The Battle of Saratoga

Abstract

The Battle of Saratoga was the turning point in America's War of Independence. The Battle of Saratoga was a climactic finale to a three-year struggle for a strategic military position: the Hudson-St. Lawrence waterway. In the first Battle at Freeman's Farm, the British lost two men for every one American casualty. During the second Battle at Bemis Heights, the British lost four men for every American casualty. The Battle of Saratoga proved to the world that the American Army was an effective fighting force capable of defeating the highly trained British forces in a major confrontation and forcing them to surrender. The European powers, mainly the French, became supportive of the Americans' cause and began to support their effort against the British. In an opposing view, an article written by a loyalist in January 1777 seemed to be a thorn in the side of the British and a turning point in the American Revolution. Thomas Paine's Common Sense pamphlet created immediate dialogue in the colonies. Its message was simple: Britain had no right to govern America, the Monarchy system itself was corrupt, and Americans would be much better off on their own.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 18, 2005
Accession Number
ADA596598

Entities

People

  • John Reynolds
  • Richard Mccord
  • Timothy Dotson
  • Tonya Griffin

Organizations

  • United States Army Sergeants Major Academy

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • American Revolution
  • Army
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Battles
  • Casualties
  • Governments
  • Information Operations
  • Neurobehavioral Manifestations
  • New England
  • New Hampshire
  • New York
  • North America
  • Resistance
  • Revolutions
  • United States
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • History

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.