In the fall of 1777, two battles fought on the fields of what is now the Saratoga National Historical Park changed the course of the American Revolution.

A British army under Gen. John Burgoyne was marching down from Canada with one goal: take Albany. The Americans, low on supplies, had been falling back for months. George Washington began sending reinforcements, including a battlefield commander whose name is now infamous for other reasons.

“He’s going to send Benedict Arnold up here, famously. At this point, he’s one of the most respected battlefield commanders on the American side. That treason stuff is far in the future, still,” said Garrett Cloer, program manager at Saratoga National Historical Park.

With Horatio Gates and Arnold in command, the first battle took place Sept. 19, when the two armies collided at Freeman’s Farm.

“That battle is very close. It’s a back-and-forth affair. But at the end of the day, the British hold the field,” Cloer said.

For three weeks, the armies sat yards apart. Then, on Oct. 7, fighting erupted again, this time two miles away at Bemis Heights. Arnold led a charge that overran the British army’s weakest point, where he was famously wounded in the leg. The Americans won the day, and Burgoyne had nowhere left to go.

“That victory leads to this chain of events. The British start retreating and Burgoyne will eventually surrender his entire army. This was the first time in British history that they had an entire army surrender. So that raises eyebrows around the world,” Cloer said.

News of the victory convinced the French to back the Americans with money, weapons and troops the new country desperately needed.

“There is absolutely no way they could’ve won the war without that French help,” Cloer said.

Visitors like George Sielski, who traveled from Buffalo, say standing on that ground hits differently than reading about it.

“This is, like, real history. You can walk on the same land that the battle was on. People were out here fighting and killing each other,” Sielski said.

Todd Shimkus, president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, said the site’s significance has often been overshadowed.

“We think it’s been sort of undervalued, underappreciated for so many years. I think part of it is people focus on this being a summer place to be and they focus on the track and SPAC,” Shimkus said.

With the 250th anniversary of the battles arriving in 2027, the chamber hopes that finally changes.

“This is the opportunity for us to showcase it to the world,” Shimkus said.