Saratoga (4h 17min, sep 19, 1777 y – 20h 34min, oct 7, 1777 y)

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The Patriots won, and this battle helped to boost the morale of the Patriots. It also "ended British general John Burgoyne's attempt to control the Hudson River Valley. The outcome convinced the Court of King Louis XVI that the Americans could hold their own against the British Army, sealing the alliance between America and France" (“Saratoga Battle Facts and Summary”). This means that Saratoga got the Patriots some allies as well as served to stop some of the British. The leader of the Patriots was General Horatio Gates.

The Americans prepared for the battle, with a large(ish) army and several cannons. Something else they did was: "To disrupt the British advance south, Gates has his troops erect defenses on the crest of Bemis Heights, a series of bluffs from which both the Hudson River and the road can be seen. From there, American artillery will have the range to hit both the river and the road. In order to attack, the British will have to use the road, as the forest and vegetation to the east are too dense to permit effective troop movements" (“Saratoga Battle Facts and Summary”). They also fortified a wall a little ways away from Bemis Heights.

The British general divides his army into three columns. He believes that they will easily penetrate American defenses. "Col. Daniel Morgan's light infantry engages with the center column near Freeman’s Farm. It is a hotly contested fight, with the field changing hands several times. By evening, the British, reinforced by 500 German Hessians, hold the field, but the action has blunted their forward motion. Having lost almost 600 troops and expecting to be reinforced by Gen. Henry Clinton, coming from New York City, Burgoyne choses to dig in" (“Saratoga Battle Facts and Summary”). The British became temporarily entombed in New York, as the Americans' army was replenished. The British attempt to make a plan, however, a Patriot heard this and they launched a counterattack, which, with only about 200 men in the British army, the 13,000 Americans easily swarmed.
The British had lost the battle.

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