The Battle of Saratoga: The Turning Point of the American Revolution
The Revolutionary War is enshrined in American memory as the beginning of a new nation born in freedom. (The Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, 1999) On 17 October 1777, the surrender of the British during the Battle of Saratoga proved to the world that the American Army was an effective fighting force. The American victory at Saratoga was a major turning point in the America’s fight for Independence. This victory also resulted in needed military support from European powers, particularly France, against the British Empire. (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2006) The major factors that led to the British downfall during the Battle of Saratoga were their lack of intelligence collection assets, American versus European tactics, harsh terrain, poor logistic, and American resolve.
The American Revolution erupted in 1775. The American Revolution erupted in 1775. It seemed clear the British would win due to their larger army, and unrivaled Royal Navy. Many of the British were hardened veterans who fought in the French and Indian War. On the other hand, the Americans had undisciplined militiamen who had never fought before. The American Navy was small and was no match for the Royal Navy. The state of the army did improve with the leadership of George Washington. The Americans believed that they had a strong chance of success. The American’s unlike the British, were fighting in their homeland to protect their families, and perhaps more importantly they were fighting a popular war for their independence.
The British strategic goal of 1776 was to invade New York with two armies and eventually unite their New York invasion force with British forces based in Cana...
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... the resulting stalemate created the conditions for peace, which was negotiated in 1783 by the United States, Britain, France, and Spain.
Works Cited
Furneaux, R. (1971). The Battle of Saratoga. New York: Stein and Day.
Gragg, R. (2011). By the Hand of Providence. New York: Howard Books.
The Patriot Resource. (1999). The Patriot Resource. Retrieved March 25, 2012, from
http://www.patriotresource.com/amerrev/battles/saratoga.html
The Saratoga Chamber of Commerce. (1999). The Battle of Saratoga. Retrieved March 24, 2012,
from http://battle1777.saratoga.org/
WOOD, W. (1990). Battles of the Revolutionary War 1775-1781. New York: Da Capo Press Inc.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (2006, October 9). WPI Military Science: Battle of Saratoga.
Retrieved March 25, 2012, from
http://www.wpi.edu/academics/Depts/MilSci/Resources/saratoga.html
In 1776, before the Battle of Brandywine, in what was almost a year long siege, General George Washington and his army managed to drive the British Army out of Boston. However, General William Howe’s British Troops moved south. General Howe and General Washington’s troops met again in the Battle of Long Island. General Howe was victorious and occupied New York City. In the spring of 1777 the British controlled the cities of Quebec and New York, while the Continental Army controlled Philadelphia and Boston. The British plan was to move General Burgoyne’s troops, in Quebec, south, and General Howe’s troops north. This would give the British control of the Hudson Valley and cut New England off from the remaining colonies. The British hoped that this would destroy the American Dream of Independence. However, British Officials in London failed to give direct orders to General Howe to conduct this mission. General Howe decided to pursue his own agenda and capture the city of Philadelphia.
In “Battles of Lexington and Concord”, the goals of the British were hindered due to American preparation. One of the goals of the British was “capturing pat...
and link up with Burgoyne in Albany. The goal of this plan was to isolate
The colonists had failed to stop the British, but they got reinforcements. when the British got to Concord, there was no equipment to be taken. It was a decoy and the British had been tricked. When they turned around to head back, they were faced with the Colonial army to fight. The colonial army won and the American Revolutionary War had begun.
During the War for American Independence, 78 men were commissioned as general officers into the Continental Army by the Continental Congress. Many of these generals commanded troops with differing levels of competence and success. George Washington is typically seen as most important general, however throughout the war a number of his subordinates were able to distinguish themselves amongst their peers. One such general was Nathanael Greene. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Greene would become Washington’s most important subordinate, as demonstrated by Edward Lengel’s assessment of Greene as “the youngest and most capable of Washington’s generals.” Washington and Greene developed a strong, positive and close relationship between themselves. Greene began his life in the military after having been raised a Quaker. With limited access to literature and knowledge in his younger years, Greene became an avid reader which equipped him with the knowledge necessary to excel as a general during the war. Through his devoted study of military operations, firsthand experience and natural abilities as a soldier, Greene became an excellent military commander. He would become known for his successful southern campaign, during which, he loosened British control of the South and helped lead the war to its climax at Yorktown. Throughout the war, he was involved in a number high profile battles where he built a reputation of being an elite strategist who also understood unconventional warfare, logistics, and the importance of military-civil affairs and had a natural political/social acumen. The thesis of this paper is that Greene’s proven reputation of being a soldier, strategist and statesman would cause him to become the second greates...
