Strategic Alliances
As the war waged on, American diplomacy and the potential of having the colonies as a future trade partner urged the French, Spanish, and Dutch Republic to join the Americans' cause. A 1781 edition of the New-Hampshire Gazette and General Advertiser says that a Dutch fleet of six ships and five frigates defeated an English fleet of nine ships and multiple frigates.3 It was at this time that Washington realized his army needed to adopt traditional fighting strategies in addition to the use of guerilla warfare. The German Baron von Steuben played a pivotal role at Valley Forge while the Frenchman, General Rochambeau, helped lead the Americans to victory at the Battle of Yorktown. In a 1781 edition of the New Hampshire Gazette, a report surfaced that von Steuben ordered to march to the southern part of North Carolina to cut off Cornwallis' retreat with General Nathanael Greene. The same report also mentions that nine French ships just arrived in New York to assist the Continental Army.4 According to historian Larrie D. Ferreiro, "America could never have won the war without France, and France could never have succeeded without Spain."1 Foreign support came through money, weapons, soldiers, uniforms, or other military equipment. France in particular provided an army and naval fleets to the cause. The combined support of the French and Spanish alone is valued at $85 billion, hence leading to William V Wenger's conclusion, a veteran and author, that the Americans would never have defeated the British if they had not received help. This aid combined with Britain’s drainage of resources from the Seven Years War is what led to an American victory.1 Similar to Wenger, William P. Kladky describes the British army as “the world’s premier war machine of its day.” In response, he says George Washington divided his Continental Army into three divisions, six brigades, and 38 regiments. Although the army only won three of nine major battles under Washington’s command, his victory at Yorktown in 1781 sealed the war for the Americans.2 Kladky notes that this victory would not have been possible without the help of the French army and navy, however, further supporting the notion that foreign alliances gave the Americans a tremendous advantage. Both Wenger and Kladky view the colonists’ strategy of utilizing foreign support from the French and other nations as the key factor in winning the war.
1. History, Military. “How the Americans Defeated the British in the Revolutionary War.” The Past, November 10, 2021. the-past.com/feature/how-the-americans-defeated-the-british-in-the-revolutionary-war/.
2. Kladky, William P. “Continental Army.” George Washington’s Mount Vernon, 2010. www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/continental-army.
3. for, Endowment. 2024. “The New-Hampshire Gazette and General Advertiser. [Volume] (Portsmouth [N.H.]) 1781-1784, September 29, 1781, Image 1.” Loc.gov, no. 1781/09/29. info:lccn/sn83025585.
4. for, Endowment. 2024. “New-Hampshire Gazette, Or, State Journal and General Advertiser. [Volume] (Portsmouth, N.H.) 1778-1781, March 26, 1781, Image 1.” Loc.gov, no. 1781/03/26. info:lccn/sn83025584.