The New World

This thread is based off my earlier thread "Truly United States of America" taking into account some ideas General Zod had for Europe, so I will present a general outline here, and flesh it out. The PoD is roughly 1774. King George passes a Quebec Act that does not have any religious tolerance or linguistic tolerance, rather enforces homogenization with the rest of his realms, and pushes Quebec into the Patriots' cause.

1774 - Quebec Act passed; Quebec is extended into the Ohio River valley, but they are not allowed to practice Catholicism. The Anglican church is to be the church of the colony, and the colonists are to speak English. Enraged Quebecois write pamphlets urging rebellion. Their cries are heard within Boston, New York, and Charles Town, adding fuel to the fire of the growing Patriot cause. Patriots meet with Guy Carleton, assuring that if they do not stand together, they will fall separately.
* Across the colonies of British North America, the Intolerable Acts enrage a number of British citizens. King George underestimates the reaction to what he believes to be entirely within his power as Sovereign
* According to Commentaries on the Laws of England, a tract from 1765 by Sir William Blackstone, there must be a sovereign in every society, who had ultimate authority, and that authority was Parliament. Hence, the colonials must submit to the new trade acts that King George III supported
*The Coercive Acts force Jamaicans to trade solely with Britain, diminishing their revenues as well as increasing Patriot sympathy when, in 1776, Common Sense makes it to Jamaica from Georgia and South Carolina.

1775 - Events are coming to a head. By May of this year, Guy Carleton himself, a Nova Scotian delegation (possible names?), and even an observer from Newfoundland joined fifty-six others in Philadelphia to discuss their situation. Some wanted to entreat the king again, others voted for outright independence. Either way, the momentum was gathering. The storm is coming.
*April 18 - Concord - General Gage sends troops into Concord to capture munitions. Riders, including Paul Revere, alert the countryside to the presence of British troops, who face militia once they reach Lexington. After facing armed rebels, they must then fight their way back to Boston, taking casualties along the way.
July 1775 - George Washington in appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, and begins amassing his resources.
August 21 1775 - Generals Schuyler, Montgomery, and Carleton fight in the north, securing Quebec city from British regiments.
Sept/Oct - Gen. Montgomery lays siege to Isle aux Noix on Lake Champlain, and takes St. Johns and Chambly soon after. He advances towards Montreal.
November - Gen Montgomery takes Montreal on Nov. 12, forcing British retreat. Citizens celebrate his arrival with a feast in the Revolution's honor. General Benedict Arnold leads a troop of 1100 into Canada, but does not make it in time to assist, due to disease of his troops. He arrives too late for anything but to assist in securing the city and countryside.
Fall/Winter 1775 - Sir Charles Douglas, a Royal Navy Admiral, attacks Quebec. His forces are met by General Guy Carleton, and soon, by Montgomery and Schuyler. General Benedict Arnold left two days before notice was received of Sir Douglas' ramming of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and was unable to assist the Generals. General Arnold instead lead a force to pacify the countryside, which was already assisting the Revolutionaries.
Fall, Winter 1775 - A standoff between forces develops along the 13 Atlantic colonies, with neither side gaining considerable ground, nor losing much ground. The British take most of Newfoundland, but lose Nova Scotia.
New Year's Eve 1775 - Colonial Armies hold Quebec City against British forces attempting to retake the city.

1776 - Revolution Begins
January - Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense, which spreads across the Atlantic colonies, Quebec, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Upper Canada.
February - Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge (NC) - Loyalists charge across a bridge to fight what they believe to be a group of rebels, killing several Loyalist leaders, and effectively ending British authority in the town
March - Americans fortify and capture Dorchester Heights, securing the Port of Boston, forcing the British out of Boston by the end of the month.
April - NC drafts the Halifax Resolves;
April 17 - General Schuyler marches to Toronto and captures the city.
May - 4; Rhode Island renounces allegiance to King George III
June -
-7: Richard Henry Lee proposes a Declaration of Independence
-8: Battle of Trois-Rivières - General Arnold, Sullivan, and Carleton fight against the Royal Navy (led by ??) and several Hessian squadrons, losing to the British, but Sullivan and Carleton agreed to split forces, with Sullivan advancing to Montreal, and Carleton securing the lines back to Quebec. Once in Montreal, General Arnold is left in charge by Sullivan, who leaves to fight another battle elsewhere. Arnold must soon abandon Montreal, and in leaving, tries to burn the city, but suffers many casualties.
July -
-2: final copy of the Declaration of Independence written
-4: United States officially declare independence from the British Empire. Sixteen colonies unite in signing the declaration. The flag adopted carried sixteen stripes for each colony, and sixteen stars in a circle. [GA, SC, NC, VA, MD, DE, CT, RI, PA, NY, NH, MA, NJ, QU, NS, NF]
August -
-Battle of New York / Staaten Island - Gen. Washington routed to Brooklyn Heights by William Howe.
-A South Carolina mission to Jamaica rouses some sympathies but does not lead to participation by Jamaica in the revolution
September -
-Battle of Haarlem Heights - British and American forces clash, and while retreating, the British call a fox bugle, insulting the Americans, and galvanizing their resolve to continue fighting. Among the dead was Yves Le Ny, a colonist from Montreal who had heard about General Washington from revolutionary pamphlets.
-Nathan Hale executed by British for espionage.
October -
-Battle of Valcour Island: Americans under Benedict Arnold, and British under General xxxxx fight near Lake Champlain; General Arnold's fleet is destroyed, but he gives enough time to prepare defenses for New York city. General Carleton was delayed in fighting
-Battle of White Plains: General Howe faces General Washington on Manhatten Island. Though he had the chance to capture him, Howe allows General Washington to escape.
November -
-Hessians capture Fort Washington
-Prussian military sends Friedrich Willhelm von Steuben (says he) to assist the rebels in America.
December -
-Marquis de Lafayette attempts to join American army, along with Wilhelm von Preußen
-NC reorganizes as a State
-Battle of Trenton - Washington surprises the Hessians and defeats them early in the morning.

