Campaigns and Commanders - 32: No Turning Point

Více o knize

The Battle of Saratoga in 1777 culminated in British General John Burgoyne’s surrender to American forces led by General Horatio Gates. While historians have traditionally viewed this defeat as a pivotal moment in the American Revolution that secured French support for the colonies, this perspective simplifies the complex realities on the ground. Theodore Corbett situates the battle within the broader social and political conflicts among settlers in the Hudson and Champlain valleys of New York, Canada, and Vermont. This localized examination reveals that the American victory resolved little. Corbett expands the narrative beyond military figures to include landowners, tenant farmers, townspeople, American Indians, Loyalists, and African Americans. He traces the story back to the 1760s, highlighting the ethnic and religious tensions among colonists and the civil strife stemming from conflicting claims over Vermont. These pre-Revolutionary conflicts shaped allegiances during the war and persisted despite Burgoyne’s defeat, as the British maintained control of the upper Hudson-Champlain valley and continued to rally Loyalists and Native allies. The aftermath saw ongoing civil unrest, culminating in events like Shays’s Rebellion in 1787. This work deepens our understanding of the tumultuous beginnings of the United States as a nation.