Well, folks, for those of you who've been watching, I've finally gotten the chance to post my very first successful timeline right here on AH.com.
This is a somewhat American-centric TL that started with only a very small POD in the U.S., and has already seen an earlier revolution in Spanish America, the death of the original Embargo Act, and the first signs of discontent over Washington's economic policy.
Stars & Stripes #1: It All Begins Here
First POD: June 9, 1805-President Jefferson wakes up on this warm summer morning and decides to call an informal meeting with some associates. Among the topics discussed are the eventual abolition of the U.S. slave trade, and possible restriction of trade against Great Britain.
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Aug 4, 1805: A little trouble begins to brew in Spanish Florida on this day; A peaceful demonstration against recently tightened military controls by Sebastian Kindelan y Obregon, after the sudden death of Enrique White in early July.*
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March 8, 1806: C.C. Pinckney dies of a heart attack partly brought on by lingering emphysema that had been caused by a terrible cold he had caught back in late January.
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April 22, 1806: The Non-Importation Act is signed into law pretty much as OTL, but just a few days later.
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July 22, 1806: Meanwhile, in Great Britain, debate rages over the slave trade, particularly within the halls of Westminster Palace, in London. One argument between William Wilberforce & a pro-slavery MP gets so heated that both men are escorted out of the building.
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March 25, 1807: Problems concerning the proposed Slave Trade Act, have caused it to be postponed until the end of August.
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The 1st Major POD: April 6, 1807-Albert Gallatin met with President Jefferson at 9:30 that morning concerning the proposed Embargo Act in Washington. Congress had been debating the Act(which Jefferson himself had proposed), and more than a few deadlocks had occurred. Even worse, most of the northeastern states were very much opposed to the act for fears of harming their local economies. Despite his initial wishes to the contrary, Jefferson eventually conceded. Gallatin started home at 4:50 and the President got to work on his letter to Congress informing them of the withdrawal and explaining why such a decision had been made.
*
Apr. 9, 1807-Congress receives the letter from Jefferson. Though many members, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic states, are somewhat disappointed, others, including a good number of the Federalists(especially some of the more hardcore members such as Timothy Pickering) breathe a sigh of temporary relief; the Non-Importation Act passed the previous year had done some damage to the country's economy, particularly in the cases of New England and the Southern ports, such as Charleston, S.C. and Norfolk, Va.
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Apr. 12, 1807-After three days of debate, Congress decides to allow the bill to die in committee.
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May-June, 1807-Nothing much happens in this time frame, except that the H.M.S. Leopard suffers a mutiny on June 4th and is forced to sail back to Europe, thus butterflying the Chesapeake incident which occurred IOTL.
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Jul. 4, 1807-President Jefferson meets with several members of Congress to discuss a possible eventual compromise concerning the Non-Importation Act; unfortunately, the meeting is rather brief and goes nowhere.
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Aug. 25, 1807-In England, despite a decent amount of support from the abolitionists, Parliament is unable to reach the majority needed to sign the Slave Trade Act into law.
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Sep 14, 1807-Congress begins negotiations to allow Maine, which is currently a Massachusetts exclave, to gain statehood; in the meantime, it becomes a territory on Sep. 21st.
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Feb. 12, 1808-President Jefferson announces he will not be running for another term.
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Apr. 15, 1808-A British merchant ship by the name of the 'Mary Louise' was caught trying to unload unregistered goods in the town harbor of Nantucket, R.I., eliciting a rapid response from local authorities.
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Nov. 1808-James Madison wins the presidential election, but not quite by as large a margin as OTL: Rufus King recieved 41.9% of the popular vote, as opposed to only 32.4% IOTL.
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Jan. 8, 1809-
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Mar. 4, 1809-Madison is inaugurated as the 4th president of the United States; one of his first actions is to propose an extension of the Non-Importation Act, which was due to expire come Apr. 23, 1811.
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Apr. 11, 1809-On this day, the Sons of New England organization is born in Portland, Maine Territory.
Jul. 12, 1809-An attack by vigilantes on the British merchant ship 'Princeton' at around 8:30 a.m. by vigilantes results in an explosion in the harbor of Providence, R.I., killing 35 people and wrecking over a dozen nearby buildings. It is only the first in what will be a long line of such incidents, and not just at the hands of vigilantes, either.
*
Sept. 9, 1809-The Sept. 9th Riots began in Boston, Mass. starting at 1:30 that afternoon, after a private cargo ship registered to Liverpool, Lancashire, by the name of the 'Ringo Joe' is captured, and destroyed by the local National Guard division under the orders of their commander; the main reason being that the ship had been carrying a large amount of various goods, many of which where both popular, and banned under the Non-Importation Act. The riot lasts for 3 days and gains the S.o.N.E. their first wave of new members.
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Nov. 5, 1809-The raid of a recently-established New Haven, Conn. tavern called 'The Patriot' at 2:30 in the afternoon, leads to the deaths of over a dozen patrons, as well as the chief bartender(who was a chief member of that city's S.o.N.E. Chapter, and a potential Federalist candidate for office at that). There is a significant cry of outrage across the city, and discontentment across much of the rest of New England. However, though, nothing much really comes of it.
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Dec. 1809-As the decade ends, in North America, tensions slowly begin to simmer just a little over the issue over the Non-Importation Act; meanwhile the Napoleonic Wars rage on in Western Europe, and in Britain, some very disillusioned Quakers begin to leave for New England over the failure of the Slave Trade Act......
Apr. 6, 1810
The White House
Washington, D.C.
President James Madison sat in the Oval Office, feeling somewhat miserable. It was 10:30 in the morning and starting to pour hard, which hadn't helped his mood. This whole mess about the Non-Importation Act had started to take a toll on him, and even worse, the Brits were starting to cause trouble again[1]. Suddenly, someone began to knock on the door. "Come in, if you'd like." Madison replied. His chief secretary, William Berkeley[2], entered the room. "Mister President, sir, I assume you may have seen this?", Berkeley inquired, somewhat tensely. He produced a newspaper and put it down on the President's desk. The headline read, "Cargo Ship Carrying Illicit Goods Explodes in New York Harbor Overnight, Over 50 Lives Feared Lost". "This can't possibly........" blurted a stunned Madison. "I'm afraid it's true, sir.", Berkeley replied.
"You think someone took the law into their own hands and may have....."
"Yes, sir, unfortunately, that is what seems to have occurred here.”[2]
"Well, damn it. This is America, not Germany[3]! This cannot stand; the law must be enforced by the proper authorities. Or tragedies like this are sure to continue occurring."
"I understand, sir. That was all."
"Alright then. Be on your way.", Madison said, as Berkeley began to leave the room. The President, feeling particularly unwell, sloped back in his chair. This was looking up to be one dreary spring indeed.
[1]Diplomatic snafus, mostly over trade and the Napoleonic Wars.
[2]Can't remember whether he actually existed or not.
[3]Vigilantism is going to be a serious problem in the upcoming months & years.
[4]Or rather, what was the 'Holy Roman' Empire of late.
–
Stars & Stripes #2: Discontent Arises.
Nov. 6, 1809
The Patriot Tavern & Restaurant
New Haven, Connecticut
“Dear Lord. What immoral or unlawful thing had I done to earn such misery?” sighed Robert Harrison as he entered. The owner & founder of the 19-month old establishment looked around at what had been, the night before, a prosperous tavern full of loyal customers. Now, 11 of them were dead, as well as the chief bartender, Louis Malloy, a man he had known for 20 years, and a visiting off-duty soldier from New York[1]. Not to mention the horrid mess those awful vigilantes had made of the place; broken beer bottles & furniture were everywhere, even a few bullet holes could be seen here & there. Veteran patron Thomas 'Tommy' Gilmore nodded. “Robbie my friend, we did lose some good men yesterday, but at least our lives are still intact, thank the good Lord.” “And we c'n always patch the place up, eh?” chimed in Johnathon Dunwood. “Yes, but I will require hundreds of dollars to repair all that was lost to us. Let us hope for miracles, fellows. Lest those damned hooligans turn yonder and ransack this tavern of ours once again.” Harrison remarked with a tinge of bitterness.
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The New Haven Standard
Nov. 6, 1809
Vigilantes Attack Local Tavern, Kill Over a Dozen Patrons
…Yesterday, tragedy struck at the newly established tavern known as 'The Patriot'. At around 2:30 p.m. several armed vigilantes attacked the patrons inside and killed at least 13 people inside, most notably the chief bartender, Louis Malloy, of Mystic, and a member of the New York National Guard, Albert Stafford, who was visiting his grandmother in Hartford. There is no doubt in the minds of the citizens of this fair city, and that of many of our brethren in the rest of New England, that these vigilantes are a stain on the fabric that is American society and that they must be dealt with in a firm manner posthaste. We cannot allow this kind of dastardly behaviour to smear the good name of not just New Englanders but of all of America.”
(Note: I've decided to start on the first fictional book excerpt. I must admit I was particularly fond of the way Jared did his in DoD; so professional looking, in my opinion.)
– These excepts were taken from Franklin Van Buren's “The Early History of post-Independence America, 1797-1847” © 1929: University of New England Press, Cambridge, Mass. Used with permission.
1799: Former President George Washington dies on December 14.
1803: In April, the Louisiana Purchase occurs with France selling their claims to the entire area for only $15 million. There are some opponents, particularly in New England, but overall, most are supportive of Jefferson's move.
1804: Jefferson is re-elected for a second term as President; George Clinton is elected Vice-President.
1805: The Barbary War ends in October. Also, a peaceful demonstration against tightened military controls occurs in Spanish Florida in early August.
1806: The Non-Importation Act is passed by only a slight majority in Congress on April 22nd . Also, noted politico[2] C.C. Pinckney dies from a two-month case of emphysema on Mar 11th .
1807: The highly controversial proposed Embargo Act dies in committee in April.
1808: James Madison wins this year's election, George Clinton makes his appearance once more as Vice-president. Also, the 'Mary Louise', a British merchant ship, is raided in Nantucket, R.I. .during the mid-morning hours of April 15th. It will be just the first of a long series of ship raidings and cargo confiscations undertaken by various U.S. authorities.
1809:
April 11: The creation of the regional advocacy group known as the Sons of New England in Portland, Maine Territory.
July 12: Attack of the British merchant ship 'Princeton' in the harbor of Providence, Rhode Island. An explosion which resulted in the detonation of a powder keg which was smuggled onto the deck the previous night kills 35 people including several seamen from both Britain & America.
Sept. 9: First major N.I. Act related riots occur in the city of Boston, Mass; they last for 3 whole days and dozens are arrested by the local police.
Nov. 5: A vicious raid on a local New Haven, Conn. Tavern called 'The Patriot' by vigilantes leads to 13 deaths, 4 of them early supporters of the Sons of New England. Significant outrage does occur in much of the northern half of the U.S. but no major rioting occurs, at least, not in any major towns & cities, although Albany, N.Y. S.o.N.E. supporter John Brooks coins a new phrase in one of the local tabloids: “Remember, remember, the 5th of November!” as a rallying cry[3].
[1] Albert Stafford's son, Tommy, is only 3 when his father dies, but he will go on to be a minor force in N.Y.C. politics later on in his life.
[2]This is one of many terms that saw a much earlier introduction to English than IOTL.
[3]V For Vendetta, anyone? =)
Stars & Stripes #3-Ship Raids & Vigilantes
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Extracted from “Raids, Recessions, & Rioters: How The Non-Importation Act And Similar Laws Affected America In Its Early Years”
By Thomas W. Peterson
© 1945 W.F. Harvey & Sons Publishing, Boston, Mass.
The raid of the British merchant ship, the Mary Louise at around 9:15 in the morning of the 15th of April, 1808, in Nantucket, Rhode Island, was to be the first in a long line of Federal attacks on foreign shipping vessels carrying certain 'illicit' goods, as well as one of the first catalysts for the birth of the S.o.N.E. . Earlier that day, at around 7:00, a harbor watchman had noticed some strange and seemingly suspicious whisperings amongst the crew. One of the men on the harbor front appeared to be somewhat inebriated but he attempted to pick up a couple of the boxes that had been shipped aboard anyway; what spilled out revealed the truth; these men were smugglers with dozens of dollars worth of contraband [1] goods, including beer, flaxseed, wool, and hemp.
The watchman immediately left for the nearest law enforcement station. Federal officials stationed in the area soon received word of the occurrence, and by 8:45, over a dozen of them began to make their way to the harbor front, arriving only 20 minutes later. Plans were discussed on how to deal with the situation; they soon agreed that a sudden rush would be best. At 9:13, the first Federal official, flanked by two comrades[2], informed the sailors of his presence & of the laws they had been caught breaking. An argument quickly ensued, and just after 9:15 shots rang out. Immediately afterwards, the rest of them began to rush in, and a bigger gunfight began right then. By the time it was all over, at 9:26 to be more precise, according to most reports available today, 7 of the 13 dispatched Federal officers lay dead, but the sailors had suffered an even worse loss overall; of the 9 men who had staffed the vessel, only the captain and the man who had bungled the operation had survived.
One of the Federal officers who had died had attempted to negotiate with the seamen, and was a very good friend of Jonathan O'Bannon[3]. This would have major implications for quite some time to come........
–
Apr. 17, 1808
Bangor, Maine Territory
United States of America
Jonathan 'Iron Jonny'[4] O'Bannon spat on the ground below him. The Barbary War veteran, who had once been fought off over a dozen Barbary seamen, on their own ship, after having been captured off the coast of Spain, found himself shedding a tear for his dearly departed friend of 25 years, whose death he had learned of only that very morning. A tough man he most assuredly was, but he had his moments of softness. “Oh, my poor dear friend Robert. I knew you well. You were taken from us too young.”. After this moment of reflection, O'Bannon started walking home. Arriving at his cabin about 2 hours later, he saw his wife, Anita, cooking a nice potato-and-steak dinner. “Jonny dear? Is that you I hear?”, she asked, kindly. Jonathan replied, slowly, “Yes, dear wife, it is.” “Well, what's wrong?”, Anita asked. Jonathan said, “Remember Robert Anderson?” Anita stared, bewildered. “Yes, I do? Has something happened?” “Yes, I'm afraid so. Robert.....Robert had been killed during that raid on that British ship a couple days ago. I only heard about his death this morning. To think such a honorable man could meet such a tragic death while doing what he thought was best for all involved, is hard for even me to bear.”
Anita gasped. “I....I'm terribly sorry. That poor man. Is there nothing we can do for his family?” Jonathan shook his head and. “I'm sorry, but no, Anita, I fear not, other than our prayers and considerations. But honestly, I do tire of all this nonsense about embargos[5] and such, and perhaps there is a way to get a voice to the people of this area, and maybe someday, even the whole nation. I do believe it's time I acted upon my conscience. Tomorrow, I plan to set off for Portland, where I plan to start gathering other men who feel as I do about this whole Non-Importation shenanigan[6]. And I'll need some support to do it.” “Well, I will tell you now that you may always rely on me, Jon. We have always stuck together even during the worst of times.”, Anita replied warmly. Jonathan's spirits lifted a little, hearing this. “Thank you ever so kindly, dear Anita.”
A few hours after dinner they both retired to their beds to sleep. The next morning, Jonathan set off for the city of Portland, where he hoped to gather the first recruits of his mission.......
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Extracted from “Yankee Patriots: The Rise of the Sons of New England”
By Will Sanders
Manchester, N.H., New England
© 1962 Kenton Press, Providence, Rhode Island
… Jonathan O'Bannon was a man on a mission. On April 18th of 1808 he began 2-day trip to Portland in the southwest of Maine, staying at a local inn overnight in what is now Elbertson County. After his stay, he set off once again the next morning, getting a ride from a passing stagecoach. Right around noon on the 19th , he arrived in the area and immediately began looking for some temp[7] jobs to support himself in his endeavor. He talked a little around town with the various people that he had met, and soon enough, he came across a local tavern, where he discussed his beliefs & grievances to anyone who would listen. One person in particular, a veteran customer by the name of Eldon Canmore, was especially open. The man was an independent builder[8] by trade, but had also had a cousin who fought in the Barbary War and he enjoyed the stories 'Iron Jonny' would tell about his experiences while in combat there, as a member of the U.S. Navy. He also sympathized with Jonathan when he heard the unfortunate manner of Robert Anderson's death. The two struck up a friendship rather quickly, and by the end of April they decided to pay O'Bannon's home a visit to discuss a possible alliance …
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[1] This is another term which has entered American English earlier than it did IOTL.
[2] No, no Communism here.
[3] Jonathan O'Bannon will become a very important, perhaps even pivotal figure in the history of North America.
[4]O'Bannon was a sailor during the Barbary war, and a particularly hardy & tough one, too.
[5]The Embargo Act hasn't actually happened, but there are still many discontented rumblings about it, particularly in New England.
[6]Well, he is an Irish-American, and it IS a term that originated from Irish Gaelic.........
[7]This is a modern ATL localism largely exclusive to the state of New Hampshire.
[8]And a damn fine one, too.
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Stars & Stripes #4: A Storm Gathers Over Florida, and Trouble Brews In Mexico.
Nov. 8, 1805
Near San Agustin[1], Viceroyalty of Florida
[Spanish territory]
Enrique Cortez stared into the late autumn sky with a tinge of depression. Since the August Revolt[2], he had already lost his job and what little savings he had, and was close to losing his home as well. Even worse, the rebellions were starting to become more & more violent each passing week, it seemed; one skirmish in October in San Agustin had not only seen the deaths of two soldiers who attempted to keep order, one of them being a cousin of his, but someone had even freed slaves from a local villa.[3] “Chingada! Damn those rebellious devils. Have they any respect for the nation, nay, the race, which birthed them? Or do they seek to destroy all that has been given to them, just because they can't accept some discipline, like spoiled brats?”[4] Enrique whispered quite harshly, his hatred for them already burning a deep hole in his soul. Feeling as if he could possibly explode in anger if he stayed out any longer, he decided to compose himself and take the approximately half-mile walk back to his home.
--
Extracted from “The Fall of the Spanish Empire, 1805-1929”
© 1956 By Victoria Patterson
Liberty Press
Sacramento, California, United States.
The August Revolt in 1805, which started in what is now Mission City[5] would pose a significantly more serious threat to the Spanish hegemony in the Americas than Madrid first realized at that time. It all started on the afternoon hours of the 4th, when residents of that very town heard the news of Sebastian Obregon's recent initiatives towards tighter military control of the region. This angered most of the town's residents, as they saw this as nothing more than an opprotunistic power play, and many began to demonstrate in the town center. When the local authorities tried to put an end to this, some of the demonstrators began to riot. One soldier, as told by a living survivor 50 years later, was so anxious to see law & order restored that he decided to fire a couple of shots into the crowd. Unfortunately, one of the bullets struck, and killed, a 12-year-old girl whose father was one of the protestors. A few seconds later, once most of the crowd figured out what had just happened, many of the hundred or so people in the square began running after the the shooter and all 4 of his fellow soldiers. 2 of them couldn't keep up and were lynched by the angry townspeople. The others got away, although 1 man got lost in the nearby swamp. The soldier who shot into the crowd, we are told, was found about a week later in a field about 10 miles north of town, with a bullet wound in the back of his head. As it appeared, the young cadet had felt such remorse for his actions, that he felt as if he couldn't bear the guilt any longer; although even today, some do wonder if perhaps he was just fearful of being captured by the angry townspeople or being shipped back home to Spain.