To be continued...
(I know this is pretty detailed, but the rest of the war will wrap up in the next post)

I would like to have the East Roman Empire survive as well up to the present time somehow...anyone better than I able to help out on that front? I am hoping to give Antioch, Damascus, and other biblically important cities back to Greece, so Christian pilgrims can travel to them safely. I don't know enough about Crusader states to take all the ripples into account though.

And General Zod, Big Tex, if you or anyone else want to write some .5 cultural stories diving into people of the time, feel free to PM me and we can work those in as well to make this a fleshed out alternate reality.

Jonathan Eddy and an Unwicke (forget the first name...just wiki him up) can be prominent Nova Scotian delegates.

*The Coercive Acts force Jamaicans to trade solely with Britain, diminishing their revenues as well as increasing Patriot sympathy when, in 1776, Common Sense makes it to Jamaica from Georgia and South Carolina.

Click to expand...

This is a simple one, as Franklin's chain of Poor Richards print shops stretched from Halifax to Trinidad/Tobago.

To be continued...
(I know this is pretty detailed, but the rest of the war will wrap up in the next post)

I am looking forward to it

July -
-2: final copy of the Declaration of Independence written

Click to expand...

?why the change??
OTL the DoI had been written before this, 2 July is when it was adopted
[The 2nd of July is a day Americans will celebrate for as long as the US lasts -T. Jefferson 1776]
4th July is when it was signed. [ they needed time to prepare to leave town, if something went wrong -- after all, they were committing treason by signing it],

DuQuense said:

?why the change??
OTL the DoI had been written before this, 2 July is when it was adopted
[The 2nd of July is a day Americans will celebrate for as long as the US lasts -T. Jefferson 1776]
4th July is when it was signed. [ they needed time to prepare to leave town, if something went wrong -- after all, they were committing treason by signing it],

Click to expand...

With the POD two years before, I'm sure a butterfly as minor as this is hardly implausible. He probably did it to avoid complaints - ironically, it seems.

1776
July -
-2: final copy of the Declaration of Independence adopted
-4: United States officially declare independence from the British Empire. Sixteen colonies unite in signing the declaration. The flag adopted carried sixteen stripes for each colony, and sixteen stars in a circle. [GA, SC, NC, VA, MD, DE, CT, RI, PA, NY, NH, MA, NJ, QU, NS, NF]



