Saratoga got the French off the fence and ready to fully back us. It gave credibility to the American fighting man.
It's unfortunate that we couldn't hang onto Arnold. His obsession with money did him in.
> It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t hang onto Arnold. His obsession with money did him in. <
Money, and more importantly, prestige. If Congress would have given - with Washington’s approval - some fancy title to Arnold, he would have stayed with the rebels.
It’s interesting to speculate what would have happened in that case. Would Arnold have then have been, someday, a President of the United States?
Saratoga was a crucial point in the Revolution. It showed that the Americans could defeat a British army and brought the French in on our side. Schuyler had set the British up using Fabian strategy and isn’t given enough credit. The memoirs of Baroness Riedesel who accompanied Burgoyne’s invading army is an interesting read. She called the Americans natural-born soldiers and good shots.