In any case, this eventually led to even more protests and riots, and even harsher crackdowns by Obregon, enforced by his loyal military men. Although a press blackout was ordered in Nov. 1805 by Madrid, and to be enforced immediately whenever these commands were received by the respective governors of New Spain and the other territories under Madrid's rule, sooner or later, a few people began to receive information from underground sources here & there. By January, 1807, the conflicts in Florida had started to turn in the direction of a full-blown revolt, and soon, it wouldn't just be the Land of Flowers[6] that would explode...
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Feb. 11, 1807
Toluca, Mexico Province
New Spain Territory
“This looks to be rather unfortunate for our Madridero overlords. Have they finally stepped on their own feet for once?” Francisco Valenzuela asked, putting down a letter he had recently received, concerning the news in Florida. “Perhaps so. It would be quite the blessing if we did manage to get the word out. Spanish tyranny must come to an end.” Alberto Galvez commented, before taking a sip of a cocoa drink. “Amen to that, amigos! It is time for Mexico to come out onto her own in the world. Let us act, and quickly!” shouted their friend, Orlando Cortez from a little distance. The three men came together on the street corner, next to where Valenzuela's aunt lived, right then to start discussing their plans for the future. Early that evening, Valenzuela and Galvez would speak to a crowd of dozens in one of the plaza markets.
“Mexico must be freed! The rulers in Madrid, what have they ever really done for us, the Mexican people? Nothing! They have only caused us pain and misery! While we toil for meager scraps, the wealthy haciendados gorge on the richest and most savory food and drink themselves to a blind stupor! It's time to end the suffering. We must join hands with our brothers in Florida, and make the decision to self-determine our own futures or we shall never have real freedom in our lifetimes, or even those of our children's! The choice is yours, slavery or freedom?”
-Francisco Valenzuela speaking to a small crowd in a Toluca plaza in 1807.
“If the Americans could gain their freedom from the most powerful nation on Earth, why not our beloved Mexico from weak little Spain?”
-Alberto Galvez, conversing with a skeptical observer in Toluca, 11 Feb., 1807.
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Selected Important Dates in the history of North America: 1805-11
Taken from “The Albright Textbook Series: Pre-Modern American History”
By Robert C. Wilkinson
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
© 1944, Maple Tree Press: Toronto. Used with permission.
1805:
The first significant anti-Spanish uprising occurs in the territory of Florida on August 4th after a demonstration against recent actions by Sebastian Obregon takes a fatal turn. It is only the first, many more will follow.
1806:
Signing of the Non-Importation Act into law under the Jefferson administration. Many are angry, particularly in the Northeast and in some of the port cities elsewhere in the U.S. but little is done.
Charles C. Pinckney, the South Carolina statesman, dies of a heart attack on March 11th.
On Sep. 17th, the city of St. Augustine is seized by anti-colonial rebels in Florida.
1807:
Jefferson is convinced by Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin to discontinue his incentives for the passing of the Embargo Act.
Two Mexican Patriotes, Francisco Valenzuela and Alberto Galvez, are arrested by authorities 4 days after a February 11th speech condemning the actions of the Spanish governor of Florida, Sebastian Obregon, and for inciting a revolt.
On April 25th, the first protester deaths occur in New Spain when a young couple in Nuevo Leon are ordered shot to death by an angry Spanish official who took a witty comment far too seriously, as reported by several local newspaper editorials.
Maine is split off from Massachusetts on Sept. 14th.
1808:
A British merchant ship carrying contraband goods by the name of the 'Mary Louise' was seized & raided by U.S. Federal authorities in Providence, R.I., following notice by a dock worker, in the morning hours of April 15th. This incident is rather noteworthy not only due to the fact that this was the first major seize of a foreign vessel in the U.S., but that this was reportedly one of the catalysts that led Jonathan O'Bannon to create & co-found the “Sons of New England” due to the death of a close friend, a Federal official who tried to negotiate with the smugglers.
1809:
On April 11th, the S.o.N.E. is co-founded by Jonathan O'Bannon and Eldon Canwood, in Portland, Maine. Their primary reason for existence at that time, was originally that of a general advocacy group whose stated goal was to assist in the understanding & implementation of the best interests of the people living in the region.
The July 12th attack on the Southampton merchant ship Princeton, in Portsmouth, N.H., marked the first attack against a British ship by vigilantes in the United States. 9 people were killed in the gunfight that occurred during the raid, 5 vigilantes and 4 of the 10 crewmen.
A New Haven, Connecticut tavern called 'The Patriot' was attacked by a group of vigilantes on the afternoon of Nov. 5th . 14 people were to lose their lives, including one of the two chief instigators, who later died from injuries received by having a chair smashed over his head, with all the others being various patrons & the head bartender. Robert Harrison, the owner, declined to talk to national newspapers, though he did grant interviews with a couple of local outlets.
The Hamilton territory[7], proposed in June, 1808, is created on December 4th of this year.
1810:
The explosion of the 'King's Own' merchant ship, this time in New York, kills over 50 people in the area, including one of the men who caused the incident.
An American ship from Boston named the 'Liberty Mae' was blown up in the harbor of St. John's, in Newfoundland, by a member of an angry mob of about two dozen persons, on June 5th, as retaliation for the large number of British ships either seized by government authorities or destroyed by overzealous vigilantes in the U.S.
Napoleon makes an offer on April 27th to set up a French embassy in Washington. President Madison receives the letter on May 8th and accepts the offer two weeks later.
1811:
On the morning of May 4th , the first major Indian raid on U.S. Territory in years begins when hundreds of displaced Delawares, Maumees, and some Shawnee make their first move, in what will become a 2-month long campaign, by razing, or at least, attempting to raze, several towns in Ohio near the border of the Indiana Territory where many reside, most notably Cincinnati. Raids also go as far as Louisville, Ky. where several Shawnee Indians located and subsequently ransacked a local Army post.
On July 2nd , President Madison discussed with several members of Congress the possibility of a gradual elimination of the Non-Importation Act, due to serious problems with enforcing the law(vigilante actions were a major factor in this) in certain areas, however, the meeting went nowhere, and a few of the pro-embargo senators & Congressmen had some rather harsh words on their way out, particularly towards Mass. Senator Timothy Pickering and certain others.
However, though, one good thing does come out of this: On September 23rd the Anti-Vigilantism & Protection Act, which had been sponsored by Sen. Pickering & and a pair of Congressmen from New York, was signed into law and was to go into full effect by the end of April, 1812. Unfortunately, vigilantism wasn't going to completely stop for some time, despite the best efforts of honest Federal officials, and eventually, many of were of the consensus that something more might need to be done...
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Nov. 25, 1811
Washington D.C.
President James Madison sat in the Oval Office on this fine morning in D.C.. While an important step in curbing unnecessary vigilantism had recently been taken with the Anti-Vigilante Act, there was still the matter of those who reacted negatively to the provisions. Vice-President Clinton and a few others were there to discuss the various topics.
“George, I have this awful feeling that things shall only get worse as far as those hooligan vigilantes are concerned, given their disposition to such foolish actions as exploding an entire ship without regard for any innocent civilians who might be nearby.”, he said, to Vice-President Clinton.
Clinton nodded. “Well, James, I do agree with you and I too, fear the possible retaliation by those who would rather break the law to get simple gratification, than assist in enforcing it. But I feel enforcing the current statutes martial law may be needed soon in some areas.”
“And possibly violate some of the freedoms on which this nation was founded? I would prefer not to go that route.” Madison replied, with a somewhat annoyed look on his face. He feared that martial law could spark further reprecussions, even outside of New England, and was about to make that clear.
“But it may be our only solution to the violence in these areas-” said Clinton.
Madison cut him off. “Besides, enforcing martial law would only anger many of those outside New England anyway. We need lawful solutions, dear George. Dammit, do we want to do what the British did consisently, during the protests against the unlawful taxes that were burdened upon the people? Not to mention the possible reprecussions if such an action were to succeed.” Madison still remembered the days of British colonial rule and truly believed that any form of martial law could not only come back and damage his administration, but could ultimately serve as something that could harm the fabric of American society, possibly even exploitable by London.
“Perhaps not. I also should mention that it is unfortunate that the impressment of American seamen does still occur on occasion. Still, banning all trade may not be the best answer to this most pressing of matters. In any case, I still believe the Non-Importation Act has to go, vigilantes or not.” Clinton emphasized his last sentence so there'd be no lingering doubt about his wishes & agenda.
“And if Britain no longer feels any sort of pressure? Do you think they'd stop at sailors? They might be raiding civilians one of these days for all we know!” said William Giles in a slightly raised tone.
“Calm down, Senator. The British might be quite the annoyance but they're not completely foolish. Even London cannot go to such extremes without being condemned, even in these times, especially by the French. You shouldn't assume the worst.” Madison replied sternly. While they all agreed that Britain's saber-rattling was quite irritating, at the same time, they realized that war-mongering, at this point, was a non-answer as America was still a young nation with a not-yet significant navy & army.
"With all the respect due you my dear President, I fear that British compensatory raids, perhaps even an actual war, may yet be visited upon us. It would be rather unwise to keep assuming that Britain will just keep going about as usual, especially once Napoleon's war ends, either by surrender or by capitulation. They have already raised quite the commotion as it is over these latest shipwreckings.", Giles remarked.
“Mind you, Senator, any extension of the current Non-Importation Act would only serve to make this problem much worse in the long run. We must find other ways of making our interests known & accepted by the British.” Clinton chided Giles.
“And what would you say, Mr. Vice-President if-” Giles protested.
Madison interrupted Giles once again.“Senator, please stand down for just a moment.”
“If I may speak?” Treasury Secretary Gallatin requested.
“Well, go ahead then, Albert.” the President replied.
“Mr. President, sir, I can only say this: It is quite understandable, and in fact, logical, to utilize an assertive way of thinking when dealing with certain nations, particularly ones such as Great Britain. However, if we become too harsh with our demands and rhetoric, then London may have a rather nasty rebuttal and we may unfortunately eventually find ourselves at wat with what is still perhaps the most powerful nation in the world. And I do believe, as I stated to former President Jefferson 2 years ago, the Non-Importation Act must be repealed. I only hope it doesn't come too late.” Gallatin replied in a somewhat somber tone.
“Perhaps so. Well then, gentlemen, I've made my decision. I plan to, if at all possible, have the Non-Importation Act will be scaled down over the next couple of years but with appropriate compensation for any businesses or individuals who might perhaps be negatively affected by this action.” Madison said to all 3 of the men.
“Congress may oppose you, sir.” Giles remarked.
“Some will. But I believe that many realize that that the entire act, as it stands, cannot long be fully enforced by any lawful means.” Madison replied. He believed that negotiating with Congress might possibly lead to a decent solution accepted by all, but in the back of his mind, wondered how it could all get done.[8]
[1]This guy will be remembered. Trust me.
[2]Another Spanish term that has entered U.S. English earlier than it did IOTL.
[3]Yes, even Florida had slavery.
[4]Cortez sounds like a real piece of work, doesn't he? Well, he kinda is. Watch for him later on.
[5]It's in central Florida, somewhere not too terribly far from OTL Orlando.......
[6]An ATL nickname for Florida which was coined in the 1880s.
[7]There are going to be quite a few more territories than OTL.
[8]Kind of reminds you of Barack Obama and the deficit debate, doesn't it?
--
Stars & Stripes #5: The First Indian Wars.
May 9, 1811
Louisville, Kentucky
United States of America
"Damn those savages!" a very upset George Condell muttered, making his best attempt not to yell out his frustrations until his lungs gave out. The National Guardsman looked around the formerly bustling town he once called home for almost 5 whole years. It angered him to no end that these Indians, these savages, had the nerve to destroy parts of a white man's town[1], and a prosperous one at that. Louisville had about 11,000 people only the day before, and now, over half of them had left and over 2 dozen now lay dead. The downtown area had been so badly wrecked, it could take months, maybe even a few years. And even worse for George, his father Andrew, a Scottish immigrant, was amongst the dead. Still, no amount of rage & hatred could fix whatever was left of Louisville. To make matters worse for those still there, flames burned in quite a few buildings in town and the afternoon sky was starting to turn black with smoke from all the ashes; so much so that it was starting to get a little hard to breathe for George given where he was now. So he decided to take a long walk back to his home across the river in the Indiana Territory.
--
Extracts from “The Indian Wars: A Complete Analysis”
By Thomas P.W. Muldoon
San Francisco, California
United States of America
© 1937 Freedom Press: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Used with permission.
Chapter 2: The Raid of Louisville & The First Sign of Imminent Conflict.
The raid of Louisville on the morning on May 8th, 1811, was to be one of the incidents that were to have a major impact on the U.S. Policy over the next decade. It represented the first major Indian reprisal of what they thought was an unacceptable encroachment on their lands, particularly those areas in Ohio, the Indiana & Illinois territories, as well as western Kentucky. Although the approximately 500 Shawnees, Maumees, who raided the city were out by morning the next day, they had caused a significant amount of property damage. Though only 25 black and white civilians died during the attack, it was still a blow to the psyches of many of the people in this area, Kentuckians in particular, who thought their home territory was mostly safe from such attacks, especially large scale attacks like this, And just as importantly, when the Indians who had allied with Tecumseh received word of the success of the Louisville raiding party, it raised their morale. If a smallish party of only 500 could fight a destructive enough battle to trash the entire center of a town of 10,000 inhabitants, imagine what 5,000 could do to a whole country......or 50,000 to a whole state! Or so was the thinking of many of the
Indian chiefs at that time, as history informs us[2]. On the other side of the conflict, the U.S. Army began to mobilize in mid-May preparing for more large scale invasions, not just into Indiana and Kentucky, but perhaps further east as well. On June 23rd , 1811, the first significant offensive was to occur in Ohio, not far from the city of Chillicothe...
--
June 23, 1811
Near Gnessau[3], Ohio
United States of America
Tecumseh surveyed the area around him. It was a warm, and pleasant summer morning in this area, and he took a little time to enjoy his surroundings. Since the end of April, the Shawnee had been waiting for the perfect moment to start their first raids against the United States, and that day in May had been it.
“Tecumseh?” The Shawnee Chief turned around to see who was speaking to him. It was an old comrade, Maywathekeha[4].
“Maywathekeha! How are you doing on this fine morning?” Tecumseh asked.
“I'm doing well, thank you.” Maywathekeha replied.
“Have you received word about the latest movements by the Americans?” Tecumseh inquired. The Shawnee Chief turned to the east for a moment. Though he did not know when, he believed trouble might soon come; the American government had been most upset & angered by the recent decimation of Louisville, and many generals were now calling for a wider war against not just the Shawnee, but the Indians in general. Even more importantly, U.S. Army troops were now mobilizing for a possible assault on enemy positions in the area. Unfortunately, his fears were not all that far-fetched.
“Unfortunately, none of it is good. Though their Great Father Madison is willing to consider a peaceful end to the conflict, the paleface warriors will accept no such solutions. Already, there are rumors of an army grouping not far from here, and some of the settlers are coming with them, armed.” Maywathekeha pointed to the east-northeast.
“Then,” Tecumseh added, “we must prepare for battle. Inform our men of this immediately.”
Maywathekeha nodded, and then left rather quickly to warn the other Indians. Tecumseh hoped that at least some of his allies would be able to assist him in this time of need. Especially if there was a large U.S. Army grouping headed their way. In that case, he thought it best to invoke the protection of the Great Spirit, just in case things didn't go all that well for the Shawnee and their allies.
--
[1]Not my own personal view, of course, let's make that crystal clear right now.
[2]This author does seem to have a little anti-Native bias, to be honest. But not quite as badly as some others writing on the subject, though.
[3]A minor town that is OTL's Frankfort, Ohio. You can find it on Google Maps.
[4]He was a relatively minor figure IOTL, albeit one close to Tecumseh.
--
Stars & Stripes #6: Madison & Tecumseh.
Extracts from “Madison: The Man, and the President”
By Harvey F. Jameson
Notre Dame University
St. Joseph, Indiana
(c) 1922 Turtelbaum & Sons: Columbus, Ohio. Used with permission.
...The Battle of Pigeon Creek[1] started on June 23rd, 1811 and was one of two significant battles to occur between the U.S. and the first Indian alliance before the Meeting At Charleston[2]. The battle originally started when a division of the 15th U.S. Army spotted a small group of about 250 Indians camped near Gnessau, Ohio around noon. One soldier fired a warning shot into the air to get their attention, and so their commander, Levi Andrews, could give them a set of demands to follow. Little did they know most of the Indians were Shawnee warriors; unfortunately for Andrews and his men, that realization came almost too late as dozens of the Indians rushed towards the American soldiers, weapons in hand. However, though, even the small element of surprise didn't give the Indians much of an advantage, given that many of the soldiers were expecting a conflict. For the next 18 days, the battle raged on as Indian and soldier alike fought and perished in the summer heat, with either side gaining little advantage. Late on the night of July 10th, a draw was negotiated between the two sides, and both armies went home to their families. 185 U.S. Soldiers had lost their lives, compared to 217 Indians, over those 2 and a half weeks of pitched battle.
This was the first time that President Madison had to deal with the Indians during his administration, and while he felt that the losses of the brave men who fought in Pigeon Creek could not be suffered in vain, he also understood that any further conflict with certain amongst the Indians, particularly the Shawnee, might eventually lead to a wider war. So, on July 15th, Tecumseh was invited to the White House, the first time any man of Indian blood had ever been allowed into the President's abode......
July 18th, 1811
Washington, D.C.
United States of America
“Mr. President, I do believe Tecumseh is here to see you.” said one of the White House staff members.
“Ah yes, the Indian chief. Thank you kindly, Jenkins. Will you send him in, please?” Madison hoped this meeting wouldn't backfire on him. After all, the Shawnee were still friendly with Britain and any wider conflict with them could possibly bring the Canadas, or even England herself into the fracas. And he knew that might very well end badly for the United States, even if the latter was still embroiled in the Napoleonic Wars. This dealing with Tecumseh might just be the perfect opprotunity to stave off another war for a while, or so he had hoped.
Tecumseh walked in a few seconds later, flanked by two men who could be called his entourage of a sort. “Greetings. So you are the Great White Father Madison. May I ask why I was brought here, to your capital city?” he said, in the most respectful tone he could muster.
“Please, do call me just Mr. President. It's so much less.......pompous.” the President replied. He wasn't exactly fond of super-lofty titles, since they reminded him of British royalty. “I requested your presence to discuss the terms of a possible cease fire between us and your people.”
“Fine then, Mr. President. I will consider such. What are your terms?” Tecumseh wanted no additional conflict but had a feeling deep down that things might not turn out as well as he would have hoped; he also feared that too much capitulation might earn a harsh rebuke from some of his allies, or perhaps even worse, betrayal.
“Firstly, we request that the Shawnees relinquish all claims of the land which currently consists of an area from south-west Indiana to eastern Ohio, to allow further settlement by American citizens, white men or otherwise. We also request that you cease all raids against American settlements and that you should attempt to convince your allies to follow your lead.”
