America’s First Ally: France in the Revolutionary War

Without France, the United States would probably not have gained independence from Great Britain when it did. With the help of France, in terms of money and war material, the fledging colonies were finally able to gain the upper hand and force out the British and gain independence. This book takes an in-depth look at all the supplies that the French government provided and examines, in-depth, the battles they fought. Like many other books from Casemate, it is more of true military history and not much of analytical history. The focus is on battles, formations, what kind of troops and where they were from, and what ships that fought in each individual battle. It shows in-depth those battles, especially actions at sea against the British by letters of marque and other actions. It can get kind of repetitive, the constant stream of ships, men, formations, material; but it does provide greater detail than other types of books covering the same era. It goes to show you how much support the French provided us, even though it essentially bankrupted their country in the process.