The Saratoga campaign is often called a turning point of the American Revolutionary War because it helped bring France into the conflict as an American ally.
The campaign took place in 1777 as British forces attempted to control the Hudson River Valley and separate New England from the other colonies. Lieutenant General John Burgoyne led the main British force south from Quebec, while other British movements were intended to support the plan.
American forces resisted Burgoyne in a series of engagements, including the Battles of Saratoga. Burgoyne surrendered his army to General Horatio Gates on October 17, 1777. The American victory demonstrated that the Continental forces could defeat a major British army.
The result encouraged France to sign the Treaty of Alliance with the United States in 1778. French military, naval, and financial support became crucial to the American war effort. Saratoga is sometimes confused with Yorktown, the 1781 victory that effectively ended major fighting.