American King: Take Two

[Rooster Cogburn]

Key: Battle of Camden at 10:00am
Red- Hornet's Nest
Purple- DeRensis' Center
Green- Hampton's South Carolinians
Yellow- McCall's Right Wing
Orange- Steuart's Left Wing

[Rooster Cogburn]

Key: Battle of Camden at 11:00am
Red- Hornet's Nest
Purple- DeRensis' Center
Green- Hampton's South Carolinians
Yellow- McCall's Right Wing
Orange- Steuart's Left Wing

[Rooster Cogburn]

Key: Battle of Camden at 11:30am
Red- Hornet's Nest
Purple- DeRensis' Center
Green- Hampton's South Carolinians
Yellow- McCall's Right Wing
Orange- Steuart's Left Wing

[Rooster Cogburn]

Key: Battle of Camden at 12:30pm
Red- Hornet's Nest
Purple- DeRensis' Center
Green- Hampton's South Carolinians
Yellow- McCall's Right Wing
Orange- Steuart's Left Wing

[Rooster Cogburn]

Key: Battle of Camden at 1:00pm
Red- Hornet's Nest
Purple- DeRensis' Center
Green- Hampton's South Carolinians
Yellow- McCall's Right Wing
Orange- Steuart's Left Wing

[Rooster Cogburn]

Key: Battle of Camden at 2:00pm
Red- Hornet's Nest
Purple- DeRensis' Center
Green- Hampton's South Carolinians
Yellow- McCall's Right Wing
Orange- Steuart's Left Wing

[Rooster Cogburn]

Key: Battle of Camden at 4:00pm
Red- Hornet's Nest
Purple- DeRensis' Center
Green- Hampton's South Carolinians
Yellow- McCall's Right Wing
Orange- Steuart's Left Wing

[Rooster Cogburn]

Four days and no one has any comments? Come on people I need feedback!

[DarkAvenger]

Originally Posted by Rooster Cogburn

Four days and no one has any comments? Come on people I need feedback!

Glad this isn't dead.

Nothing constructive to offer, but would Napoleon53 get back to this?

Just a question: Where did you get the inspiration for the battle depicted here?

[Rooster Cogburn]

Originally Posted by DarkAvenger

Just a question: Where did you get the inspiration for the battle depicted here?

Oh, a little bit of this, a little bit of that But really, most of my ideas for the battle came from Shiloh and the Wilderness

[Zoidberg12]

Glad to see that this is finally back. I enjoyed the new update as well. You're excellent at writing about military battles Rooster. Keep up the good work.

One question though, when will the next update come, and what will it be about? On a similar note, I have to say, I did like the foreshadowing with what might happen to Hampton.

[Zoidberg12]

Where you been Rooster? It's been a while since we've seen an update. Still take your time if you need to. I await your return.

[Napoleon53]

I talked to Rooster just a day ago, so I think there's an update in the works.

[Rooster Cogburn]

The South Carolinian Campaign: Part 5

Left: Colonel Milledge Luke Bonham of South Carolina
Right: American Marshal Zachary Taylor

Following the Second Battle of Lando (May 28, 1850), South Carolinian Colonel Milledge Luke Bonham began marching his 9,000 troops south towards the capital city of Franklinburg. He traveled at a moderate speed, making sure to keep a strong rearguard at all times. They were followed by the Grand Army of Virginia under Marshal Zachary Taylor. Taylor still had 47,000 men and thus his march was slower than Bonham’s. And even then, Taylor was weary of any South Carolinian troop movements, keeping his distance.

Franklinburg, South Carolina before the war.

On June 8, Bonham arrived in the capital city. The government had fled months earlier to the back hills, and preparations for defense had begun construction in September of the previous year. These defenses included trenches, large barricaded walls, and spikes. The city’s population had swelled to nearly 17,000, as more and more civilians sought safety from the war; thousands alone had accompanied Bonham on his march south, ahead of the Americans. Less than half had lived there before the war. With these civilians came new recruits. Although mostly made up of old men and young boys and poorly trained, fresh bodies filled South Carolina’s ranks. Even some women allegedly took up arms. And with their prepared defenses, Bonham was in a perfect position to fend off attack with his now 12,000 “soldiers.”

