The 1777 American victories widely regarded as a turning point in the Revolutionary War are called the Battles of Saratoga.
The two principal battles occurred near Saratoga, New York, on September 19 and October 7, 1777. The American forces were commanded by Horatio Gates, with Benedict Arnold playing a prominent battlefield role, while the British army was led by General John Burgoyne.
Burgoyne surrendered his army on October 17, 1777. The defeat ended Britain’s major campaign to divide New England from the other colonies through the Hudson River Valley.
Saratoga’s international effect was especially important. The American victory persuaded France to enter a formal alliance with the United States in 1778, providing military and financial assistance that contributed to the eventual defeat of Britain.