Fenians, Brits, Mexicans, Canucks and Frenchies....OH, MY! An alternate American Civil War

Chapter 141
July-August, 1874

Northern France

As the German forces marched through northeastern France, the weaknesses of the French military system proved apparent. Even if the French had not been warring with one another, the likely result would be chaos.

The French General Staff, whether Republican or Imperial, had never matched the preparations of the Prussian-inspired German system. The entirely of the French strategy over the past decade involved trench-style combat using the inherent advantages of the new weapons of war, not the least being the exquisite Chassepot. The French had studied the effect of the rapid-firing repeaters in America and realized that the old massed infantry formations would swiftly be thing of the past. War was expected to be more defensive.

When the Germans reached open ground southwest of Luxembourg, the modest French preparations for battle against Germany were thrown out the window.

Worse, the French reserves system, though planned out quite well in years past by Field Marshall Niel, had never been implemented to any real degree. The organization of the call-up system was deeply flawed to non-existent. Proper arms and leadership were not in abundance nor a plan how to house and feed the reserves. Given that most French reservists were being called up by both sides of the Civil War, the majority simply stayed home.

The Guard Mobile, essentially a National Guard, was similarly poorly trained and organized and often wasn't worth the trouble of calling up.

The French Army was professional but the Republican forces lacked high-ranking leaders and the Imperial Generals often were forced to defer to the mercurial Napoleon III.

Thus neither side adequately prepared for the German attack.

The Germans, on the other hand, had adapted the Prussian reserves system in which men served a fixed term in the army and then went with their entire regiment into the reserves. Thus, when these men were called up, the organization was already in place with well-situated munition dumps, familiar officers and the same men who the reserves had trained with. This effectively allowed the German to dispatch the majority of their army across the border and have reserves called up within weeks...or sometimes even days to garrison Germany.

The new Mausers and Werder Rifles had largely replaced the old Dreyse Needle Guns and were a reasonable match for the Chassepot. The new Krupp 6-pounder was the standard for German artillery and was a magnificent weapon. The French La Hitte's and older model Krupps were a significant step down.

The Germans had, like the French, realized that wide formations of advancing infantry was a thing of the past. However, rather than assuming defensive trench warfare, the German strategy trended towards smaller units moving quickly and autonomously to avoid the murderous fire of modern weapons.

This would haunt the French Imperials as the Emperor's forces marching from Lyon were intercepted by the German Army near Dijan. The Emperor commanded his army to form a traditional line on some higher ground only to find that the Germans were executing a pincer movement as their artillery bombarded the French. Striking entirely at the flanks, the Germans moved far quicker than the French thought possible and managed to take the French by surprise.

The French flanks collapsed and soon much of the army was caught in a pocket, with only a narrow lane of escape to the south. Believing that the Germans were vulnerable to a direct attack, Napoleon III would order his troops FORWARD, instead of back, their light infantry and cavalry sweeping forward upon the massed German Artillery. This would prove deadly as thousands were killed by the rapid-firing, accurate and long-ranged weapons.

By this time, the Germans were pushing from the west and east into the "pocket" which began to collapse in the middle, forming two "bulges". The southern "bulge" would retreat southwards back toward Lyon in confusion. The northern would remain tightly packed and completely surrounded. It was this "bulge" which contained the Emperor and his two top Generals.

Running low on supplies, the French attempted several breakouts but each failed to free more than a few regiments. MacMahan managed to escape in one of these while Bazaine led another on a daring northern route which took the Germans by surprise. . However, the Emperor's attempt to flee with some cavalry was intercepted by a brigade of Uhlans and the Emperor captured after his horse was shot out from under him.

MacMahan would managed to escape south to reorganize the remnant of his army in Lyon.

Bazaine's wild flight northward would end with him fleeing to the Metz fortress only to be arrested by the new commander. The previous commander had been an affirmed Imperialist but had gotten his head blown off the previous week while inspecting some fortifications. HIs second in command had Republican sympathy and would seize Bazaine and the few hundred cavalry who had accompanied him.

The Republican defense of Paris was even more botched as the poorly led army failed to dig adequate defenses from the eastern side despite weeks of warning.

