After being surrounded and sensing defeat was near, British Gen. Charles Cornwallis tried to flee during the final stages of the Revolutionary War. A storm arrived at just the right moment to spoil the escape. Cornwallis and his men were forced to surrender in the last major battle of the American Revolution.
French Alliance Turns the Tide
While it’s unclear who fired the first shots of the Revolutionary War in April 1775, the Colonists reported first that they had. France backed the Americans from the start, sending supplies to help them fight the British. In 1778, France and Britain declared war on each other.With Britain now a common enemy, the French began sending troops and naval ships to aid the American cause. American forces received much-needed support when French Royal Army officer Comte de Rochambeau arrived in Rhode Island with 5,500 troops.