“It will not be easy, Mr. President. Many of my people have much anger towards your nation. They see you in a manner comparable to what your people thought of the British just 3 decades ago. And what of our allies?”
Madison replied, “As long as you adhere to the terms of this cease fire, no wars will come to your people unless evidence of provocation has been found. I trust you understand?”
“We are a peaceful people. We only wish to be left to our own devices, and not to constantly be in battle with other tribes and nations.”, said Tecumseh.
“But your people did ally with those who sacked the city of Louisville, Kentucky. Some of your fellow Shawnee even directly participated in the mayhem. My people cannot forgive such actions easily.” said Madison.
“Perhaps so, but it was a matter of honor, that they joined our Maumee[3] comrades.”
Madison shot back. “Honor?” “Then you haven't heard of the more than 2 dozen American civilians who lost their lives in Louisville, my good chief? If your people are truly peaceful, then this surely cannot stand. Or was that kind of revenge justified, in your view?” Was this Indian truly such a careless fool, he wondered? To Madison, civilians were to be protected as much as humanly possible during any conflict.
“I was informed that some of the Maumee had engaged in unfortunate behavior during the battle. Those that lived have been disciplined; I personally requested such, as our relationship with the Maumees has been good for some time.” Tecumseh hadn't been happy about the massacres of the American civilians, but at the same time, he didn't forget what had happened to his own people, either.
Madison's anger simmered down. “Fine then, at least you show some dignity. Now, about the land-”
“We Shawnees don't believe in land ownership, Mr. President. Like many of our fellows, we believe that all land belongs to the Great Spirit, and all the peoples of this world.”
“Would you at least accept some resettlement?” Madison inquired.
“Some of my people will protest, but I see no other choice, even if only to prevent war.” Tecumseh replied. He didn't like how things were going at this time, but to protest too much might anger the President and could perhaps undo any compromise that might have been reached.
Madison paused for a second and then replied. “Fine then. The Shawnee north of the 37th parallel [4] shall be relocated to the eastern part of our state of Kentucky, and the northern third of the state of Indiana, and those living south of the 37th parallel shall be relocated to northern Georgia, until further settlement can be agreed upon.”
“Then it is agreed? No further conflict shall arise?” asked Tecumseh, hoping for the answer he'd like to hear.
Madison replied a little more swiftly this time. “That is correct, but only if you adhere to the terms of the cease-fire. Perhaps in a year or two, we may be able to sign a lasting treaty.”
Tecumseh sighed. “Let us hope, Mr. President, our attempts at making peace, shan't come too late.......”
As he walked out the doors with his 2 bodyguards, Tecumseh began to wonder if the American palefaces would actually keep their word.....or would be more than happy to break it at the first sign of opprotunity. “Only time will tell, perhaps.”, he thought, as he approached the waiting stagecoach.
Later that day...
“Now, let me see if I can understand, Mr. President. You actually let TECUMSEH of all people, just walk into the White House?” George Clinton remarked, his voice slightly raised in agitation.
“No, George. He was invited to the Presidential home so we could discuss terms for a possible cease-fire. Right now, we have no need of a war with Britain.” Madison calmly replied.
"But perhaps if the Indians go behind our backs-"
Madison interrupted the Vice-President. "Tecumseh may be an Indian but he does seem to be a honorable one.” The Shawnee chief had appeared to be a man of a decent moral standing, even if he had been considered to be a savage by the white Americans, and perhaps a more permanent peace could someday be undertaken. Still, some doubt lingered in his mind at that moment. “The other chiefs, however, may not be so trustworthy, especially the Maumees in Ohio and the Ouiatenon[4] in Indiana at the moment. And I still wonder if perhaps Tecumseh may yet feel more allegiance to his fellow Indians than our cease-fire agreement?” Some rather worrying intelligence had started coming into D.C. as of late. The Maumees in particular, were beginning to tire of Tecumseh's peace making efforts, and desired to once again make war with Washington, despite the Shawnee Chief's attempts at settling the matter.
"Can't we just raid their camps and-" Clinton asked.
Madison sighed. "To do so would be disastrous at this moment."
“I understand, Mr. President.” Clinton had little respect for the Shawnee, but was even less so of many of the other Indians, the Maumees in particular, whose warriors had wrecked much of Louisville, Kentucky not too terribly long ago. But even he understood that fighting them at that moment would've meant a declaration of war by not just the Canadas, but perhaps even Britain herself. And no one wished for America to be conquered & brought back into the English fold.
“However, if by some chance, the Shawnees make the most unfortunate choice to break the cease-fire, then we may proceed with retaliation. Unfortunately, should Britain exert any pressure on Tecumseh, he and his men may feel they have no choice but to concede to the King's demands, and attack this nation anyway. Our only hope in that situation may be appeasement when necessary, and continued pressure when the opprotunity exists.”
Clinton nodded in agreement.“I fear you may be correct on that, sir.”
“Now, if you'll excuse me George, I do believe I have a meeting with the Secretary of the Army.”
“All right, I shall be on my way then.” Clinton walked out of the room.
Not long afterwards, there was a knock at the door. “Mr. President?”
“Yes, Mr. Jenkins? You may open the door.” Madison replied.
Jenkins peeked thru. “Secretary Wilkinson would like to see you now, sir.”
“Well, then, let him in. And thank you.” said Madison. Jenkins smiled, and left.
James Wilkinson entered right then. The somewhat weathered 54-year old Revolutionary War Veteran had long been an agent of controversy and intrigue; from his sabotaging of Zebulon Pike's plan of exploration of what was then the northwest of New Spain in 1806, to the apprehension of Aaron Burr in 1807, and even the rumors of him being a Spanish agent[5], did nothing to really help his reputation. On the other hand, he did help quell the riots in Providence following the bombing of the 'Mary Louise' in 1808, with no casualties, and still had had his military career to fall back on, so Madison kept him around as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army as Jefferson had. “Well, good evening, Mr. President. I assume all went well with Tecumseh?”
Madison replied, “Yes. We've agreed to a cease-fire, but whether he keeps his word or plunges a knife in our back is yet to be seen. Perhaps the man is truly honorable, at least for a primitive Indian, but due to the fact that he does take orders from London[6], he may feel compelled to take the path of least resistance.”
“I see. Well, in any case, sir, I have the latest reports from the frontlines.” Wilkinson replied.
“And that would be?” Madison asked.
“Perhaps you should look for yourself, sir.......”
[1]Another small Ohio town, generally in the vicinity of OTL's Frankfort.
[2]An important event that occurred between the U.S. & and the Native tribes not too much later onwards.
[3]Also called the Miami IOTL.
[4]A minor Native American tribe which had a little significance IOTL, but not quite on the level of say, the Shawnee, Cherokee, or Creek.
[5]Which, sadly, turned out to be true.
[6]Or at least, that's how Madison sees things at the moment.
--
Stars & Stripes #7: The Razing of Louisville
Taken from: "The Indian Wars And How They Shaped Native America"
(C) 1954 by Monty J. Little Bird
Thunderbird Native Press
Shawnee, Oklahoma: United States of America
Chapter 5: The Maumee Raids, Part I
While the destruction of Louisville in May of 1811 had seen participation by some Maumee warriors, that particular warband had been unorganized and was actually a rather strange mix consisting of Shawnees, Ouiatenon, and even a few Creeks and Cherokees who had traveled north to join forces with the anti-Washington coalition led by Tecumseh and some of the other Midwestern chiefs. However, though, Tecumseh was dismayed to learn of the civilian casualties that had occurred in the city, mostly caused by some of the more frenzied Maumee warriors, and though his attempts at peacemaking, including his July 15th visit to Washington had some success, he was not able to convince many of the Maumee to follow his lead, and by late July, 1811, the Maumee chief Little Beaver[1] was making plans to attack the Americans, this time with organization and greater numbers, although some arguments began to occur between the leaders of the Maumee bands concerning whether the right decision had been made, or if would end in total disaster for all involved. Some even threatened to leave for Tecumseh's camp if the war were to go on. On the other hand, a few of the pro-war Indians claimed that they would leave for the Canadas if their plans for starting conflicts anew were cancelled. Regardless, in the middle of the morning on August 17th, the Maumee forces began their first formal raid, this time directed towards the town of Tappan, Ohio, on the east bank. However, though, a Maumee scout and spy who had been hired by the U.S. Army had warned of the attack, and several dozen National Guardsmen, and militiamen came to meet the approximately 250 Maumees who where sweeping in a headlong rush towards Tappan and the surrounding area. The Maumee fought rather fericiously, with the militiamen taking heavy losses during the first 4 hours of the battle. Eventually, however, the National Guard's firepower began to turn the tables and many of the Indians began to fall to American bullets. It went downhill from there for the Maumees' war effort as the few dozen or so who hadn't been killed or captured were forced to retreat well into the Michigan Country by noon the next day. On August 20th, a small survey team was sent to Tappan to assess the damage that had been done...
--
Aug. 20, 1811
Tappan, Ohio State
United States of America
Captain John Wright[2] looked around the town of Tappan. "What a horrid mess.", he whispered quietly. He hadn't ever seen an Indian raid as bad as this one, or lived through any, for that matter.
"Yes, it certainly is. What a damn shame.", said Pvt. James Douglas. Much of the town had been ruined, despite the brevity of the combat, which had only lasted slightly over a day. Of the 423 people who once lived here, most had been been able to flee beforehand. But there were a few who couldn't, or wouldn't leave. 10 residents had perished, mostly, but not always, by crossfire.
"I hear those Injuns prob'ly raped a few of the women too.” claimed Pvt. Elijah Branston. “Now, now, Branston, we mustn't make such accusations without evidence. They may be Indians but they can't all be truly savage.” Wright replied, admonishing him in turn.
“But, sir, I-” chimed in Pvt. Douglas.
“Private, we can't assume such things without witnesses.” Wright turned around. “Now let's move forward, men!” *And hope we don't find any more horrors in town.*,[3] he thought to himself.
Stars & Stripes #8-The Beginning of the End of the Viceroyalty.
--
Extracted from “The Fall of the Spanish Empire, 1805-1929”
© 1956 By Victoria Patterson
Liberty Press
Sacramento, California, United States.
Chapter 4: The Flames of The Rebellion Are Lit
In the summer of 1808, things were already looking quite unfavorable for the Spanish Empire. Earlier that year, in April, Napoleon's army had been able to capture much of Catalonia, including Barcelona, without much heavy resistance. The French had also imprisoned several Spanish nobles as well, causing Fernando VII to flee Madrid for Buenos Aires, Argentina, as well as causing considerable debate in Madrid as to whether or not to surrender and capitulate to the advancing French, or continue the fighting, possibly risking an even more serious loss and harsher post-war consequences.
Meanwhile, in what was to become Mexico, things weren't looking well for the colonial government there, either. The imprisonment of Francisco Valenzuela and Alberto Galvez had only stoked the flames of discontent and rebellion instead of quenching them, as many of the members of the ruling class had hoped. On May 15th, a prison raid by a local rebel cell in Mexico City was able to free Valenzuela, Galvez, and over a dozen other political prisoners; this was viewed as such a success, that multiple additional operations were undertaken, including the one which freed pro-liberty priest Miguel Hidalgo who was incarcerated in Veracruz by some of the more corruptible authorities there. And as they did this, as well as planting flyers, and sparking protests, among other things, more and more people began to join their cause.
By the middle of July, government authority had begun to collapse in many parts of the country, and it was in the city of Ticoacan, Guanajuato, that the very first battle against Spanish authority began in Mexico, and the first Grito de Guerra[4] was uttered...
**Intermission**
[Well, folks, I've decided to do some intermissions every now & then. This very first one will be a look at an alternate version of OTL's Grito de Dolores.]
Recorded by:
Julian Walthers, University of Maryland, Baltimore.
© August, 1969.
Now, popular legend has it, that on the 13th of July, 1808, a small group of rebels gathered in the tiny Indian village of Ticoacan, Guanajuato, to brainstorm a new anthem for their fellows to chant, whether on the battlefield, or at home with their families and friends, not only as a tool of defiance against the Spanish, but as an expression of love for their new homeland. The next day, they had completed the song, and it went a little bit like this:
Our fellow Mexicans! Let us rejoice, for the time of liberation has come!
Long live the heroes who dared to resist the Spanish!
Long live Hidalgo!
Long live Morelos!
Long live MariaVallejo!
Long live Sanchez[5]!
Long live Senor Aldama!
Long live Galvez!
Long live Valenzuela!
Long live the homeland! Long live Mexico!
This song would eventually become incorporated into Mexico's national anthem.
**End of Intermission**
Chapter 5: Women in the Revolution
It may surprise some readers to learn that some of Mexico's female citizens did, in fact, play a significant role in the revolution even in it's early stages. Maria Vallejo, a 20-year-old seamstress from Coahuila, was responsible for gathering the first large scale peaceful protest during her stay in Saltillo on the morning of June 6th, 1808. 5,000 people came together in the middle of town to protest certain activities of the governor of that province, one Manuel Antonio Cordero y Bustamante, which included the total suppression of dissent, arresting random citizens without due cause, and even rumors of sanctioned murders of certain citizens who refused to toe the line, particularly in the bigger cities such as Saltillo or Torreon. The protestors were left alone for some time, but the Governor became rather weary of their grievances, and ordered the soldiers to start arresting people at some point around 9 am. However, though, that measure was only met with additional resistance, and the commander of the local garrison soon realized that this protest was not going to end without violence. He requested to step down, but just as he was preparing to cease the arrests, Bustamante ordered his execution for supposed treason, and at 9:23, shots rang out in the area, signaling his death. The new commander angrily ordered his men to fire at the protestors. And most of them did so, though some hesitated. The carnage that followed was to be forever recorded in the annals of Mexican history 'til the end of their nation's time and beyond. Over the next 6 hours, 183 protestors were to be killed by the soldiers who did fire upon them, until they ran out of ammunition. Some of the civilians fought back, however, and it is mostly because of this that 22 Spanish soldiers lost their lives(although one was to commit suicide towards the end because he couldn't stand the thought of firing upon his own people, as told by one revolutionary who cornered him near the governor's residence.). But, by 3 pm, the efforts of the governor were in vain, and not long after, the gates were broken through, and up to 1,000 of the angered protestors charged right into the grounds.
Just before the governor could leave his quarters at 3:50, a dozen of the protestors and their revolutionary allies barged through the door, some with weapons in hand. He immediately ordered his guards to subdue them, but they were quickly overpowered. One of the revolutionaries, Pablo Sanchez, grabbed the governor and held him hostage. Bustamante did have one final bargaining chip, however; Sanchez's 14-year-old daughter, Luisa, was being held hostage by one of the surviving guards. He then made demands to be allowed to leave for Mexico City and that the rebels in the area cease their activities at once, or suffer the full weight of the Spanish military crashing down on their heads.[6] This of course, didn't impress Sanchez at all, and he retorted with, as we are told, “You talk the talk, Mr. High-and-Mighty. But can you walk the walk, you child-abusing coward?”[7] Just then, the guard holding Luisa made a move for her, another revolutionary by the name of Sabina Santana shot him down, saving Pablo's daughter from an early death. She then turned her pistol towards the Governor, and uttered, “Any last words, you bastard son of the Crown?”, to which he is said to have retorted, “I will enjoy seeing you roast in the lowest circle of hell, you traitorous whore.”. She replied, “I'll live with it. Now prepare to meet your maker, Bustamante. May God forgive you, because Mexico may not.” Santana fired a single shot into the Governor's head, killing him instantly. Just as they were about to leave, however, another pair of the rebels had captured Vice-Governor Antonio Tejada, who had attempted to flee thru a back exit, and had almost made it before he tripped on a loose gun one of the fleeing guards had dropped. Despite his fears to the contrary, Tejada[8] was spared and allowed to rule as acting governor, though not all of Coahuila had been under their control just yet. But with 30,000 people now part of the rebel effort in that province, it wouldn't be long before the dominos were start to start falling not just there, but all over Mexico...
--
June 9, 1808
Near Saltillo, Coahuila Province
Viceroyalty of New Spain(recognized)
Mexican Democratic Republic(proclaimed)
Maria Vallejo stood in the middle in the patch of desert where she and some of her comrades had made camp the night before. It was only mid-morning but the summer sun was already beating down on them anyway. “Maria? Is it true that we can win this war against the Crown?”, said Sabina Santana, who was standing right next to her. The 20-year-old revolutionary had her doubts about the rebellion's chance of success due to the rather small amount of territory actually solidly held by the rebels, although not enough to consider giving up and raising the white flag, as it were. “Sabina, have a little faith in our efforts. We have a long road to travel, yes, but victory shall be ours eventually. The Viceroy will fall, and Spain will surrender our soverignty to us, where it rightfully belongs.” Maria replied with a hint of reassurance in her voice. “And there is no one who can stop us, from achieving our goals.” She smiled. This was only the beginning of the rise of Mexico......
--
July 16, 1808.
Near Leon, Intendancy of Guanajuato
Viceroyalty of New Spain(recognized)
Mexican Democratic Republic(proclaimed)
“Have you got the plans?” asked Alberto Galvez. “Of course I do, Alberto. I assume we are to start the attack soon?” replied Francisco Valenzuela. “Yes we are. We will strike thru the heart of Leon tomorrow morning.” Galvez asserted. He fervently hoped that this plan of his would work; Leon had only a few loyal soldiers that could reinforce the city, and at least some resident sympathetic to the rebels' cause. Although there were only 500 soldiers in the particular division that they had chose to accompany, things were looking up for them, at least as it seemed at the moment. “May God & the Virgin bless and protect us all.” Valenzuela whispered, as he faced westwards towards the sunset. He hoped his prayers for liberation would come true. Galvez “Asi. Then it's agreed. We rest tonight, and then we start towards Leon just before dawn. I have high hopes for our success, my friend. May Providence be on our side.”
--
Taken from: “Steel and Iron: The Expanded Encyclopedia of Military History, 1774-1941”
© 1955 William F. Marston
Hamilton Publishing Company: Salt Lake, U.S.A.[9]
The Mexican Revolution (April 28, 1808-September 7, 1812)
Was the one of the first major revolts against Spanish power in the Americas, with associated anti-colonial struggles in Florida, Dominica, and later on, Venezuela and Ecuador, precluded by a harsh crackdown against protesting civilians by local & provincial authorities in St. Augustine, Florida. The original cause of the Revolution was the imprisonment of two local civilians in what was still New Spain in 1807, Francisco Valenzuela, and Alberto Galvez. The men were charged with disrupting the peace and sedition, and were to be imprisoned for a total of 10 years for what the Crown prosecutor claimed was a serious attempt at inciting treason. This did not bode well to many of the people of Mexico Province and soon, a serious uprising began in the area. Throughout much of 1807 the Viceroyalty had to deal with growing numbers of protests and riots as word of the suppressions in Florida began to circulate. It also hadn't helped that many governors and other authorities went well above and beyond their orders and actually ordered mass arrests, and even, in some areas, sporadic executions. The spring and early summer of 1808, saw a number of important developments; April 27th was the day that the first declaration of independence and sovereignty from Spanish control was issued.
