Existing comment:
The American Revolution and the French Alliance
Beginning with the opening months of the Revolution in 1775, the patriotic cause was hamstrung by Britain's control of the seas. Yet, even before the signing of our first Treaty of Alliance in 1778, the French provided naval support for the American cause. Continental Navy ships and state privateers were allowed to put into French ports for refitting and supplies. Operating in European waters, American captains such as John Paul Jones, Lambert Wickes, Gustavus Conyngham, and Nicholas Biddle harassed British trade and won a number of individual ship engagements. But in the last analysis, the French/American concentration at Yorktown under Generals Washington, Lafayette, and Rochambeau, and the French fleet action off the Virginia Capes in September 1781 under Admiral de Grasse were decisive in the American War of Independence. That was, as the Commander-in-Chief, George Washington said, "the pivot upon which everything turned."
In this exhibit, we extend our grateful respects to France and the French Navy. |