The Myths of French Involvement during the American RevolutionAmericans love to rag on the French, a

The Myths of French Involvement during the American RevolutionAmericans love to rag on the French, a pastime which has unfortunately lead to a number of myths surrounding the American Revolution.  According to the prevailing myth, France was America’s ally, but the French didn’t really do anything until the last battle of the war, the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.  In reality, we owe a lot to the French, whose aid during the war allowed the colonies to survive the onslaught of the British Army.  After all the French supplied the Continental Army with 90% of its gunpowder, as well as tens of thousands of muskets, hundreds of cannon, tens of thousands of pairs of uniforms and boots, and 1.3 billion livres in financial support. Hundreds of military officers were also sent by the French king to serve as military advisers for the Continental Army. One of the most famous of all Frenchmen to serve in the Continental Army was the Marquis de Lafayette, who would practically serve as the right hand of Gen. Washington throughout the warIt would be fair to say that the American Revolution was a French proxy war against the British much as the the Soviet Afghan War was an American proxy war against the Soviet Union. However, unlike the Soviet Afghan War, the French actually did fight against the British with boots on the ground.  Throughout the high seas French naval ships and privateers clashed against the Royal Navy.  French forces also conducted raids across the British Empire, striking targets in the Caribbean, North American, Africa, and India.  In India, the French allied with the Kingdom of Mysore with the goal of ejecting the British from the Indian subcontinent.  The subsequent conflict was extremely savage and bloody leading to tens of thousands of British casualties.  Moreover, the French formed an alliance with Spain, the Netherlands, and the Austrian Empire with the intent of invading Britain itself.  As a result of France’s military efforts and diplomatic efforts, Britain was forced to spread her military thin, often pulling men and resources away from the Revolution in order to defend the rest of her empire.Perhaps the biggest and most egregious whopper of them all is the myth that the French never sent military aid until the last battle of the war. In fact, the first French forces to step foot in the colonies did so on July 22nd, 1778, about six months after France had formally recognized the United States and declared war on Britain.  The first French force consisted of 5,000 infantry, who combined with 5,000 American troops and militia in an attempt to force the British out of Newport, Rhode Island.  While the siege of Newport failed, news of a French force sailing from Europe to New England was one of the reasons why British commander Gen. Clinton chose to abandon his occupation of Philadelphia, as a French landing in New England would threaten his supply lines through New York City. A year later, the British withdrew from Newport, as a larger force of 6,000 French troops arrived under the command of Comte de Rochambeau. In 1779 another 3,000 French troops and 500 Haitian volunteers landed in Georgia to the aid of 2,000 American troops intent on capturing Savannah from the British.  Unfortunately, the Siege of Savannah failed as British defenses were strongly built and well defended.The most famous battle involving the French was the Siege of Yorktown, where 8,000 French infantry, 8,000 American infantry, 3,000 militia, and the French Navy surrounded British Gen. Cornwallis’ army at Yorktown, VA. While Yorktown signaled the end of major combat operations for the Americans with the exception of a few small skirmishes, the blood feud between France and Britain was far from over, and would continue until the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.  Believe it or not, the last battle of the American Revolution was not fought in America, but in India, where British, French, and Mysorean forces clashed at the Battle of Cuddalore.The French involvement in the American Revolution would restore France’s prestige in Europe, something severely lacking after their disastrous defeat during the Seven Years War/French and Indian War.  However, the war turned out none to good for France.  While the French did much to aide the Americans during the Revolution, ironically it would be Britain that would become America’s number one trading partner in the late 18th and early 19th century.  The war also threw France into debt at the tune of a whopping 3.3 billion livres, certainly not a small sum.  Such an enormous debt would send France into financial disaster, a contributing factor in the coming French Revolution. -- source link
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