British Naval Alliance Essay

The argument that the British could not realistically deploy more naval assets to America while simultaneously worrying about an attack on their homeland is understandable. Once the French and Americans signed an alliance treaty in 1778, it marked a significant milestone in history. “For the first time in the eighteenth century, Great Britain found itself diplomatically isolated; at one point in 1779 it was even threatened with French invasion.” Such isolation forced the British to make preparations to protect themselves from French threats. “The British government was therefore obliged to prepare for a much broader conflict unaided by European allies who might have compelled the French to commit resources to defending their position on the Continent.” Cementing Great Britain’s concerns in 1779, France and Spain also signed a treaty and came to be known the Bourbon Powers. As further evidence to support the counter argument, “the British government even considered a complete withdrawal from the

Throughout the course of the war the French drove the British back from their stronghold on numerous occasions. Considering that the British changed their entire strategy once they found out about the new alliance, one could argue that the British were worried about the French Navy’s capabilities. In one particular battle when the British and French naval met it was portray that “the French performed strongly enough to shake British confidence in their naval superiority. According to a British marine officer, ‘It is agreed by everybody that no fleet could go thro’ the different motions better than the French did’.” Based off of the drastic change in British strategy following the alliance, and the views of British marine officers, one cannot rule out that the French would have been able to gain ground regardless of an increase in British naval