1777
January
General Washington wins the Battle of Princeton, and winters at Morristown, NJ.
February
General Carleton and his troops are forced out of Quebec City and then Montreal by Gen. Burgoyne when he reaches the city with a force of 8100 men.
March
The Continental Congress returns to Philadelphia from Baltimore after Washington's successes in NJ. General Washington and General Carleton begin sending correspondence to coordinate operations.
April
American troops under Benedict Arnold defeat the British at Ridgefield, Connecticut. He is not made aware of the correspondence between Washington and Carleton, which later angers the General.
June
-Flag Resolution of 1777 passed, mandating 16 stars and 16 stripes.
-British forces under Gen. Burgoyne, 7700 strong, plans to link up with General Howe, coming north from New York City, cutting off New England from the rest of the colonies.
July - August
Revolutionaries send agitators to Jamaica, spreading Patriot literature and images. Ben Franklin's presses are co-opted by Patriots on the island, spreading their cause here and in French occupied Dominican Republic.
July
-British forces under Gen. Burgoyne, 7700 strong, invade from Canada, leaving only a small garrison in Quebec. His troops capture Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain. The supplies are greatly needed by Washington, and its capture is a huge blow to American morale.
-23: British Gen Howe, with 15,000 men, sails from New York for Chesapeake Bay to capture Philadelphia, instead of sailing north to meet up with Gen. Burgoyne.
-Marquis de Lafayette, a 19-yr-old French aristocrat, arrives in Philadelphia and volunteers to serve without pay. He is appointed Maj. Gen. by the Congress. He will come to be one of Gen. Washington's most trusted aides.
-General Carleton retakes Quebec City and Montreal, arresting and detaining the remaining British soldiers. He takes the troops to the St. Lawrence, places them on ships and sends them back to England after swearing not to serve again in the war against America. While his troops favored shooting the officers and arresting the soldiers, Carleton and Washington had an understanding about treatment of the British.
August
-Americans under militia general Nicholas Herkimer defeat the British under St. Leger at Fort Stanwix, in the Mohawk Valley in Oriskany, NY. His horse was shot out from under him, and he was thrown clear, coming out with mild injuries. He continued giving orders propped against a tree to avoid retreat by his troops. Brigage surgeon William Petrie later dressed his wounds while he lit his pipe. Death missed the General by an inch, and the Congress would later ask him to entreat Prussia to join their cause.
-Gen. Burgoyne reaches the Hudson after spending a tough month crossing 23 miles of wilderiness separating the tip of Lake Champlain from the northern tip of the Hudson.
-At the Battle of Bennington, Vermont militiamen, aided by Massachusetts troops and led by Gen. Stark, wipe out an 800-strong detachment of Hessians sent to seize horses by Gen. Burgoyne.
-British Gen. How disembarks Chesapeake Bay with his troops.
September
-The British win the Battle of Brandywine, PA, driving back General Washington and his 10,500-man army towards Philadelphia. Congress resettles at Lancaster, PA. Both sides suffer heavy losses.
-British forces under Gen. Howe occupy Philadelphia, and Congress relocates to York, PA.
-Battle of the Clouds is rained out.
-21: Paoli Massacre in Philadelphia. Patriot propaganda increases the actual report of British actions, spreading to British islands in the Caribbean.
-British occupy Philadelphia
October
-Americans are driven off at the Battle of Germantown
-Gen Burgoyne loses the second battle of Freeman's Farm, NY
-Battle of Saratoga: first major American Victory of the Revolutionary War, when Gen. Horatio Gates and Gen. Benedict Arnold defeat British Gen. Burgoyne, inflicting 600 British casualties to the 150 American casualties.
-17: Gen. Burgoyne and his 5700 man army surrender to Americans led by Gen. Gates. The British are placed on ships and sent back to England after swearing not to serve again in the war against American. News of the American victory at Saratoga soon reaches Europe, boosting support of the American cause. Prussian support increases as a result of Nicholas Herkimer's efforts with Frederich II. In Paris, the American victory is treated and celebrated as if it were a French victory. Ben Franklin is received by the French Royal Court. France then recognizes the independence of America.
-Jamaican slaves impressed into Georgia, South, and North Carolina to assist British. Many escape, even though they are promised freedom for service to the crown. Rioting over this in Jamaica brings additional repression from the British, aiding the Patriot cause.
-Hessian attack at Fort Mercer, NJ repulsed
-30: Prussia recognizes the independence of America.
November
-15: Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation as the government of the new United States of America, pending ratification by the sixteen states individually. Under the Articles, the Congress is the sole authority of the new federal (not national) government.
-British capture Fort Mifflin, PA
December
-Americans push back the British at Whitemarsh, PA.
-Continental Army sets up winter quarters at Valley Forge, PA.


1778
February-American and French representatives sign two treaties in Paris - a Treaty of Amity and Commerce and a Treaty of Alliance. With these treaties, France recognizes the US officially and will soon become one of two major suppliers of military supplies to Washington's Army. Both countries pledge to continue to fight until American independence is won, with neither country concluding a truce with Britain without the consent of the other, and guarantee each other's possessions in America against all other powers. The US guarantees French language rights of Quebecois in their treaty with the French. These treaties bring the American struggle for independence into a world war, with France declaring war on Britain after British ships fire on them, and Spain entering in 1779 as an ally of France. By 1779, Britain will declare war on the Dutch and Prussians, who have been engaging in profitable trade with the French and Americans. In all, the British will have to fight in the Americas, Mediterranean, Africa, India, and the West Indies, all the while facing dangers on the high sees and possible invasion of England itself by the French.
-Baron von Steuben of Prussia arrives at Valley Forge to join the Continentals. He begins much needed training and drilling of Washington's troops, now suffering poor morale due to the cold, hunger, disease, scarce supplies, and desertions over the harsh winter at Valley Forge.
March
A Peace Commission is created by the British Parliament to negotiate with the Americans. The commission then travels to Philadelphia, where it offers granting all the Americans' demands, except independence. Congress rejects this offer; the Rubicon has been crossed, and there's no turning back.
April
Carleton moves east after having settled Upper Canada to hold off British ships landing up the St. Lawrence, attempting to cut part of Quebec.
May
-Gen Howe replaced by British Gen. Henry Clinton.
-17: Jamaica joins the revolution, declaring independence from England. They adopt the Articles of Confederation, becoming a de facto 17th state.
-Battle of Barren Hill, PA, with Americans led by Lafayette, and British by Gen. Howe. Lafayette engaged the British, and managed to slip away via a route unknown to the British.
-British incite Indians along the frontier, with 300 Iroquois burning Cobleskill, NY.
June
-British Gen. Clinton withdraws his troops from Philadelphia, fearing a French blockade, and marches across New Jersey to New York City. Americans the re-occupy Philadelphia. Gen. Washington sends troops to intercept Gen. Clinton from Valley Forge.
-Americans under Washington fight to a draw at the Battle of Monmouth, NJ. Upon hearing that American Gen. Charles Lee had ordered a retreat, Gen. Washington becomes furious. Gen . Clinton continues towards New York.
July
-Congress returns to Philadelphia
-British Loyalists and Indians massacre American settlers in the Wyoming Valley in northern Pennsylvania.
-American Major George Rogers Clark captures Kaskaskia, a French village south of St. Louis
-Washington sets up his headquarters at West Point, NY.
-France declares war on Britain [[?, with Austria agreeing to send token aid to the rebellion through the Austro-French marriage of Louis XVI.?]]
August
-French and American forces besiege Newport, RI. Bad weather and delays of land troops cause the siege to fail. The French fleet sails back to Boston for repairs of the weather damage.
September
-Ben Franklin appointed American diplomatic representative in France.
-Rudolf Schwarz appointed American diplomatic representative in Prussia.
November
-At Cherry Valley, NY, Loyalists and Indians massacre more than 40 American settlers. In Upper Canada, two more massacres occur.
December
-29: British occupy Savannah, GA, and capture Augusta a month later.


