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American Forces Gain Strength I. France Enters the War A. The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the Revolutionary war – first because it preserved New England and lifted American’s spirits but also because it convinced France to enter the war. France was a longtime rival of England and was still bitter from its defeat in the French and Indian War. However, France did not want to enter the war unless they were convinced that the Americans had a chance to win. The Battle of Saratoga convinced the French that victory was possible. B. Benjamin Franklin had been in Paris since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It was his job to convince the French to support the patriots. Franklin was wildly popular in Paris. However, he wasn’t able to convince King Louis XVI until word of the American victory Saratoga reached Paris. French aid was a boon for the Patriots. Three Benefits of French Aid: 1 2 3 II. Help from Abroad –volunteers from Europe came to aide the patriot cause France Prussia Poland Spain Even before France pledged aid the Marquis de Lafayette arrived to provide his personal support. Lafayette, a young French noble, helped train American soldiers. He fought beside Washington and became one of his close friends. Friedrich von Steuben helped train American volunteers into a trained nd disciplined fighting force. He taught soldiers how to march and maneuver as a unit and how to fight using their bayonets. Two Polish officers joined the American cause. Casimir Pilaski trained the American cavalry. Thaddeus Kosciusko was an engineer. He taught American forces how to build forts and bunkers. Bernardo de Galvez, the Governor of Spanish Louisiana, supported the patriots by secretly sending gunpowder, weapons, cloth and medicine. New Spain also supplied cattle to help feed the continental army. III. Heroes in other Places – Not all the fighting in the Revolutionary War was limited to the eastern colonies. Fighting also took place in the south, along the frontier as well as at sea. George Rogers Clark John Paul Jones Francis Marion George Rogers Clark led an expedition of Virginia frontier fighters against the British forts west of the Appalachians. He led his forces through dense woodlands and made surprise attacks on English outposts. By February of 1779 American forces had captured three key forts along the Mississippi. Fighting also took place at sea. The British navy was blockading American ports. The Americans had little naval force and were powerless to end the blockade but some daring captains were able to capture a few British ships. One famous captain, John Paul Jones won a victory over a much larger British warship. Jones’s ship was battered in the attack but when the British commander called for surrender, Jones famously replied, “I have not yet begun to fight!” Jones crew captured the ship in hand to hand combat. Francis Marion led a group of American soldiers throughout the low country of South Carolina. His small band would creep through the swamps and launch surprise attacks against British forces. Marion earned the nickname the “swamp fox”.