The year 1777 was a crucial year in the American struggle for independence. The year 1776 had been highlighted, of course, by the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, which was the great turning point of the war in terms of the overall objective. But the fighting in 1776 had been less than successful. Only General Washington's daring advance across the Delaware that led to victories at Trenton and Princeton saved the year from being a total washout.
In 1777 the British adopted what they hoped would be a decisive strategy to divide the colonies along the Hudson River-Lake George-Lake Champlain line, detaching New England, long seen by British authorities as the hotbed of the rebellion, from her sister colonies. They planned an ambitious, three-pronged attack against the Americans, led by British Generals John Burgoyne, Barry St. Leger, and William Howe.
The campaign, whose goal was consistent with the overall British strategy of divide and conquer, was probably too complicated for the times. It involved a series of maneuvers that
Required full cooperation by officers who were not in direct communication with each other. General Burgoyne was to attack from Canada along Lake Champlain and Lake George toward Albany. General St. Leger was to head eastward from Lake Erie via the Mohawk River toward Albany, and General Howe was to send ten thousand troops up the Hudson River toward the same convergence point.
The major portion of the campaign involved General Bur-goyne's advance from Canada down toward Albany. Accompanied by Hessian mercenaries, including German officers and their wives, and a huge baggage train, which included what could only be called luxury items not really needed for a wilderness campaign, "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne, as he was known, made his way ponderously down from Canada with eight thousand troops. American General Horatio Gates, in overall command of the Americans, had concentrated his forces at Albany.
General John Burgoyne
Burgoyne's campaign began with promise. He passed the fort at Crown Point and captured Fort Ticonderoga on July 5 after the Americans evacuated. On August 16, however, British fortunes began to change. At the Battle of Bennington, General John Stark and the Vermont militia defeated a detachment of Burgoyne's army. American raiders had begun harassing Burgoyne's supply lines, so on September 13 and 14 Burgoyne crossed to the west bank of the Hudson River, cutting off his own retreat, thus committing his army to battle.
On September 19 at the Battle of Freeman's farm, General Benedict Arnold repulsed Burgoyne's army, and on October 7 at the Battle of Bemis Heights, Generals Arnold and Daniel Morgan again repulsed Burgoyne, who withdrew to Saratoga, now surrounded and with supply lines cut off. Forced to give up the fight, on October 17 Burgoyne surrendered his entire army, a stunning victory for the Americans.
The victory at Saratoga was the major military turning point of the American Revolution: It provided a tremendous morale boost for Americans, who showed they could defeat a large British army in the field. The Americans captured three hundred officers, including seven generals, and more than five thousand troops. The contribution of the Marquis de Lafayette foreshadowed more formal French assistance along with French recognition of American independence, which was soon to follow.
Meanwhile, the second component of the British campaign was going badly as well. St. Leg-er had advanced along the Mohawk River accompanied by one thousand Iroquois Indians under Chief Joseph Brant, capturing Ft. Stanwix. On August 8, however, American General Herkimer won a hard-fought victory over the British at Oriskany, stalling St. Leger. Benedict Arnold, also with Iroquois Indians (who fought on both sides), bluffed St. Leger into thinking he was attacking with a large force. St. Leger's Indian allies departed, taking supplies, and he was forced to withdraw.
General Howe, meanwhile, who had been working his way toward Albany to assist Burgoyne, decided instead to capture Philadelphia—which he did easily—once he learned that Burgoyne had surrendered. Howe desired to take advantage of the loyalist sentiment that existed in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
World History
