Instead of that he sought a truce with Gates, and signed the Convention of Saratoga (October 17th), by which he surrendered his army with the honors of war, and it was stipulated that they should be sent to England by English ships and paroled against taking any further part in the war.
The victory of Saratoga had much effect on America; it reverberated through Europe.

Only the peculiar nature of the fighting in America prevented it from being decisive.

Washington himself had never dared to risk a battle which, if he were defeated in it, would render it impossible for him to continue the war.

The British, on the other hand, spread over much ground, and the destruction of one of their armies would not necessarily involve the loss of all.

So it was now; Burgoyne's surrender did little to relieve the pressure on Washington's troops on the Hudson, but it had a vital effect across the sea.
Since the first year of the war the Americans had hoped to secure a formal alliance with France against England, and among the French who favored this scheme there were several persons of importance.