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Rumors Of War

England and France engaged in military conflict with one another for 73 of the 126 years between 1689 and 1815, or almost 60% of the period. If they weren’t actively fighting at any given time, there’s a good chance one or the other or both of them were still considering the lessons of the last war and/or already preparing for the next clash of arms. Dynastic and diplomatic ties between France and Spain meant an English war with either one of the Bourbon powers often drew in the second country.


In late 1770 and early 1771, rumors of a coming war flew thick and fast in Europe, and thanks to the transatlantic news network, those ominous reports were repeated in America. Optimistic predictions of continuing peace also circulated, but it was hard to read the contradictory signs from thousands of miles and several weeks or even months of communications delay away. The April 4, 1771 issue of the Maryland Gazette was full of conflicting reports about England’s prospects of war with France and Spain. What was an Annapolis reader to make of them? Was war looming on the horizon, and what might an international conflict mean for the American colonies?

On the one hand, there was word from late December that the king’s Privy Council and Prime Minister, Lord North, “are now for a War” and that press gangs, including “the hottest Press at Portsmouth ever known there in the Memory of Man,” had been hard at work rounding up involuntary crewmen to fill His Majesty’s warships. On the other hand, businessmen at London’s Royal Exchange were confident “that there will be no War, which had a considerable Effect on Insurances,” and a Dutch ambassador was convinced “that the King of France, is most sincerely disposed to preserve Peace between Great-Britain and Spain, and will leave nothing untried to prevent a Rupture.”

Next came a long run of pro-war indicators: French infantry massing on the Channel coast, an English warship hastily ordered to Jamaica, more press gangs on the Thames and elsewhere, treasonous letters intercepted by the postal service, the British Ministry’s determination “that we are now at the Eve of a War,” expectations of an embargo on trade, and private letters from France warning of a possible invasion.

Another report put a less jingoistic spin on British military preparations, saying the Prime Minister aimed to ensure peace by making a show of strength and readiness on both land and sea. Instead of rushing headlong toward war, the English and French kings were determined “to preserve Peace during their mutual Reign, and as Humanity seems to be the Characteristic of both Monarchs, there are great Hopes that they will be able to maintain their benevolent Design.”

Unfortunately, according to other excerpted articles, the Spanish king was having none of this pacifism; he had “made a great Promotion in his military Establishment, as a War with the English appears inevitable.” The English were painfully aware of the “shameful neglect” of their own maritime forces, but even with the “utmost Diligence,” it would be “the Spring of the Year” at the earliest before a “formidable Fleet” could be outfitted.

Even as its ambassador to England “gave a grand Entertainment to several of the foreign Ministers, and a great Number of English Nobility,” Spain gathered tens of thousands of soldiers and “great quantities of Amunition” at Cadiz, in easy striking distance of the British fortress at Gibraltar, gateway to the Mediterranean. Spanish military assets in the Americas also appeared quite formidable.


English news from early January bolstered hopes of peace. Louis XVI had dismissed one of his leading ministers, the Duke of Choiseul, and banished him from court for not being in step with the king’s stated anti-war position. A messenger sent to Spain was expected to return with a “final Determination” to “the important Point of Peace or War.” A January 4th report noted the arrival in London of a courier “with Dispatches from the Courts of Versailles and Madrid, said to contain Articles of Agreement for an Accommodation of Peace.” The Royal Exchange was soon abuzz with “the universal Report … that there will be no War.”

Tucked in among these contradictory signals regarding the likelihood of war was one very interesting perspective on what a potential conflict might mean for the American colonies.

According to this view, if England went to war with France and Spain, “many visionary Politicians” thought the colonies would take advantage of the situation by trying to “throw off their dependance on their Mother Country.” But instead of gaining the Bourbon powers as active allies, the colonists might have to “fight their Battles single handed, which would bring upon them such a Yoke, as neither they nor their Children would be able to bear, and reduce the People in America, to the most miserable Condition of all Men.” They would have to pay “the whole Expence of both forming and maintaining an Army and Navy for their own Defence; and not only in Proportion to their own Strength, but in Proportion to the strength of their potent Enemies, and they would find this Expense a much more galling Yoke” than paying taxes to England. The warning was clear: Americans would regret allowing France and Spain to draw them into a foolhardy war for independence from England.


As it turned out, this prophecy missed the mark. Instead of America being drawn into a conflict between the European powers, France and Spain joined America’s fight against England later in the decade. The colonies went to war with England and established their own Continental Army, Navy, and Marines in 1775, then declared their independence in 1776. France provided covert aid before announcing a formal alliance with the United States in 1778. Similarly, Spain offered secret assistance to America before openly joining France’s fight against England in 1779. America eventually won its independence with the help of critical support provided by France and Spain, England’s traditional foes throughout the 18th century.


You can read the April 4, 1771 issue of the Maryland Gazette starting here: https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc4800/sc4872/001281/html/m1281-1255.html


Glenn E. Campbell

HA Senior Historian


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