The army was kept for some time in sparse camps throughout New England. Having pursued retreating American forces, the British faced off with the Patriots at the Battle of Fort Ann in July of 1777. On September 19, 1777, Burgoyne’s and Gates’ armies met at Freeman’s Farm, some 10 miles south of Saratoga. The British commanding officer of the Saratoga Campaign was John Burgoyne, also known as “Gentlemen Johnny”. The Saratoga Campaign provides a new and greatly expanded understanding of the b Alerted to Clinton's raids on the Hudson, most of the army marched south toward Albany on October 18, while other detachments accompanied the "Convention Army" east. Arnold's horse was shot out from under him, pinning him and breaking his leg. Help save a crucial 22-acre tract on the battlefield where 14 African American soldiers earned the highest military honor in the land. He had learned of St. Leger's failure at Fort Stanwix, and even earlier that Howe would not be giving him substantial support. It ended in the surrender of the British army. This caused the Continental Congress to replace Schuyler with Gates as commander of the Northern Department of the Continental Army in August. On the way, he rescued 100 American prisoners and captured nearly 300 British. More important, it convinced France to enter the war in alliance with America, openly providing money, soldiers, and munitions, as well as fighting a naval war worldwide against Britain. Although he was aware of the persistent desertions that were reducing the size of his army and that the army was running short of food and other critical supplies, he did not know that the American army was also daily growing in size, or that Gates had intelligence on how dire the situation was in his camp. On August 10, Brigadier General Benedict Arnold left Stillwater, New York for Fort Stanwix with 800 Continental regulars. On August 19, Gates arrived at Albany to take charge. These allies became impatient and began indiscriminate raids on frontier families and settlements, which had the effect of increasing rather than reducing local support to the American rebels. The Saratoga campaign was an attempt by the British high command for North America to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the Revolutionary War. Rapidly moving up the trail, his men continued to surprise British defenders and capture artillery pieces until they reached the height of land just before Ticonderoga, where they occupied the "old French lines". John Trumbull: Surrender of General Burgoyne Howe, when he left New York for Philadelphia, had put General Henry Clinton in charge of New York's defense, with instructions to assist Burgoyne if opportunities arose. Arnold said that this was clearly insufficient, and that a large force had to be sent. In the ensuing battle, the British gained control of Freeman's Farm, but with heavy casualties. After the fighting at Freeman’s Farm, Burgoyne chose to dig in, hoping to be reinforced by General Sir Henry Clinton's forces in New York City. The second went to capture Mount Independence on the east side of Lake Champlain, while the third, led by Brown, made the approach to Ticonderoga. Arnold, also recognizing that a British attack on the left was likely, asked Gates for permission to move his forces out to Freeman's Farm to anticipate that maneuver. However, Gates did order detachments to take positions on the east side of the Hudson to oppose any attempted crossings. What Burgoyne had been unaware of was that St. Clair's calls for militia support following the withdrawal from Ticonderoga had been answered, and Brigadier General John Stark had placed 2,000 men at Bennington. The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War.British General John Burgoyne led a large invasion army southward from Canada in the Champlain Valley, hoping to meet a similar British force marching northward from New York City and another …