Only 40,000 of the primary Republican Army based in Paris were positioned to face the Germans when the initial attack arrived. The German commander effectively feinted with an attack on the French right flank, with German cavalry sweeping along the right. As the French moved their forces to intercept, the primary German thrust struck the French left. In less than a day, the French army had been routed, leaving 5000 Dead and 15,000 prisoners.

The bulk of the remaining Republican Army was actually SOUTH of Paris still guarding against an Imperial attack despite the evidence that the Emperor had his own problems in Dijan.

This left the Germans a near open road to the Capital. The advance German columns would encounter the Guard in the streets and easily brushed the amateurs aside. The remaining French army of 50,000, plus about 10,000 of the previous defenders which had been gathered from the fiasco to the east of Paris, would trod into the city until the Republican Leader Gambetta effectively ordered them back. The last thing he wanted was to turn Paris into a street-fighting nightmare.

Instead, the Republicans pulled back into the countryside and prepared for a siege. This would prove unnecessary as the Germans had no intention of wasting time in the City of Light. The same German army marched steadfastly through the city and into the southwestern countryside.

The French, urged on by the Republican politicians, would make the mistake of arranging their forces into massed formations which would have made Napoleon I proud but were obviously outdated. Given that the aged General in command of the Republican forces had actually KNOWN Napoleon I in his youth said it all.

After yet another massive bloodbath, the outnumbered Germans again repulsed the French Republicans. Indeed, the French were lucky that the Germans didn't have time for another envelopment maneuver. Instead, the French suffered 15,000 dead or wounded in one day while leaving 10,000 prisoners and a large amount of war material behind.

Had Napoleon I been present to see this French shame, he probably would have vomited in rage.
 
July-August, 1874

Northern France

However, the Emperor's attempt to flee with some cavalry was intercepted by a brigade of Uhlans and the Emperor captured after his horse was shot out from under him.

MacMahan would managed to escape south to reorganize the remnant of his army in Lyon.

Bazaine's wild flight northward would end with him fleeing to the Metz fortress only to be arrested by the new commander. The previous commander had been an affirmed Imperialist but had gotten his head blown off the previous week while inspecting some fortifications. HIs second in command had Republican sympathy and would seize Bazaine and the few hundred cavalry who had accompanied him.

The Republican defense of Paris was even more botched as the poorly led army failed to dig adequate defenses from the eastern side despite weeks of warning.

Only 40,000 of the primary Republican Army based in Paris were positioned to face the Germans when the initial attack arrived. The German commander effectively feinted with an attack on the French right flank, with German cavalry sweeping alonghe right. As the French moved their forces to intercept, the primary German thrust struck the French left. In less than a day, the French army had been routed, leaving 5000 Dead and 15,000 prisoners.

This left the Germans a near open road to the Capital. The advance German columns would encounter the Guard in the streets and easily brushed the amateurs aside. The remaining French army of 50,000, plus about 10,000 of the previous defenders which had been gathered from the fiasco to the east of Paris, would trod into the city until the Republican Leader Gambetta effectively ordered them back. The last thing he wanted was to turn Paris into a street-fighting nightmare.



After yet another massive bloodbath, the outnumbered Germans again repulsed the French Republicans. Indeed, the French were lucky that the Germans didn't have time for another envelopment maneuver. Instead, the French suffered 15,000 dead or wounded in one day while leaving 10,000 prisoners and a large amount of war material behind.
About this war seems that the phrase plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (the more that changes, the more it's the same thing/the more things change, the more they seems to stay) would be a perfect met for TTL Second French Empire war against Germany/Prussia.
 
July-August, 1874

Northern France

As the German forces marched through northeastern France, the weaknesses of the French military system proved apparent. Even if the French had not been warring with one another, the likely result would be chaos.

The French General Staff, whether Republican or Imperial, had never matched the preparations of the Prussian-inspired German system. The entirely of the French strategy over the past decade involved trench-style combat using the inherent advantages of the new weapons of war, not the least being the exquisite Chassepot. The French had studied the effect of the rapid-firing repeaters in America and realized that the old massed infantry formations would swiftly be thing of the past. War was expected to be more defensive.

When the Germans reached open ground southwest of Luxembourg, the modest French preparations for battle against Germany were thrown out the window.

Worse, the French reserves system, though planned out quite well in years past by Field Marshall Niel, had never been implemented to any real degree. The organization of the call-up system was deeply flawed to non-existent. Proper arms and leadership were not in abundance nor a plan how to house and feed the reserves. Given that most French reservists were being called up by both sides of the Civil War, the majority simply stayed home.