To be continued...

Map request: Would someone be able to do a 1776 North America map showing the 16 colonies in rebellion? I've got a mildly passable map here, but I would like to show the maximum claimed Maine borders by OTL USA in this map as well.
Question: how far can I push Austria into the revolution? I know Marie Antoinette was Austrian, but would King Louis XVI ask her to have Austria help the Americans? I've read she didn't have much influence on him in France...

Edits to my first post:

1775 - Events are coming to a head. By May of this year, Guy Carleton himself, a Nova Scotian delegation by Richard John Uniacke and Jonathan Eddy, and even an observer from Newfoundland joined fifty-six others in Philadelphia to discuss their situation. Some wanted to entreat the king again, others voted for outright independence. Either way, the momentum was gathering. The storm is coming.
1776
December
-With assistance from Maine and Quebec, Acadian, Mi'kmaq, and Maliseet Indians, Jonathan Eddy, a Colonel in the Continental Army, led a force of 800 men to capture Fort Cumberland. Though General Washington had said for him not to expect much support militarily from his troops, already stretched, Carleton and other Quebecois aided Eddy, including Uniacke. Uniacke becomes a congressional delegate to the Continental Congress after this year to replace another Nova Scotian who fell ill.
-The Battle of Fort Cumberland resulted in an American victory led by Col. Eddy, who forced the surrender of Joseph Goreham by December 23rd.


Credit: Thanks Umbric Man, for the Nova Scotians. I'll make sure they get remembered by history.

I like this a lot. Keep it up!!!!

And take it to the present.

Thanks!! Also, does anyone have the names of some Quebecois that I can put as Presidents in the Confederation Congress?

James

Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union:

The document could not become officially effective until it was ratified by all of the sixteen colonies. The first signatory was Virginia, on 12-16-1777, with Quebec following on 12-30-1777, only after it was clarified that the central government wouldn't interfere with their language or civil law. Maryland refused to sign on until Virginia, New York, and Quebec ceded their claims to the Ohio river valley. It finally signed March 1, 1781.

Notable in the Articles is section 11:

Requires eleven states to approve the admission of a new state into the confederacy; pre-approved British Florida and other American colonies, if they apply for membership.


The signers from Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland, and the states they represented were:


*Quebec: James Livingston, Guy Carleton, Frederick Haldimand
*Nova Scotia: Moses Delesdernier, Richard John Uniacke, Thomas Henry Barclay
*Newfoundland: Robert Bartlett*, Anthony Herder*

During the course of 1777, General Carleton, though leading his forces through Quebec, managed to retake his home city when Burgoyne leaves the city. The Quebecois re-organize as a State, as several other colonies were embarking on doing. Modeling itself after other colonies, the Quebecois set a bicameral legislature, and an executive (Governor) with an executive council.

Nova Scotia creates a state constitution in 1777 with the eager assistance of Jonathan Eddy, who, under his sympathies with Sam Adams, modelled the state constitution after Massachusetts and Virginia's. Britain saw his constitution with dubious legality, but was nonetheless recognized by the Continental Congress when he showed the signatures and an official copy. Mariot Abuthnot, also claiming authority for the Royal Colony of Nova Scotia, refused to accept the document. Jonathan Eddy garnered support from a number of rural Nova Scotians in OTL New Brunswick, and from OTL Maine. Among the supporters included Zebulan Rowe, and William Howe. In the state's constitutional delegation, they elect William Howe as Continental Governor, and supporters from the OTL New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to a colonial legislature to help provision supplies for Nova Scotia. Patriots from Maine, New Hampshire, and Quebec brought what supplies they could to aid their fellow Americans. Sam Adams did manage to send some siege cannons to Eddy, enabling his seizure of Fort Cumberland in December.


Question: Delegates for Newfoundland? It's a bit difficult to find names for them.

Very good JJ. I approve pretty much everything of what you have done so far.

The war continues:

