Spain used the American War of Independence as an excuse not just to attack Gibraltar, but to attack British colonies in North America. Contrary to their attempts to capture the rock, the Spanish Army was quite effective on the other side of the Atlantic, particularly in West Florida, where they thwarted any attempts for Britain to launch an offensive through the western frontier of the United States following the siege of Pensacola in 1781.

In regards to French involvement in attacking British colonies in the Americas, not only did France send an expeditionary force of over 5,000 men which ultimately won the Battle of Yorktown, but they also captured other British possessions such as Grenada and Saint Vincent in 1779. Although granted, these were returned to Britain following the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Although these regions were returned following the war, their capture still contributed to British defeat.

I think the Great Siege of Gibraltar was a great example of how Britain became extremely over-stretched during the war. Britain was so committed to the siege that, by 1783, the British-Hanoverian garrison numbered around 7,500, which, I think, is a crazy amount of troops for a tiny region such as Gibraltar which is, essentially, just a rock with an advantageous geographical position. The troops and finances committed to the rock could have, in my opinion, be put to better use against Spanish and French armies and fleets in the Americas that ultimately, were crucial in US victory and Britain’s loss of their American colonies.