May 15th saw the successful jailbreak of Valenzuela, Galvez, and a dozen other political prisoners, several of whom would later participate in the military efforts of the rebels; June 6th saw the rebel takeover of Saltillo, Coahuila, when the manor of Governor Manuel Cordova was stormed, seized, and looted by angry protestors who had been fired upon by some of his troops, with Cordova himself being executed by the rebels, and on July 17th, the first major battle began, in the city of Leon, Guanajuato, just before dawn...
--
Taken from “Revolucionarios! Stories of the Mexican Revolution, And The People Who Fought In It”
© 1952 Dr. Josiah A. Spencer, Lipton University
Popular Press.[10]
San Francisco, California: United States of America
It was just before 5 am in the city of Leon on the morning of July 17th. Nothing stirred here nor there, except for the occasional citizen on the street or rotation of the guard. The city was as quiet as it could possibly be. Or so it would continue, were it not for the nearly rebel division who stood nearby. Then, an order was given. The rebels were about to advance.
They rushed by the hundreds, yelling their war cry as they stormed the city. The few soldiers who still resided in the outskirts of Leon were completely overwhelmed, and the rebels made quick work of the frontline Spaniards in only 30 minutes' time. The rest of them, however, had holed themselves in various buildings across the city, and the rebels spent over 12 hours trying to clear them all out. But when it came their time to engage in urban warfare, many of them quickly realized that they actually excelled at it, though some found other ways to fight. One rebel reportedly tricked a pair of Spanish soldiers by mimicking the accent of a Spanish noblewoman in need of assistance. But when the one of the Spaniards rushed out, the rebel tripped him and he fell 2 stories, breaking his back, with the other one following him, having been kicked squarely in the hind quarters. Another rebel, it's said, managed to tie a Spanish commander to a loose cannonball with some heavy-duty rope that he found laying around; he then inserted it into the nearby cannon, lit the fuse, and got the Spaniard's attention. Just after the commander noticed the prank, he turned around to berate the Mexican, but as he started to do so he saw the lit fuse and his jaw dropped wide open in astonishment. The rebel made a witty comment, and the cannon shot it's payload, taking the Spaniard with it. One of the small number of women in the area was highly talented as a seductress of any man she could find, and she was able to distract one of the lead commanders during the night before a comrade of hers stabbed him in the back.[11] Of course, quick thinking wasn't the only thing the rebels had on their side; many were rural peasants who had grown up in the more mountainous regions across the country, and to some amongst them, these buildings were basically like the mountains of their youth, only much flatter and the insides were as caves. The battle lasted for about 48 more hours; the Spanish managed to send 2 waves of reinforcements, although they too, were without success in purging the rebel presence. Just before the rebels completed their securing of Leon on the 19th , one of the surviving Spanish commanders came up and actually surrendered before the rebels, prostrated. After a little debate, the man was allowed to live, but not before he was stripped of his uniform and weapons; he was then forced to leave the city on foot.
And so it was. Though about half of the rebels had given their lives for the revolution, the Spanish losses were much worse; 1,500 of them had perished trying to halt the advance of the revolucionarios into Leon. With the capital of Guanajuato in their hands, the Mexican rebels regrouped and turned northward in search of the next target, while gaining a massive swell of supporters and fellow travelers along the way...
--
Taken from: “The Wars That Impacted World History, Volume II: The Colonial Revolutions”
© 1966 by Teresa Kuresaki
Satoshi-Kura College
Tokyo, Japan
English Translation by Kuresaki & Robert Warranga, Oceanic University: Ballarat[OTL's Wollongong], New South Wales. All rights reserved.
Chapter 5a: The Mexican Front: Beginnings.
The sacking of Leon, Guanajuato on July 17th, 1808, was the first successful official military operation that the revolutionaries had undertaken. A feeling of boldness swept their ranks, and many of the leaders began to debate amongst themselves concerning where they could strike next. Several plans were discussed, but it was eventually decided that they could attempt a manuever which involved one group made a northward progression through what is now called Sanchez Valley[12]to the city of Aguascalientes. It was hoped that they could then run through northern New Galicia towards Zacatecas.
Another group was to make an advancement to San Luis Potosi, in hopes of possibly gaining access to the silver mines, and then the third and final detachment was to head to the southeast towards Irapuato and Celaya, where they hoped to find people sympathetic to their cause.
By the end of July, 8,000 persons now made up the ranks of the rebels under the direct control of FranciscoValenzuela, including the original 1,150 surviving veterans under their command. 5,000 rebels answered to Miguel Hidalgo, and at least 7,000 people were grouped under the leadership of Juan Morelos. Most of them were ragtag militias, but it was hoped by most of the leaders, Hidalgo and Valenzuela in particular, that perhaps at least some of them could survive to gain some experience with each passing battle. On the morning of July 30th, the men set off for their predetermined targets.
The first of the battles that occurred was to take place in and near the city of Guanajuato starting at 8 am on July 31st . The battle took place in four stages; the first was began a 2 hour pass through some of the mountains and hills north of the city by, taking out a number of the guard posts which had recently been erected in the area; this offensive was successful, but did result in the loss of about 50 of about 2,000 of Hidalgo's men. Next, about an hour, after the start of the first offensive, a group of about 500 rebels, many on horseback, began to straddle the outskirts of the city, eliminating a fair number of encamped Viceroyal soldiers who had largely been caught by surprise, and then moving out to provide additional support to both their comrades approaching the city, and those in the mountains just to the north. The third offensive involved the other 2,500 rebels in the front of the city, making a direct beeline for the city of Guanajuato itself. Unfortunately, they had underestimated the number of Spaniards who had garrisoned there; they now faced up to 4,000 Viceroyal troops who were now ready for battle and all too eager to fight to the death for the Crown. The insurgents had significant trouble trying to advance, and although they had been able to inflict some casualties on the Spaniards for the next 8 hours, they also suffered serious losses on their side, with as many 1,800 of them perishing in the battle. However, though, just as many of the Mexicans thought the battle to be lost, at around 5:30 pm, their comrades in the mountains rushed through the southern pass into Guanajuato, yelling their signature war cry; the fourth and final offensive had begun. The Spaniards were caught almost completely off guard as their rear flank was swarmed; although a few of them managed to get some shots off at the charging rebels, most were to unable to compensate for the oversight, and within 2 hours, most of the Viceroyal troops had either been killed or captured. One of the Spanish commanders, fearing for his life, divulged some valuable information to the rebels, particularly concerning troop movements in and around the Zacatecas area.
Hidalgo believed this to be promising for the war effort, so he sent a couple of scouts out to find Alberto Galvez, who had stayed behind in their camp just northwest of Leon. Early the next morning, Galvez heard the good news; he in turn, sent for a couple of his scouts to find Valenzuela's men...
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August 1, 1808
Aguascalientes, New Galicia
Viceroyalty of New Spain(recognized)
Mexican Democratic Republic(proclaimed)
Francisco Valenzuela stood in the middle of the town with about 1,000 of his men. They needed rest after a couple of days' worth of marching towards Zacatecas so he let them stop here, since no Viceroyal troops had bothered to stop in the small town yet. Valenzuela was about to sit down himself, when suddenly, the galloping of hooves marked the arrival of a messenger, or rather, two of them.
“Greetings, and you might be?” he asked the two men. One of them replied quickly.“We were sent here by your close comrade Galvez. He sends you his best regards.” “That's good.” said Valenzuela. “Any news of their advance on Guanajuato?” he asked. The other scout replied, “That's what he sent us for. Galvez and his company requested us to inform you that one of the Spanish commandantes they captured gave us valuable information. Several divisions are headed towards Zacatecas to reinforce those Viceroyal troops already in the city, starting tomorrow evening.” Valenzuela smiled. “Good then. We'll start in a couple of hours, right at the start of dawn.” “I wish you good luck, sir.” Said one of the horsemen before he rode off back to Galvez's position. “Godspeed my friend.” Valenzuela said softly as the two scouts as they disappeared from view. He then turned to his men, all now awake and ready to receive their orders. “Alright men! The time has come to strike towards Zacatecas. I hope and expect for nothing less than your bravest conduct and your best fighting skills. Are you ready to earn more glory, for the motherland?” They all responded quite vigorously. “Si, comandante!” “VIVA MEXICO!” Valenzuela yelled as they started off for the city...
--
Taken from: “The Wars That Impacted World History, Volume II: The Colonial Revolutions”
© 1966 by Teresa Kuresaki
Satoshi-Kura College
Tokyo, Japan
English Translation by Kuresaki & Robert Warranga, Oceanic University: Ballarat[OTL's Wollongong], New South Wales. All rights reserved.
Chapter 5b: The Mexican Front: The Battles of Zacatecas & San Luis Potosi
Late in the morning of August 2nd, Francisco Valenzuela and some of his men arrived at a small post not far to the south of Zacatecas. The plan that Valenzuela and some of his allies had drawn up was to attempt to lead about 1,000 of his men to have the Spaniards chase them around the area, while the main force backed up for a little while to allow them some room. The 1,000 men would split up into groups of five and try to force the Royalists into the middle of town while the main Revolutionary force came up from their rear. The plan started to be put into action at noon, and all 1,000 of the diversionaries immediately set out to do their jobs. Unfortunately, the actions didn't go quite as planned; a few of the Spaniards had figured out the ruse, and actually started to go the other way, and the rebels had a hard time figuring out who should go off in which direction for a while. However, though, one rebel commander suggested that they try a circular faux retreat instead, and this new plan was acted on immediately. It worked much better than expected; they were not only able to circle the city, but were able to go all the way into the middle of the core. As soon as Valenzuela's scouts saw the success of their comrades' actions, they charged towards the Spaniards. Although as many as 500 of the rebels had perished, the Royalists were about to get a very nasty surprise indeed. Only too late, they saw the 5,000 rebels charging behind them, and even worse, dozens of the other rebels were coming in from other directions. It was a slaughterfest; of the 8,000 Spanish troops who had been sent to Zacatecas, perhaps only 300 survived, compared to about 700 rebel losses. The operation had been a complete success, as the entire city was now in their hands; not only that, but they even gained a significant boosting of their ranks, from some very grateful citizens...
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August 3, 1808
Zacatecas, New Galicia
Viceroyalty of New Spain(recognized)
Mexican Democratic Republic(proclaimed)
In the city of Zacatecas, the recently-liberated inhabitants still cheered their saviors as they had the night before, after the last surviving, non-captured Spanish troops retreated from the city at full speed, and it already seemed that nothing could stop them from achieving victory over all Mexico. Francisco Valenzuela realized, however, that this was only the beginning, and that much more testing challenges were yet to lay ahead for them; the Spanish still had many troops in Mexico and he knew that if Fernando VII were to flee Spain due to the wars in Europe, the Crown would waste no time trying to secure at least some of the colonies, possibly including Mexico, even if their successes on the battlefield were to continue at the rate that they had been.
However, it was also clear that many of the people were on the side of the revolucionarios; even if Spain could throw a half million troops at this place, it would take up to a decade or more to get rid of all the freedom fighters, at least, in the very worst case scenario. The main question, in his mind, wasn't “Will we lose?”, but rather “How soon can we win, and how many casualties will we have to endure before this land is liberated?” Suddenly, someone spoke.
“Sir?” asked a revolutionary.
“Yes, what is it?” Valenzuela replied.
“How long should we stick around?”
“Two weeks, at least. We have people joining our ranks every day, but the Spanish will want to make a few more attempts to take this area back from us. Prepare yourself, things could turn rough soon.”
“Aye, sir. May the Virgin protect us.” The revolutionary went back to his post. Valenzuela indeed hoped that divine intervention would continue to be on their side, as many of his comrades believed.
--
Taken from: “The Wars That Impacted World History, Volume II: The Colonial Revolutions”
© 1966 by Teresa Kuresaki
Satoshi-Kura College
Tokyo, Japan
English Translation by Kuresaki & Robert Warranga, Oceanic University: Ballarat, New South Wales. All rights reserved.
Continued from Chapter 5b
While Valenzuela's army marched towards Zacatecas, and Hidalgo's in the direction of Irapuato, Morelos and his men made it their objective to capture the vital silver mining town of San Luis Potosi. On August 2nd, right around noon, they arrived not too far from the town of San Felipe. Although some confusion was present at first following their arrival, it was eventually decided that the men would split into two teams, one heading off the to the northwest, and one to the northeast. with Morelos commanding the former. A trusted ally of his, Miguel Dominguez[13], headed the other. With that settled, they started off in the middle of the afternoon for on their respective paths. Dominguez had little trouble with the Royalists, though Morelos had to deal with an ambush not far north of the town of Ocampo, with about 200 men lost. However, though, along the way, Morelos's contingent gained another 500 men, mostly peasants from Ocampo & Arriaga, which more than compensated for their earlier loss. Unfortunately, another setback occurred not long after; unseasonably hot weather had begun to settle in the area; temperatures on occasion could soar as high as 105*F, which caused serious delays in their advancement towards San Luis. Meanwhile, Dominguez and his men had their own issues to deal with; a rockslide early on the morning of August 3rd had killed at least 50 of the fighters. It would take hours to clear all the debris, and a small number of the men had been so exhausted afterwards that they had to be left behind so that their lack of mobility wouldn't hinder the progress of their brethren in arms. At 11 o'clock they were once again on the move towards San Luis.
Morelos had made better progress and by sunset they had reached the very outskirts of the city. It was soon decided that they would rest for the night in a couple of hours and then charge the Spaniards. At 5:40 a.m. the next morning, the revolucionarios, having been well-rested, once they heard their leader Morelos yell out the rebel anthem, charged straight for the city, weapons in hand.
The battle that followed was a rather slow one at first; a Royalist captain who had been awake at the time heard the noise and alerted a few of his fellows to the imminent siege, and a few dozen Royalist troops came out to meet the rebels. Unfortunately for the rebels, many of them had no guns and over 100 were badly slaughtered by the initial defensive wave. Soon, many more Royalist soldiers steadily came out to meet the advancing rebels, and over the next 24 hours, a stalemate developed between the two armies. Meanwhile, Dominguez and his allies had ran across a few backup Spanish divisions later in the morning and spent around 8-9 hours trying to eradicate them. Worse still, by the time they reached the outskirts of the city, several more divisions had camped out by the city, and it took over a day to fight them all off. This, unfortunately, had allowed a serious reduction in the forces of Morelos, who decided to move back a ways to allow them a little breathing room. It was also hoped by both armies that Dominguez could be able to break through and carry out a surprise attack on the Royalists' rear flanks, but that hope began to die as the battle wore on, with Morelos in particular suffering a somewhat heavy loss. However, though, a major breakthrough came in the middle of the morning of August the 7th when Dominguez's fighters finally broke thru and began to charge into San Luis itself. The Royalist commander, Juan de la Cruz, realized the seriousness of the developing situation and immediately ordered about 2,000 of his remaining men to meet the oncoming rebels. Fortunately for Morelos and Dominguez however, De La Cruz and his advisors had quite strongly overestimated the number of rebels headed westward, and at the same time, underestimated the number of Morelos's men to their south-west. Many of the front line Spaniards were massacred when they collided with the Morelos group, and even worse, a couple hundred of the rebels, some on horse back, had managed to elude the battle altogether and were able to charge behind the divisions who had gone to intercept Dominguez and his troops; they too, were utterly destroyed.
As a last resort, De La Cruz ordered his remaining forces to scatter across the city and to continue the warfare in the various buildings in the area, in the hope that reinforcements would soon come. They never did. Though Morelos and Dominguez had one last challenge to overcome, by the end of August 9th , their goal had been achieved. San Luis Potosi was now theirs; De La Cruz, however, had escaped, his whereabouts unknown for the time being...
--
August 9, 1808
Near San Luis Potosi
Viceroyalty of New Spain(recognized)
Mexican Democratic Republic(proclaimed)
Juan De La Cruz was exhausted after his escape San Luis Potosi. He cursed the names of those two men, Morelos and Dominguez, who had taken that city of silver from its rightful owners, and put it in the hands of these dogs, these peasants, these indios. The very thought of his failure made shivers go down his spine, despite the unusually warm weather this evening. He turned to the few men still loyal to him, and spoke, “Men! You have seen the pillage of the city of San Luis Potosi and its displacement from our hands in those of savages and miscreants. We have little in the way of resources, and many of our fellows have been felled by the scroundrels calling themselves the “Mexicans”, and their allies, including the traitor Dominguez, whose treachery shall forever be recorded in the annals of Hispanic history. Now, we must regroup, and head to Mexico City. It is my personal mission to retake the city San Luis, and restore it to its rightful owners. We shall rest now, for tomorrow, our quest, shall begin!”. Despite their lack of energy many of the men cheered their commander's rather short speech.They, too, wished for revenge...[14]
--
August 10, 1808
San Luis Potosi, Mexico(proclaimed)
Miguel Dominguez awoke on this fine morning to good spirits. He, and his comrade in arms, Juan Morelos had just completed their mission. However, though the whereabouts of the enemy commander De La Cruz, was still unknown to either of them. Not long after, a man on horseback rode up to Dominguez's position.
“Sir.”
“Good morning, I assume you may have some news concerning our old friend De La Cruz?” Dry wit was essential to keeping one's spirits up in such a situation, he thought.
The horseman answered, “Yes, but I fear it may not be good. It seems he was able to escape with about 2 dozen of his men. It's quite possible he could head for either Monterrey or Mexico City, and that reinforcements may try to retake this area. Your recommendation, sir?”
“We should gather up as many recruits we can muster. There are many in this area who no longer support the Crown, and some are fit enough to join our ranks if they wish.” replied Dominguez.
“Anything else sir?”
“No. Send Senor Morelos my best regards.” Morelos's camp was just outside San Luis in case the Royalists attempted to retake the city thru the most important road.
“Thank you.” said the horseman as he rode off.
[1] As far as I know, no significant figure existed IOTL. Assume that this man was a nobody who rose to the rank of chief thru warfare.
[2]He was a minor figure IOTL, but a relatively decent one.
[3] Understandable; some of these raids could get pretty nasty.
[4]'Cry of War', in English. The ATL version of the 'Grito de Dolores'
[5]Victor Sanchez is an ATL figure I introduced into the story; just assume he was an average Joe who just happened to find a place in the annals of history.
[6]A real threat that the Spanish government most certainly could have tried to act on, especially if Napoleon and his men were able to capture the city of Madrid. The thinking here is, “Why not just try to reinforce our colonies while leaving enough men to fight for our nation?”
[7]Sanchez will be remembered for his cojones for a very long time to come ITTL.
[8]Tejada was a somewhat minor figure in OTL 1808: at that time, he was the Vice-Governor of Coahuila.
[9] You may be hearing quite a bit about the ATL Salt Lake one of these days. Try to guess what the state's name will be? =)
[10] An ATL San Francisco publishing company known for its more layman and youth-oriented books. Josiah Spencer adds a touch of humor to his writings here, drawing directly from the tales of those who actually lived thru the war.
[11]Now that's what I call a battle axe! Get it? =)
[12]De La Cruz will be featured elsewhere. Trust me, like Cortez, he too, will play an important role during, and even after the revolutions.........
*****
Hope you liked these first chapters, because there will definitely be more.