1779
February
-In Georgia, the militia, led by James Boyd and others, defeats Tories led by Andrew Pickens and others at Kettle Creek. This virtually ends the Loyalist movement in Georgia.
-George Rogers Clark captures Vincennes in Illinois Country, on the Wabash.
March
-Two Patriot-laden vessels of 200 men land in Jamaica to aid the rebellion there.
April
-Retaliating for Indian raids on colonial settlements, American troops from Virginia and North Carolina attack Chickamauga Indian villages in the future state of Tennessee.
-Gen. Benedict Arnold discovers that Carleton and Washington have been coordinating troop movements without him, angering him, and drawing him to the British side, along with mounting debts and having been passed on promotion several times. He meets with British Major André to correspond with Gen. Clinton.
May
-British troops burn Portsmouth and Norfolk, VA
June
-Gen. Clinton (British) takes 6000 men up the Hudson river toward West Point
-Spain declares war on England, but does not make any alliance with American revolutionary forces.
July
-Fairfield and Norwalk are burned by the British and Loyalists. Victoriaville is burned on July 10 in Quebec by the British. Naval ships from Massachusetts are destroyed by the British while attempting to take the Loyalist stronghold of Castine, Maine, and Halifax.
-Mad Anthony Wayne captures Stony Point NY with 1350 men against a British garrison of only 544 men.
August
-Harry "Light Horse" Lee attack Paulus Hook, NJ, defeating the British, led by William Sutherland.
-Congress approves a peace plan stipulating independence, complete British evacuation of America, and free navigation on the Mississippi river.
-American forces defeat combined British-Indian and Loyalist forces at Elmira, NY. After their victory, American troops head nrothwest and destroy nearly 40 Cayuga and Seneca Indian villages in retaliation for the campaign of terror against American settlers. A militia led by Jacques Langlois participates with his fellow Americans in this action.
September - October
-Americans suffer major defeat in attacking the British at Savannah, GA. Around 800 American and Allied casualties are noted, including Count Casimir Pulaski from Poland, and Franz Josef, a Duke from Prussia. The British lose only 140.
September
-John Paul Jones, engages in a desperate battle with the British frigate Serapis. When the British demanded his surrender, he responded, "I have not yet begun to fight!" On board the Bonhomme Richard, he captures the British Serapis near the English coast after battling them for two hours. He takes the ship to the United Provinces for repair. The outcome of the battle convinced the French crown of the wisdom of backing the colonies in their fight to separate from British authority.
-Tappan Massacre: 'No Flint' Grey kills 30 Americans with a bayonet.
-John Adams is appointed by Congress to negotiate peace with England.
October
-American attempts to retake Savannah from the British fail.
-Washington sets up winter quarters at Morristown, NJ, which will turn out to be another harsh winter without desperately needed supplies, resulting in low morale, desertions, and attempts at mutiny.
December
-British Gen. Clinton sails from NY with 8000 men and heads for Charleston, SC, arriving Feb 1.

The winter of 1779 is the coldest for General Washington and his troops at Morristown.

1780
April
-British attack against Charleston begins as warships sail past the cannons of Fort Moultrie and enter the Charleston harbor. General Washington sends reinforcements.
May
-British capture Fort Moultrie on the 6th
-British capture Charleston, SC on the 12th and its 5400-man garrison (the entire Southern American army), along with four ships and a military arsenal, while only losing 225 men.
-British crush Americans at Waxhaw Creek, SC
-After another severe winter, General Washington faces the serious threat of a mutiny at Morristown. Two Continental regiments conduct an armed march through the camp demanding immediate payment of their 5-month-overdue salary, and full rations. Pennsylvanian troops put down the rebellion, however, and two leaders of the protest are then hanged.
June
-A new Massachusetts constitution is endorsed asserting 'all men are born free and equal,' including black slaves.
-Gen Horatio Gates is commissioned by Congress to command the Southern Army.
-Patriots rout Tories at Ramseur's Mill, NC
-Patriots defeat British off the Nova Scotian coast with the aid of a surprise sea storm that wrecks the British ships attempting to return to Halifax.
-Americans defeat the British at the Battle of Springfield, NJ
July
-Six thousand French troops arrive at Newport, RI, to aid the American cause on the 11th, led by Count de Rochambeau. They remain for nearly a year, however, being blockaded by the British fleet.
-Prussian troops arrive off Boston to aid the American cause. General Washington sends orders to take Halifax.
August
-Benedict Arnold is appointed commander of West Point. Unknown to the Americans, he has been secretly collaborating with Gen. Clinton since May 1779, supplying information on General Washington's tactics. Asked why he betrayed the General, he cited the discovery in April of 1997
-Patriots defeat Tories at Hanging Rock, SC
-British under Gen. Cornwallis rout Americans led by Gates at Camden, SC. Nine hundred Americans are killed, 1000 captured.
-American defeat at Fishing Creek, SC, opens a route for Gen. Cornwallis to invade NC.
September
-25: Benedict Arnold's plans to cede West Point to the British are discovered when Major André is captured with a letter from Arnold indicating he intends to turn traitor and surrender West Point. Two days later, Arnold hears of the spy's capture and flees from West Point to the British ship Vulture on the Hudson. Later, he is named brigadier general in the British Army and will fight against the Americans.
-29: Prussian/American forces siege Halifax. Col. Eddy and Baron von Preußen, the head of the Prussian troops, lead the forces.
October
-Combined American/Prussian forces take Halifax, using the Prussian artillery to siege the fort, and burn the ships in the harbor after a two-week-long siege. Some British ships managed to sail out, with very few men aboard.
-Gen. Cornwallis abandons his invasion of NC after Americans, with a detachment of Prussian infantry, capture his reinforcements, a Loyalist force of 1000 men.
-Battle of King's Mountain, SC - lasts 65 minutes. American troops, led by Isaac Shelby and John Sevier defeated Maj. Patrick Ferguson and 1/3 of Gen. Cornwallis' army on the 7th.
-Washington names Nathanael Green commander of the Southern Army, replacing Gates. Greene then begins a strategy of rallying popular support for the Patriot cause, and wearing down the British by leading Gen. Cornwallis on a six-month chase through South Carolina's backwoods, into North Carolina, then Virginia, then back into North Carolina. The British, low on supplies, are then forced to steal from any Americans they encounter, thus enraging them against the British, destroying any Loyalist sentiment possible.
-Patriot forces in Jamaica, aided by Free Peoples of Color, defeat a British force at Spanish Town.


