Actually the treaty between the french king and the american rebels
predates the Declaration of Independence. To say that Ben Franklin is
wholly responsible for bringing the french govt to support the rebellion
shows that you haven't read enough history. You have to remember that
the french and english were essentially war. It made sense for the
french to ally themselves with the fledgling american rebellion. The
english had to send troops to America that otherwise could have been
used in europe.
You originally said that the British faced a larger French army at
Yorktown. This simply isn't true. They faced a coalitionI gave you the
numbers. Look at the various Battle of Yorktown web sites.
Here's a book for you to read if you're interested and can find it:
"A populace Numerous and Armed." It explains the reballion from the
Brit point of view.
Cheers,
CR
Barrie Robinson wrote:
> CR,
>
> As I said the French army was there -You do not call and army
> Franco-American because they took their holidays in Paris! Ben Franklin
> (or was it Ben J?) wooed the French government to send their troops
> over. Anyway history books are written accordingly for the country in
> which they will be sold/used. But the main facts remain - Old George
> was an idiot and thought the "colonies" were a ragtail band of ruffians
> and acted accordingly. The French were wooed by Ben baby and did send
> troops without whom the battle/war would have had a different
> story...............and when the war was fought BOTH sides were British!!!
>
>
> At 06:40 PM 7/4/2003 -0500, Charles & Peggy Robinson wrote:
>
>> Well, gee, no, I don't find any history books that say the British
>> opposition at Yorktown was a large french army. It was a
>> "Franco-American" army, approximately 6,000 french under Rochambeau
>> and 9,000 of the Continental Army (CA) under Washington and La
>> Fayette. The Brits, under Cornwallis, were outnumbered but not by a
>> French army.
>>
>> Actually, the Continental Army (CA) was made up, in great part, by
>> formerly conscript Hessian soldiers who had deserted their involuntary
>> service with the Austrians and Brits and enlisted in the CA on promise
>> of land grants, etc, when the war was over. Another part was several
>> rebel militias, which the Brits didn't think could fight. The rest
>> were re-enlisted rebels from the original cadres and other volunteers.
>>
>> The rebel Virginia Militia was a force the Brits brought on
>> themselves, by pillaging a formally pacific countryside on the word
>> of a few Virginia Tories who were after feathering their own nests.
>> The commander of the Tory irregulars was a particularly bloodthirsty
>> british officer. He got himself killed eventually, by the Virginians.
>>
>> If the french fleet, under De Grasse hadn't defeated the british
>> fleet in the Chesapeake Bay and blockaded the York river, preventing
>> the british troop and supply ships getting in, Cornwallis would have
>> been reinforced or evacuated to fight another day. Instead, he was
>> stuck and had to capitulate.
>>
>> It is on record that Cornwallis tried to surrender to a french
>> general officer, attached to Washington's staff, because he didn't
>> want to surrender to a "ragtag militia officer." Poor old Cornwallis
>> lost twice to Washington; once at Trenton and Princeton up north and
>> finally at Yorktown in the south. Bad Karma.
>>
>> In Cornwallis' defense, he didn't want to fortify Yorktown,
>> recognising that it wasn't good ground to defend. Governor-General
>> Clinton insisted, and Cornwallis obeyed. Clinton thought the British
>> navy could support Cornwallis if the nitty got gritty. However, the
>> french won the naval battle and Cornwallis' goose was cooked.
>>
>> Interesting stuff, huh?
>>
>> CR
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Barrie Robinson wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> As to history I do not suppose that many will remember that the
>>> relatively small British army at the battle of Yorktown had to face a
>>> large French army and navy imported through Ben Franklin's lobbying
>>> during many years residency in France.
>>>
>>
>
> Regards
> Barrie
>
> Barrie Robinson
> barrier@bconnex.net
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