The Battle of Saratoga was the 1777 American victory that helped persuade France to ally with the United States.
The Battles of Saratoga were fought in northern New York during September and October 1777. American forces led by Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold defeated a British army commanded by John Burgoyne, which surrendered on October 17. The campaign is often treated as a major turning point in the Revolutionary War.
The victory demonstrated that the American rebellion could defeat a large British field army. France had secretly supplied the Americans before Saratoga, but the result encouraged King Louis XVI’s government to enter an open alliance. The Treaty of Alliance was signed in February 1778, bringing French military and naval support to the American cause.
Saratoga is sometimes described as one battle, but historians commonly refer to two main engagements: Freeman’s Farm on September 19 and Bemis Heights on October 7. The surrender followed the second battle and preceded the formal French alliance.