The Guard Mobile, essentially a National Guard, was similarly poorly trained and organized and often wasn't worth the trouble of calling up.

The French Army was professional but the Republican forces lacked high-ranking leaders and the Imperial Generals often were forced to defer to the mercurial Napoleon III.

Thus neither side adequately prepared for the German attack.

The Germans, on the other hand, had adapted the Prussian reserves system in which men served a fixed term in the army and then went with their entire regiment into the reserves. Thus, when these men were called up, the organization was already in place with well-situated munition dumps, familiar officers and the same men who the reserves had trained with. This effectively allowed the German to dispatch the majority of their army across the border and have reserves called up within weeks...or sometimes even days to garrison Germany.

The new Mausers and Werder Rifles had largely replaced the old Dreyse Needle Guns and were a reasonable match for the Chassepot. The new Krupp 6-pounder was the standard for German artillery and was a magnificent weapon. The French La Hitte's and older model Krupps were a significant step down.

The Germans had, like the French, realized that wide formations of advancing infantry was a thing of the past. However, rather than assuming defensive trench warfare, the German strategy trended towards smaller units moving quickly and autonomously to avoid the murderous fire of modern weapons.

This would haunt the French Imperials as the Emperor's forces marching from Lyon were intercepted by the German Army near Dijan. The Emperor commanded his army to form a traditional line on some higher ground only to find that the Germans were executing a pincer movement as their artillery bombarded the French. Striking entirely at the flanks, the Germans moved far quicker than the French thought possible and managed to take the French by surprise.

The French flanks collapsed and soon much of the army was caught in a pocket, with only a narrow lane of escape to the south. Believing that the Germans were vulnerable to a direct attack, Napoleon III would order his troops FORWARD, instead of back, their light infantry and cavalry sweeping forward upon the massed German Artillery. This would prove deadly as thousands were killed by the rapid-firing, accurate and long-ranged weapons.

By this time, the Germans were pushing from the west and east into the "pocket" which began to collapse in the middle, forming two "bulges". The southern "bulge" would retreat southwards back toward Lyon in confusion. The northern would remain tightly packed and completely surrounded. It was this "bulge" which contained the Emperor and his two top Generals.

Running low on supplies, the French attempted several breakouts but each failed to free more than a few regiments. MacMahan managed to escape in one of these while Bazaine led another on a daring northern route which took the Germans by surprise. . However, the Emperor's attempt to flee with some cavalry was intercepted by a brigade of Uhlans and the Emperor captured after his horse was shot out from under him.

MacMahan would managed to escape south to reorganize the remnant of his army in Lyon.

Bazaine's wild flight northward would end with him fleeing to the Metz fortress only to be arrested by the new commander. The previous commander had been an affirmed Imperialist but had gotten his head blown off the previous week while inspecting some fortifications. HIs second in command had Republican sympathy and would seize Bazaine and the few hundred cavalry who had accompanied him.

The Republican defense of Paris was even more botched as the poorly led army failed to dig adequate defenses from the eastern side despite weeks of warning.

Only 40,000 of the primary Republican Army based in Paris were positioned to face the Germans when the initial attack arrived. The German commander effectively feinted with an attack on the French right flank, with German cavalry sweeping along the right. As the French moved their forces to intercept, the primary German thrust struck the French left. In less than a day, the French army had been routed, leaving 5000 Dead and 15,000 prisoners.

The bulk of the remaining Republican Army was actually SOUTH of Paris still guarding against an Imperial attack despite the evidence that the Emperor had his own problems in Dijan.

This left the Germans a near open road to the Capital. The advance German columns would encounter the Guard in the streets and easily brushed the amateurs aside. The remaining French army of 50,000, plus about 10,000 of the previous defenders which had been gathered from the fiasco to the east of Paris, would trod into the city until the Republican Leader Gambetta effectively ordered them back. The last thing he wanted was to turn Paris into a street-fighting nightmare.

Instead, the Republicans pulled back into the countryside and prepared for a siege. This would prove unnecessary as the Germans had no intention of wasting time in the City of Light. The same German army marched steadfastly through the city and into the southwestern countryside.

