You’ll have to read Benjamin Franklin’s biography to see different. He was in Paris pleading on a daily basis for French help. The French didn’t want to jump in on a loosing proposition because of all the defeats we were having.
The French joined in as a result of Saratoga, which was our first major victory. But it’s a huge step from winning one victory to winning the war.
Like I said, all it did was make it look like we had a chance.
French dragoons took 86 percent casualties at Yorktown. I am generally no fan of the French, but they had a foreign policy to manage; they had to make sure that our revolution was not a flash in the pan. A posting to honor Lafayette is probably not the appropriate venue to denigrate the French. There are many others where it would be appropriate.