Le Français

Over the past couple centuries, the French have gotten a bad rap. They’re portrayed as wine-drinking snobs who smoke heavily and drink even more so, with hairy woman and effeminate men. But what if I were to tell you that without the French, the American Revolution would have been slipped into the dusty archives with the rest of the failed revolutions from around the world.

During the Siege of Yorktown from September 28 to October 19, 1781, the French played a pivotal role in blocking off British naval reinforcements from entering Chesapeake Bay from the north which would have turned the tide of the American siege. Although a freak storm days before Cornwallis’ surrender landed several other British navel vessels, so that also contributed to the victory.