October 17, 1777
Burgoyne Surrenders After Defeat in Battle of Saratoga
In one of the two most decisive battles of the war (the other being Yorktown in 1781), John Burgoyne is defeated by Americans under Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold and forced to surrender a major army of 5,895 men. It leads directly to French recognition of American independence an alliance that will determine the end of the fighting, almost exactly four years later.
