Marquis de Lafayette
• Born Sept. 6, 1757, in France to a wealthy noble
family
• Father was killed by British in Battle of Minden
• Became an orphan due to this, but still wealthy
• Joined the American Revolution at age 19
• Tactical skill and French alliances helped clinch
victory at Yorktown
“The welfare of America is closely bound up with the welfare of
mankind.” - Marquis de Lafayette
Lafayette was inspired by the ideas of the American Revolution.
He loved the idea of a government run by the people and not a
king.
After purchasing the ship La Victoire and setting a course to
America, Lafayette learned his first English phrases during his 54
days at sea. His June, 1777 landfall in South Carolina brought him
within several days' ride of his grail: the twin opportunity to
destroy the British, and to satisfy his DNA's demand that he raise
his sword before the oppressor of his father’s murderer.
Congress declined his services when Lafayette presented himself
in Philadelphia, but his sincerity, and his assurance that he would
serve at his own expense, won him the rank of major general. He
quickly fell into the company of George Washington, and the two
formed a bond of will and philosophy so strong that Washington
came to regard Lafayette as his son, a relationship reciprocated by
the young Frenchman.
His first taste of War occurred at the Battle of Brandywine.
Lafayette was shot in the leg in this battle, but was successfully
able to retreat his troops on one leg. General Washington cited
him for his military bravery and leadership after the battle.
Then Lafayette led 2,000 Patriots to successfully pursue the 6,000
Redcoats throughout Virginia during 1780. In addition, he gave
$200,000 of his own money to support the Revolution and also was
a major influence on the rest of the French to join the war support
in America.
French Help
When and why did France enter the American Revolution?
France participated actively in the American Revolutionary
War (1775-1783) and assisted America in its fight for
independence from the British rule. It entered the Revolution
in 1778. France perceived the whole episode as an
incarnation of the Enlightenment Spirit. Benjamin Franklin
popularized the Revolution in France, urging them to
participate.
How did France help America in the Revolutionary War?
France had faced a bitter defeat in the French and Indian
War, having to evacuate the American soil after that.
Therefore, it saw a natural ally in the American colonies, who
the French also wished to turn to their advantage once the
conflict was over. At the same time, the colonies lacked
ammunitions and allies. The French extended considerable
financial support to the American forces in the form of
donations and loans and also supplied vital military arms and
supplies, which became a decisive factor in the victory of
America.
What role did Benjamin Franklin play in the American Revolution?
Benjamin Franklin was among the founding fathers, and
played an indispensable role in the American Revolution.
Motivated by the ideals of equality, liberty and republicanism,
he entered the war and mobilized the masses to join in the
same. In December 1776, he went to France, where he was
welcomed with enthusiasm. He stayed in Paris for a long
time, which was a cause of discontent for the British but was
unusually a fruitful time for America.
Why is the Siege of Yorktown important?
The Siege of Yorktown or the surrender of Yorktown in 1781
was an important battle in the American revolution. It refers
to the victory of the American forces made possible by a
combined attack over the British army by the French forces
led by Comte de Rochembeau and the American forces led
by General George Washington. The assault on the British
army forced Cornwallis to surrender and end the conflict.
How was the economy of France affected?
The Treaty of Paris, signed in September 1783, ended the
war between Britain and the United States of America. It was
signed jointly by Great Britain, France, and Spain. The
French forces had spent a lot of money in aid to America,
and the national debt swelled to 3.315 billion. It also could
not become the main trading partner with America, as it had
hoped. This led to public unrest and a disbelief in monarchy,
which some believe sowed the seeds for the French
Revolution.
Baron Friedrich von Steuben
Friedrich Wilhelm Rudolf Gerhard August, Freiherr von
Steuben, a Prussian military officer, arrives at General George
Washington's encampment at Valley Forge on this day in 1778
and commences training soldiers in close-order drill, instilling
new confidence and discipline in the demoralized Continental
Army.
Baron von Steuben, as he is better known, was the son of a
military engineer and became a Prussian officer himself at the
age of 17. He served with distinction and was quickly
promoted from infantry to Frederick the Great's General Staff.
In 1763, at age 33 and with the rank of captain, he was
discharged for unknown reasons. Employed by an indebted
prince, von Steuben searched for more lucrative employment
in foreign armies. The French minister of war recommended
von Steuben to Benjamin Franklin as a resource to the
Continental Army in 1777. Franklin in turn passed on word of
Steuben's availability to George Washington, and by February
23, 1778, he was among the desperate Continentals camped at
Valley Forge.