To be continued....

[Stupid nitpick=please don't hit me]You mention the flag has sixteen stars in a circle, but the flag you uploaded has 16 stars in a field.[/stupid nitpick]
Anyway, nice start. In a lot of ways, this actually makes more sense than OTL. Well, maybe not Jamaica, but even that is plausible.

. The first signatory was Virginia, on 12-16-1777, with Quebec following on 12-30-1777, only after it was clarified that the central government wouldn't interfere with their language or civil law. Maryland refused to sign on until Virginia, New York, and Quebec ceded their claims to the Ohio river valley. It finally signed March 1, 1781.

Notable in the Articles is section 11:

Requires eleven states to approve the admission of a new state into the confederacy; pre-approved Spanish Florida and other American colonies, if they apply for membership.

Click to expand...

Did you mean Pre approved British Florida -- In 1777 when you have the AoC being written Florida was British


And with Both Canada and Quebec joining the Revolt, the war should be shorter, both from a military , and a politics in Britain viewpoint.

The War Concludes...


1781

January
-Unpaid Pennsylvania soldiers mutiny in New Jersey, near Princeton. They choose their own representatives to negotiate with state officials back in Pennsylvania. The crisis is eventually resolved through negotiations, but not before more than half the volunteers abandon the army.
-Americans wintering in Halifax re-fortify in preparation for an expected Royal Navy return
-American victory at Cowpens, SC, as Gen. Daniel Morgan defeats British Gen. Tarleton.
-Patriot victory on St. John's Island, when hundreds of settlers owing Quit-Rent oust the small British garrison there. Walter Patterson, the British Governor on the land, who had expressed Patriot sympathies early in the war, helped lead and supply the Patriots.
-Mutiny among American troops at Pompton, NJ. This mutiny is put down seven days later by a 600-man force sent by Gen. Washington. Two of its leaders are promptly hanged.
February
-Battle of Cowan's Ford, Huntersville, NC. Gen. William Lee Davidson is ordered to Cowan's Ford by Gen. Morgan with 500 militia to delay Cornwallis' crossing the Catawba. Davidson's forces began picking off the British as they crossed the wagon ford. The return fire, however, came back heavy, and one shot his Davidson through the heart. Later, his naked body would be found that evening, robbed by British soldiers.
March
-Articles of Confederation adopted on March 2.
-British win a costly victory at Guilford Courthouse, NC. Cornwallis defeats Nathanael Greene, then retreats to Wilmington, and chooses to invade Virginia with his 7500 man army, abandoning his plans to conquer the Carolinas. At this point, it looks like Britain has control of GA and SC, though the decision to go north allows Greene the time to unravel British control of the Carolinas and Georgia, while leading Cornwallis to Yorktown.
-British send four ships to Quebec City, attempting to take the city. Patriots successfully defend the city against the bombardment.
-Four additional ships sail from the Great Lakes, attempting to meet up with the ships that attacked Quebec City, hoping to take Montreal.
April
-Patriot Greene defeated at Hobkirk's Hill, SC by Lord Francis Rawdon
-Americans expelled from Halifax by British Navy; Col Eddy and Baron von Preußen vow to return.
-Patriots led by Guy Carleton successfully defend Montreal from the British, and manage to expel the British from the Great Lakes. Carleton declares Rupert's Land United States Territory. (however, he does not have the manpower to cover the large territory)
May
-British Gen. Cornwallis skirmishes at Guilford Courthouse
-21: Gen. Washington and French Gen. Rochambeau meet in Connecticut for a war council. Gen Rochambeau reluctantly agrees to Washingtons plan for a joint French naval and American ground attack on New York.
-Baron von Preußen agrees to a joint Prussian-French attack on Halifax.
June
-Thomas Jefferson narrowly escapes capture by the British at Charlottesville, VA.
-Americans retake Augusta, GA
-Americans under Marquis de Lafayette, Gen. Anthony Wayne, and Baron von Steuben begin to form a combined fighting force in VA to oppose British forces under Benedict Arnold and Gen. Cornwallis.
-Congress appoints a Peace Commission comprised of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, Jacques Martin, and Henry Laurens. The commission supplements John Adams as the sole negotiator with the British.
-British hold off Americans at Ninety Six, SC; Nathanael Greene led a siege of the town, held off by the defending Loyalists.
July
-Patriot Mad Anthony Wayne repulsed at Battle of Green Spring, VA. Cornwallis' 5000-man army defeats his 500-man force.
-slave revolt in Williamsburg VA, who burn several buildings.
August
-After several months of chasing Patriot Greene's army through the south with little success, Gen. Cornwallis and his 10,000 tired soldiers arrive to seek rest and shelter at Yorktown VA on the Chesapeake Bay. He then establishes a base to communicate by sea with Gen. Clinton's forces in New York.
-Gen. Washington abruptly changes plans, and abandons the New York attack in favor of Yorktown, after he receives a letter from French Admiral Count de Grasse, indicating his entire 29-ship French fleet with 3000 soldiers is now heading for the Chesapeake Bay near Cornwallis. Gen. Washington then coordinates with Gen. Rochambeau to rush their best troops south to Virginia to destroy the British position at Yorktown.
-French Fleet under Count Le Fleur drives British naval forces from Halifax, pinning them between the Prussians, Americans, and themselves.
-Count de Grasse's French fleet arrives off Yorktown, VA. He immediately lands troops near Yorktown, linking Lafayette's American troops to cut Cornwallis off from any land retreat.
September
-Washington's and Rochambeau's troops arrive at Philadelphia.
-Patriot Greene defeated at Eutaw Springs, SC by Alexander Stuart. Though defeated, Greene's actions force the British to abandon much of their southern conquests, outside of Charleston and Savannah.
-French fleet drives the British Naval Force from Chesapeake Bay.
-Offshore, a major naval battle between Count de Grasse's French fleet and British Admiral Thomas Graves results in a victory for de Grasse. The British fleet then retreats to New York for reinforcements, leaving the French fleet in control of the Chesapeake Bay; they establish a blockade, cutting Cornwallis off from any chance of retreat by sea. French naval reinforcements then arrive from Newport, and some from Halifax.
-Benedict Arnold's troops loot and burn the port of New London, CT.
-de Grasse sends his ships up the Chesapeake to transport Washington and Rochambeau's troops to Yorktown.
-17: Gen. Washington, with a combined allied army of 17,000 men, begins the siege of Yorktown. French cannons bombard Cornwallis and his 9000 men day and night while the allied lines slowly advance to encircle him. Their supplies run dangerously low...
October
-Cornwallis, surrounded on land and sea by Americans and French, and surrenders at Yorktown, VA on the 19th, sending out a flag of truce, working out terms of surrender. The British army marches out in formation, playing "The world turned upside down," and surrenders. With the defeat at Yorktown, hope for a British victory in America is finished. In the English Parliament, there will soon be calls to end the costly war.
-24: 7000 British reinforcements under Gen. Clinton arrive at the Chesapeake Bay, but turn back at hearing of the Yorktown surrender.
November
-Governor William Patterson declares an end to Quit-Rent on St. John's Island.