This is a somewhat American-centric TL that started with only a very small POD in the U.S., and has already seen an earlier revolution in Spanish America, the death of the original Embargo Act, and the first signs of discontent over Washington's economic policy.
Stars & Stripes #1: It All Begins Here
First POD: June 9, 1805-President Jefferson wakes up on this warm summer morning and decides to call an informal meeting with some associates. Among the topics discussed are the eventual abolition of the U.S. slave trade, and possible restriction of trade against Great Britain.
*
Aug 4, 1805: A little trouble begins to brew in Spanish Florida on this day; A peaceful demonstration against recently tightened military controls by Sebastian Kindelan y Obregon, after the sudden death of Enrique White in early July.*
*
March 8, 1806: C.C. Pinckney dies of a heart attack partly brought on by lingering emphysema that had been caused by a terrible cold he had caught back in late January.
*
April 22, 1806: The Non-Importation Act is signed into law pretty much as OTL, but just a few days later.
*
July 22, 1806: Meanwhile, in Great Britain, debate rages over the slave trade, particularly within the halls of Westminster Palace, in London. One argument between William Wilberforce & a pro-slavery MP gets so heated that both men are escorted out of the building.
*
March 25, 1807: Problems concerning the proposed Slave Trade Act, have caused it to be postponed until the end of August.
*
The 1st Major POD: April 6, 1807-Albert Gallatin met with President Jefferson at 9:30 that morning concerning the proposed Embargo Act in Washington. Congress had been debating the Act(which Jefferson himself had proposed), and more than a few deadlocks had occurred. Even worse, most of the northeastern states were very much opposed to the act for fears of harming their local economies. Despite his initial wishes to the contrary, Jefferson eventually conceded. Gallatin started home at 4:50 and the President got to work on his letter to Congress informing them of the withdrawal and explaining why such a decision had been made.
*
Apr. 9, 1807-Congress receives the letter from Jefferson. Though many members, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic states, are somewhat disappointed, others, including a good number of the Federalists(especially some of the more hardcore members such as Timothy Pickering) breathe a sigh of temporary relief; the Non-Importation Act passed the previous year had done some damage to the country's economy, particularly in the cases of New England and the Southern ports, such as Charleston, S.C. and Norfolk, Va.
*
Apr. 12, 1807-After three days of debate, Congress decides to allow the bill to die in committee.
*
May-June, 1807-Nothing much happens in this time frame, except that the H.M.S. Leopard suffers a mutiny on June 4th and is forced to sail back to Europe, thus butterflying the Chesapeake incident which occurred IOTL.
*
Jul. 4, 1807-President Jefferson meets with several members of Congress to discuss a possible eventual compromise concerning the Non-Importation Act; unfortunately, the meeting is rather brief and goes nowhere.
*
Aug. 25, 1807-In England, despite a decent amount of support from the abolitionists, Parliament is unable to reach the majority needed to sign the Slave Trade Act into law.
*
Sep 14, 1807-Congress begins negotiations to allow Maine, which is currently a Massachusetts exclave, to gain statehood; in the meantime, it becomes a territory on Sep. 21st.
*
Feb. 12, 1808-President Jefferson announces he will not be running for another term.
*
Apr. 15, 1808-A British merchant ship by the name of the 'Mary Louise' was caught trying to unload unregistered goods in the town harbor of Nantucket, R.I., eliciting a rapid response from local authorities.
*
Nov. 1808-James Madison wins the presidential election, but not quite by as large a margin as OTL: Rufus King recieved 41.9% of the popular vote, as opposed to only 32.4% IOTL.
*
Jan. 8, 1809-
*
Mar. 4, 1809-Madison is inaugurated as the 4th president of the United States; one of his first actions is to propose an extension of the Non-Importation Act, which was due to expire come Apr. 23, 1811.
*
Apr. 11, 1809-On this day, the Sons of New England organization is born in Portland, Maine Territory.
Jul. 12, 1809-An attack by vigilantes on the British merchant ship 'Princeton' at around 8:30 a.m. by vigilantes results in an explosion in the harbor of Providence, R.I., killing 35 people and wrecking over a dozen nearby buildings. It is only the first in what will be a long line of such incidents, and not just at the hands of vigilantes, either.
*
Sept. 9, 1809-The Sept. 9th Riots began in Boston, Mass. starting at 1:30 that afternoon, after a private cargo ship registered to Liverpool, Lancashire, by the name of the 'Ringo Joe' is captured, and destroyed by the local National Guard division under the orders of their commander; the main reason being that the ship had been carrying a large amount of various goods, many of which where both popular, and banned under the Non-Importation Act. The riot lasts for 3 days and gains the S.o.N.E. their first wave of new members.
*
Nov. 5, 1809-The raid of a recently-established New Haven, Conn. tavern called 'The Patriot' at 2:30 in the afternoon, leads to the deaths of over a dozen patrons, as well as the chief bartender(who was a chief member of that city's S.o.N.E. Chapter, and a potential Federalist candidate for office at that). There is a significant cry of outrage across the city, and discontentment across much of the rest of New England. However, though, nothing much really comes of it.
*
Dec. 1809-As the decade ends, in North America, tensions slowly begin to simmer just a little over the issue over the Non-Importation Act; meanwhile the Napoleonic Wars rage on in Western Europe, and in Britain, some very disillusioned Quakers begin to leave for New England over the failure of the Slave Trade Act......
Apr. 6, 1810
The White House
Washington, D.C.
President James Madison sat in the Oval Office, feeling somewhat miserable. It was 10:30 in the morning and starting to pour hard, which hadn't helped his mood. This whole mess about the Non-Importation Act had started to take a toll on him, and even worse, the Brits were starting to cause trouble again[1]. Suddenly, someone began to knock on the door. "Come in, if you'd like." Madison replied. His chief secretary, William Berkeley[2], entered the room. "Mister President, sir, I assume you may have seen this?", Berkeley inquired, somewhat tensely. He produced a newspaper and put it down on the President's desk. The headline read, "Cargo Ship Carrying Illicit Goods Explodes in New York Harbor Overnight, Over 50 Lives Feared Lost". "This can't possibly........" blurted a stunned Madison. "I'm afraid it's true, sir.", Berkeley replied.
"You think someone took the law into their own hands and may have....."
"Yes, sir, unfortunately, that is what seems to have occurred here.”[2]
"Well, damn it. This is America, not Germany[3]! This cannot stand; the law must be enforced by the proper authorities. Or tragedies like this are sure to continue occurring."
"I understand, sir. That was all."
"Alright then. Be on your way.", Madison said, as Berkeley began to leave the room. The President, feeling particularly unwell, sloped back in his chair. This was looking up to be one dreary spring indeed.
[1]Diplomatic snafus, mostly over trade and the Napoleonic Wars.
[2]Can't remember whether he actually existed or not.
[3]Vigilantism is going to be a serious problem in the upcoming months & years.
[4]Or rather, what was the 'Holy Roman' Empire of late.
–
Stars & Stripes #2: Discontent Arises.
Nov. 6, 1809
The Patriot Tavern & Restaurant
New Haven, Connecticut
“Dear Lord. What immoral or unlawful thing had I done to earn such misery?” sighed Robert Harrison as he entered. The owner & founder of the 19-month old establishment looked around at what had been, the night before, a prosperous tavern full of loyal customers. Now, 11 of them were dead, as well as the chief bartender, Louis Malloy, a man he had known for 20 years, and a visiting off-duty soldier from New York[1]. Not to mention the horrid mess those awful vigilantes had made of the place; broken beer bottles & furniture were everywhere, even a few bullet holes could be seen here & there. Veteran patron Thomas 'Tommy' Gilmore nodded. “Robbie my friend, we did lose some good men yesterday, but at least our lives are still intact, thank the good Lord.” “And we c'n always patch the place up, eh?” chimed in Johnathon Dunwood. “Yes, but I will require hundreds of dollars to repair all that was lost to us. Let us hope for miracles, fellows. Lest those damned hooligans turn yonder and ransack this tavern of ours once again.” Harrison remarked with a tinge of bitterness.
--
The New Haven Standard
Nov. 6, 1809
Vigilantes Attack Local Tavern, Kill Over a Dozen Patrons
…Yesterday, tragedy struck at the newly established tavern known as 'The Patriot'. At around 2:30 p.m. several armed vigilantes attacked the patrons inside and killed at least 13 people inside, most notably the chief bartender, Louis Malloy, of Mystic, and a member of the New York National Guard, Albert Stafford, who was visiting his grandmother in Hartford. There is no doubt in the minds of the citizens of this fair city, and that of many of our brethren in the rest of New England, that these vigilantes are a stain on the fabric that is American society and that they must be dealt with in a firm manner posthaste. We cannot allow this kind of dastardly behaviour to smear the good name of not just New Englanders but of all of America.”
(Note: I've decided to start on the first fictional book excerpt. I must admit I was particularly fond of the way Jared did his in DoD; so professional looking, in my opinion.)
– These excepts were taken from Franklin Van Buren's “The Early History of post-Independence America, 1797-1847” © 1929: University of New England Press, Cambridge, Mass. Used with permission.
1799: Former President George Washington dies on December 14.
1803: In April, the Louisiana Purchase occurs with France selling their claims to the entire area for only $15 million. There are some opponents, particularly in New England, but overall, most are supportive of Jefferson's move.
1804: Jefferson is re-elected for a second term as President; George Clinton is elected Vice-President.
1805: The Barbary War ends in October. Also, a peaceful demonstration against tightened military controls occurs in Spanish Florida in early August.
1806: The Non-Importation Act is passed by only a slight majority in Congress on April 22nd . Also, noted politico[2] C.C. Pinckney dies from a two-month case of emphysema on Mar 11th .
1807: The highly controversial proposed Embargo Act dies in committee in April.
1808: James Madison wins this year's election, George Clinton makes his appearance once more as Vice-president. Also, the 'Mary Louise', a British merchant ship, is raided in Nantucket, R.I. .during the mid-morning hours of April 15th. It will be just the first of a long series of ship raidings and cargo confiscations undertaken by various U.S. authorities.
1809:
April 11: The creation of the regional advocacy group known as the Sons of New England in Portland, Maine Territory.
July 12: Attack of the British merchant ship 'Princeton' in the harbor of Providence, Rhode Island. An explosion which resulted in the detonation of a powder keg which was smuggled onto the deck the previous night kills 35 people including several seamen from both Britain & America.
Sept. 9: First major N.I. Act related riots occur in the city of Boston, Mass; they last for 3 whole days and dozens are arrested by the local police.
Nov. 5: A vicious raid on a local New Haven, Conn. Tavern called 'The Patriot' by vigilantes leads to 13 deaths, 4 of them early supporters of the Sons of New England. Significant outrage does occur in much of the northern half of the U.S. but no major rioting occurs, at least, not in any major towns & cities, although Albany, N.Y. S.o.N.E. supporter John Brooks coins a new phrase in one of the local tabloids: “Remember, remember, the 5th of November!” as a rallying cry[3].
[1] Albert Stafford's son, Tommy, is only 3 when his father dies, but he will go on to be a minor force in N.Y.C. politics later on in his life.
[2]This is one of many terms that saw a much earlier introduction to English than IOTL.
[3]V For Vendetta, anyone? =)
Stars & Stripes #3-Ship Raids & Vigilantes
–
Extracted from “Raids, Recessions, & Rioters: How The Non-Importation Act And Similar Laws Affected America In Its Early Years”
By Thomas W. Peterson
© 1945 W.F. Harvey & Sons Publishing, Boston, Mass.
The raid of the British merchant ship, the Mary Louise at around 9:15 in the morning of the 15th of April, 1808, in Nantucket, Rhode Island, was to be the first in a long line of Federal attacks on foreign shipping vessels carrying certain 'illicit' goods, as well as one of the first catalysts for the birth of the S.o.N.E. . Earlier that day, at around 7:00, a harbor watchman had noticed some strange and seemingly suspicious whisperings amongst the crew. One of the men on the harbor front appeared to be somewhat inebriated but he attempted to pick up a couple of the boxes that had been shipped aboard anyway; what spilled out revealed the truth; these men were smugglers with dozens of dollars worth of contraband [1] goods, including beer, flaxseed, wool, and hemp.
The watchman immediately left for the nearest law enforcement station. Federal officials stationed in the area soon received word of the occurrence, and by 8:45, over a dozen of them began to make their way to the harbor front, arriving only 20 minutes later. Plans were discussed on how to deal with the situation; they soon agreed that a sudden rush would be best. At 9:13, the first Federal official, flanked by two comrades[2], informed the sailors of his presence & of the laws they had been caught breaking. An argument quickly ensued, and just after 9:15 shots rang out. Immediately afterwards, the rest of them began to rush in, and a bigger gunfight began right then. By the time it was all over, at 9:26 to be more precise, according to most reports available today, 7 of the 13 dispatched Federal officers lay dead, but the sailors had suffered an even worse loss overall; of the 9 men who had staffed the vessel, only the captain and the man who had bungled the operation had survived.
One of the Federal officers who had died had attempted to negotiate with the seamen, and was a very good friend of Jonathan O'Bannon[3]. This would have major implications for quite some time to come........
–
Apr. 17, 1808
Bangor, Maine Territory
United States of America
Jonathan 'Iron Jonny'[4] O'Bannon spat on the ground below him. The Barbary War veteran, who had once been fought off over a dozen Barbary seamen, on their own ship, after having been captured off the coast of Spain, found himself shedding a tear for his dearly departed friend of 25 years, whose death he had learned of only that very morning. A tough man he most assuredly was, but he had his moments of softness. “Oh, my poor dear friend Robert. I knew you well. You were taken from us too young.”. After this moment of reflection, O'Bannon started walking home. Arriving at his cabin about 2 hours later, he saw his wife, Anita, cooking a nice potato-and-steak dinner. “Jonny dear? Is that you I hear?”, she asked, kindly. Jonathan replied, slowly, “Yes, dear wife, it is.” “Well, what's wrong?”, Anita asked. Jonathan said, “Remember Robert Anderson?” Anita stared, bewildered. “Yes, I do? Has something happened?” “Yes, I'm afraid so. Robert.....Robert had been killed during that raid on that British ship a couple days ago. I only heard about his death this morning. To think such a honorable man could meet such a tragic death while doing what he thought was best for all involved, is hard for even me to bear.”
Anita gasped. “I....I'm terribly sorry. That poor man. Is there nothing we can do for his family?” Jonathan shook his head and. “I'm sorry, but no, Anita, I fear not, other than our prayers and considerations. But honestly, I do tire of all this nonsense about embargos[5] and such, and perhaps there is a way to get a voice to the people of this area, and maybe someday, even the whole nation. I do believe it's time I acted upon my conscience. Tomorrow, I plan to set off for Portland, where I plan to start gathering other men who feel as I do about this whole Non-Importation shenanigan[6]. And I'll need some support to do it.” “Well, I will tell you now that you may always rely on me, Jon. We have always stuck together even during the worst of times.”, Anita replied warmly. Jonathan's spirits lifted a little, hearing this. “Thank you ever so kindly, dear Anita.”
A few hours after dinner they both retired to their beds to sleep. The next morning, Jonathan set off for the city of Portland, where he hoped to gather the first recruits of his mission.......
--
Extracted from “Yankee Patriots: The Rise of the Sons of New England”
By Will Sanders
Manchester, N.H., New England
© 1962 Kenton Press, Providence, Rhode Island
… Jonathan O'Bannon was a man on a mission. On April 18th of 1808 he began 2-day trip to Portland in the southwest of Maine, staying at a local inn overnight in what is now Elbertson County. After his stay, he set off once again the next morning, getting a ride from a passing stagecoach. Right around noon on the 19th , he arrived in the area and immediately began looking for some temp[7] jobs to support himself in his endeavor. He talked a little around town with the various people that he had met, and soon enough, he came across a local tavern, where he discussed his beliefs & grievances to anyone who would listen. One person in particular, a veteran customer by the name of Eldon Canmore, was especially open. The man was an independent builder[8] by trade, but had also had a cousin who fought in the Barbary War and he enjoyed the stories 'Iron Jonny' would tell about his experiences while in combat there, as a member of the U.S. Navy. He also sympathized with Jonathan when he heard the unfortunate manner of Robert Anderson's death. The two struck up a friendship rather quickly, and by the end of April they decided to pay O'Bannon's home a visit to discuss a possible alliance …
--
[1] This is another term which has entered American English earlier than it did IOTL.
[2] No, no Communism here.
[3] Jonathan O'Bannon will become a very important, perhaps even pivotal figure in the history of North America.
[4]O'Bannon was a sailor during the Barbary war, and a particularly hardy & tough one, too.
[5]The Embargo Act hasn't actually happened, but there are still many discontented rumblings about it, particularly in New England.
[6]Well, he is an Irish-American, and it IS a term that originated from Irish Gaelic.........
[7]This is a modern ATL localism largely exclusive to the state of New Hampshire.
[8]And a damn fine one, too.
--
Stars & Stripes #4: A Storm Gathers Over Florida, and Trouble Brews In Mexico.
Nov. 8, 1805
Near San Agustin[1], Viceroyalty of Florida
[Spanish territory]
Enrique Cortez stared into the late autumn sky with a tinge of depression. Since the August Revolt[2], he had already lost his job and what little savings he had, and was close to losing his home as well. Even worse, the rebellions were starting to become more & more violent each passing week, it seemed; one skirmish in October in San Agustin had not only seen the deaths of two soldiers who attempted to keep order, one of them being a cousin of his, but someone had even freed slaves from a local villa.[3] “Chingada! Damn those rebellious devils. Have they any respect for the nation, nay, the race, which birthed them? Or do they seek to destroy all that has been given to them, just because they can't accept some discipline, like spoiled brats?”[4] Enrique whispered quite harshly, his hatred for them already burning a deep hole in his soul. Feeling as if he could possibly explode in anger if he stayed out any longer, he decided to compose himself and take the approximately half-mile walk back to his home.
--
Extracted from “The Fall of the Spanish Empire, 1805-1929”
© 1956 By Victoria Patterson
Liberty Press
Sacramento, California, United States.
The August Revolt in 1805, which started in what is now Mission City[5] would pose a significantly more serious threat to the Spanish hegemony in the Americas than Madrid first realized at that time. It all started on the afternoon hours of the 4th, when residents of that very town heard the news of Sebastian Obregon's recent initiatives towards tighter military control of the region. This angered most of the town's residents, as they saw this as nothing more than an opprotunistic power play, and many began to demonstrate in the town center. When the local authorities tried to put an end to this, some of the demonstrators began to riot. One soldier, as told by a living survivor 50 years later, was so anxious to see law & order restored that he decided to fire a couple of shots into the crowd. Unfortunately, one of the bullets struck, and killed, a 12-year-old girl whose father was one of the protestors. A few seconds later, once most of the crowd figured out what had just happened, many of the hundred or so people in the square began running after the the shooter and all 4 of his fellow soldiers. 2 of them couldn't keep up and were lynched by the angry townspeople. The others got away, although 1 man got lost in the nearby swamp. The soldier who shot into the crowd, we are told, was found about a week later in a field about 10 miles north of town, with a bullet wound in the back of his head. As it appeared, the young cadet had felt such remorse for his actions, that he felt as if he couldn't bear the guilt any longer; although even today, some do wonder if perhaps he was just fearful of being captured by the angry townspeople or being shipped back home to Spain.
