American Revolution: New York, Philadelphia, & Saratoga

Today we continue our overview of the American Revolution with the New York & Philadelphia Campaigns and the Battle of Saratoga. Following the success around Boston, American fortunes took a turn for the worse in 1776, when a British force led by Gen. William Howe inflicted a series of defeats on Gen. George Washington's army and captured New York City. Moving across New Jersey, Washington scored a pair of victories at Trenton and Princeton before entering winter quarters. Determined to take the American capital at Philadelphia, Howe moved south in late summer 1777, and triumphed at Brandywine before entering the city. An American counterattack at Germantown was defeated that October, and Washington's men endured a brutal winter at Valley Forge (right). To the north, American forces were able to isolate and capture a British army led by Maj. Gen. John Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga. This stunning victory allowed American diplomats to secure a crucial alliance with France.

Photograph Courtesy of the National Park Service