Three fights at Saratoga, New York in September and October of 1777 changed the course of the American Revolution. The first was on September 19th, when British General John Burgoyne led 5,000 troops south after capturing two forts near Ticonderoga, New York. His goal was to reach Albany and then take control of New York City. The second was the battle on October 7th when General Horatio Gates led 8,000 American soldiers to stop Burgoyne’s march south. This battle ended in a draw and forced both sides to rethink their strategies.

The third and final battle of Saratoga, which lasted from October 17th through the 19th, was also known as “the Battle of Bemis Heights.” During this fight, Gates led 10,000 soldiers in a surprise attack against Burgoyne’s forces. The British were outnumbered two-to-one, and Gates’ victory was complete when Arnold led 1,500 troops from the northwest to outflank them. After this battle, the Americans chased the British back toward Canada. By mid-November, Burgoyne’s troops had surrendered, and the victory was complete for Gates’ army.

September 19th was the turning point of the American revolution, when major general benedict Arnold staved off thousands of enemy soldiers to win a pyrrhic victory against British forces in Saratoga.

General benedict Arnold, in command of American forces at Saratoga, had an army that was smaller than the British forces, but he had an ace up his sleeve in the form of a little known rifleman. Arnold sent these riflemen out into the forests surrounding Saratoga, where they picked off soldiers on patrol and completely disrupted the enemy’s supply lines . This success inspired Arnold to lead some of his men out of fort Ticonderoga on the morning of September 19th.

At first, things looked like they were going to be a huge success for both Arnold and America. The British forces were under the impression that the American army was at least three times larger than it actually was, and the attack forced the British to retreat through Saratoga. Unfortunately for Arnold, his forces were repelled during their assault on line, which left them exposed to enemy fire from beyond the range of their muskets. The riflemen remained concealed during this time because they had sited themselves in an elevated position overlooking Saratoga, but the riflemen were forced to retreat when General Simon Fraser was sent out from line with a small number of men.

In an attempt to save his forces, Arnold led another charge, but this time it didn’t work so well because the British had artillery support from behind their fortifications which made Arnold’s forces defenseless. Seeing no other way to save his men, Arnold ordered a retreat back through Saratoga where he was attacked by British soldiers on all sides. Arnold had to fight his way out of line in order to get his men back, but he lost most of them in the process .

General John Burgoyne’s strategy was to cut off supply lines to the Americans, which would cause them to starve and break their will. Unfortunately for General Burgoyne, this didn’t work out so well because most of his men were killed by riflemen hiding in the forests around Saratoga. The few soldiers that General Burgoyne did have were quickly routed because they didn’t have any morale left to fight with.

General Burgoyne, rather than retreat from Saratoga, decided to send a small team of men out in an effort to scare away the riflemen so he could retake the line and advance on the American forces. It was a good plan, but the British under Lieutenant Colonel Baum got lost in the forest, and so they were surrounded by American forces. The soldiers all fought valiantly, but over 500 of them died because General Burgoyne didn’t have enough men to fight off an army that outnumbered him.

In conclusion, the battle of Saratoga on September 19th was a turning point in the American revolution because it gave the colonists a major victory against a larger British force. The small size of America’s army forced general benedict Arnold into action, and it was his decision to send American forces outside Saratoga that turned the tide in favor of America. General Burgoyne was forced to retreat when his forces failed to take line, and so he sent out a small team of men to scare away riflemen. This plan could have worked if Baum hadn’t gotten lost in the forest, but this mistake led to half of Baum’s force being killed, meaning that General Burgoyne couldn’t get back to line without being exposed to the superior forces of America. This eventually led to General Burgoyne’s decision to retreat after the battle on September 19th. The fact that General Burgoyne retreated means that America won the battle of Saratoga, which was an important turning point in the American revolution.