What assistance did France provide for the American War of Independence?

In essence, there is no separate American war of independence, but the North American battlefield where Britain and France compete for global hegemony. Without France, there would be no America. Why do you think the United States and France send high-standard parade teams to each other on Independence Day and National Day?

(1) Myth Made in America

American officials and mainstream society claim that the American War of Independence is the first large-scale liberation war of colonial people for national independence, freedom and democracy in world history, and it is the earliest and greatest real liberation war in human history. The American War of Independence was the first large-scale practice of the liberal philosophy of the European Enlightenment, which reflected a new progressive political spirit and values.

It is the most outstanding war example in the history of human war, winning the big with small, winning the best with inferior and winning the strong with weak. Under the outstanding leadership of American sages, after eight years of arduous struggle, North American soldiers and civilians finally defeated the British Empire, the world's first industrial country with a population of nearly 30 million, and owned 13 states in North America with a population of just over 2 million.

The victory of the War of Independence broke the shackles of British colonial rule, realized the political independence of the North American colonies, liberated the people of the North American colonies, set a shining example for the cause of human freedom and democracy, and practiced the liberal philosophy of the European Enlightenment on a large scale for the first time in the American War of Independence, reflecting a new progressive political spirit and values. It has opened up a broad road for the rapid development of modern human civilization.

According to the lesson plan of the first volume of a certain edition of World History (the lesson plan almost completely instills the political interpretation of the North American War of Independence from the standpoint of Americans), the author really couldn't help laughing when he provided a table to prove that Americans "defeated the strong with the weak".

The table is as follows: the comparison of British and American forces during the American Revolution.

Countries, Britain and the United States

Old colonial countries and young countries with ancient economies

The local population is 67 million, less than 3 million.

Together with 30 million ant colonies

Military organizations have a strong fleet and no navy.

Sufficient equipment and ammunition, lack of materials.

Natural injustice and justice

It is amazing that a young country without a navy, with a population of only one-half to one-tenth of the other, can defeat the old colonial countries. It is really "justice will win."

"Justice will win"? Smile. Imagine that if the author is just an ordinary middle school student, facing the data and guidance provided by the teacher, what else can he think besides the American idea of "justice+fierceness"? Obviously not. Myth, that is, "from childhood", came into being step by step.

(2) Expose the real situation of the Continental Army.

In order to make the data as reliable as possible, we use the data stated by General united states secretary of war Knox in his report to Congress in 1789 to illustrate the strength of the Continental Army. In this report, the total strength of the continental army is expressed as follows: 1, 775-27443, 1, 1, 777-34820, 1, 778-32. 699 people 1780-2 1, 0 15 people1-kloc-0/3,292 people1782-14,256 people.

This data is very surprising. According to this data, during the entire War of Independence, the total strength of the Continental Army was decreasing except 1775- 1776 and1781782. In the same year of the Battle of Yorktown, the last battle of North American independence, the total strength of the Continental Army suddenly decreased by about one third.

If you only look at the figures, you can't see the posture of "autumn wind sweeping the leaves". This is obviously different from what we usually know, that is, the Continental Army's triumph after 1777 was "Saratoga's victory" (anti-mopping-up victory in nature, not strategic counterattack), and the process from victory to victory is quite different.

After discovering that the increase or decrease in the number of people in the Continental Army is obviously different from what we usually know, we are more interested in exploring the changes in the strength of the rival British army.

(3) British army

We found such data in a 1964 version of Fight for America.

Area1775.41777.81778 5438+001780.31782.3.

Southern England1061213868 53465 61402 64274

West Indies19833315175192908756

"USA" 69912 3694 * 39637 32149 34463

The total number of British troops is 2706357637 *112239142386150310.

* 1777 This figure does not include German mercenaries in Hesse and other places.

According to this data, in the year when the War of Independence broke out, there were only more than 6,000 British troops stationed in North America 13 states. The total strength of the continental army is 380 more than that of the whole of Britain at the same time. The Battle of Bunker Hill, which Americans are very proud of, happened in this year. If we only look at the course of that battle, we really think that the Americans are outnumbered.

