The Saratoga campaign, battles of the American Revolution, were fought in up state New York, and permanently terminated British hopes of separating the colonies along the Hudson River. The commander of the British at the time was General John Burgoyne, who was in charge of leading nearly 6,000 regulars and various auxiliaries, in June of 1777, from Canada, to Albany. He planed to join forces with Barry St. Leger once he reached Albany. The patriots showed lack of resistance at the beginning of the fighting, but by the time Burgoyne reached Bemis Heights (west of the Hudson), the Americans had been strengthened, and General Horatio Gates, a popular commanding General, was put in charge of them. With time, and terrain on the Americans side, Gates allowed Burgoyne to wear down the British forces with costly assaults on the patriot line. In the first battle of Freeman's Farm (September 19, 1777) Burgoyne suffered 600 casualties to Gates's 320. At the second battle of Freeman's Farm (Bemis Heights) which was fought on October 7, 1777, Gates, Benedict Arnold, and Daniel Morgan repulsed Burgoyne's men. And, once again British losses were roughly 600. Outnumbered, surrounded, and unable to secure relief, Burgoyne surrendered on October 17, 1777 at Saratoga. The battles of Saratoga marked a turning point in the war, motivating the French to assist the American colonists in their battle towards the British. .
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Battle of Lexington.
The battle of Lexington marked the beginning of the fighting in the Revolutionary War. It took place on April 19, 1775, and was fought between roughly 70 colonial minutemen commanded by Captain John Parker, and about 700 British soldiers. Thee British were marching onto Concord, Massachusetts, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith. British General Thomas Gage had ordered his men to march to Concord, and take, or destroy the Americans hidden supply of arms and ammunition, which was being stored in the town.
