Which British general surrendered his army to American forces at Saratoga in 1777?

British general John Burgoyne surrendered his army to American forces at Saratoga on October 17, 1777.

Burgoyne led a British campaign intended to divide New England from the other American colonies by advancing south from Canada. His army fought the Americans in two major engagements near Saratoga, New York, on September 19 and October 7, 1777. After the second battle, American forces blocked his retreat and surrounded his remaining troops.

The American army was commanded by General Horatio Gates, with Benedict Arnold playing a major battlefield role before a bitter command dispute. Burgoyne’s force, outnumbered and short of supplies, negotiated terms and surrendered at Saratoga. More than 6,000 British and allied troops became prisoners in the resulting Convention Army.

The victory had international consequences. It convinced France that the American cause had a realistic chance of defeating Britain, helping lead to the Franco-American alliance of 1778. Burgoyne is often confused with Charles Cornwallis, who surrendered at Yorktown in 1781.