page_title: Timeline of the American Revolution
section_title: 1777
hierarchical_section_title: Timeline of the American Revolution / 1770s / 1777
caption_attribution_description: The scene of the surrender of the British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga, on October 17, 1777, was a turning point in the American Revolutionary War that prevented the British from dividing New England from the rest of the colonies. The central figure is the American General Horatio Gates, who refused to take the sword offered by General Burgoyne, and, treating him as a gentleman, invites him into his tent. All of the figures in the scene are portraits of specific officers. Trumbull planned this outdoor scene to contrast with the Declaration of Independence beside it.John Trumbull (1756–1843) was born in Connecticut, the son of the governor. After graduating from Harvard University, he served in the Continental Army under General Washington. He studied painting with Benjamin West in London and focused on history painting. Major figures in the painting (from left to right, beginning with mounted officer): American Captain Seymour of Connecticut (mounted) American Colonel Scammel of New Hampshire (in blue) British Major General William Phillips (British Army officer) (in red) British Lieutenant General John Burgoyne (in red) American Major General Horatio Gates (in blue) American Colonel Daniel Morgan (in white) A full key is available here. The dimensions of this oil painting on canvas are 365.76 cm by 548.64 cm (144.00 in by 216.00 in).
context_page_description: Timeline of the American Revolution — timeline of the political upheaval culminating in the 18th century in which Thirteen Colonies in North America joined together for independence from the British Empire, and after victory in the Revolutionary War combined to form the United States of America. The American Revolution includes political, social, and military aspects. The revolutionary era is generally considered to have begun with the passage of the Stamp Act in 1765 and ended with the ratification of the United States Bill of Rights in 1791. The military phase of the revolution, the American Revolutionary War, lasted from 1775 to 1783.
context_section_description: Battle of the Assunpink Creek, also known as the Second Battle of Trenton, (January 2)
  Battle of Princeton (January 3)
  Continental Army enters second winter encampment of the war at Morristown (January 6)
  Forage War (January – March):
  Battle of Millstone (January 20)
  Battle of Drake's Farm (February 1)
  Battle of Quibbletown (February 8)
  Battle of Spanktown (February 23)
  Battle of Bound Brook (April 13)
  Sybil Ludington, 16-year-old daughter of American Colonel Henry Ludington, makes a 40-mile (64 km) ride in the early hours of the night (April 26)
  British regulars, under Major General William Tryon, burn and loot Danbury, Connecticut (April 26)
  Battle of Ridgefield (April 27)
  Battle of Thomas Creek (May 17)
  Meigs Raid (May 23)
  First Middlebrook encampment (May 28 – July 2)
  Battle of Short Hills (June 26)
  Fort Ticonderoga abandoned by the Americans due to advancing British troops placing cannon on Mount Defiance. (July 5)
  British retake Fort Ticonderoga. (July 6)
  Battle of Hubbardton (July 7)
  Delegates in Vermont, which was not one of the Thirteen Colonies, establish a republic and adopt (July 8) a constitution—the first in what is now the territory of the United States to prohibit slavery.  (Vermont would become the fourteenth state in 1791.)
  Battle of Fort Anne (July 8)
  Siege of Fort Stanwix (August 2-23)
  Battle of Oriskany (August 6)
  Battle of Machias (August 13-14)
  Battle of Bennington (August 16)
  Battle of Staten Island (August 22)
  Siege of Fort Henry (September 1)
  Battle of Cooch's Bridge (September 3)
  Battle of Brandywine (September 11)
  Battle of the Clouds (September 16)
  Battle of Paoli (Paoli Massacre) (September 20)
  British occupation of Philadelphia (September 26)
  Battle of Germantown (October 4)
  Battle of Red Bank (October 5-November 25)
  Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery (October 6)
  Two Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7) conclude with the surrender of the British army under General Burgoyne.
  Battle of Red Bank (October 22)
  Articles of Confederation adopted by the Second Continental Congress (November 15)
  Capture of Fort Mifflin, (November 16) and Fort Mercer, (November 18)
  Battle of Gloucester (1777) (November 25)
  Battle of White Marsh (December 5 – December 8)
  Battle of Matson's Ford (December 11)
  Rivington's Gazetter renamed Royal Gazette (December 13)
  1777–1778 – Continental Army in third winter quarters at Valley Forge (December 19 – June 19)
caption: Surrender of General Burgoyne, 1821 painting by John Trumbull
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