The Battle of Saratoga persuaded France to formally ally with the United States during the Revolution.
The Saratoga campaign ended with British General John Burgoyne’s surrender to American forces led by Major General Horatio Gates on October 17, 1777. The campaign included important engagements at Freeman’s Farm and Bemis Heights in New York.
The victory demonstrated that the American forces could defeat a major British army. France had secretly supplied the Americans before Saratoga, but the victory encouraged King Louis XVI’s government to sign the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United States in 1778.
Saratoga is often called a turning point because French military, naval, and financial assistance became decisive later in the war. The battle is sometimes confused with Yorktown, where British General Cornwallis surrendered in 1781, effectively ending major combat.