The Battle of Saratoga was the 1777 American victory that helped bring France into the Revolutionary War against Britain.
The Saratoga campaign unfolded in upstate New York as British general John Burgoyne attempted to control the Hudson River Valley and divide the American forces. American troops ultimately surrounded Burgoyne’s army, leading to its surrender on October 17, 1777.
The victory demonstrated that the American rebellion could defeat a major British force. France, already a longstanding rival of Britain, saw a greater chance that the Americans might win and formally entered the conflict after signing the Treaty of Alliance with the United States on February 6, 1778.
Saratoga is often described as a turning point of the war, but it was not the final American victory. That came later at Yorktown in 1781, where another British army surrendered.