The Compleat Victory

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. It was, as one American general called it, "The compleat victory."