King George III sent armies to put down the colonies without having a proper idea of their strength. In the early stages of the war, the armies of the colonies suffered reverses because they were not well trained and did not have the adequate equipment.
However, under their great leader George Washington, fortune favored the colonists when the British army surrendered to the Americans at Saratoga in 1777. Spain, France and Holland supported the American armies. In October 1777, France openly promised aid and in 1778 it made an alliance with the US. France had been deprived of Canada and her possessions in India. She looked forward to recovering them by helping the colonists. Spain also wanted to recover her lost possessions in Florida, Minorca in the Mediterranean and Gibraltar. Hence in 1779, Spain united with France to help America. Holland also joined France in order to spite England as a trade rival.