1782
January
-Loyalists begin leaving America, heading south towards the Mosquito Coast, British Honduras, and Patagonia. Some Nova Scotians opt to resettle in Panama, recalling the failed Company of Scotland. In all, around 15-20% of Americans resettle. Some settle along British forts in Africa, some in India, and some in Asia. Black Loyalists, numbering from between 75,000 to 100,000 leave the Patriot lands behind, settling in London, Mosquito Coast, British Honduras, Patagonia, and British Guyana. This marks the beginning of what later historians call the 'second' British Empire.
-British withdraw from North Carolina
February
-The House of Commons votes against further war in America.
-British fur trappers begin evacuating Rupert's Land.
March
-British Parliament empowers the king to negotiate peace with the United States.
-American militiamen massacre 96 Delaware Indians in the Ohio country in retaliation for Indian raids conducted by other tribes.
-Lord North resigns as British Prime Minister on 20th March. He is succeeded by Lord Rockingham who seeks immediate negotiation with the American peace commissioners.
April
-Gen. Clinton overseas the British policy of ending hostilities and withdrawing British troops from America.
-Peace talks begin in Paris between Ben Franklin and Richard Oswald of Britain
-Gen. Washington establishes American army headquarters at Newburgh, NY
-The Dutch recognize the United States of America as a result of negotiations conducted in the Netherlands by John Adams.
-Holy Roman Empire recognizes the United States as a result of Rudolf Schwarz' efforts.
June
-British evacuate Savannah
-Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States of America with 16 arrows, leaves, and stars in formation about an eagle.
-Off the Great Lakes, one of the last battles of the Revolution occurs when Patriots take a fur trading post from the British near OTL Minnesota's northern Border.
August
-Loyalist and Indian forces attack and defeat American settlers near Lexington, KY
-Mohawk Indian Chief Joseph Brant conducts raids on settlements in Pennsylvania and Kentucky
-Last fighting of the Revolutionary War between Americans and British occurs with a skirmish in SC along the Combahee River.
November
-The final battle of the Revolutionary War occurs as Americans retaliate and Loyalist-Indian forces by attacking a Shawnee Indian village in Ohio country
-British sign preliminary Articles of Peace in Paris.
December
-British leave Charleston, SC
-In France, strong objections to the peace treaty signing without consulting them first nearly cause falling out with France, though Ben Franklin soothes their anger with a diplomatic response.

