Assistance+From+Europe

Assistance from Europe in the Revolutionary War

Not many people think about it, but America and Britain were not the only countries that fought in the American Revolutionary War. Many other countries in Europe helped including: Spain, Germany, and France. Each played an important role in the Revolutionary War.

France for example helped America a lot, especially in the Battle of Yorktown. Benjamin Franklin spent awhile in Paris, trying to convince France to join his cause. It wasn’t until the Patriot’s victory at Saratoga that they finally decided to help. They decided that they had a chance of beating Britain with the help of the Patriots, and getting revenge for the French and Indian War. France originally joined America in 1778, but on August 19, 1781, France joined forces with George Washington and his army in New York and they headed down to the Yorktown. When France first attempted to help the Patriots, it failed, but they later played an important role in the outcome of the American Revolutionary War.

There were quite a few Frenchmen who played a strong part. Francois-Joseph-Paul Comte de Rochambeau was one of them. He was captured by the British, and while in jail learned useful information that helped the Patriots “cheat” in the war. Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch Gibert du Mustier helped finance the war. He gave $200,000 of his own money and never asked to be repaid. Another Frenchman was named Jean-Babtiste-Donatien de Vimeur Comet de Rochambeau. He commanded an army of about 4000 men that fought for America. His army fought for the Patriots in the Battle of Yorktown. Many men like these left everything in France to help us when the war and get revenge for their own countries.

Germany also helped in the Revolution, but unlike France, they assisted the Britain’s cause. There were 20,000+ German soldiers, many of which were Hessians. The Hessians were sold to the British cause by Hesse-Cassekl, Frederick the 2nd. This meant that all Hessians had been sent unwillingly. The Hessians were a big, unwilling, help. In one battle, due to all the Hessians, Sir William Howe’s British army had 25,000-30,000 soldiers. George Washington had only 13,000-14,000 soldiers, many untrained, in his army. Thousands of Hessians decided to stay in America after the war.

Spain also played a large, if secret role in the Revolution. They entered as allies to France, though not the colonies, but still provided financial help, as well as supplying weapons. For example, in 1777, Ben Franklin looked over the transportation of cannons, tents, grenades, muskets, etc. The tens of thousands of weapons were all shipped from Spain to the colonies. One thing that was interesting though was the fact that they kept their assistance to the colonies a secret. While they wanted to help the Patriots win, and gain back lost territory, they were already engaged in a different war with Portugal. To avoid getting the word out that they had money in two wars, the assistance was not announced.

Without the help of Europe in the Revolution, the outcome could have been drastically different. Works Cited "Hessian." //Liberty// PBS, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2009. "Hessians." //Liberty// PBS, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. Brownstone, David M., and Irene M. Frank. //The Young Nation: America 1787-1861//. Danbury, CT: Grolier Education, 2002. N. pag. Print. Butler Sr., Judge Edward F. "Spain's Involvement in the Revolutionary War." //NSSAR// N.p., 12 Nov. 2001. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. Encyclopedia Britanna. //Encyclopedia Britanna// Britanna, n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2009. Ferrie, Richard. //The World Turned Upsidedown: George Washington and the battle of Yorktown//. New York City: Holiday House, 1999. N. pag. Print. Guentert, Carolin. "Welcome to Europe." //Carolin Guentert// Ed. Carolin Guentert. N.p., 2008. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. Lowell, Edward J. "The Hessians and the other German Auxiliaries." //American Revolution.org// History Channel, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. Morris, Richard B. //The American Revolution//. ed. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 1985. N. pag. Print. New World Encyclopedia. //New World Encyclopedia// New World Encyclopedia, 3 Apr. 2008. Web. 7 Dec. 2009.