2. 1777  All the American momentum is stopped at the Battle of Brandywine Creek  Washington fell prey to the same tactics that cost him at New York

3. The British Commanders

4. A Tale of Two Captains General HoweGeneral Burgoyne  Wanted to conquer Philadelphia for his own personal gain  Howe was ordered to meet up with Burgoyne to escort his army to New York City  Wanted to march through the Hudson Valley, cut off New England  Burgoyne’s strategy would help end the war faster

5. The Hard Way  General Howe defies orders and engages Washington at Brandywine Creek  Sacks Philadelphia two weeks later… ...But has abandoned Burgoyne in upstate New York

6. The Continentals

7. The Plan???  General Gates and General Arnold realize that they’ve got Burgoyne trapped near Saratoga, New York  Arnold wants to charge in and attack  Gates wants to be more defensive  The argument becomes so heated that Arnold is stripped of command and confined to quarters  Gates, however, is an idiot commander that nearly got the army wiped out  Arnold is the one who saves the day

8. The Biggest Blunder of the War  Burgoyne is waiting for Howe’s reinforcements to arrive…  …But Howe is partying in Philadelphia and not coming  Burgoyne is left to face an ever growing army alone

9. Foreign Aid  Benjamin Franklin is working as America’s ambassador to France  Trying to convince France to enter the war in support of the Americans  France wants proof the Americans can win the war

10. The Battle of Saratoga  October 7, 1777: The Continentals defeat the British at Saratoga  Benedict Arnold, the hero of the action, is wounded…but survives  Horatio Gates, however, takes all the credit for the victory  Arnold fumes at being slighted yet again…first Ethan Allan at Ticonderoga, then Gates at Saratoga???

11. World at War  Burgoyne formally surrenders on October 17, 1777  Britain’s best opportunity to win the war has slipped away  Howe gets blamed for the loss  The victory at Saratoga causes France and Spain to enter the war on the side of the United States