adams and Benjamin Franklin to go to Paris to attempt to get French support for the American Revolution.
Battle of Saratoga
was a Major Win for America
From late September into the first week of October, General Gate’s American army was positioned between Burgoyne’s army and Albany, New York. On October 7, Burgoyne took the offensive. Both armies crashed together south of the town of Saratoga, and Burgoyne’s army was broken. When the fighting ended,
86 percent of Burgoyne’s army was captured.
The victory gave new life to the American cause at a critical time. Americans had just suffered a major setback at the Battle of Brandywine Creek as well as the news of the fall of Philadelphia to the British. One American soldier declared, “It was a glorious sight to see the haughty Britons march out and
surrender their arms to an army which but a little before they despised and called paltroons.”
The decisive American victory gave France the confidence it needed to enter the war as an American ally.
France’s financial and military assistance provided a great boost to America’s successes.
The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point of the Revolutionary War.
Two key facts illustrate the scope of the victory: (1) 5,895 British and Hessian troops surrendered their arms
on October 17. (2) The size of General Burgoyne’s expeditionary force was reduced by 86 percent, compared to when they triumphantly marched into New York from Canada during the early summer.
The Continental Congress celebrated the Saratoga victory by issuing a proclamation that called for a national day “for solemn Thanksgiving and praise.” Churches complied by holding services in all the colonies.