Reading in a single sitting 一口气读完这段历史

The Battles of Saratoga（萨拉托加）sometimes referred to as the Battle of Saratoga (September 19-October 7, 1777) conclusively decided the fate of British General John Burgoyne' s（约翰·伯戈因）army in the American Revolutionary War (known outside the US as the American War of Independence) and are generally regarded as a turning point in the war. The battles were fought eighteen days apart on the same ground, 9 miles (14 km) south of Saratoga, New York. Burgoyne, whose campaign to divide New England from the southern colonies had started well, but slowed due to logistical problems, won a small tactical victory over General Horatio Gates（霍雷肖·盖茨）and the Continental Army in the September 19 Battle of Freeman' s Farm（弗里曼农庄）at the cost of significant casualties. His gains were erased when he again attacked the Americans in the October 7 Battle of Bemis Heights（比米斯高地战役）and the Americans captured a portion of the British defenses. Burgoyne was therefore compelled to retreat, and his army was surrounded by the much larger American force at Saratoga, forcing him to surrender on October 17. News of Burgoyne' s surrender was instrumental in formally bringing France into the war as an American ally, having previously given supplies, ammunition and guns, notably the de Valliere cannon, which played an important role in Saratoga. French formal participation changed the war to a global conflict. This battle also resulted in Spain contributing to the war on the American side.

The first battle, on September 19, began when Burgoyne moved some of his troops in an attempt to flank the entrenched American position on Bemis Heights. Benedict Arnold（阿诺德）, anticipating the maneuver , placed significant forces in his way. While Burgoyne succeeded in gaining control of Freeman' s Farm, it came at the cost of significant casualties. Skirmishing continued in the days following the battle, while Burgoyne waited in the hope that reinforcements would arrive from New York City. Militia forces continued to arrive, swelling the size of the American army. Disputes within the American camp led Gates to strip Arnold of his command.

Concurrent with the first battle, American troops also attacked British positions in the area of Fort Ticonderoga, and bombarded the fort for a few days before withdrawing. British General Sir Henry Clinton, in an attempt to divert American attention from Burgoyne, captured American forts in the Hudson River（哈德逊河）highlands on October 6, but his efforts were too late to help Burgoyne. Burgoyne attacked Bemis Heights again on October 7 after it became apparent he would not receive relieving aid in time. In heavy fighting, marked by Arnold' s spirited rallying of the American troops (in open defiance of orders to stay off the battlefield), Burgoyne' s forces were thrown back to the positions they held before the September 19 battle and the Americans captured a portion of the entrenched British defenses.

The battlefield and the site of Burgoyne' s surrender have been preserved, and are now administered by the National Park Service as the Saratoga National Historical Park, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The park preserves a number of the buildings in the area, and contains a variety of monuments.

The Saratoga Monument obelisk has four niches , three of which hold statues of American generals: Gates, Schuyler, and Morgan. The fourth niche, where Arnold' s statue would go, is empty. A more dramatic memorial to Arnold' s heroism, that does not name him, is the Boot Monument. Donated by Civil War General John Watts de Peyster, it shows a boot with spurs and the stars of a major general. It stands at the spot where Arnold was shot on October 7 charging Breymann' s redoubt, and is dedicated to "the most brilliant soldier of the Continental Army".

萨拉托加大捷是世界史上著名的战役，是北美英属殖民地十三州独立战争的转折点。英军将领威廉·豪将军自一举夺取费城之后，完全沉醉于胜利的喜悦之中。阿诺德发现英军右翼与中路之间有空子可钻，便协同摩根插入敌阵。这下敌军顿时大乱，眼看即有崩溃之势，恰巧左翼的里德塞尔驰兵来救，才防止了英军败势。阿诺德马上请求使用后备队，但他的上司盖茨不愿发兵，阿诺德只好就此罢休。这次战役，英军死600人，美方死300人。美国历史上称这次遭遇战为弗里曼农庄大捷。萨拉托加和日尔曼战役，成了北美独立战争的转折点。这两个战役之后，华盛顿开始组织大规模的进攻和反攻。

Key Words in History 历史关键词

1. Horatio Gates 霍雷肖·盖茨

Horatio Lloyd Gates (26 July 1727-10 April 1806) was a retired British soldier who served as an American general during the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga -Benedict Arnold, who led the attack, was finally forced from the field when he was shot in the leg -and was blamed for the defeat at the Battle of Camden. Historian George Bilias describes Gates as one of "the Revolution' s most controversial military figures" due to his role in the Conway Cabal which attempted to discredit and replace George Washington through a whispering campaign, the ongoing historical debate over who should receive credit for the victory at Saratoga, and Gates' actions after the defeat at Camden.