Left: American General Joseph E. Johnston
Right: American General George Henry Thomas

Taylor arrived outside the city on June 11, just as the Battle of Camden was taking place. Each of his commanders suggested different advice; General Early demanded an immediate all out assault on the walls, hoping to swarm over the enemy defenses; General Thomas suggested a long term siege, saying the army couldn’t handle the casualties that would be incurred by an assault; General Johnston suggested minor skirmishes to gage the strength of the enemy positions, followed by a well planned assault on specific targets. Taylor decided a quick and determined attack to be the best plan. Early was to attack heavily with his left wing, while Thomas and Johnston followed up with their center and right wings, respectively.

American General Jubal A. Early

On the morning of June 13, the Battle of Franklinburg began. Early’s charge was swift and precise and he wheeled into Bonham’s right. But the South Carolinians fought from high walls, or deep trenches while the Americans were mostly exposed. Still, it wasn’t long before Thomas and Johnston were attacking Bonham’s center and left. Instead of the headlong charge of Early’s troops, these corps tended to move more slowly, gaining ground as they could and attempting to avoid enemy fire. The day went on as both sides fought, neither gaining much progress. During the early hours of June 14, a rider arrived at Franklinburg. He was a cavalry officer from Hampton’s army, and he had spent the last 3 days riding non stop around the Grand Army of Virginia. He had arrived in Franklinburg’s rear, and had been passed along once he was identified.

John Peter Richardson III in civilian clothes while serving as the Governor of South Carolina, several decades after the war.

The officer, John Peter Richardson III, informed Bonham of Hampton’s orders. Hampton had directed Bonham to abandon the city, and bid a careful and planned retreat. He called the situation untenable, and that his troops would be better served in other places. This ran counter to President Francis Marion IV’s directives, which were to hold the capital at all costs; he was to make a last stand there. After several hours of consulting, Bonham made his decision: he would put his loyalty to Hampton over that of Marion, and retreat.

Left: President Francis Marion IV of South Carolina
Right: General Wade Hampton of South Carolina

With that decision, the South Carolinian forces began to withdraw. Men were removed from the defenses, and secretly sent to the rear. By midday, most of the South Carolinians were on the outskirts of the town. The Americans, who unknowingly been fighting ghost units for hours, finally gave a push that revealed the ruse. Americans climbed over the defenses with minimal casualties as the last remaining South Carolinians began a route. By the end of the night, the Battle of Franklinburg (June 13-14, 1850) was over. The capital of the Democracy of South Carolina was in enemy hands. Bonham had lost 2,000 men, compared to Taylor’s 7,000. Bonham had followed Hampton’s orders to leave the city unharmed, although the Americans were not as friendly. For a day violence raged in the streets as homes were raided and windows smashed before Taylor restored something close to order in the occupied capital.

Newspaper cartoon published just after the Battle of Franklinburg, praising Marshal Taylor as the American savior.

Back at the homefront, Zachary Taylor was hailed as the “Hero of Franklinburg.” He had successfully captured the enemy capital, one of the greatest feats of the war. Newspapers around the country speculated on his future, postwar career. Taylor, 65 by this point, had already made an attempt at the Crown nomination for Prime Minister in 1848. He had only been narrowly defeated, and had turned down the Viceroy nomination. Nothing now stood in his way for a run in 1852, which would surely be successful with his recent military victories. Upon hearing of the Battle of Franklinburg, King John, in drunken joy, declared Taylor to be his candidate of choice. On June 20, the URAS government declared that South Carolina was officially annexed; the Democracy would not survive the war. Although only holding barely a third of the nation, the American government felt sure enough they could make their claim, considering that South Carolina was exhausted militarily. In the declaration, Zachary Taylor was made the first Military Governor of South Carolina.

It came as a shock when Zachary Taylor, Marshal of the Grand Army of Virginia and the “Hero of Franklinburg” died of an unknown illness on July 9, 1850, just 19 days after his new appointment.

[Rooster Cogburn]

Sorry for the scarcity of updates everyone. Its just that with work and school its hard to find the time to write. But don't worry, everything will happen with time. And updates should start picking up again once summer starts