Jones, Thomas. History of New York during the Revolutionary War: New York, New York Times, 2008
The American Revolution began on April 19, 1775, when British soldiers and American patriots clashed at Lexington, Massachusetts, and at nearby Concord. The war lasted eight years. It ended on September 3, 1783, when Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, which gave independence to the United States.
The American Revolution was sparked by a myriad of causes. These causes in themselves could not have sparked such a massive rebellion in the nation, but as the problems of the colonies cumulated, their collective impact spilt over and the American Revolution ensued. Many say that this war could have been easily avoided and was poorly handled by both sides, British and American; but as one will see, the frame of thought of the colonists was poorly suited to accept British measures which sought to “overstep” it’s power in the Americas. Because of this mindset, colonists developed a deep resentment of British rule and policies; and as events culminated, there was no means to avoid revolution and no way to turn back.
As an American observes the life around him, noting the many advancements made in merely the last century, he must wonder how America climbed to such a level. The 21st century technology, the military and political power, education and ethics, all came from such meager beginnings, solidified by the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War proved to be a significant turning point in the history of our country, but what caused America to win? What were some of the most significant factors in the victory of these American patriots? By examining these three particular factors, America’s military assets, it’s aid from other countries, and its own spirit of independence, one’s understanding of the Revolutionary War, an essential root of this nation, is truly increased.
During the stage of Salutary Neglect, the British did not tax the Americans as much as they taxed their own people. But during this time, the Americans were able to develop their own government, which gave them enlightened ideas, which led to their idea of revolution. Like any country that has a revolution on their hands, their main goal would be to stop the revolution at any costs. The letters between General Cornwallis and to Henry Clinton shows many of the different goals the British had. For example, their goal during the war of 1776 was to conquer New York and use it as a base to vanquish the other colonies. Their goal during the war 1777-1778 was to separate New England from the other colonies. And their final goal for the war in the South, which took place from 1778-1781, their goal was to retake South Carolina to attempt at defeating the colonists. The British were not able to complete their goals, which induced their loss in the American
1778- France signs a treaty of alliance with the United States and the American Revolution becomes a world war.
One of the turning points of the war was in 1777, when the British surrendered at Saratoga with over 5,500 troops. After General Horatio Gates and General John Burgoyne came in conflict, but the latter understood that supplies were lackluster, they had to surrender. This battle would result in France entering the loop of the war and siding with the Americans, attacks from out of Canada would be secured and New England isolation would be all prevented because of this battle.
In the 1770’s the British army was well known for its monetary wealth and professional well trained militia. American colonists were slowly getting more and more fed up with the inequality and taxation under British rule so they took a stand. Americans known as Rebels or Patriots fought in the Revolutionary War to gain independence from Britain. Some colonists also known as loyalists, thought that the Patriots had no chance against the professional militia so they stayed loyal to the crown. Although improbable at the start of the American Revolution, the colonists were able to defeat the British army and formally gain independence because they had great leadership from George Washington, similar goals that created high morale, and aided from
The Revolutionary War was a war between the Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain from 1775-1783 during the American Revolution. The American colonists fought the British in hope of freedom and separation from Great Britain. “This was the completion stage of the political American Revolution whereas the colonists had denied the rights of the Parliament of Great Britain in governing them without any representation,” ("American Revolutionary War."). The Revolutionary War consisted of many different bloody battles on American soil. The war resulted in an American victory because of many historical reasons. The factors that contributed to an American victory of the Revolutionary War are British debt, distance between America and Great Britain, war tactics, French involvement, and important battles.
...he fact that they had no political power and were controlled by a country that was thousands of miles away from them. The American Revolution began as a conflict over political and social change, but soon developed into a dispute over personal rights and political liberty. A decade of conflicts between the British government and the Americans, starting with the Stamp Act in 1765 that eventually led to war in 1775, along with The Declaration of Independence in 1776. Americans united as one and knew that they wanted to be an independent country, have their own laws, rights, and not be colony of the Great Britain. They fought hard for their independence and people lost their lives in the process of it but in the end they succeeded. Never give up, keep fighting till the mission is accomplished just like the Americans did when they were fighting for their independence.