The American victory at the Battles of Saratoga occurred in 1777.
The campaign included major engagements on September 19 and October 7 near Saratoga, New York. American forces ultimately compelled British General John Burgoyne's army to surrender on October 17, 1777.
The British plan was to divide New England from the southern and middle colonies by controlling the Hudson River corridor. American forces under General Horatio Gates, with important battlefield leadership from Benedict Arnold and Daniel Morgan, stopped and then defeated Burgoyne's advance.
Saratoga is often called a turning point of the Revolutionary War because the victory encouraged France to enter the conflict as an American ally. French military assistance, supplies, naval power, and financial support later played a major role in the American victory at Yorktown. Saratoga was not the final battle of the war, however; fighting continued for several more years.