The Compleat Victory: Saratoga and the American Revolution (Pivotal Moments in American History)

Winner of the Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize, Winner of the Fraunces Tavern Museum Book Award & Winner of The Society of the Cincinnati Prize. In the late summer and fall of 1777, after two years of indecisive fighting on both sides, the outcome of the American War of Independence hung in the balance. Having successfully expelled the Americans from Canada in 1776, the British were determined to end the rebellion the following year and devised what they believed a war-winning strategy, sending General John Burgoyne south to rout the Americans and take Albany. When British forces captured Fort Ticonderoga with unexpected ease in July of 1777, it looked as if it was a matter of time before they would break the rebellion in the North. Less than three and a half months later, however, a combination of the Continental Army and Militia forces, commanded by Major General Horatio Gates and inspired by the heroics of Benedict Arnold, forced Burgoyne to surrender his entire army. The American victory stunned the world and changed the course of the war. Kevin J. Weddle offers the most authoritative history of the Battle of Saratoga to date, explaining with verve and clarity why events unfolded the way they did. In the end, British plans were undone by a combination of distance, geography, logistics, and an underestimation of American leadership and fighting ability. Taking Ticonderoga had misled Burgoyne and his army into thinking victory was assured. Saratoga, which began as a British foraging expedition, turned into a rout. The outcome forced the British to rethink their strategy, inflamed public opinion in England against the war, boosted Patriot morale, and, perhaps most critical of all, led directly to the Franco-American alliance. Weddle unravels the web of contingencies and the play of personalities that ultimately led to what one American general called "the Compleat Victory." Winner of the Fraunces Tavern Museum Book Award & Winner of The Society of the Cincinnati Prize. In the late summer and fall of 1777, after two years of indecisive fighting on both sides, the outcome of the American War of Independence hung in the balance. Having successfully expelled the Americans from Canada in 1776, the British were determined to end the rebellion the following year and devised what they believed a war-winning strategy, sending General John Burgoyne south to rout the Americans and take Albany. When British forces captured Fort Ticonderoga with unexpected ease in July of 1777, it looked as if it was a matter of time before they would break the rebellion in the North. Less than three and a half months later, however, a combination of the Continental Army and Militia forces, commanded by Major General Horatio Gates and inspired by the heroics of Benedict Arnold, forced Burgoyne to surrender his entire army. The American victory stunned the world and changed the course of the war.Kevin J. Weddle offers the most authoritative history of the Battle of Saratoga to date, explaining with verve and clarity why events unfolded the way they did. In the end, British plans were undone by a combination of distance, geography, logistics, and an underestimation of American leadership and fighting ability. Taking Ticonderoga had misled Burgoyne and his army into thinking victory was assured. Saratoga, which began as a British foraging expedition, turned into a rout. The outcome forced the British to rethink their strategy, inflamed public opinion in England against the war, boosted Patriot morale, and, perhaps most critical of all, led directly to the Franco-American alliance. Weddle unravels the web of contingencies and the play of personalities that ultimately led to what one American general called "the Compleat Victory." "In the late summer and fall of 1777, after two years of indecisive fighting on both sides, the outcome of the American War of Independence hung in the balance. Having successfully expelled the Americans from Canada in 1776, the British were determined to end the rebellion the following year and devised what they believed a war-winning g strategy, sending General John Burgoyne south to rout the Americans and take Albany. When British forces captured Fort Ticonderoga with unexpected ease in July of 1777, it looked as if it was a matter of time before they would break the rebellion in the North. Less than three and a half months later, however, a combination of the Continental Army and Militia forces, commanded by Major General Horatio Gates and inspired by the heroics of Benedict Arnold, forced Burgoyne to surrender his entire army. The American victory stunned the world and changed the course of the war. Kevin J. Weddle offers the most authoritative history of the Battle of Saratoga to date, explaining with verve and clarity why events unfolded the way they did. In the end, British plans were undone by a combination of distance, geography, logistics, and an underestimation of American leadership and fighting ability. Taking Ticonderoga had misled Burgoyne and his army into thinking victory was assured. Saratoga, which began as a British foraging expedition, turned into a rout. The outcome forced the British to rethink their strategy, inflamed public opinion in England against the war, boosted Patriot morale, and, perhaps most critical of all, led directly to the Franco-American alliance. Weddle unravels the web of contingencies and the play of personalities that ultimately led to what one American general called "the Compleat Victory.""-- Provided by publisher Contents List of Maps Editors’ Note Acknowledgments Introduction: Fatal Ambition 1 Opening Moves 2 The First Invasion 3 A New British Strategy 4 A Question of American Command 5 Laying the Groundwork 6 The Fall of Fort Ticonderoga 7 Defeat, Retreat, Disgrace 8 Aftershocks 9 Burgoyne Moves South 10 The Ordeal of Philip Schuyler 11 The Murder of Jane McCrea 12 Not to Make a Ticonderoga of It 13 Oriskany and Relief 14 Cat and Mouse 15 Burgoyne’s Dilemma 16 Battle of Bennington 17 Gates Takes Command 18 The Battle of Freeman’s Farm 19 Sir Henry Clinton to the Rescue 20 The Battle of Bemis Heights 21 Retreat, Pursuit, and Surrender 22 British Strategic Reassessment 23 The Fruits of Victory Conclusion Men and Measures Appendix A What Became of Them? Appendix B Chronology of the Saratoga Campaign, 1776–1778 (Including Key Dates from General Howe’s Philadelphia Campaign) Appendix C Key British Letters/ Orders/ Meetings, 1776– 1777 Appendix D Orders of Battle Notes on Maps Notes Bibliography Index Seldom in history has a single military campaign had such immediate and far-ranging consequences as the series of battles and skirmishes known as 'Saratoga.' In the spring of 1777, determined to end the fighting once and for all, the British devised what they believed a war-winning strategy. By early fall, their entire northern army had surrendered. Kevin J. Weddle offers the most thorough account to date, showing how an operation that begin with such promise for the British turned to disaster, and why the underestimated American forces triumphed so decisively. Saratoga was a turning point in the Revolution, boosting Patriot confidence, demoralizing the Loyalist cause, and leading directly to the Franco-American alliance that would eventually secure independence