ABSTRACT
Three campaigns had passed since the entry of France into the war without the expected victory. Some Patriots suspected that the French were deliberately prolonging the war to weaken the other combatants. John Adams was one such person, telling Vergennes in July 1780 that a French fleet must be kept in American waters to avoid these suspicions. 1 Vergennes vigorously rejected the charge, pointing out that Ternay and Rochambeau had been ordered to “to act as they shall judge proper for the relief of the United States.” This included staying in North America during the winter despite the lack of dockyard facilities. Hence, Louis XVI was “far from abandoning the American cause.” 2 But as Luzerne, the French minister, indicated to Greene in January 1781, the French too had complaints. The states must act “as if they did not expect any foreign assistance,” hinting at a lack of Patriot commitment. 3