The French, urged on by the Republican politicians, would make the mistake of arranging their forces into massed formations which would have made Napoleon I proud but were obviously outdated. Given that the aged General in command of the Republican forces had actually KNOWN Napoleon I in his youth said it all.

After yet another massive bloodbath, the outnumbered Germans again repulsed the French Republicans. Indeed, the French were lucky that the Germans didn't have time for another envelopment maneuver. Instead, the French suffered 15,000 dead or wounded in one day while leaving 10,000 prisoners and a large amount of war material behind.

Had Napoleon I been present to see this French shame, he probably would have vomited in rage.
Well there goes France as a great power for the next decade at least! Especially with no one willing or able to assist them.
 
Chapter 142
September, 1874

London


First Lord of the Treasury William Gladstone had just returned from yet another tiresome meeting with the Queen. It was obvious that the woman abhorred him in a manner unmatched for any of the other Prime Ministers of her reign. Why the woman was so intransigent was beyond Gladstone. He was always willing to explain his moral decisions....if one the Queen was inclined to listen.

For the most part, news from India was....acceptable? Was that the word?

Areas in open revolt were becoming scarcer. However, the Viceroy's actions were questioned in some quarters (not with Gladstone, however). For over a year, the Raj's government had arrested all who "stirred up trouble", usually the educated classes, by calling for more Indian autonomy and representation in politics and government.

However, John Lawrence was taking this a bit too far for some tastes (again, not for Gladstone's taste). He was not only releasing virtually all non-violent detainees but even invited many of them to Calcutta to publicly discuss their concerns. In some cases, the man even assigned them to committees to concern various types of reform. Two were even put on the Viceroy's own council (previously entirely exclusive to the British).

Several unpopular measures or laws or taxes among the Indian people had been withdrawn. This did much to placate the leaders of the rebellion.

Vast numbers of "rebels" were granted amnesty. Summary executions forbidden. There would be no cases of Indian Mutineers tied to the front of cannons and blown to pieces under John Lawrence.

Within six months of arrival, the cunning administrator had actually turned many of Britain's most hardline detractors in India to his service by pointing out that, should the Raj be abandoned tomorrow, the subcontinent would be awash in blood and chaos. The educated classes of India knew this quite well and also knew that the economy would be in shambles without a strong central government.

Until the British had arrived, the subcontinent had rarely been truly united. Even the Mughal Empire was extensively decentralized and that had collapsed long ago. Indeed, the very idea of an "Indian People" in any collective sense was more a foreign concept than domestic. Many of the educated Indians had been reared among natives of the entire subcontinent in their boarding schools and colleges. It was only here that a true cross-section of the "Indian People" could be found.

In truth, Gladstone was doubtful that the subcontinent even COULD be held in perpetuity. One could not govern vast numbers of people from afar without eventually leading to rebellion. And Britain could put down a hundred mutinies and still be in danger of losing India. India only needed to win once and that would be the end of the Raj.

The improving situation would improve his modest majority in Parliament's position even more than the shocking collapse of the French Empire.

Napoleon III had played his game...and lost.

The fact that Britain would not be responsible for the end of the French Empire was regrettable....but in the end didn't matter much.

By this point, Gladstone's government was more than willing to let the Germans bleed for a while instead of Britons.

Kyoto

Though he felt some hesitation, the Emperor would agree to the radical and aggressive plan emerging from the Admiralty.

The Japanese Navy had only recently been consolidated into something resembling a coherent formation. The embarrassing defeat to the Chinese had reminded the Emperor of the great financial advantages of China, with her huge population.

The truth was that Japan could not compete with China in terms of resources. Japan itself did not have very much in the way of mining beyond some iron and coal. It would need access to huge quantities of assorted raw materials and no sure way to receive them on a regular basis.

It was obvious that SOMETHING needed to be done.

With the Mandarin apparently renewing her tributary relationship in Vietnam and the French being evicted, that left few contenders for power in the region (really only Britain and China were left).

The Emperor's advisors stated that there was NO WAY that Japan could challenge Britain on the high seas, not for a VERY long time. However, there remained two petty colonial powers remaining in the western Pacific that DID NOT have the military capacity of Great Britain or China.

It was here that Japan would gain access to vital resources to continue her modernization. Augmented by three "Kalamazoo" class ships produced in America and a fleet of older vessels, the Emperor would approve an expedition to the Spanish colony of Manila and assume control over the mining and agricultural capacity of the Philippines. 20,000 Japanese troops would follow in transports for occupation.

