6. The Franco-American plan to invade Great Britain in 1779
When France officially entered the war it placed its powerful fleet on the side of the Americans, though at first there was a little discernible benefit. Instead, a squadron of French American ships, led by Jones in Bonhomme Richard, was proposed. Jones wanted to not only prey upon British shipping in its home waters, but to land a force of French troops on Britain’s west coast, to wreak what havoc it could until it was re-embarked on the ships. At first, the French favored the idea, but it rapidly fell apart over issues of overall command (a French force so large could not be commanded by an American) and other squabbles. Instead, the squadron was put to sea to raid shipping in British waters.
The encounter between Jones’ squadron and a British convoy escort, leading to the Battle of Flamborough Head, is a major chapter in US Naval history, though no contemporaneous account of Jones uttering the words, “I have just begun to fight” exists. They entered naval lore many years later. The victory over a British squadron, in full view of the British coastline, stunned the British populace just as the French Navy was preparing to go to war. Rather than a war to suppress the insurrection in North America it had become, for the British, a war to defend their homeland from French invasion. Faith in the Royal Navy ebbed.