Chapter 6: A Diplomatic Improvisation
Far from the battlefields of America, another fight was going on. This one didn’t involve soldiers and sailors, but was one of the most critical battlefields of the war. That was the diplomatic front, and America had done a lot of work already. Despite disagreements among the American diplomats, they had managed to secure a military alliance with the Bourbon kingdoms of France and Spain, and had continued to get assistance and money that had been critical to the success of the American war effort.
But the French in particular were growing tired of the constant pursuit of their money. The Continental Congress lacked the power to raise taxes from the states, and the governmental infrastructure was still young. Benjamin Franklin knew this well from his years of being in France. What made his mission difficult was that he was caught in between two opposing missions. On the one hand, he had to keep a good relationship with the French foreign minister the Comte de Vergennes to keep the French aid rolling in. On the other hand, he had to make sure that the Congress got that aid, and they would often send him a lot of requests. These lists of requests were fairly constant, and Vergennes and Louis XVI were constantly asking why the last shipments seemed to not satisfy the Americans. Louis XVI was going into debt supporting the Americans, and he wanted to see a major victory to give France a chance to get something out of this war that would stave off the murmurs of discontent that were festering underneath the surface of France at this time.
When news reached Paris during the summer of 1781 of Guilford Courthouse, it caused a groundswell of confidence in Franklin. This was coupled with the news of the Newport Conference. This was in addition to the news of Gibraltar. These two victories caused the Allies to change their wartime strategy to be more offensive. Franklin was able to secure a few more French ships and an additional 7,000 soldiers that would be sent to America, sailing from the port of Brest. If they were not needed in Gibraltar, they would link up with whomever needed help in the three-pronged assault upon the British armies in the Americas.
But it would have to be done in secret. Paris in 1781 was a hive of spies and information was their currency. Franklin and Vergennes knew that British agents would pass along any information to Lord North’s government. The battle between the various spies would be later dramatized in the television series Turn: Spies of the Revolution which was inspired by the book of the same name. So, the Allies came up with a cunning plan.
What their plan was that they would leak a plan to invade the British Isles, which was unlikely. The Home Fleet was well-supplied, and was on the lookout for any sign of an invasion fleet. Yes, John Paul Jones had been able to cause destruction to shipping and raid Whitehaven, but those were more useful in forcing the British to commit resources in ways that they weren’t anticipating. So, they passed the rumor around. And the British spies bought it.
Lord North and his government made the decision to concentrate more of their naval forces in the Channel, while a French fleet was able to sneak away to America. Where it would sail would soon be put to good use.
Author’s Notes: Okay, this chapter was pretty interesting to write. I included a new source in addition to those sources already listed in older chapters. The new source is A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, by Stacy Schiff. It’s a great book about Franklin’s time in France, and it is a very good book even if you aren’t interested in this time period. In fact, it is one of the best history books I own. What I have enjoyed the most about this timeline is that I’ve gotten to reread some good books. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to share them. Thanks for reading, and have a good rest of your day.