Trent Affair: British Commanders

[67th Tigers]

I was wondering if anyone could help assigning commanders to the British-Canadian Army for a Trent Counterfactual. (A real one, not like Conroy's 1862, where he put 2 Field Marshals as Division Commanders under a passed over Maj Gen)

Using Wolsley's reorganisation, the Canadian Militia had 9 Divisions (and a separate brigade, that of Prince Edward Island), 4 in Ontario, 3 in Quebec and 1 each from the two Maritimes (which were 50% larger than the others). However, while they had staff, they had no Division Commanders.

Now, the British in Jan 62 were organised as a large (in fact double sized) Division under William Fenwick Williams (Maj Gen, acting Lt Gen).

At home, the British were organised into 7 Divisions (at Dublin, Curragh, Portsmouth, Dover/ Shorncliffe, Aldershot, Colchester and the Guards Div at London). The reinforcements of Jan 62 were 2 Brigades from the Division at Colchester, and a Brigade from the Guards. The British also had 6 other formations rated as Divisions outside of India (at South Africa, Gibraltar, Malta, the Ionian Islands and New Zealand, plus a Division in China), plus some scattered brigades and regiments.

Thus I'm guessing on the following for Division command:

• Lt Gen Sir William J Codrington (rose to command the Army of the Crimea, currently commanding a Division at Gibraltar)
• Lt Gen Sir J Gaspard le Marchant (Commanding Division at Malta)
• Lt Gen Sir Charles Van Straubenzee (Canadian, commanded 1st Brigade, Light Division in Crimea, and commanded the Army of China (Division/ Corps) 1858-60, Governor General of Malta 1867-72)
• Lt Gen William Fenwick Williams (“The Hero of Kars”, commanded a Corps of the Turkish Army in Asia Minor, and commanded North America until the arrival of the Field Army, later Governor-General of Canada)
• Lt Gen Sir JL Pennefather
• Maj Gen Charles W Ridley (Commanded 2nd Brigade, 1st Division in Crimea and commanding the Division at Dublin circa 1861) – note, this mans ADC was one Captain Fremantle, Gren Gds
• Maj Gen Lord Frederick Paulet (Commanding Foot Guards in Canada)
• Maj Gen WN Hutchinson (Commanding Western District)
• Maj Gen Hon AA Dalzell (Commanding the Division at Dover/ Shorncliffe)
• Maj Gen Sir Robert Garret (Commanding the Division in the Ionian Islands)
• Maj Gen George TC Napier (IRL Commanded the “2nd Division” in Canada)
• Maj Gen Hon James Lindsay (IRL Commanded the “1st Division” in Canada)
• Maj Gen C Hastings Doyle (IRL Commanding Nova Scotian Forces)

Not a complete list, just some I came across.

Any ideas?

[MacCaulay]

I'm working on a Trent counterfactual that no one seems interested in called The Northwest Campaign, detailing the operations of a Union army under Pope and Grenville Dodge that crosses into Canada and hits Fort William to divert Canadian/British resources from Niagara.

I've come across the disturbing fact that most Canadian and British troop movements in Canada weren't really that well documented.

What is your main emphasis? Are you writing this like a campaign history, or a story?