In any case, this eventually led to even more protests and riots, and even harsher crackdowns by Obregon, enforced by his loyal military men. Although a press blackout was ordered in Nov. 1805 by Madrid, and to be enforced immediately whenever these commands were received by the respective governors of New Spain and the other territories under Madrid's rule, sooner or later, a few people began to receive information from underground sources here & there. By January, 1807, the conflicts in Florida had started to turn in the direction of a full-blown revolt, and soon, it wouldn't just be the Land of Flowers[6] that would explode...
--
Feb. 11, 1807
Toluca, Mexico Province
New Spain Territory
“This looks to be rather unfortunate for our Madridero overlords. Have they finally stepped on their own feet for once?” Francisco Valenzuela asked, putting down a letter he had recently received, concerning the news in Florida. “Perhaps so. It would be quite the blessing if we did manage to get the word out. Spanish tyranny must come to an end.” Alberto Galvez commented, before taking a sip of a cocoa drink. “Amen to that, amigos! It is time for Mexico to come out onto her own in the world. Let us act, and quickly!” shouted their friend, Orlando Cortez from a little distance. The three men came together on the street corner, next to where Valenzuela's aunt lived, right then to start discussing their plans for the future. Early that evening, Valenzuela and Galvez would speak to a crowd of dozens in one of the plaza markets.
“Mexico must be freed! The rulers in Madrid, what have they ever really done for us, the Mexican people? Nothing! They have only caused us pain and misery! While we toil for meager scraps, the wealthy haciendados gorge on the richest and most savory food and drink themselves to a blind stupor! It's time to end the suffering. We must join hands with our brothers in Florida, and make the decision to self-determine our own futures or we shall never have real freedom in our lifetimes, or even those of our children's! The choice is yours, slavery or freedom?”
-Francisco Valenzuela speaking to a small crowd in a Toluca plaza in 1807.
“If the Americans could gain their freedom from the most powerful nation on Earth, why not our beloved Mexico from weak little Spain?”
-Alberto Galvez, conversing with a skeptical observer in Toluca, 11 Feb., 1807.
--
Selected Important Dates in the history of North America: 1805-11
Taken from “The Albright Textbook Series: Pre-Modern American History”
By Robert C. Wilkinson
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
© 1944, Maple Tree Press: Toronto. Used with permission.
1805:
The first significant anti-Spanish uprising occurs in the territory of Florida on August 4th after a demonstration against recent actions by Sebastian Obregon takes a fatal turn. It is only the first, many more will follow.
1806:
Signing of the Non-Importation Act into law under the Jefferson administration. Many are angry, particularly in the Northeast and in some of the port cities elsewhere in the U.S. but little is done.
Charles C. Pinckney, the South Carolina statesman, dies of a heart attack on March 11th.
On Sep. 17th, the city of St. Augustine is seized by anti-colonial rebels in Florida.
1807:
Jefferson is convinced by Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin to discontinue his incentives for the passing of the Embargo Act.
Two Mexican Patriotes, Francisco Valenzuela and Alberto Galvez, are arrested by authorities 4 days after a February 11th speech condemning the actions of the Spanish governor of Florida, Sebastian Obregon, and for inciting a revolt.
On April 25th, the first protester deaths occur in New Spain when a young couple in Nuevo Leon are ordered shot to death by an angry Spanish official who took a witty comment far too seriously, as reported by several local newspaper editorials.
Maine is split off from Massachusetts on Sept. 14th.
1808:
A British merchant ship carrying contraband goods by the name of the 'Mary Louise' was seized & raided by U.S. Federal authorities in Providence, R.I., following notice by a dock worker, in the morning hours of April 15th. This incident is rather noteworthy not only due to the fact that this was the first major seize of a foreign vessel in the U.S., but that this was reportedly one of the catalysts that led Jonathan O'Bannon to create & co-found the “Sons of New England” due to the death of a close friend, a Federal official who tried to negotiate with the smugglers.
1809:
On April 11th, the S.o.N.E. is co-founded by Jonathan O'Bannon and Eldon Canwood, in Portland, Maine. Their primary reason for existence at that time, was originally that of a general advocacy group whose stated goal was to assist in the understanding & implementation of the best interests of the people living in the region.
The July 12th attack on the Southampton merchant ship Princeton, in Portsmouth, N.H., marked the first attack against a British ship by vigilantes in the United States. 9 people were killed in the gunfight that occurred during the raid, 5 vigilantes and 4 of the 10 crewmen.
A New Haven, Connecticut tavern called 'The Patriot' was attacked by a group of vigilantes on the afternoon of Nov. 5th . 14 people were to lose their lives, including one of the two chief instigators, who later died from injuries received by having a chair smashed over his head, with all the others being various patrons & the head bartender. Robert Harrison, the owner, declined to talk to national newspapers, though he did grant interviews with a couple of local outlets.
The Hamilton territory[7], proposed in June, 1808, is created on December 4th of this year.
1810:
The explosion of the 'King's Own' merchant ship, this time in New York, kills over 50 people in the area, including one of the men who caused the incident.
An American ship from Boston named the 'Liberty Mae' was blown up in the harbor of St. John's, in Newfoundland, by a member of an angry mob of about two dozen persons, on June 5th, as retaliation for the large number of British ships either seized by government authorities or destroyed by overzealous vigilantes in the U.S.
Napoleon makes an offer on April 27th to set up a French embassy in Washington. President Madison receives the letter on May 8th and accepts the offer two weeks later.
1811:
On the morning of May 4th , the first major Indian raid on U.S. Territory in years begins when hundreds of displaced Delawares, Maumees, and some Shawnee make their first move, in what will become a 2-month long campaign, by razing, or at least, attempting to raze, several towns in Ohio near the border of the Indiana Territory where many reside, most notably Cincinnati. Raids also go as far as Louisville, Ky. where several Shawnee Indians located and subsequently ransacked a local Army post.
On July 2nd , President Madison discussed with several members of Congress the possibility of a gradual elimination of the Non-Importation Act, due to serious problems with enforcing the law(vigilante actions were a major factor in this) in certain areas, however, the meeting went nowhere, and a few of the pro-embargo senators & Congressmen had some rather harsh words on their way out, particularly towards Mass. Senator Timothy Pickering and certain others.
However, though, one good thing does come out of this: On September 23rd the Anti-Vigilantism & Protection Act, which had been sponsored by Sen. Pickering & and a pair of Congressmen from New York, was signed into law and was to go into full effect by the end of April, 1812. Unfortunately, vigilantism wasn't going to completely stop for some time, despite the best efforts of honest Federal officials, and eventually, many of were of the consensus that something more might need to be done...
--
Nov. 25, 1811
Washington D.C.
President James Madison sat in the Oval Office on this fine morning in D.C.. While an important step in curbing unnecessary vigilantism had recently been taken with the Anti-Vigilante Act, there was still the matter of those who reacted negatively to the provisions. Vice-President Clinton and a few others were there to discuss the various topics.
“George, I have this awful feeling that things shall only get worse as far as those hooligan vigilantes are concerned, given their disposition to such foolish actions as exploding an entire ship without regard for any innocent civilians who might be nearby.”, he said, to Vice-President Clinton.
Clinton nodded. “Well, James, I do agree with you and I too, fear the possible retaliation by those who would rather break the law to get simple gratification, than assist in enforcing it. But I feel enforcing the current statutes martial law may be needed soon in some areas.”
“And possibly violate some of the freedoms on which this nation was founded? I would prefer not to go that route.” Madison replied, with a somewhat annoyed look on his face. He feared that martial law could spark further reprecussions, even outside of New England, and was about to make that clear.
“But it may be our only solution to the violence in these areas-” said Clinton.
Madison cut him off. “Besides, enforcing martial law would only anger many of those outside New England anyway. We need lawful solutions, dear George. Dammit, do we want to do what the British did consisently, during the protests against the unlawful taxes that were burdened upon the people? Not to mention the possible reprecussions if such an action were to succeed.” Madison still remembered the days of British colonial rule and truly believed that any form of martial law could not only come back and damage his administration, but could ultimately serve as something that could harm the fabric of American society, possibly even exploitable by London.
“Perhaps not. I also should mention that it is unfortunate that the impressment of American seamen does still occur on occasion. Still, banning all trade may not be the best answer to this most pressing of matters. In any case, I still believe the Non-Importation Act has to go, vigilantes or not.” Clinton emphasized his last sentence so there'd be no lingering doubt about his wishes & agenda.
“And if Britain no longer feels any sort of pressure? Do you think they'd stop at sailors? They might be raiding civilians one of these days for all we know!” said William Giles in a slightly raised tone.
“Calm down, Senator. The British might be quite the annoyance but they're not completely foolish. Even London cannot go to such extremes without being condemned, even in these times, especially by the French. You shouldn't assume the worst.” Madison replied sternly. While they all agreed that Britain's saber-rattling was quite irritating, at the same time, they realized that war-mongering, at this point, was a non-answer as America was still a young nation with a not-yet significant navy & army.
"With all the respect due you my dear President, I fear that British compensatory raids, perhaps even an actual war, may yet be visited upon us. It would be rather unwise to keep assuming that Britain will just keep going about as usual, especially once Napoleon's war ends, either by surrender or by capitulation. They have already raised quite the commotion as it is over these latest shipwreckings.", Giles remarked.
“Mind you, Senator, any extension of the current Non-Importation Act would only serve to make this problem much worse in the long run. We must find other ways of making our interests known & accepted by the British.” Clinton chided Giles.
“And what would you say, Mr. Vice-President if-” Giles protested.
Madison interrupted Giles once again.“Senator, please stand down for just a moment.”
“If I may speak?” Treasury Secretary Gallatin requested.
“Well, go ahead then, Albert.” the President replied.
“Mr. President, sir, I can only say this: It is quite understandable, and in fact, logical, to utilize an assertive way of thinking when dealing with certain nations, particularly ones such as Great Britain. However, if we become too harsh with our demands and rhetoric, then London may have a rather nasty rebuttal and we may unfortunately eventually find ourselves at wat with what is still perhaps the most powerful nation in the world. And I do believe, as I stated to former President Jefferson 2 years ago, the Non-Importation Act must be repealed. I only hope it doesn't come too late.” Gallatin replied in a somewhat somber tone.
“Perhaps so. Well then, gentlemen, I've made my decision. I plan to, if at all possible, have the Non-Importation Act will be scaled down over the next couple of years but with appropriate compensation for any businesses or individuals who might perhaps be negatively affected by this action.” Madison said to all 3 of the men.
“Congress may oppose you, sir.” Giles remarked.
“Some will. But I believe that many realize that that the entire act, as it stands, cannot long be fully enforced by any lawful means.” Madison replied. He believed that negotiating with Congress might possibly lead to a decent solution accepted by all, but in the back of his mind, wondered how it could all get done.[8]
[1]This guy will be remembered. Trust me.
[2]Another Spanish term that has entered U.S. English earlier than it did IOTL.
[3]Yes, even Florida had slavery.
[4]Cortez sounds like a real piece of work, doesn't he? Well, he kinda is. Watch for him later on.
[5]It's in central Florida, somewhere not too terribly far from OTL Orlando.......
[6]An ATL nickname for Florida which was coined in the 1880s.
[7]There are going to be quite a few more territories than OTL.
[8]Kind of reminds you of Barack Obama and the deficit debate, doesn't it?
--
Stars & Stripes #5: The First Indian Wars.
May 9, 1811
Louisville, Kentucky
United States of America
"Damn those savages!" a very upset George Condell muttered, making his best attempt not to yell out his frustrations until his lungs gave out. The National Guardsman looked around the formerly bustling town he once called home for almost 5 whole years. It angered him to no end that these Indians, these savages, had the nerve to destroy parts of a white man's town[1], and a prosperous one at that. Louisville had about 11,000 people only the day before, and now, over half of them had left and over 2 dozen now lay dead. The downtown area had been so badly wrecked, it could take months, maybe even a few years. And even worse for George, his father Andrew, a Scottish immigrant, was amongst the dead. Still, no amount of rage & hatred could fix whatever was left of Louisville. To make matters worse for those still there, flames burned in quite a few buildings in town and the afternoon sky was starting to turn black with smoke from all the ashes; so much so that it was starting to get a little hard to breathe for George given where he was now. So he decided to take a long walk back to his home across the river in the Indiana Territory.
--
Extracts from “The Indian Wars: A Complete Analysis”
By Thomas P.W. Muldoon
San Francisco, California
United States of America
© 1937 Freedom Press: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Used with permission.
Chapter 2: The Raid of Louisville & The First Sign of Imminent Conflict.
The raid of Louisville on the morning on May 8th, 1811, was to be one of the incidents that were to have a major impact on the U.S. Policy over the next decade. It represented the first major Indian reprisal of what they thought was an unacceptable encroachment on their lands, particularly those areas in Ohio, the Indiana & Illinois territories, as well as western Kentucky. Although the approximately 500 Shawnees, Maumees, who raided the city were out by morning the next day, they had caused a significant amount of property damage. Though only 25 black and white civilians died during the attack, it was still a blow to the psyches of many of the people in this area, Kentuckians in particular, who thought their home territory was mostly safe from such attacks, especially large scale attacks like this, And just as importantly, when the Indians who had allied with Tecumseh received word of the success of the Louisville raiding party, it raised their morale. If a smallish party of only 500 could fight a destructive enough battle to trash the entire center of a town of 10,000 inhabitants, imagine what 5,000 could do to a whole country......or 50,000 to a whole state! Or so was the thinking of many of the
Indian chiefs at that time, as history informs us[2]. On the other side of the conflict, the U.S. Army began to mobilize in mid-May preparing for more large scale invasions, not just into Indiana and Kentucky, but perhaps further east as well. On June 23rd , 1811, the first significant offensive was to occur in Ohio, not far from the city of Chillicothe...
--
June 23, 1811
Near Gnessau[3], Ohio
United States of America
Tecumseh surveyed the area around him. It was a warm, and pleasant summer morning in this area, and he took a little time to enjoy his surroundings. Since the end of April, the Shawnee had been waiting for the perfect moment to start their first raids against the United States, and that day in May had been it.
“Tecumseh?” The Shawnee Chief turned around to see who was speaking to him. It was an old comrade, Maywathekeha[4].
“Maywathekeha! How are you doing on this fine morning?” Tecumseh asked.
“I'm doing well, thank you.” Maywathekeha replied.
“Have you received word about the latest movements by the Americans?” Tecumseh inquired. The Shawnee Chief turned to the east for a moment. Though he did not know when, he believed trouble might soon come; the American government had been most upset & angered by the recent decimation of Louisville, and many generals were now calling for a wider war against not just the Shawnee, but the Indians in general. Even more importantly, U.S. Army troops were now mobilizing for a possible assault on enemy positions in the area. Unfortunately, his fears were not all that far-fetched.
“Unfortunately, none of it is good. Though their Great Father Madison is willing to consider a peaceful end to the conflict, the paleface warriors will accept no such solutions. Already, there are rumors of an army grouping not far from here, and some of the settlers are coming with them, armed.” Maywathekeha pointed to the east-northeast.
“Then,” Tecumseh added, “we must prepare for battle. Inform our men of this immediately.”
Maywathekeha nodded, and then left rather quickly to warn the other Indians. Tecumseh hoped that at least some of his allies would be able to assist him in this time of need. Especially if there was a large U.S. Army grouping headed their way. In that case, he thought it best to invoke the protection of the Great Spirit, just in case things didn't go all that well for the Shawnee and their allies.
--
[1]Not my own personal view, of course, let's make that crystal clear right now.
[2]This author does seem to have a little anti-Native bias, to be honest. But not quite as badly as some others writing on the subject, though.
[3]A minor town that is OTL's Frankfort, Ohio. You can find it on Google Maps.
[4]He was a relatively minor figure IOTL, albeit one close to Tecumseh.
--
Stars & Stripes #6: Madison & Tecumseh.
Extracts from “Madison: The Man, and the President”
By Harvey F. Jameson
Notre Dame University
St. Joseph, Indiana
(c) 1922 Turtelbaum & Sons: Columbus, Ohio. Used with permission.
...The Battle of Pigeon Creek[1] started on June 23rd, 1811 and was one of two significant battles to occur between the U.S. and the first Indian alliance before the Meeting At Charleston[2]. The battle originally started when a division of the 15th U.S. Army spotted a small group of about 250 Indians camped near Gnessau, Ohio around noon. One soldier fired a warning shot into the air to get their attention, and so their commander, Levi Andrews, could give them a set of demands to follow. Little did they know most of the Indians were Shawnee warriors; unfortunately for Andrews and his men, that realization came almost too late as dozens of the Indians rushed towards the American soldiers, weapons in hand. However, though, even the small element of surprise didn't give the Indians much of an advantage, given that many of the soldiers were expecting a conflict. For the next 18 days, the battle raged on as Indian and soldier alike fought and perished in the summer heat, with either side gaining little advantage. Late on the night of July 10th, a draw was negotiated between the two sides, and both armies went home to their families. 185 U.S. Soldiers had lost their lives, compared to 217 Indians, over those 2 and a half weeks of pitched battle.
This was the first time that President Madison had to deal with the Indians during his administration, and while he felt that the losses of the brave men who fought in Pigeon Creek could not be suffered in vain, he also understood that any further conflict with certain amongst the Indians, particularly the Shawnee, might eventually lead to a wider war. So, on July 15th, Tecumseh was invited to the White House, the first time any man of Indian blood had ever been allowed into the President's abode......
July 18th, 1811
Washington, D.C.
United States of America
“Mr. President, I do believe Tecumseh is here to see you.” said one of the White House staff members.
“Ah yes, the Indian chief. Thank you kindly, Jenkins. Will you send him in, please?” Madison hoped this meeting wouldn't backfire on him. After all, the Shawnee were still friendly with Britain and any wider conflict with them could possibly bring the Canadas, or even England herself into the fracas. And he knew that might very well end badly for the United States, even if the latter was still embroiled in the Napoleonic Wars. This dealing with Tecumseh might just be the perfect opprotunity to stave off another war for a while, or so he had hoped.
Tecumseh walked in a few seconds later, flanked by two men who could be called his entourage of a sort. “Greetings. So you are the Great White Father Madison. May I ask why I was brought here, to your capital city?” he said, in the most respectful tone he could muster.
“Please, do call me just Mr. President. It's so much less.......pompous.” the President replied. He wasn't exactly fond of super-lofty titles, since they reminded him of British royalty. “I requested your presence to discuss the terms of a possible cease fire between us and your people.”
“Fine then, Mr. President. I will consider such. What are your terms?” Tecumseh wanted no additional conflict but had a feeling deep down that things might not turn out as well as he would have hoped; he also feared that too much capitulation might earn a harsh rebuke from some of his allies, or perhaps even worse, betrayal.
“Firstly, we request that the Shawnees relinquish all claims of the land which currently consists of an area from south-west Indiana to eastern Ohio, to allow further settlement by American citizens, white men or otherwise. We also request that you cease all raids against American settlements and that you should attempt to convince your allies to follow your lead.”
