7-2 Notes: The War Expands

Help from Abroad 1776 - France begins sending aid to the Americans (still bitter over loss of F&I War, loss of colonies, old rivalry) - didn’t publicly ally themselves to avoid 2nd straight loss to Britain King Louis XVI and France officially recognized U.S. independence following the victories of Saratoga 1778 - France signed two alliance treaties with the U.S. - France went to war with Britain and sent funds, supplies, and troops to the U.S. 1779 - France persuaded its ally Spain to help America - General Bernardo de Gálvez, Spanish governor of Louisiana, captured British strongholds of Natchez and Baton Rouge on the lower Mississippi River, and Mobile and Pensacola in the south as well These victories and military attention from Spain kept Britain from attacking the U.S. from the southwest and kept thousands of British troops occupied fighting the Spanish (in addition to helping Spain expand its empire in the Americas!) This military attention to distract Britain and keep it from concentrating troops in North America

Europeans Help Washington Marquis de Lafayette - 19-year-old French nobleman who volunteered to serve in Washington’s army Believed in the American cause, commanded an entire American division, and earned soldiers’ respect by sharing hardships and using his own money to purchase warm clothing for his ragged troops Convinced Louis XVI to send a 6,000 man army to the U.S. Baron de Kalb, a German officer who had served in the French army, became one of Washington’s generals - he had a reputation for bravery (received 11 wounds at the Battle of Camden and died!) Baron von Steuben, another German, helped Washington train his army 1778 - Steuben began forming model companies of 100 men and trained them how to march in lines and columns and handle weapons properly Steuben also taught them how to make charges with bayonets, long steel knives attached to the ends of guns

Winter at Valley Forge 1777 - Britain’s General Howe forced Washington to retreat from Philadelphia Winter 1777-8, Washington’s army camped at Valley Forge in southeast Pennsylvania Conditions at camp were brutal - soldiers lacked blankets, jackets, shoes, hats, shirts - soldiers often froze to death and went days without food; many suffered frostbite and had to have limbs amputated Roughly 1/4 of them died from malnutrition, exposure to cold, or diseases like smallpox and typhoid fever Washington asked Congress to provide help but it was slow to respond Private citizens helped instead - one group of Philadelphia women drove supplies and 2,000 shirts to the men (they also killed their oxen to provide meat for the soldiers) Many soldiers deserted, or left the army without intending to return, but army was able to stay together and survive the harsh conditions

War on the Frontier 1777 - Frontiersman George Rogers Clark convinced Virginia governor Patrick Henry to allow him to raise an army to defend what is now Indiana and Illinois against the British and their Native allies 1778 - Clark and a force of around 175-200 captured a British post called Kaskaskia on the Mississippi River Clark took Fort Sackville in Vincennes in Indiana but it was retaken by the “Hair Buyer” Henry Hamilton and his British troops February 1779 - Clark and his men arrived at Fort Sackville and pinned the unsuspecting Hamilton and his troops in the fort Clark tricked the British into surrendering by pretending he had a larger force than he did - he captured Natives who had American scalps and executed some of them in plain view of the fort, while threatening to do the same to Hamilton and his men Clark’s victories gave Americans the upper hand in the region between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River

War at Sea 1777 - British have about 100 warships off the American coast, which helped them blockade the American ports, control trade routes American privateers, or privately owned ships that a wartime government gives permission to attack an enemy’s ships, attacked British ships Privateers were motivated by financial gain and patriotism - privateers shared the profits from cargo sold from British ships they captured Congress and the individual states authorized more than 1,000 privateers, which captured hundreds of British ships and motivated many British merchants to ask their government to end the war 14-year-old James Forten, son of a free African-American sail maker, signed up to be a privateer to help his family - Forten was captured by the British, refused passage to England, and released from a British prison (later walked barefoot from New York to his home in Philadelphia) Americans built the first combat submarine, The Turtle - even though it failed all of its missions it marked an innovation in naval technology John Paul Jones became commander of the Bonhomme Richard in 1779 - he patrolled the English coast with 4 other ships September 1779 - Crowds of Britons gathered to watch a 3 1/2 hour battle in which the John Paul Jones captured the British warship called Serapis