This star-shaped fort was built by the British to guard a critical route from the Mohawk River to the Great Lakes; it was under Colonial hands, though, that the fort played a critical role in the American Revolution. The British hoped to capture the fort as part of their campaign to fracture the colonies. After soldiers at the fort successfully rebuffed a British attack in August 1777, though, the stage was set for Colonial troops to emerge victorious at the Battle of Saratoga two months later. That battle helped seal independence for the colonies.