<P> Secretly approached by Louis XVI and France 's foreign minister , the comte de Vergennes , Pierre Beaumarchais was authorized to sell gunpowder and ammunition to the Americans for close to a million pounds under the veil of the French company Rodrigue Hortalez et Compagnie . The aid given by France , much of which passed through the neutral Dutch West Indies port of Sint Eustatius , contributed to George Washington 's survival against the British onslaught in 1776 and 1777 . The aid was also a major factor in the defeat of General Burgoyne 's expedition in the Champlain corridor that ended in a British disaster at Saratoga . French ports accommodated American ships , including privateers and Continental Navy warships , that acted against British merchant ships . France provided significant economic aid , either as donations or loans , and also offered technical assistance , granting some of its military strategists `` vacations '' so they could assist American troops . </P>
<P> Secretly approached by Louis XVI and France 's foreign minister , the comte de Vergennes , Pierre Beaumarchais was authorized to sell gunpowder and ammunition to the Americans for close to a million pounds under the veil of the French company Rodrigue Hortalez et Compagnie . The aid given by France , much of which passed through the neutral Dutch West Indies port of Sint Eustatius , contributed to George Washington 's survival against the British onslaught in 1776 and 1777 . The aid was also a major factor in the defeat of General Burgoyne 's expedition in the Champlain corridor that ended in a British disaster at Saratoga . French ports accommodated American ships , including privateers and Continental Navy warships , that acted against British merchant ships . France provided significant economic aid , either as donations or loans , and also offered technical assistance , granting some of its military strategists `` vacations '' so they could assist American troops . </P>
at which battle did the french navy help
at which battle did the french navy help
Saratoga
Saratoga