As general burgoyne headed south from canada with 8,000 soldiers what was the purpose of his mission

To capture the Hudson Valley

Explanation:

After capturing New York in 1776, plans for the British campaign for the next year required General John Burgoyne's army to advance south of Canada in order to capture the Hudson Valley and separate New England from the rest of the American colonies.

As he began his operations, Burgoyne hoped that General Sir William Howe, the British commander-in-chief in North America, would march north of New York to support the campaign. Uninterested in the advancement of Hudson, Howe instead set his sights on the US capital in Philadelphia. To do so, he planned to start most of his army and sail south.

With his brother, Admiral Richard Howe, Hugh initially hoped to climb the Delaware River and land below Philadelphia. The Delaware River Impact Assessment distracted Howes from this line of access and instead decided to sail further south before moving to Chesapeake Bay. Entering the sea at the end of July, the British were hampered by bad weather. Although aware of Howe's departure from New York, the US commander, General George Washington, remained in the dark about the intentions of the enemy.

While  taking reports along the coast, he increasingly determined that the target was Philadelphia. As a result, he began moving his army south at the end of August.

2018 means 2018 ce or common era

there have been other eras too including bce, which included way more years.