The Amercian foreign allegencies with the Spainish, French and Dutch took valuable man power away from the fight in the colonies. English soldiers and loyalist were fighting not only Americans but European troops and lost valuable areas doing so. The French Navy forced the British to evacuate Philidelphia. The British also had to pull ships from the American coast to protect their trade against the combined forces of the Spanish, French and Dutch navies.

The help from Europe did not occur overnight, France entered in 1778; Spain in 1779 and the Dutch in 1781. It took the combined Allied navies to help fight the British at sea, and by 1782 the British were finally outnumbered enough to effect the war in favor of the Americans. This could have only happend by the efforts of keeping an American armed force in the field.

The Civil War was fought too fast and furious for the South to sustain itself long enough to find that ally willing to help. The question is would a European government back a guerrilla force over a regular military force?

The E.P. had an effect of energizing the Confederate effort, and negotiated peace almost impossible. I don't believe U.S.C.T. had that many combat casualities on the big battlefields.

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David Upton