2. Battle of Freeman' s Farm 弗里曼农庄战役

On 19 September 1777 the British reconnaissance columns made contact with the American Light Infantry Corps under Colonel Daniel Morgan and the Continental Brigades of Brigadier Generals Ebenezer Learned and Enoch Poor. The battle took place in the clearing around the farm of Loyalist John Freeman.

The Americans initiated fires at about noon with the expert marksmanship of Colonel Morgan' s Virginia Riflemen, picking off all of the officers around the cabin on Freeman' s Farm. The ensuing battle raged back and forth until nightfall, when the American forces were finally forced to break contact. At the close of the battle, Lieutenant General John Burgoyne, commander of the British forces at the battle, held the field.

3. Battle of Bemis Heights 比米斯高地战役

In the fall of 1777, British troops commanded by General John Burgoyne were advancing south from Canada towards New York along the water route of Lake Champlain, Lake George and the Hudson River. They clashed with a larger force of American soldiers led by General Horatio Gates at Freeman' s Farm on September 19 in the First Battle of Saratoga, but withdrew after failing to penetrate the American line. On October 7, Burgoyne' s second attack met with a fierce American resistance, spearheaded by Major General Benedict Arnold, in the wooded area of Bemis Heights south of Saratoga. Known as the Battle of Bemis Heights, or the Second Battle of Saratoga, this American victory proved to be a major turning point in the Revolutionary War.

4. John Burgoyne 约翰·伯戈因

General John Burgoyne (24 February 1722-4 August 1792) was a British army officer, politician and dramatist.

Burgoyne is best known for his role in the American War of Independence. During the Saratoga campaign he surrendered his army of 5, 000 men to the American troops on October 17, 1777. Appointed to command a force designated to capture Albany and end the rebellion, Burgoyne advanced from Canada but soon found himself surrounded and outnumbered. He fought two battles at Saratoga, but was forced to open negotiations with Horatio Gates. Although he agreed to a convention, on 17 October 1777, which would allow his troops to return home, this was subsequently revoked and his men were made prisoners. Burgoyne faced criticism when he returned to Britain, and never held another active command.

Background Knowledge 背景知识补充

独立战争初期，北美殖民地各地组成了民兵队伍，实行机动灵活的游击战，所以暂时掌握着优势。大陆军在战争初期初战告捷，英国军队显得比较被动。但随着战争的继续，大陆军的弱点逐渐显露出来，组成大陆军的民兵缺乏有效的军事训练，装备与军火供应也十分匮乏，作战指挥的效率不高，很快大陆军就处于十分被动的境地。

l776年8月27日，英军总司令威廉·豪率2万名英军与数千德意志黑森雇佣军在长岛登陆，俘获驻守在那儿的大陆军斯特林将军及其近千名大陆军，接着英军进逼纽约，对大陆军实行分割包围，各个击破。华盛顿意识到处境的危险，于8月29日在夜幕掩护下率部渡过哈德逊河，进入宾夕法尼亚，挫败了英军围歼大陆军的计划。但此时局面对大陆军十分不利。此后英军乘船沿海岸南下，于9月26日攻克了大陆会议的所在地费城，大陆会议被迫撤离到宾夕法尼亚的约克镇，独立战争一下子处于最严峻的阶段。

10月的萨拉托加战役成为局势的转折点，伯戈因将军驻扎在加拿大的英军南下，企图与豪将军的军队会合，对大陆军构成合围，但豪将军率领的英军只顾攻占费城，未给他们以有效的配合，使得哈得逊河流域的美军后方没受到豪的英军的威胁，因而能抵御伯戈因的军队自北南下。而伯戈因的英军远离后勤供应基地，沿途又遭到民兵狙击，伤亡惨重，撤退到萨拉托加附近时，孤立无援，于10月17日被迫向大陆军投降。

萨拉托加大捷的政治意义远大于其军事意义，英国议会和内阁开始认识到英国存在战败的可能，因而出现了议和的呼声。在七年战争中失败的法国，在战争之初就秘密以金钱和武器援助美国，但由于还不相信美国的力量，因而在公开的国家场合仍保持严守中立的姿态。萨拉托加大捷之后，1778年2月，法国和美国正式缔结同盟条约。6月，英、法海军交火，法国终于加入反英战争。不久荷兰与西班牙也相继承认美国，加入反英的联盟，作为大陆会议特使前往法国争取援助的富兰克林以灵活的外交手腕，争取国际舆论的同情，孤立英国，为改善美国的国际环境作出了重大贡献。 mXm5N2WiifGtQ5j3hCDN4UdFUfj0++N77R4RJVHXarettpSIGAi2nIo82XuyTyEl