. A history of the United States. he Uni-ted States, to be repaid whenpeace was made. Some influential officials thought thetime had now come for an attack upon the ancient enemyof France. Others wished to wait until the colonial troopsgained a decisive victory. The news of the capture ofBurgoyne and his army put an end to their hesitation, andLouis XVI agreed to a treaty of alliance. Lafayette and Steuben. — Many young Frenchmen hadalready come to America on their own account to help thecolonists, some in search of adventure or glory, others because,like the Americans, they wanted to fight fo
. A history of the United States. he Uni-ted States, to be repaid whenpeace was made. Some influential officials thought thetime had now come for an attack upon the ancient enemyof France. Others wished to wait until the colonial troopsgained a decisive victory. The news of the capture ofBurgoyne and his army put an end to their hesitation, andLouis XVI agreed to a treaty of alliance. Lafayette and Steuben. — Many young Frenchmen hadalready come to America on their own account to help thecolonists, some in search of adventure or glory, others because,like the Americans, they wanted to fight for Kberty. Noother became so famous or gave so much valuable serviceas the Marquis de Lafayette, a young nobleman of greatwealth and influential family. Lafayette was barely twentyyears of age in 1777 when he joined Washingtons had been educated in a mihtary school and was given ahigh rank in the Continental army. He generously served Benjamin FranklinAfter the portrait by Duplessis, 1783 VALUE OF THE FRENCH ALLIANCE 215. without pay. Washington came to love him as if he werea son. His name is still remembered with affection byAmericans. Another foreigner who was of much assistance was BaronSteuben, a Prussian was an experiencedofficer, having served, long underFrederick the Great, the mostfamous general of the the dreary winter atValley Forge Steuben organizedand trained the soldiers in theEuropean mode of fighting. Itwas not enough that each manshould fight by himself after theIndian manner, the soldiers mustlearn to move in Hne or in columnand to use the bayonet with effect. Value of the French Alliance. -the colonists on the sea, where they were weakest. Eversince the disasters of the French and Indian War, Francehad been busy rebuilding her ruined fleet. In 1778 she hadnearly as many battle-ships as England. A year later theFrench persuaded the Spaniards to join them in the war,and then their united fleets were able to dispute the mast
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