There were about 250,000 soldiers that served in the French army. They were allies ( friends) with the Americans and helped them throughout the war. The French navy entered the war fighting off the British along the American coast. French soldiers helped reinforce the continental army at the final battle of Yorktown in 1781. During the war the French goverment went into debt. One of the reasons France helped was they wanted revenge on the British because they had lost the 7 years war against Britain in 1763. France and the French soldiers gave most of the support.