The Battle of Saratoga The Battle of Saratoga started when British troops marched south to Albany. They encountered American army force that stopped them with two war changing battles at Saratoga. The first battle started at Freeman's Farm on September 17, 1777, where the British were lead by John Burgoyne and the Americans were lead by George Washington. Burgoyne and his troops were on the bottom of the Freeman's Farm Hill. They were surrounded by the Americans which were coming down on the both sides of the hill. Burgoyne's only hope was to wait for British reinforcements. They waited for two weeks, and September turned into October, but their reinforcements never came. On October 7, 1777 Burgoyne launched another attack on the Americans at Bemis Heights, but the Americans had too many troops and Burgoyne had to surrender. After Burgoyne's capitulation, American troops that consisted mostly of farmers were amazed because they forced 6,000 trained British soldiers to surrender to them. This was a huge victory for the Americans and a turning point for the Revolutionary War.