In the next two years, the British army in thirteen States in North America grew rapidly. As we all know, Saratoga took place in 1777, but we found that the strength of British regular troops sent to 13 States in North America increased from 1777 to 1778, an increase of 67%. Obviously, Saratoga was not a "turning point" in the North American War of Independence, at least militarily. This is not surprising. No matter how great the victory against mopping-up is, it is still anti-mopping-up. It is obviously inappropriate to regard the victory of an anti-mopping-up operation as a "turning point of victory" in a large-scale war.

The number after 1778 is even more surprising. According to the usual saying, this is the process of "victory" of the US military, but why did Britain not "suppress crazily" and the troops sent to North America 13 states never reached 1778? Is the recruitment of British soldiers unable to keep up with the downsizing? Obviously not. We can clearly see that after the outbreak of the War of Independence, the total number of British troops soared from 27,000 to 6,543.8+0.5 million, more than five times the number of British troops before the war.

Take the figures before and after the Battle of Yorktown as an example. When the Battle of Yorktown broke out, there were more than 30,000 British troops in North America. Although the battle of Yorktown lost 8,000 British troops, it was far from the point where the main force was wiped out. More importantly, the number of the Continental Army dropped sharply from 2 1 10,000 to10.3 million. And a few months later, when the British troops in North America recovered to more than 34,000, the Continental Army only recovered to 1.4 million-the disparity between them was even greater than that before the battle.

(4) So what happened to force Britain to agree to North American independence?

The answer is enough to be found in the numbers. Careful friends should have found that during the period of 1778- 1780, the total strength of Britain in the North American continent showed a downward trend, while its total strength in the West Indies showed an abnormal growth.

First look at the real population data of both sides during the War of Independence.

"America" 2 million (including pro-British) Britain 1 1 10,000 France120,000 Spain 28 million.

Obviously, the population of France alone is similar to that of Britain, not to mention that Spain joined later.

Look at the military strength of France during the War of Independence.

(5) French military forces 1778;

There are 109 infantry regiments and 52 cavalry regiments, with a total number of 255,000 (35,000 officers and 220,000 soldiers). Among them, 40 infantry regiments and 4 cavalry regiments were sent to North America and the West Indies, and more than 16500 people (1000 officers and 15000 soldiers) directly participated in the war in North America 13 states. The Royal French Navy has 72,500 sailors and 2,500 officers, of whom more than15,000 officers and men directly participated in the Battle of Yorktown (this figure has exceeded the total strength of the North American Continental Army in the same period).

It is noted that the above-mentioned teaching plan specifically lists that Britain has a "powerful fleet" and the United States "has no navy". I'd like to add another point, the comparative data of the capital ships of Britain and hostile countries in wartime.

Number of capital ships:

France, Spain, Netherlands, "America" and Britain.

1778 52 did not participate in the war 0 66

1779 63 58 No war 0 90

1780 69 48 did not participate in the war 0 9 1

178 1 70 54 13 0 94

1782 73 54 19 0 94

Obviously, the myth of Americans intentionally or unintentionally concealed the fact that not only the British ground forces were weaker than the traditional land power France, but even the British strength-the navy. After France entered the war in 1778, Britain's maritime advantage was not obvious. 1779 After Spain entered the war, Britain's maritime superiority has at least turned into a quantitative disadvantage. After reading the list added by the author here, I wonder how many people will doubt that it is natural for North America to win the War of Independence. It's not surprising now. After 1778, the British troops in North America did not increase but decreased, while the troops in the West Indies soared because of France's participation in the war.

In fact, the North American War of Independence was not an isolated war, but only a battlefield in the French-British global war-the North American battlefield. The scale of this war is very large, involving many aspects. If you elaborate, you can really write a book. For example, the siege of Gibraltar by the French-Spanish Coalition forces lasted for two years. At most, the two sides concentrated more than 40 thousand ground troops and 83 battleships in this battle. From any point of view, Britain's military strength and attention in Gibraltar alone far exceed its investment in North America 13 States.

(6) Chronology of the North American War of Independence:

1775, the outbreak of the war of independence: thirteen state militia failed to attack Canada.