“It will not be easy, Mr. President. Many of my people have much anger towards your nation. They see you in a manner comparable to what your people thought of the British just 3 decades ago. And what of our allies?”
Madison replied, “As long as you adhere to the terms of this cease fire, no wars will come to your people unless evidence of provocation has been found. I trust you understand?”
“We are a peaceful people. We only wish to be left to our own devices, and not to constantly be in battle with other tribes and nations.”, said Tecumseh.
“But your people did ally with those who sacked the city of Louisville, Kentucky. Some of your fellow Shawnee even directly participated in the mayhem. My people cannot forgive such actions easily.” said Madison.
“Perhaps so, but it was a matter of honor, that they joined our Maumee[3] comrades.”
Madison shot back. “Honor?” “Then you haven't heard of the more than 2 dozen American civilians who lost their lives in Louisville, my good chief? If your people are truly peaceful, then this surely cannot stand. Or was that kind of revenge justified, in your view?” Was this Indian truly such a careless fool, he wondered? To Madison, civilians were to be protected as much as humanly possible during any conflict.
“I was informed that some of the Maumee had engaged in unfortunate behavior during the battle. Those that lived have been disciplined; I personally requested such, as our relationship with the Maumees has been good for some time.” Tecumseh hadn't been happy about the massacres of the American civilians, but at the same time, he didn't forget what had happened to his own people, either.
Madison's anger simmered down. “Fine then, at least you show some dignity. Now, about the land-”
“We Shawnees don't believe in land ownership, Mr. President. Like many of our fellows, we believe that all land belongs to the Great Spirit, and all the peoples of this world.”
“Would you at least accept some resettlement?” Madison inquired.
“Some of my people will protest, but I see no other choice, even if only to prevent war.” Tecumseh replied. He didn't like how things were going at this time, but to protest too much might anger the President and could perhaps undo any compromise that might have been reached.
Madison paused for a second and then replied. “Fine then. The Shawnee north of the 37th parallel [4] shall be relocated to the eastern part of our state of Kentucky, and the northern third of the state of Indiana, and those living south of the 37th parallel shall be relocated to northern Georgia, until further settlement can be agreed upon.”
“Then it is agreed? No further conflict shall arise?” asked Tecumseh, hoping for the answer he'd like to hear.
Madison replied a little more swiftly this time. “That is correct, but only if you adhere to the terms of the cease-fire. Perhaps in a year or two, we may be able to sign a lasting treaty.”
Tecumseh sighed. “Let us hope, Mr. President, our attempts at making peace, shan't come too late.......”
As he walked out the doors with his 2 bodyguards, Tecumseh began to wonder if the American palefaces would actually keep their word.....or would be more than happy to break it at the first sign of opprotunity. “Only time will tell, perhaps.”, he thought, as he approached the waiting stagecoach.
Later that day...
“Now, let me see if I can understand, Mr. President. You actually let TECUMSEH of all people, just walk into the White House?” George Clinton remarked, his voice slightly raised in agitation.
“No, George. He was invited to the Presidential home so we could discuss terms for a possible cease-fire. Right now, we have no need of a war with Britain.” Madison calmly replied.
"But perhaps if the Indians go behind our backs-"
Madison interrupted the Vice-President. "Tecumseh may be an Indian but he does seem to be a honorable one.” The Shawnee chief had appeared to be a man of a decent moral standing, even if he had been considered to be a savage by the white Americans, and perhaps a more permanent peace could someday be undertaken. Still, some doubt lingered in his mind at that moment. “The other chiefs, however, may not be so trustworthy, especially the Maumees in Ohio and the Ouiatenon[4] in Indiana at the moment. And I still wonder if perhaps Tecumseh may yet feel more allegiance to his fellow Indians than our cease-fire agreement?” Some rather worrying intelligence had started coming into D.C. as of late. The Maumees in particular, were beginning to tire of Tecumseh's peace making efforts, and desired to once again make war with Washington, despite the Shawnee Chief's attempts at settling the matter.
"Can't we just raid their camps and-" Clinton asked.
Madison sighed. "To do so would be disastrous at this moment."
“I understand, Mr. President.” Clinton had little respect for the Shawnee, but was even less so of many of the other Indians, the Maumees in particular, whose warriors had wrecked much of Louisville, Kentucky not too terribly long ago. But even he understood that fighting them at that moment would've meant a declaration of war by not just the Canadas, but perhaps even Britain herself. And no one wished for America to be conquered & brought back into the English fold.
“However, if by some chance, the Shawnees make the most unfortunate choice to break the cease-fire, then we may proceed with retaliation. Unfortunately, should Britain exert any pressure on Tecumseh, he and his men may feel they have no choice but to concede to the King's demands, and attack this nation anyway. Our only hope in that situation may be appeasement when necessary, and continued pressure when the opprotunity exists.”
Clinton nodded in agreement.“I fear you may be correct on that, sir.”
“Now, if you'll excuse me George, I do believe I have a meeting with the Secretary of the Army.”
“All right, I shall be on my way then.” Clinton walked out of the room.
Not long afterwards, there was a knock at the door. “Mr. President?”
“Yes, Mr. Jenkins? You may open the door.” Madison replied.
Jenkins peeked thru. “Secretary Wilkinson would like to see you now, sir.”
“Well, then, let him in. And thank you.” said Madison. Jenkins smiled, and left.
James Wilkinson entered right then. The somewhat weathered 54-year old Revolutionary War Veteran had long been an agent of controversy and intrigue; from his sabotaging of Zebulon Pike's plan of exploration of what was then the northwest of New Spain in 1806, to the apprehension of Aaron Burr in 1807, and even the rumors of him being a Spanish agent[5], did nothing to really help his reputation. On the other hand, he did help quell the riots in Providence following the bombing of the 'Mary Louise' in 1808, with no casualties, and still had had his military career to fall back on, so Madison kept him around as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army as Jefferson had. “Well, good evening, Mr. President. I assume all went well with Tecumseh?”
Madison replied, “Yes. We've agreed to a cease-fire, but whether he keeps his word or plunges a knife in our back is yet to be seen. Perhaps the man is truly honorable, at least for a primitive Indian, but due to the fact that he does take orders from London[6], he may feel compelled to take the path of least resistance.”
“I see. Well, in any case, sir, I have the latest reports from the frontlines.” Wilkinson replied.
“And that would be?” Madison asked.
“Perhaps you should look for yourself, sir.......”
[1]Another small Ohio town, generally in the vicinity of OTL's Frankfort.
[2]An important event that occurred between the U.S. & and the Native tribes not too much later onwards.
[3]Also called the Miami IOTL.
[4]A minor Native American tribe which had a little significance IOTL, but not quite on the level of say, the Shawnee, Cherokee, or Creek.
[5]Which, sadly, turned out to be true.
[6]Or at least, that's how Madison sees things at the moment.
--
Stars & Stripes #7: The Razing of Louisville
Taken from: "The Indian Wars And How They Shaped Native America"
(C) 1954 by Monty J. Little Bird
Thunderbird Native Press
Shawnee, Oklahoma: United States of America
Chapter 5: The Maumee Raids, Part I
While the destruction of Louisville in May of 1811 had seen participation by some Maumee warriors, that particular warband had been unorganized and was actually a rather strange mix consisting of Shawnees, Ouiatenon, and even a few Creeks and Cherokees who had traveled north to join forces with the anti-Washington coalition led by Tecumseh and some of the other Midwestern chiefs. However, though, Tecumseh was dismayed to learn of the civilian casualties that had occurred in the city, mostly caused by some of the more frenzied Maumee warriors, and though his attempts at peacemaking, including his July 15th visit to Washington had some success, he was not able to convince many of the Maumee to follow his lead, and by late July, 1811, the Maumee chief Little Beaver[1] was making plans to attack the Americans, this time with organization and greater numbers, although some arguments began to occur between the leaders of the Maumee bands concerning whether the right decision had been made, or if would end in total disaster for all involved. Some even threatened to leave for Tecumseh's camp if the war were to go on. On the other hand, a few of the pro-war Indians claimed that they would leave for the Canadas if their plans for starting conflicts anew were cancelled. Regardless, in the middle of the morning on August 17th, the Maumee forces began their first formal raid, this time directed towards the town of Tappan, Ohio, on the east bank. However, though, a Maumee scout and spy who had been hired by the U.S. Army had warned of the attack, and several dozen National Guardsmen, and militiamen came to meet the approximately 250 Maumees who where sweeping in a headlong rush towards Tappan and the surrounding area. The Maumee fought rather fericiously, with the militiamen taking heavy losses during the first 4 hours of the battle. Eventually, however, the National Guard's firepower began to turn the tables and many of the Indians began to fall to American bullets. It went downhill from there for the Maumees' war effort as the few dozen or so who hadn't been killed or captured were forced to retreat well into the Michigan Country by noon the next day. On August 20th, a small survey team was sent to Tappan to assess the damage that had been done...
--
Aug. 20, 1811
Tappan, Ohio State
United States of America
Captain John Wright[2] looked around the town of Tappan. "What a horrid mess.", he whispered quietly. He hadn't ever seen an Indian raid as bad as this one, or lived through any, for that matter.
"Yes, it certainly is. What a damn shame.", said Pvt. James Douglas. Much of the town had been ruined, despite the brevity of the combat, which had only lasted slightly over a day. Of the 423 people who once lived here, most had been been able to flee beforehand. But there were a few who couldn't, or wouldn't leave. 10 residents had perished, mostly, but not always, by crossfire.
"I hear those Injuns prob'ly raped a few of the women too.” claimed Pvt. Elijah Branston. “Now, now, Branston, we mustn't make such accusations without evidence. They may be Indians but they can't all be truly savage.” Wright replied, admonishing him in turn.
“But, sir, I-” chimed in Pvt. Douglas.
“Private, we can't assume such things without witnesses.” Wright turned around. “Now let's move forward, men!” *And hope we don't find any more horrors in town.*,[3] he thought to himself.
Stars & Stripes #8-The Beginning of the End of the Viceroyalty.
--
Extracted from “The Fall of the Spanish Empire, 1805-1929”
© 1956 By Victoria Patterson
Liberty Press
Sacramento, California, United States.
Chapter 4: The Flames of The Rebellion Are Lit
In the summer of 1808, things were already looking quite unfavorable for the Spanish Empire. Earlier that year, in April, Napoleon's army had been able to capture much of Catalonia, including Barcelona, without much heavy resistance. The French had also imprisoned several Spanish nobles as well, causing Fernando VII to flee Madrid for Buenos Aires, Argentina, as well as causing considerable debate in Madrid as to whether or not to surrender and capitulate to the advancing French, or continue the fighting, possibly risking an even more serious loss and harsher post-war consequences.
Meanwhile, in what was to become Mexico, things weren't looking well for the colonial government there, either. The imprisonment of Francisco Valenzuela and Alberto Galvez had only stoked the flames of discontent and rebellion instead of quenching them, as many of the members of the ruling class had hoped. On May 15th, a prison raid by a local rebel cell in Mexico City was able to free Valenzuela, Galvez, and over a dozen other political prisoners; this was viewed as such a success, that multiple additional operations were undertaken, including the one which freed pro-liberty priest Miguel Hidalgo who was incarcerated in Veracruz by some of the more corruptible authorities there. And as they did this, as well as planting flyers, and sparking protests, among other things, more and more people began to join their cause.
By the middle of July, government authority had begun to collapse in many parts of the country, and it was in the city of Ticoacan, Guanajuato, that the very first battle against Spanish authority began in Mexico, and the first Grito de Guerra[4] was uttered...
**Intermission**
[Well, folks, I've decided to do some intermissions every now & then. This very first one will be a look at an alternate version of OTL's Grito de Dolores.]
Recorded by:
Julian Walthers, University of Maryland, Baltimore.
© August, 1969.
Now, popular legend has it, that on the 13th of July, 1808, a small group of rebels gathered in the tiny Indian village of Ticoacan, Guanajuato, to brainstorm a new anthem for their fellows to chant, whether on the battlefield, or at home with their families and friends, not only as a tool of defiance against the Spanish, but as an expression of love for their new homeland. The next day, they had completed the song, and it went a little bit like this:
Our fellow Mexicans! Let us rejoice, for the time of liberation has come!
Long live the heroes who dared to resist the Spanish!
Long live Hidalgo!
Long live Morelos!
Long live MariaVallejo!
Long live Sanchez[5]!
Long live Senor Aldama!
Long live Galvez!
Long live Valenzuela!
Long live the homeland! Long live Mexico!
This song would eventually become incorporated into Mexico's national anthem.
**End of Intermission**
Chapter 5: Women in the Revolution
It may surprise some readers to learn that some of Mexico's female citizens did, in fact, play a significant role in the revolution even in it's early stages. Maria Vallejo, a 20-year-old seamstress from Coahuila, was responsible for gathering the first large scale peaceful protest during her stay in Saltillo on the morning of June 6th, 1808. 5,000 people came together in the middle of town to protest certain activities of the governor of that province, one Manuel Antonio Cordero y Bustamante, which included the total suppression of dissent, arresting random citizens without due cause, and even rumors of sanctioned murders of certain citizens who refused to toe the line, particularly in the bigger cities such as Saltillo or Torreon. The protestors were left alone for some time, but the Governor became rather weary of their grievances, and ordered the soldiers to start arresting people at some point around 9 am. However, though, that measure was only met with additional resistance, and the commander of the local garrison soon realized that this protest was not going to end without violence. He requested to step down, but just as he was preparing to cease the arrests, Bustamante ordered his execution for supposed treason, and at 9:23, shots rang out in the area, signaling his death. The new commander angrily ordered his men to fire at the protestors. And most of them did so, though some hesitated. The carnage that followed was to be forever recorded in the annals of Mexican history 'til the end of their nation's time and beyond. Over the next 6 hours, 183 protestors were to be killed by the soldiers who did fire upon them, until they ran out of ammunition. Some of the civilians fought back, however, and it is mostly because of this that 22 Spanish soldiers lost their lives(although one was to commit suicide towards the end because he couldn't stand the thought of firing upon his own people, as told by one revolutionary who cornered him near the governor's residence.). But, by 3 pm, the efforts of the governor were in vain, and not long after, the gates were broken through, and up to 1,000 of the angered protestors charged right into the grounds.
Just before the governor could leave his quarters at 3:50, a dozen of the protestors and their revolutionary allies barged through the door, some with weapons in hand. He immediately ordered his guards to subdue them, but they were quickly overpowered. One of the revolutionaries, Pablo Sanchez, grabbed the governor and held him hostage. Bustamante did have one final bargaining chip, however; Sanchez's 14-year-old daughter, Luisa, was being held hostage by one of the surviving guards. He then made demands to be allowed to leave for Mexico City and that the rebels in the area cease their activities at once, or suffer the full weight of the Spanish military crashing down on their heads.[6] This of course, didn't impress Sanchez at all, and he retorted with, as we are told, “You talk the talk, Mr. High-and-Mighty. But can you walk the walk, you child-abusing coward?”[7] Just then, the guard holding Luisa made a move for her, another revolutionary by the name of Sabina Santana shot him down, saving Pablo's daughter from an early death. She then turned her pistol towards the Governor, and uttered, “Any last words, you bastard son of the Crown?”, to which he is said to have retorted, “I will enjoy seeing you roast in the lowest circle of hell, you traitorous whore.”. She replied, “I'll live with it. Now prepare to meet your maker, Bustamante. May God forgive you, because Mexico may not.” Santana fired a single shot into the Governor's head, killing him instantly. Just as they were about to leave, however, another pair of the rebels had captured Vice-Governor Antonio Tejada, who had attempted to flee thru a back exit, and had almost made it before he tripped on a loose gun one of the fleeing guards had dropped. Despite his fears to the contrary, Tejada[8] was spared and allowed to rule as acting governor, though not all of Coahuila had been under their control just yet. But with 30,000 people now part of the rebel effort in that province, it wouldn't be long before the dominos were start to start falling not just there, but all over Mexico...
--
June 9, 1808
Near Saltillo, Coahuila Province
Viceroyalty of New Spain(recognized)
Mexican Democratic Republic(proclaimed)
Maria Vallejo stood in the middle in the patch of desert where she and some of her comrades had made camp the night before. It was only mid-morning but the summer sun was already beating down on them anyway. “Maria? Is it true that we can win this war against the Crown?”, said Sabina Santana, who was standing right next to her. The 20-year-old revolutionary had her doubts about the rebellion's chance of success due to the rather small amount of territory actually solidly held by the rebels, although not enough to consider giving up and raising the white flag, as it were. “Sabina, have a little faith in our efforts. We have a long road to travel, yes, but victory shall be ours eventually. The Viceroy will fall, and Spain will surrender our soverignty to us, where it rightfully belongs.” Maria replied with a hint of reassurance in her voice. “And there is no one who can stop us, from achieving our goals.” She smiled. This was only the beginning of the rise of Mexico......
--
July 16, 1808.
Near Leon, Intendancy of Guanajuato
Viceroyalty of New Spain(recognized)
Mexican Democratic Republic(proclaimed)
“Have you got the plans?” asked Alberto Galvez. “Of course I do, Alberto. I assume we are to start the attack soon?” replied Francisco Valenzuela. “Yes we are. We will strike thru the heart of Leon tomorrow morning.” Galvez asserted. He fervently hoped that this plan of his would work; Leon had only a few loyal soldiers that could reinforce the city, and at least some resident sympathetic to the rebels' cause. Although there were only 500 soldiers in the particular division that they had chose to accompany, things were looking up for them, at least as it seemed at the moment. “May God & the Virgin bless and protect us all.” Valenzuela whispered, as he faced westwards towards the sunset. He hoped his prayers for liberation would come true. Galvez “Asi. Then it's agreed. We rest tonight, and then we start towards Leon just before dawn. I have high hopes for our success, my friend. May Providence be on our side.”
--
Taken from: “Steel and Iron: The Expanded Encyclopedia of Military History, 1774-1941”
© 1955 William F. Marston
Hamilton Publishing Company: Salt Lake, U.S.A.[9]
The Mexican Revolution (April 28, 1808-September 7, 1812)
Was the one of the first major revolts against Spanish power in the Americas, with associated anti-colonial struggles in Florida, Dominica, and later on, Venezuela and Ecuador, precluded by a harsh crackdown against protesting civilians by local & provincial authorities in St. Augustine, Florida. The original cause of the Revolution was the imprisonment of two local civilians in what was still New Spain in 1807, Francisco Valenzuela, and Alberto Galvez. The men were charged with disrupting the peace and sedition, and were to be imprisoned for a total of 10 years for what the Crown prosecutor claimed was a serious attempt at inciting treason. This did not bode well to many of the people of Mexico Province and soon, a serious uprising began in the area. Throughout much of 1807 the Viceroyalty had to deal with growing numbers of protests and riots as word of the suppressions in Florida began to circulate. It also hadn't helped that many governors and other authorities went well above and beyond their orders and actually ordered mass arrests, and even, in some areas, sporadic executions. The spring and early summer of 1808, saw a number of important developments; April 27th was the day that the first declaration of independence and sovereignty from Spanish control was issued.
