Franklin’s Voyage to France on the USS Reprisal

On October 26th, 1776, Benjamin Franklin, along with his grandsons Temple (age 16) and Benny (age 7), boarded the USS Reprisal to be transported to France. There, Ben would assume the position of the unofficial American ambassador to the French court of Louis XVI. Maintaining the support of France against the British was key to the success of the American Revolution…