John Burgoyne surrendered his army at Saratoga in October 1777.
Burgoyne commanded the British campaign intended to control the Hudson River Valley and separate New England from the other colonies. His army moved south from Canada through the Lake Champlain region, but its progress slowed as American forces gathered and supply problems increased.
The Saratoga campaign included the battles of Freeman’s Farm on September 19 and Bemis Heights on October 7. American forces under General Horatio Gates and other commanders eventually surrounded Burgoyne’s weakened army. Burgoyne capitulated on October 17, 1777, and his troops became known as the Convention Army.
The surrender had consequences beyond the battlefield. The American victory encouraged France to recognize and support the United States openly. Burgoyne is sometimes confused with Cornwallis, who surrendered at Yorktown in 1781; Saratoga and Yorktown were separate campaigns and occurred four years apart.