Though the Revolutionary War didn’t officially end until September 1783 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, a key turning point in the war for independence occurred six years earlier in a small corner of today’s New York state.
The Battle of Saratoga stretched out from September 19 until October 7, 1777, and marked the first time the British Empire had been forced to surrender. British General John Burgoyne had stretched his forces too thin in marching down from Canada with the intent of capturing Albany and wound up with huge losses in his army of nearly 7,000.
His defeat at the hands of Major General Horatio Gates and General Benedict Arnold greatly raised American hopes to gain independence and convinced France to come to the colonials’ aid.
The story of how the British surrender came about is told at Saratoga National Historical Park near today’s Stillwater, New York. To help us better understand the battles, we’re joined today by Lauren Roberts, the historian at Saratoga County, New York, and Traveler Contributing Editor Kim O’Connell, who recently visited the historical park.
0:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
0:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
1:11 Schoodic - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
1:34 Smokies Life
1:57 Washington National Park Foundation
2:21 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
2:41 Friends of Acadia
3:05 NPT Promo
3:20 Episode 347 - The Battle of Saratoga
51:11 US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps
52:08 Episode Closing
52:25 Orange Tree Productions
52:58 Splitbeard Productions
53:08 National Parks Traveler footer
- By Jess Repanshek - October 26th, 2025 5:00am
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