Britain had, in 1778, in North America, some 50,000 soldiers, some 18,000 German mercenaries which they hired for the war. soldiers, some 18,000 German mercenaries that they hired for the conflict; they used half of their powerful fleet; they inflicted a series of initial defeats on the colonists, and faced an inexperienced army, but the war was not a "triumphal stroll" for the British, as they had predicted. In 1781 they surrendered the last English redoubt at Yorktown, facing a French fleet against a French fleet and a combined French-American army of 16,000 men, commanded by George Washington. On September 3, 1783 a treaty was signed by which Great Britain recognized the independence of the United States and returned several possessions to Spain, France and Holland, although Canada remained.
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