France assumed belligerent status in the American Revolution in the spring of 1778 following the defeat of British General Burgoyne at Saratoga the previous October. Count d'Estaing was placed in command of French expeditionary forces assigned to simultaneously help the Americans and "grab" any British Caribbean sugar islands that might prove vulnerable.

The first Franco-American attempt at cooperation occurred in late summer that year at Newport, Rhode Island. The expedition to besiege British held Newport ended in failure when d'Estaing withdrew his fleet due to storm damage.

Following the fall of Savannah, in December 1778, American leaders in Charlestown, South Carolina began to appeal to d'Estaing for help. They pointed out how unprepared the British were to withstand a major operation. d'Estaing agreed to return from adventures in the Caribbean at the end of the summer to help in the liberation of Georgia.

Volume IV in GMT's American Revolutionary War Series portrays the events from September 10th to October 9th, 1779, as the Franco-American Allies mount their first significant cooperative effort against the British in North America during the Revolutionary War.

Savannah is a departure from the other four battles in the Rev. War Series in that it covers a span of four weeks. To accommodate this, as well as to depict salient features of an 18th century siege event, several new mechanics and a bit of chrome have been grafted to the core game system.