1783
January
-England signs preliminary peace treaty with France and Spain. Spain agrees to allow England to resettle in Patagonia, Mosquito Coast, and British Honduras any expelled subjects from North America in exchange for East and West Florida from the British, with some territory to allow the expansion of Mosquito and Honduras.
February
-Spain recognizes the United States of America, followed soon after by Denmark, Sweden, and Russia.
-England officially declares an end to hostilities in America.
March
-An anonymous letter circulates among Washington's senior officers at Newburg, NY calling for an unauthorized meeting, urging officers to defy the authority of the new US Congress for its failure to honor past promises to the Continental Army. The next day, General Washington forbids the unauthorized meeting, and instead suggests a regular meeting March 15. A second anonymous letter then appears claiming falsely that Washington himself sympathizes with the rebellious officers.
-15: General Washington gathers his officers and talks them out of a rebellion against the authority of Congress, in effect preserving the American democracy
April
-Congress officially declares an end to the Revolutionary War.
-26: 7,000 Loyalists set sail from NY to Patagonia, bringing the total to 123,000 Loyalists who have left America.
June
-The main portion of the Continental Army disbands
-Congress leaves Philadelphia and relocates to Princeton NJ to avoid protests from angry and unpaid war veterans.
July
The Supreme Court of Massachusetts abolishes slavery in that state
September
-Treaty of Paris formally ratified on the 3rd by the USA and Britain. Congress will ratify Jan 14, 1784.
October
In Virginia, the House of Burgesses grants freedom to slaves who served in the Continental Army
November
-George Washington delivers his farewell address to his army. The next day, his remaining troops are discharged.
-Colonel Eddy makes known his intent to retire to Halifax, the new capital of Nova Scotia.
-Washington enters Manhattan as the last British troops leave
-Congress meets in Annapolis, MD
December
-23: Washington makes an historic, triumphant journey from New York to Annapolis, and resigns as Commander-in-Chief of the American Revolutionary Army, then appears before Congress and voluntarily resigns his commission, an event unprecedented in history. Guy Carleton and Jonathan Eddy also resign their commissions to return home following Washington's example.

The War is ended. Long live the United States of America.

Map and Articles of Peace to follow.

Map of the United States After the Revolution:




Articles of Peace: Ten Points

1. Recognizes the 17 colonies as free and sovereign States; [Quebec, Jamaica, Georgia, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island]
2. Establishes the boundaries between the United States and British North America under Rupert's Land for five years, allowing the British time to re-establish trade in Patagonia, and allowing British navigation into the Great Lakes for their fur trade until such time as they withdraw to Patagonia. The United States will assume full sovereignty of Rupert's Land at that time. All British forts will be turned over to the Americans as of 1788.
3. Granting fishing rights for United States fishermen across the Great Lakes, and for British fishermen off the coast of Labrador territory for five years. The British may still use the Mississippi river for trading with Spanish Louisiana.
4. Recognizing lawful contracted debts to be paid to creditors on either side;
5. the Congress of the Confederation will 'earnestly recommend' to state legislatures to recognize the rightful owners of all confiscated lands 'provide for the restitution of all estates, rights, and properties, which have been confiscated belonging to real British subjects [Loyalists]';
6. United States will prevent future confiscations of property of Loyalists still within their boundaries;
7. Prisoners of War on both sides are to be released and all property left by the British army in the US unmolested (including slaves)
8. Great Britain and the United States were each to be given perpetual access to the Mississippi River;
9. Territories captures by Americans subsequent to the treaty will be returned without compensation (Pirates in the Antilles, British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, et al)
10. Ratification of the treaty is to occur within six months from the signing by the contracting parties.

The United States ceded a portion of Upper Canada to allow Rupert's Land access to the Great Lakes for Britain's fur trapping and fishing for five years. The United States gained Jamaica as a State in the Caribbean.

From 1782 to 1787, the Articles of Confederation guide the young nation. The most important piece of legislation would be the Northwest Ordinance, and the Northeast Ordinance a year later. The NWO provided new states to be created from the territory west of the original 13 colonies to the Mississippi river, while the NEO provided that the northern United States would attempt to form roughly equal sized states out of the northern territory. Quebec balked at this initially, and dragged out negotiations in Congress. They eventually capitulated under pressure from NY and VA, as well as entreaties by Thomas Jefferson, assuring them that if they ceded land, they would have two French-speaking state, not just one in the Union. Jamaica presented another problem with a high number of slaves there, as well as free people of color. A number of southern colonists moved from Georgia and South Carolina to the island, but also an even larger NY, MA, and RI population. By 1787, the population had moved most of the slaves off-island into the mainland, or had freed them within the island. A few years later, Jamaica would declare itself a free state, sparking worries in the south about its peculiar institution.


Despite its successes, the Articles would prove ineffective in governing the young country, and a new federal government would be needed.



Questions, comments, concerns?

I heartily disagree that the British would keep Rupert's Land in the post-ARW peace deal. IMO the youngling USA ought to dig their heels and claim it as fiercely as the land between the Allegheny and the Mississippi, both for resource (furs!) and safety reasons. The security of the new Republic is quite fragile if you still allow the bloody Redcoats such a large foothold on the continent.

Since the time of the US Constitution approaches, I feel it's the right time to shamelessly pimp my Optimized US Constitution. It has been written just for this kind of TL as yours.

I'm about to write up the lead up to the new Constitution, but I would need to know how many delegates to give Jamaica, Quebec, Nova Scotia (OTL New Brunswick, PEI, and Nova Scotia), and Newfoundland at the convention. I'll be adding some provisions from the super-Constitution, just gotta find out why.

And I edited the peace plan...sound better? Phased withdrawal? This'll also give John Adams reason to be in London as an ambassador, since the Brits haven't fully left their forts...

James

Your map of Florida is wrong,