Chapter 16: Treaty of London
The French Admiral de Grasse did indeed regroup with the French Admiral de Barras’s fleet of 8 Ships of the line, but the 32 Ships of the Line did not prove to be enough to force the British-Danish fleet away from Chesapeake Bay in a second naval battle at 10 September 1781 due to a boosted moral while half of de Grasse’s fleet was undermanned and needed major repairs. Admiral de Grasse was forced to send an envoy to George Washington and General Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau who at that time was at Chester, Pennesylvania and informed them about the fiasco in secure the Chesapeake Bay and the French navy could no longer support Washington.
This failed Yorktown campaign broken the spine of the French forces in America, while another British victory at Pensacola in March 9 to May 8, 1781 allowed the British force to control West and East Florida. Both victories were contributed by Danish-Norwegian entrance in the war. Directly with the naval action at Chesapeake Bay and indirectly by relieve the pressure on the British Royal Navy at Caribbean. Without a support from the French fleet, Washington decided to give the Yorktown campaign up and pulled his army back in safety.
As a supply line was secured with fresh reinforcements and support from the British-Danish fleet, General Cornwallis allowed himself to attack the forces of General Marquis de Lafayette who had lay siege on Yorktown and routed the French-American army at 14 September. From there, he advanced back into North Carolina and take the colony once for all hence finally being able to secure South Carolina and Georgia.
The war in North America ended in a stalemate with General Washington could not pushed on without a support from the French fleet. Without French payment to his soldiers, a shattered moral and an approached winter, Washington was forced to surrender himself and his army to Cornwallis in North Carolina on 17 October so they can get something to eat. Faced with the so-called “Betray of Washington”, the losses of the only Continental Army and bankrupting, the Congress of the Confederation rose the white flag and offer peace in 22 October. That they refused to pay their own soldiers, which lead to Washington surrendered himself, never entered their mind.
News of the Yorktown campaign and the surrounding of Washington reached the government in Paris, London and Copenhagen late in November 1781. For the Britain, the war was over and wanted to negotiate a peace with the American rebels but knew that under the 1778 alliance treaty between France and America, they could not make peace without a French agreement. What none of them knew, was that France under its completely separate treaty with Spain, France could not make peace without Spanish agreement whose of that moment was the only one who wanted to continue the war in a vain hope to capture Gibraltar.
As Great Britain had in late 1780 declared a war on Holland and quickly seized all its colonial territories, Copenhagen sent a note to London and stated that they want to have secure their dominance in North Sea, Norwegian Sea and Greenland Sea, forbidden Dutch whaling in those seas, acknowledge Denmark-Norway’s claims on Jan Mayen, Bear Island and Svalbard as well cede Dutch Gold Coast to Denmark-Norway as their condition for peace.
During late autumn of 1781 and winter of 1782, the British-Danish fleet and a fresh naval reinforcement from Great Britain managed to tip the balance of power in the Caribbean to the Royal Navy and declined the French-Spanish fleet in conquered key Caribbean islands such as Jamaica, Bahamas and Danish West Indies and reconquered those lost in 1778-1780. For the Danish-Norwegian squadron in Caribbean, they managed to fulfil one of their war goal by conquered the two Spanish-claimed pirate islands in Virgin Islands. Amazed how a few extra Ships of the Lines from Denmark- Norway had turned the war in the favour of Great Britain, they stood at a very stronger position in their negotiation with America, France and Spain. For Spain, they only managed to fulfil one of their war goal – the conquest of Minorca in Mediterranean but Gibraltar were still in British hands.
Great Britain came with a surprise and generous proposal to United States America. All colonies, including those controlled by Britain, would be independent but their border would stay within the proclamation line of 1763. British generosity was based on a statesmanlike version of a close economic ties between Britain and the United States. Besides, Britain refused to control rebellious colonies. If they want freedom, then let it be.
In a final attempt to conquer Gibraltar, a Spanish-French force assaulted the British stronghold in 20 September 1782, but it soon became clear that the operation involved more troops than ever been in service at one time in the entire North America continent. That assault was a horrific disaster and yet they didn’t manage to conquer the this peninsular. France had done all they could to help Spain to achieve their essential war aim and Gibraltar was still under siege.
For United States of America, Holland, Great Britain and Denmark-Norway, the negotiation had reached to an end and a preliminary peace treaty signed but not for France and Spain. It had nothing but been a bad war for the two other colonial empire. France held no British territories in both Caribbean and India, while on the other hand Great Britain held all French territories in India and St. Lucia in Caribbean. Spain only held Minorca and Denmark-Norway held two Spanish-clamed islands which they didn’t controlled at first place. In the end, France and Spain swallowed their pride and signed under a preliminary peace treaty.
Spain was surprised over the Danish-Norwegian demand on two islands in Virgin Islands but as they were worthless for them, Spain didn’t mind ceding the claim on the islands.
The Treaty of London was finally signed in 15 March 1783.
Treaty with the United States of America
· United Kingdom of Great Britain acknowledge the United States to be free, sovereign, and independent state.
· Establishing the Boundaries of United States along the proclamation line of 1763
· Granting fishing rights to United States fishermen in the Grand Banks, off the coast of Newfoundland and in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
· Territories captured by either side subsequent to the treaty will be returned without compensation
· Ratification of the treaty is to occur within six months from its signing
Treaty with the Kingdom of France
· All territories conquered either side since the war began are to be returned to their pre-war owners.
· The territorial situation in Caribbean, North America and India restores to which existed before France enters the war
· British Crown retains Newfoundland and adjacent islands exept Saint Pierre Miquelon and Miquelon
· French crown surrenders fishing rights between Cape Bonavista and Cape St. John but instead keeps fishing rights between Cape St. John and Cape Ray
· The French crown may still fish in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
· No English possession in Africa surrenders to France
· Britain and France will cease to aid their respective Indian allies against each other within four months
· British crown abandons restrictions on French use of the port of Dunkirk in France.
· The two crowns will make new commercial agreements by the end of 1786.
Treaty with Kingdom of Spain
· British crown surrenders Menorca to Spain
· Spanish crown cedes their claims on Virgin Islands to Denmark-Norway
· All territories conquered by either side since the war began, and not mentioned above, are to be returned to their pre-war owners.
· The two crowns will make new commercial agreements by the end of 1786.
Treaty with the United Provinces
· Surrender the town of Negapatnam in India to the British crown
· British crown returns Trinquemale in India to the States General of the Republic with all other Dutch towns, forts, harbours and settlements conquered by the British forces during the war
· The States General of the Republic surrenders fishing rights in the seas north of line 59
· The States General of the Republic cedes all coastal forts at Gold Coast to Denmark-Norway