May 15th saw the successful jailbreak of Valenzuela, Galvez, and a dozen other political prisoners, several of whom would later participate in the military efforts of the rebels; June 6th saw the rebel takeover of Saltillo, Coahuila, when the manor of Governor Manuel Cordova was stormed, seized, and looted by angry protestors who had been fired upon by some of his troops, with Cordova himself being executed by the rebels, and on July 17th, the first major battle began, in the city of Leon, Guanajuato, just before dawn...
--
Taken from “Revolucionarios! Stories of the Mexican Revolution, And The People Who Fought In It”
© 1952 Dr. Josiah A. Spencer, Lipton University
Popular Press.[10]
San Francisco, California: United States of America
It was just before 5 am in the city of Leon on the morning of July 17th. Nothing stirred here nor there, except for the occasional citizen on the street or rotation of the guard. The city was as quiet as it could possibly be. Or so it would continue, were it not for the nearly rebel division who stood nearby. Then, an order was given. The rebels were about to advance.
They rushed by the hundreds, yelling their war cry as they stormed the city. The few soldiers who still resided in the outskirts of Leon were completely overwhelmed, and the rebels made quick work of the frontline Spaniards in only 30 minutes' time. The rest of them, however, had holed themselves in various buildings across the city, and the rebels spent over 12 hours trying to clear them all out. But when it came their time to engage in urban warfare, many of them quickly realized that they actually excelled at it, though some found other ways to fight. One rebel reportedly tricked a pair of Spanish soldiers by mimicking the accent of a Spanish noblewoman in need of assistance. But when the one of the Spaniards rushed out, the rebel tripped him and he fell 2 stories, breaking his back, with the other one following him, having been kicked squarely in the hind quarters. Another rebel, it's said, managed to tie a Spanish commander to a loose cannonball with some heavy-duty rope that he found laying around; he then inserted it into the nearby cannon, lit the fuse, and got the Spaniard's attention. Just after the commander noticed the prank, he turned around to berate the Mexican, but as he started to do so he saw the lit fuse and his jaw dropped wide open in astonishment. The rebel made a witty comment, and the cannon shot it's payload, taking the Spaniard with it. One of the small number of women in the area was highly talented as a seductress of any man she could find, and she was able to distract one of the lead commanders during the night before a comrade of hers stabbed him in the back.[11] Of course, quick thinking wasn't the only thing the rebels had on their side; many were rural peasants who had grown up in the more mountainous regions across the country, and to some amongst them, these buildings were basically like the mountains of their youth, only much flatter and the insides were as caves. The battle lasted for about 48 more hours; the Spanish managed to send 2 waves of reinforcements, although they too, were without success in purging the rebel presence. Just before the rebels completed their securing of Leon on the 19th , one of the surviving Spanish commanders came up and actually surrendered before the rebels, prostrated. After a little debate, the man was allowed to live, but not before he was stripped of his uniform and weapons; he was then forced to leave the city on foot.
And so it was. Though about half of the rebels had given their lives for the revolution, the Spanish losses were much worse; 1,500 of them had perished trying to halt the advance of the revolucionarios into Leon. With the capital of Guanajuato in their hands, the Mexican rebels regrouped and turned northward in search of the next target, while gaining a massive swell of supporters and fellow travelers along the way...
--
Taken from: “The Wars That Impacted World History, Volume II: The Colonial Revolutions”
© 1966 by Teresa Kuresaki
Satoshi-Kura College
Tokyo, Japan
English Translation by Kuresaki & Robert Warranga, Oceanic University: Ballarat[OTL's Wollongong], New South Wales. All rights reserved.
Chapter 5a: The Mexican Front: Beginnings.
The sacking of Leon, Guanajuato on July 17th, 1808, was the first successful official military operation that the revolutionaries had undertaken. A feeling of boldness swept their ranks, and many of the leaders began to debate amongst themselves concerning where they could strike next. Several plans were discussed, but it was eventually decided that they could attempt a manuever which involved one group made a northward progression through what is now called Sanchez Valley[12]to the city of Aguascalientes. It was hoped that they could then run through northern New Galicia towards Zacatecas.
Another group was to make an advancement to San Luis Potosi, in hopes of possibly gaining access to the silver mines, and then the third and final detachment was to head to the southeast towards Irapuato and Celaya, where they hoped to find people sympathetic to their cause.
By the end of July, 8,000 persons now made up the ranks of the rebels under the direct control of FranciscoValenzuela, including the original 1,150 surviving veterans under their command. 5,000 rebels answered to Miguel Hidalgo, and at least 7,000 people were grouped under the leadership of Juan Morelos. Most of them were ragtag militias, but it was hoped by most of the leaders, Hidalgo and Valenzuela in particular, that perhaps at least some of them could survive to gain some experience with each passing battle. On the morning of July 30th, the men set off for their predetermined targets.
The first of the battles that occurred was to take place in and near the city of Guanajuato starting at 8 am on July 31st . The battle took place in four stages; the first was began a 2 hour pass through some of the mountains and hills north of the city by, taking out a number of the guard posts which had recently been erected in the area; this offensive was successful, but did result in the loss of about 50 of about 2,000 of Hidalgo's men. Next, about an hour, after the start of the first offensive, a group of about 500 rebels, many on horseback, began to straddle the outskirts of the city, eliminating a fair number of encamped Viceroyal soldiers who had largely been caught by surprise, and then moving out to provide additional support to both their comrades approaching the city, and those in the mountains just to the north. The third offensive involved the other 2,500 rebels in the front of the city, making a direct beeline for the city of Guanajuato itself. Unfortunately, they had underestimated the number of Spaniards who had garrisoned there; they now faced up to 4,000 Viceroyal troops who were now ready for battle and all too eager to fight to the death for the Crown. The insurgents had significant trouble trying to advance, and although they had been able to inflict some casualties on the Spaniards for the next 8 hours, they also suffered serious losses on their side, with as many 1,800 of them perishing in the battle. However, though, just as many of the Mexicans thought the battle to be lost, at around 5:30 pm, their comrades in the mountains rushed through the southern pass into Guanajuato, yelling their signature war cry; the fourth and final offensive had begun. The Spaniards were caught almost completely off guard as their rear flank was swarmed; although a few of them managed to get some shots off at the charging rebels, most were to unable to compensate for the oversight, and within 2 hours, most of the Viceroyal troops had either been killed or captured. One of the Spanish commanders, fearing for his life, divulged some valuable information to the rebels, particularly concerning troop movements in and around the Zacatecas area.
Hidalgo believed this to be promising for the war effort, so he sent a couple of scouts out to find Alberto Galvez, who had stayed behind in their camp just northwest of Leon. Early the next morning, Galvez heard the good news; he in turn, sent for a couple of his scouts to find Valenzuela's men...
--
August 1, 1808
Aguascalientes, New Galicia
Viceroyalty of New Spain(recognized)
Mexican Democratic Republic(proclaimed)
Francisco Valenzuela stood in the middle of the town with about 1,000 of his men. They needed rest after a couple of days' worth of marching towards Zacatecas so he let them stop here, since no Viceroyal troops had bothered to stop in the small town yet. Valenzuela was about to sit down himself, when suddenly, the galloping of hooves marked the arrival of a messenger, or rather, two of them.
“Greetings, and you might be?” he asked the two men. One of them replied quickly.“We were sent here by your close comrade Galvez. He sends you his best regards.” “That's good.” said Valenzuela. “Any news of their advance on Guanajuato?” he asked. The other scout replied, “That's what he sent us for. Galvez and his company requested us to inform you that one of the Spanish commandantes they captured gave us valuable information. Several divisions are headed towards Zacatecas to reinforce those Viceroyal troops already in the city, starting tomorrow evening.” Valenzuela smiled. “Good then. We'll start in a couple of hours, right at the start of dawn.” “I wish you good luck, sir.” Said one of the horsemen before he rode off back to Galvez's position. “Godspeed my friend.” Valenzuela said softly as the two scouts as they disappeared from view. He then turned to his men, all now awake and ready to receive their orders. “Alright men! The time has come to strike towards Zacatecas. I hope and expect for nothing less than your bravest conduct and your best fighting skills. Are you ready to earn more glory, for the motherland?” They all responded quite vigorously. “Si, comandante!” “VIVA MEXICO!” Valenzuela yelled as they started off for the city...
--
Taken from: “The Wars That Impacted World History, Volume II: The Colonial Revolutions”
© 1966 by Teresa Kuresaki
Satoshi-Kura College
Tokyo, Japan
English Translation by Kuresaki & Robert Warranga, Oceanic University: Ballarat[OTL's Wollongong], New South Wales. All rights reserved.
Chapter 5b: The Mexican Front: The Battles of Zacatecas & San Luis Potosi
Late in the morning of August 2nd, Francisco Valenzuela and some of his men arrived at a small post not far to the south of Zacatecas. The plan that Valenzuela and some of his allies had drawn up was to attempt to lead about 1,000 of his men to have the Spaniards chase them around the area, while the main force backed up for a little while to allow them some room. The 1,000 men would split up into groups of five and try to force the Royalists into the middle of town while the main Revolutionary force came up from their rear. The plan started to be put into action at noon, and all 1,000 of the diversionaries immediately set out to do their jobs. Unfortunately, the actions didn't go quite as planned; a few of the Spaniards had figured out the ruse, and actually started to go the other way, and the rebels had a hard time figuring out who should go off in which direction for a while. However, though, one rebel commander suggested that they try a circular faux retreat instead, and this new plan was acted on immediately. It worked much better than expected; they were not only able to circle the city, but were able to go all the way into the middle of the core. As soon as Valenzuela's scouts saw the success of their comrades' actions, they charged towards the Spaniards. Although as many as 500 of the rebels had perished, the Royalists were about to get a very nasty surprise indeed. Only too late, they saw the 5,000 rebels charging behind them, and even worse, dozens of the other rebels were coming in from other directions. It was a slaughterfest; of the 8,000 Spanish troops who had been sent to Zacatecas, perhaps only 300 survived, compared to about 700 rebel losses. The operation had been a complete success, as the entire city was now in their hands; not only that, but they even gained a significant boosting of their ranks, from some very grateful citizens...
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August 3, 1808
Zacatecas, New Galicia
Viceroyalty of New Spain(recognized)
Mexican Democratic Republic(proclaimed)
In the city of Zacatecas, the recently-liberated inhabitants still cheered their saviors as they had the night before, after the last surviving, non-captured Spanish troops retreated from the city at full speed, and it already seemed that nothing could stop them from achieving victory over all Mexico. Francisco Valenzuela realized, however, that this was only the beginning, and that much more testing challenges were yet to lay ahead for them; the Spanish still had many troops in Mexico and he knew that if Fernando VII were to flee Spain due to the wars in Europe, the Crown would waste no time trying to secure at least some of the colonies, possibly including Mexico, even if their successes on the battlefield were to continue at the rate that they had been.
However, it was also clear that many of the people were on the side of the revolucionarios; even if Spain could throw a half million troops at this place, it would take up to a decade or more to get rid of all the freedom fighters, at least, in the very worst case scenario. The main question, in his mind, wasn't “Will we lose?”, but rather “How soon can we win, and how many casualties will we have to endure before this land is liberated?” Suddenly, someone spoke.
“Sir?” asked a revolutionary.
“Yes, what is it?” Valenzuela replied.
“How long should we stick around?”
“Two weeks, at least. We have people joining our ranks every day, but the Spanish will want to make a few more attempts to take this area back from us. Prepare yourself, things could turn rough soon.”
“Aye, sir. May the Virgin protect us.” The revolutionary went back to his post. Valenzuela indeed hoped that divine intervention would continue to be on their side, as many of his comrades believed.
--
Taken from: “The Wars That Impacted World History, Volume II: The Colonial Revolutions”
© 1966 by Teresa Kuresaki
Satoshi-Kura College
Tokyo, Japan
English Translation by Kuresaki & Robert Warranga, Oceanic University: Ballarat, New South Wales. All rights reserved.
Continued from Chapter 5b
While Valenzuela's army marched towards Zacatecas, and Hidalgo's in the direction of Irapuato, Morelos and his men made it their objective to capture the vital silver mining town of San Luis Potosi. On August 2nd, right around noon, they arrived not too far from the town of San Felipe. Although some confusion was present at first following their arrival, it was eventually decided that the men would split into two teams, one heading off the to the northwest, and one to the northeast. with Morelos commanding the former. A trusted ally of his, Miguel Dominguez[13], headed the other. With that settled, they started off in the middle of the afternoon for on their respective paths. Dominguez had little trouble with the Royalists, though Morelos had to deal with an ambush not far north of the town of Ocampo, with about 200 men lost. However, though, along the way, Morelos's contingent gained another 500 men, mostly peasants from Ocampo & Arriaga, which more than compensated for their earlier loss. Unfortunately, another setback occurred not long after; unseasonably hot weather had begun to settle in the area; temperatures on occasion could soar as high as 105*F, which caused serious delays in their advancement towards San Luis. Meanwhile, Dominguez and his men had their own issues to deal with; a rockslide early on the morning of August 3rd had killed at least 50 of the fighters. It would take hours to clear all the debris, and a small number of the men had been so exhausted afterwards that they had to be left behind so that their lack of mobility wouldn't hinder the progress of their brethren in arms. At 11 o'clock they were once again on the move towards San Luis.
Morelos had made better progress and by sunset they had reached the very outskirts of the city. It was soon decided that they would rest for the night in a couple of hours and then charge the Spaniards. At 5:40 a.m. the next morning, the revolucionarios, having been well-rested, once they heard their leader Morelos yell out the rebel anthem, charged straight for the city, weapons in hand.
The battle that followed was a rather slow one at first; a Royalist captain who had been awake at the time heard the noise and alerted a few of his fellows to the imminent siege, and a few dozen Royalist troops came out to meet the rebels. Unfortunately for the rebels, many of them had no guns and over 100 were badly slaughtered by the initial defensive wave. Soon, many more Royalist soldiers steadily came out to meet the advancing rebels, and over the next 24 hours, a stalemate developed between the two armies. Meanwhile, Dominguez and his allies had ran across a few backup Spanish divisions later in the morning and spent around 8-9 hours trying to eradicate them. Worse still, by the time they reached the outskirts of the city, several more divisions had camped out by the city, and it took over a day to fight them all off. This, unfortunately, had allowed a serious reduction in the forces of Morelos, who decided to move back a ways to allow them a little breathing room. It was also hoped by both armies that Dominguez could be able to break through and carry out a surprise attack on the Royalists' rear flanks, but that hope began to die as the battle wore on, with Morelos in particular suffering a somewhat heavy loss. However, though, a major breakthrough came in the middle of the morning of August the 7th when Dominguez's fighters finally broke thru and began to charge into San Luis itself. The Royalist commander, Juan de la Cruz, realized the seriousness of the developing situation and immediately ordered about 2,000 of his remaining men to meet the oncoming rebels. Fortunately for Morelos and Dominguez however, De La Cruz and his advisors had quite strongly overestimated the number of rebels headed westward, and at the same time, underestimated the number of Morelos's men to their south-west. Many of the front line Spaniards were massacred when they collided with the Morelos group, and even worse, a couple hundred of the rebels, some on horse back, had managed to elude the battle altogether and were able to charge behind the divisions who had gone to intercept Dominguez and his troops; they too, were utterly destroyed.
As a last resort, De La Cruz ordered his remaining forces to scatter across the city and to continue the warfare in the various buildings in the area, in the hope that reinforcements would soon come. They never did. Though Morelos and Dominguez had one last challenge to overcome, by the end of August 9th , their goal had been achieved. San Luis Potosi was now theirs; De La Cruz, however, had escaped, his whereabouts unknown for the time being...
--
August 9, 1808
Near San Luis Potosi
Viceroyalty of New Spain(recognized)
Mexican Democratic Republic(proclaimed)
Juan De La Cruz was exhausted after his escape San Luis Potosi. He cursed the names of those two men, Morelos and Dominguez, who had taken that city of silver from its rightful owners, and put it in the hands of these dogs, these peasants, these indios. The very thought of his failure made shivers go down his spine, despite the unusually warm weather this evening. He turned to the few men still loyal to him, and spoke, “Men! You have seen the pillage of the city of San Luis Potosi and its displacement from our hands in those of savages and miscreants. We have little in the way of resources, and many of our fellows have been felled by the scroundrels calling themselves the “Mexicans”, and their allies, including the traitor Dominguez, whose treachery shall forever be recorded in the annals of Hispanic history. Now, we must regroup, and head to Mexico City. It is my personal mission to retake the city San Luis, and restore it to its rightful owners. We shall rest now, for tomorrow, our quest, shall begin!”. Despite their lack of energy many of the men cheered their commander's rather short speech.They, too, wished for revenge...[14]
--
August 10, 1808
San Luis Potosi, Mexico(proclaimed)
Miguel Dominguez awoke on this fine morning to good spirits. He, and his comrade in arms, Juan Morelos had just completed their mission. However, though the whereabouts of the enemy commander De La Cruz, was still unknown to either of them. Not long after, a man on horseback rode up to Dominguez's position.
“Sir.”
“Good morning, I assume you may have some news concerning our old friend De La Cruz?” Dry wit was essential to keeping one's spirits up in such a situation, he thought.
The horseman answered, “Yes, but I fear it may not be good. It seems he was able to escape with about 2 dozen of his men. It's quite possible he could head for either Monterrey or Mexico City, and that reinforcements may try to retake this area. Your recommendation, sir?”
“We should gather up as many recruits we can muster. There are many in this area who no longer support the Crown, and some are fit enough to join our ranks if they wish.” replied Dominguez.
“Anything else sir?”
“No. Send Senor Morelos my best regards.” Morelos's camp was just outside San Luis in case the Royalists attempted to retake the city thru the most important road.
“Thank you.” said the horseman as he rode off.
[1] As far as I know, no significant figure existed IOTL. Assume that this man was a nobody who rose to the rank of chief thru warfare.
[2]He was a minor figure IOTL, but a relatively decent one.
[3] Understandable; some of these raids could get pretty nasty.
[4]'Cry of War', in English. The ATL version of the 'Grito de Dolores'
[5]Victor Sanchez is an ATL figure I introduced into the story; just assume he was an average Joe who just happened to find a place in the annals of history.
[6]A real threat that the Spanish government most certainly could have tried to act on, especially if Napoleon and his men were able to capture the city of Madrid. The thinking here is, “Why not just try to reinforce our colonies while leaving enough men to fight for our nation?”
[7]Sanchez will be remembered for his cojones for a very long time to come ITTL.
[8]Tejada was a somewhat minor figure in OTL 1808: at that time, he was the Vice-Governor of Coahuila.
[9] You may be hearing quite a bit about the ATL Salt Lake one of these days. Try to guess what the state's name will be? =)
[10] An ATL San Francisco publishing company known for its more layman and youth-oriented books. Josiah Spencer adds a touch of humor to his writings here, drawing directly from the tales of those who actually lived thru the war.
[11]Now that's what I call a battle axe! Get it? =)
[12]De La Cruz will be featured elsewhere. Trust me, like Cortez, he too, will play an important role during, and even after the revolutions.........
*****
Hope you liked these first chapters, because there will definitely be more.
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