9 years and 4500 Dead Americans

[Beest]

Originally Posted by SamIam

No one freed us from colonial rule but ourselves. We appreciate our liberty the more because of that. Let others do the same.
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I'm not great student of American history but, I understand there was a significant contribution by a foreign military power in the Revolutionary War. I don't know if it's considered that the colonists would have succeeded without French assisstance.

[SamIam]

Well, sure, the French were helpful for reasons of their own. But their contribution bares no comparison with US involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, etc., etc., ad nauseum. France did NOT turn up with a big army and land in the colonies to inform them that they were going to have a revolution now because France thought it was a cool idea. Colonial America decided on its own to break with the British. This is what I was trying to get at.

Also, I have read that the 13 colonies would have gained their freedom with or without France. French participation simply meant that the war ended sooner than it might have otherwise done. I don't know what the consensus of the historians is, though.

[Lamplighter]

What about the Indians ?

Think of the Indians

[tw]

Originally Posted by Beest

I'm not great student of American history but, I understand there was a significant contribution by a foreign military power in the Revolutionary War.

The British could not apply sufficient force in the colonies. The Brits had too many other ongoing wars.

Foreign powers provided two significant contributions. First was military training - a serious problem in the colonial army at both the enlistedman and officer levels. Second was a naval blockade during Yorktown. Without supplies and support from their Navy, then Cornwallis was cut off and forced to surrender to Washington. He could not obtain supplies sufficient to survive a siege.

As with all wars, purpose is to take negotiations to a peace table. That battle itself was only decisive because the British realized they needed their forces elsewhere. Suddenly realized war in the Colonies was not worth the expense. A victory in Yorktown, by itself, did not end the war. But was a deciding factor that caused top British management to negotiate rather than keep fighting.

Had the Brits not been involved in war elsewhere, then the battle in Yorktown probably would not have been the final battle.

British had another problem. Their attitude (similar to what American troops did in Vietnam and Mission Accomplished) had turned most colonials against them. Their military tactics were only creating more enemies.