1776, Britain sent more troops to North America, and Washington led 18000 troops to defend new york, which was defeated by the British. When we retreated across the Delaware River, there were only 4,000 people left, and France and Spain began to provide financial assistance to the United States.

1777, the British army occupied Philadelphia, the seat of the Continental Congress, and Washington tried to counterattack Philadelphia. As a result, the troops actually opened fire on themselves in the dense fog, and the counterattack failed. The American army defeated a British army that went to the mainland to sweep the land and won the battle of Saratoga.

1778, France recognized the independence of the United States and signed a treaty of alliance between France and the United States, which stipulated that "France guarantees the independence of the United States and its territory determined at the end of the war with Britain". Subsequently, France declared war on Britain, and there were many naval battles between Britain and France. After learning that the French fleet was sent to North America, the British government ordered the British troops stationed in Philadelphia to retreat to new york, and the US military "recovered" Philadelphia: Britain occupied several strongholds in the West Indies and India; At the end of the year, the British army captured Savannah, an important city in Georgia, and the Continental Army lost more than 5,000 people.

1779, France occupied St. Louis in Senegal and several islands in the West Indies; France and Spain formed a humanoid joint fleet to attack the British mainland, and the British main force concentrated on defending the mainland: France and Britain fought many naval battles; The French-American joint attack on Savannah failed.

1780, the British army captured Charleston, an important city in South Carolina; Britain and France fought many naval battles in the West Indies; In July, the French special expeditionary force led by Rochambeau landed in Newport.

178 1 year, the French army failed to attack Jersey (this is an island in the English Channel and the only way for the French army to land in Britain); The French Grasett Fleet came to North America, fought with the British Navy for many times, and gained the absolute sea control right of chesapeake bay in a short time. Subsequently, the French-American Coalition forces forced Yorktown defenders to surrender under the coordination of Grasett Fleet, and the large-scale fighting in North America ended: the French-American Coalition forces occupied Pensacola, Florida, and the French-British navy broke out several times in the West Indies and Cape Verde waters.

1782, the French-Spanish allied forces occupied the san felipe fortress in Minoka, an island in the middle and west of the sea: France occupied several islands in the West Indies and trincomalee in Sri Lanka: France and Britain fought many naval battles along the coast of India: the French occupied and destroyed many British fortresses of Canaanites; In Gibraltar, 33,000 French-Spanish troops launched a general attack on the British defenders and were repelled.

1783 France and Britain launched a sea-land tug-of-war in Kudrol, India, and Britain lost.

1On September 3, 783, the Paris Peace Treaty was signed, and France and Britain stopped fighting.

(7) The role of France in the North American War of Independence.

In this way, with the end of the Anglo-French War, the "North American War of Independence" also ended. So, what kind of role is France in this war?

Through the massive data listed above, we can easily draw a conclusion: if we compare the "Korean Motherland Liberation War" with the North American War of Independence, from the perspective of sending troops, France has assumed the role of China, and from the perspective of global game and material assistance, France has assumed the role of the Soviet Union. That is to say, for the thirteen States in North America at that time, the powerful French alone assumed the roles of China and the Soviet Union in the Korean War.

1The 1980s was the beginning of the great increase of French national strength. 1779, Napoleon began to study in military schools, and Europe is about to enter the Napoleonic era. France's national strength began to rank first in Europe around 1800, and its military combat effectiveness became stronger, while Britain has always pursued the principle of maintaining the balance of power in Europe. In the 16th century, France and other countries were United against the Habsburg hegemony of Austria. /kloc-In the late 8th century, France joined forces with other countries to oppose the rule of Europe, and a large-scale Napoleonic War broke out. At that time, the main force of the British army was stationed at home to prevent the French invasion. Britain doesn't want to influence its strategy in Europe for North America, and North American revolutionaries are not as sacred as people think. They read a book [Biography of Washington] that said: 13 The salary of the militia in each state is distributed by the 13 state legislature, every 3-03 states. So we can set up the American War of Independence, and France won it.

Those who disagree with this view can look at this European history more.