The French forces that fought during the American War of Independence (1775-1783) were, to a large extent, a product of the disasters of the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). During that war the fleet had been swept off the oceans, and nearly all colonies had been lost. Sweeping reforms were demanded. From the end of 1762 a series of royal orders dictated by common sense and good planning were signed by the king, and a vast reorganisation was started, ensuring that the army that fought in the American War presented a very different, altogether more formidable threat to her foes.

Discusses the moral, financial, and military support of the American Revolution by France which, after being ejected from North America in 1763, became an ally of the new nation.

"This work is divided into two parts: the first treats of the causes and origin of the War or Independence, sums up the events of that war to 1781, and gives a complete account of the expedition of the French forces, commanded by the Court de Rochambeau, up to 1783. The second part is particularly devoted--1st. To historical notices of the French regiments which crossed to America and served there. 2d. To biographical notices of the French volunteers who took service under Congres, and of the principal officers who were present at the sieges of Savannah and Yorktown, or who fought on land or sea for the independence of the United States. 3d. To many episodes and interesting details, among which will be found a sketch of American society at that period, as it appeared to the French officers, who speak in their manuscripts and letters of the private life of a great number of notable American families." -- page v.

Acclaim for The French War Against America "A very readable and provocative tale of early Franco-American relations that will please some and infuriate others."—John Buchanan, author of The Road to Valley Forge: How Washington Built the Army That Won the Revolution "Harlow Unger has written an amazing tour de force revealing France's two-faced role in the American Revolution and the early Republic. The book also has enormous relevance for contemporary politics. Don't miss it."—Thomas Fleming, author of Liberty!: The American Revolution

Based upon exhaustive research in archives in the United States and France, From Yorktown to Valmy provides a detailed study of some sixty-five hundred officers and soldiers of the French expeditionary corps that served under Rochambeau in the American Revolution. It traces their experiences in this country after their departure from France in the spring of 1780, their role in the victory over Cornwallis, their return to France and resumption of peacetime duties from 1783 to 1789, and their reactions to revolution in their own country and the war that followed. The author's focus on these men and their regiments, the only substantial force of foreign allies ever to serve on American soil for an extended period of time, affords the opportunity to assess the impact of these momentous events upon the lives of rather ordinary people. In turn, their experiences also provide a remarkable means of evaluating -- in personal, concrete terms -- connections between the two great revolutions of the eighteenth century. Furthermore, since these soldiers constituted a representative cross-section of the French army during this critical period, their fate and the service of their units exemplify and elucidate the development of the entire French army during the most dramatic transformation in its history.