Von Steuben, who did not speak English, drafted a drill manual
in French, which Alexander Hamilton and Nathanael Greene
then translated into English. The Prussian drill techniques he
shared were far more advanced than those of other European
armies, let alone those of the ragtag Patriots. The ego-crushing
methods of modern boot camp were practiced among the
shoeless soldiers of Valley Forge with remarkable efficacy.
Most important for 18th-century battle was an efficient
method of firing and reloading weapons, which von Steuben
forced the Patriots to practice until it became second nature.
Before von Steuben's arrival, colonial American soldiers were
notorious for their sloppy and messy camp conditions. Von
Steuben insisted on reorganization to establish basic hygiene.
He demanded that kitchens and latrines be put on opposite
sides of the camp, with latrines facing a downhill slope. (Just
having latrines was novelty to the Continental troops who
were accustomed to living among their own filth.)
On the merit of his efforts at Valley Forge, Washington
recommended that von Steuben be named inspector general of
the Continental Army; Congress complied. In this capacity, von
Steuben propagated his methods throughout the Patriot forces
by circulating his Blue Book, entitled Regulations for the Order
and Discipline of the Troops of the United States.
Von Steuben led his training by using both respect and fear
into the minds of the Continental Army. These two powerful
stances made the Americans listen and give full attention to
Von Steuben.
A historian called von Steuben’s feat of training the Americans
so well, “perhaps the most remarkable achievement in rapid
military training in the history of the world.”
Spanish Help
Spain's motivation to help the American colonists was driven
by a desire to regain the land it had lost to Britain and, with
other European powers, make incremental gains against
British possessions in other parts of the world. Although
some dreamers in Spain perhaps envisioned its eventual
possession of the entire New World, I have found no evidence
that such an idea guided its assistance to the American
colonists.
France and Spain were at that time both under Bourbon
kings, Louis XVI and Carlos III, respectively, whose American
possessions had been significantly reduced by the 1763
Treaty of Paris that ended the Seven Years' (the French and
Indian) War. At the beginning of the American War of
Independence, American commissioners were sent to Europe
by the Continental Congress to seek support for their cause.
John Jay, American representative in Spain, found success.
Americans promised both France and Spain the restoration
of much of the land they had lost to the British in America.
In April 1779, Spain committed to helping the Americans.
Financial Support
This help did not consist of Spanish troops to fight alongside
Americans, but it was extensive nevertheless. The Spanish
and French kings provided large loans and outright
contributions of money to the Americans. Spain laundered
this money, as we would say today, through a fictitious
private trading company, Roderique Hortalez and Company,
operating out of the Lesser Antilles, which sent both money
and war material directly to the Americans. The money
helped support the Americans' new currency, the
Continental, and also made it possible for the Americans to
bring in foreign military officers, such as Augustus von
Steuben, Casimir Pulaski, and Thaddeus Kosciuszko, to fight
for them.
Land Battles
Spain began a military campaign of its own against the
British in Florida and Louisiana. From 1779 through 1782,
the Spanish Governor of Louisiana, Don Bernardo de Gàlvez,
conducted a series of military actions against the British to
retake forts that Spain had earlier lost to the British,
succeeding in the Mississippi River Valley, and at Baton
Rouge, Natchez, Mobile, and Pensacola. In 1782, Spain also
succeeded in wresting back the Bahamas from the British.
Naval Support
A very substantial form of Spain's support for the Americans
involved a strategy of joining Britain's other European
competitors in tying up British naval resources by engaging
them elsewhere than in Britain's American colonies. Spain
did this, for example, against Gibraltar and Minorca, and
together with France sent a fleet into the English Channel to
menace the British coast and tie up more British ships. Most
of the European maritime powers, including Spain, united
against Britain's effort to interrupt their trade with America.
With both France and Spain (and Holland) indirectly in the
fray, Britain's navy was outmatched and could not effectively
concentrate its military force in America. Spanish ships
joined with French ships in the naval blockade of the British
army at Yorktown in 1781, preventing General Cornwallis's
resupply by the British navy, resulting in his surrender.
Don Bernardo de Galvez
Spanish Flag seen in their Colonies during American Revolution
Naval Battles occurred between the Spanish and British in the 1780s.
French Troops located on Left, Americans on Right.
French Navy on left VS. British Navy on Right
Benjamin Franklin made a huge impact on France joining the American Revolution
The French Navy was able to close off the British at Yorktown