French Impact on the
American Revolution
By Adam Balmer
Before France entered the
Revolution
• France was nervous to enter into a war with Great Britain
right after the 7 years war.
• They were worried that even France and the Rebels
could not take on Britain.
• France did trade with America through a fictitious trading
company.
Before France entered the
Revolution
• By fall of 1776 France had already shipped to the
Continentals:
300,000 pounds of gunpowder
30,000 muskets
3,000 tents
200 pieces of artillery
Clothing for 30,000 soldiers
Needless to say that these supplies were a large asset to
the Continental Army.
France coming into the war
• The next year in 1777, the Battle of Saratoga
commenced.
• The Continental army inflicted heavy casualties on the
British.
• Many people consider this battle to be the turning point
of the war.
• After this battle, France was ready to come into the war.
France coming into the war
• On February 6, 1778, Benjamin Franklin and two other
American commissioners signed the Treaty of Alliance
and a Treaty of Amity and Commerce with France.
• Article 8 of the Treaty of Alliance with France states,
“Neither of the two parties shall conclude either truce or
peace, with Great Britain, without the formal consent of
the other first obtained; and they mutually engage not to
lay down their arms until the independence of the
United States shall have been formally or tacitly assured
by the treaty or treaties that shall terminate the war.”
The French Military
• France sent many soldiers and ships to help the
Continental army.
• Some French troops even volunteered to go to America
to fight.
• Among these volunteers was General Marquis de
Lafayette.
Marquis de Lafayette
• Lafayette sailed to America in 1777 and he was willing to
serve as a general for free.
• He was named as a major-general in the continental
army.
• With Lafayette, France was much more obligated to send
soldiers.
• He helped the continental army in different battles, and
he helped pin down General Lord Cornwallis in Yorktown
as George Washington made his way.
Comte de Rochambeau
• Comte de Rochambeau was another French General that
played a major role in America’s independence.
• He commanded an army of about 5,500 soldiers.
• He worked hard on making good relations with the
Americans.
• He joined George Washington’s forces in the spring of
1781.
The French Navy
• The French Navy helped tremendously in the War.
• They kept Great Britain from getting complete control
over the Atlantic Ocean.
• The Navy even caused many distractions in Europe to
help some of the focus stray away from the Americas.
The Run-up to the Battle of
Yorktown
• In mid-1781, Washington was going to use his combined
French and American army to push British forces out of
New York.
• This changed on August 14, 1781, when General
Rochambeau found out that French Admiral de Grasse
and a large fleet would soon be close to the Chesapeake
bay.
• This set up the news for the final and decisive military
campaign of the Revolutionary War.
The Run-up to the Battle of
Yorktown
• Washington made plans to attack Cornwallis with the
help from the large French fleet commanded by the
Count de Grasse.
• Lafayette was busy holding Cornwallis at Yorktown.
• De Grasse destroyed the British fleet at the Battle of
Virginia Capes.
• Washington and Rochambeau were busy marching South
to get to Yorktown.
The Battle of Yorktown
• All of these elements put together the foundations of the
battle of Yorktown.
• Washington, Rochambeau, and Lafayette encircled
Yorktown where they steadily overcame the British
fortifications.
• The French Navy denied Cornwallis his reinforcements
and he had to surrender.
The Treaty of Paris
• The Revolution ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
• Between the French supplies, troops, and navy, the
Continental Army probably would not have been able to
when the war without the French.
Works Cited
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War
http://www.yahphotography.com/day-86-firing-musket-animation/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_du_Motier,_Marquis_de_Lafayette
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Navy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_Donatien_de_Vimeur,_comte_de_Rochambeau
http://www.britishbattles.com/battle-saratoga.htm
http://storiesofusa.com/the-american-revolution-revolutionary-war-battles-timeline-1770-1783/
http://www.kingsacademy.com/mhodges/07_Special-Documents/Historical-Documents/1783_Treaty-ofParis.html
Cornwallis Surrenders at Yorktown. n.d. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cornwallissurrenders-at-yorktown (accessed November 24, 2014).
Motier, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du. Marquis de Lafayette. n.d.
http://www.biography.com/people/marquis-de-lafayette-21271783. (accessed November 24, 2014).
The French Alliance and The Winning of American Independence . n.d.
http://www.historyisfun.org/learn/learning-center/colonial-america-american-revolution-learningresources/american-revolution-essays-timelines-images/the-french-alliance/ (accessed November 24, 2014).
Treaty of Alliance with France. n.d. http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=008/llsl008.db&recNum=21 (accessed November 21, 2014).
Wilde, Robert. France in the American Revolution. 2014.
http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/warsinnorthamerica/a/franceandtheARW.htm (accessed November 24,
2014).