The Continental Army then moved north to New York and met another group of American Patriots at Saratoga. Together they decided to go on the attack. They surrounded the British at Saratoga and forced them to surrender.
After news of the Patriots victory at the Battle of Saratoga reached France, the French began to think the Patriots had a chance of winning the Revolutionary War. A few months later, France decided to help the Patriots and declared War on Great Britain. The new United States signed the "Treaty of Alliance with France (1778)." Benjamin Franklin and other Founding Fathers signed the document. It created an alliance between France and the new United States. Now both countries would be taking on Great Britain.
In the Fall of 1777, the British attacked Philadelphia and they quickly took over the city. General Francis Nash died trying to defend Philadelphia, the city of Nashville would later be named after him. The Continental Congress which had been stationed in Philadelphia was forced to escape. The Continental Army set up camp at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 20 miles west of Philadelphia.
While the British were comfy in Philadelphia, the Continental Army was camped in the snow. The troops had almost no food, clothing, or supplies. About a quarter of the men died before the Spring of 1778. Those who survived had spent the winter training under Baron von Steuben. Steuben was a European from Germany who had a lot of war experience and the Continental Congress had hired him to help Washington train the soldiers. It worked! After the encampment at Valley Forge, the Patriot soldiers looked like a brand new army.