If all went well, another 10,000 soldiers would follow the fleet towards the next destination: Dutch Java. Here was a rich source of oil, rubber and other vital products.

The Hague

Charles T. Gorham of the United States had been appointed to the Hague as American Ambassador in 1870. In truth, he'd made no major mistakes, which was job #1 for an ambassador. The America-Dutch relations were going fine. Trade agreements were mutually beneficial and generally the two nations could be called "friends", thus Gorham had a bit of a cushy assignment.

Over the past months, the Ambassador would be as shocked as the rest of Europe over the astounding events in France, first the Civil War and then the German invasion. Gorham would have been good money that the French would have evicted the disunited Germans with little effort. However, the nation appeared on the brink of collapse.

In September of 1874, the Ambassador was called to a meeting with King Willem III and his advisors. They would inquire of the Ambassador if President Seward's offer of purchasing the Dutch West Indies was still valid. Gorham, who had not been even AWARE that Seward had once offered to purchase the Dutch West Indies, would assure the gentlemen that he would communicate with his government immediately.

What Gorham ALSO didn't know was the sheer panic within the Dutch government in 1874. For years, the Dutch had played German against French in order to maintain their independence. This was quite a feat for a small, effectively defenseless nation with two huge and populous neighbors.

With Germany now potentially in ascendance over France, the long-rumored German Confederation interest in colonialism was starting to rear its ugly head. And what would be more simple than forcing the Netherlands to hand over her own colonies at sword point?

Beyond her French and German neighbors, the ascendancy of Britain at sea had ensured that the Dutch Empire only existed with British permission. The West Indies had never been profitable for the Dutch (while also getting more expensive to administer) and, given that any number of powers may easily take it away, the Dutch Government was willing to offer it to the highest bidder.

In truth, the Dutch had offered it to Gladstone's government weeks earlier only to be quietly rebuffed. Britain already had its own set of unprofitable colonies in the West Indies and weren't going to PAY for any others. Besides, they could TAKE these islands and inland positions whenever they wanted. Why PAY for them?

Thus the Dutch King and his Ministers (experiencing a budget deficit and a recession) would approach the Americans.

Gorham had no idea what Hamlin would say about the matter but passed along the formal offer on the next mail packet to Washington.
 
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Chapter 143
October, 1874

Manila


For much of its history as a Spanish colony, the Philippines had largely been utilized as little more than a clearing house for the eastern trade. Silk, tea and other items would arrive from China and be exchanged for Spanish American (Mexico and Peru) silver on the annual Manila Galleon. For centuries, this was the sole economic purpose of the Philippines. The Spanish traders would do little to nothing for 11 months out of the year and then 1 month of rapid exchanges.

Virtually no investment or even attempts to exploit the mineral and agricultural bounty of the colony were made. Indeed, beyond the Church, very few inroads were made into the region beyond Manila.

Only after the Wars of Independence of the Spanish American colonies would the process even START to develop the Philippines. Two Carlist Wars later, not much had changed. Spain was falling behind....again.....the other powers of Europe and the past decade of Spain's foreign policy revolved around Hispaniola and Morocco. Still, enough "Peninsulars" were arriving by the 1870's that they began to replace the long-standing "Criollo" ruling class, enraging the latter. A harsh and autocratic governor in Governor-General Izquierdo would even lead to the first stirrings of nationalism in the country.

The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 was intended to be a new start. However, the global war taking place had cut off that avenue and contact with the Mother Country was limited at best.

The military forces of the Philippines were limited to a few regiments, a mix of punishment details and local recruits, and a handful of plainly obsolete ships. Most of the Spanish Navy vessels were unseaworthy, many having been "in dry dock" for years, and those of nominal active status were often undermanned.

Having absolutely no idea that an invasion was coming, the Spanish Governor was caught completely by surprise when the bulk of the Japanese fleet arrived in Manila Harbor. The heavy guns of the Kalamazoo-class vessels would reduce the Manila fortifications almost immediately. Destroying what passed for the Spanish "Pacific Squadron" proved almost too easy. Only one of the Spanish ships even fired a shot.

With control of the Harbor, the first of the Japanese transports would commence disembarkation.

Madrid

Queen Isabel II was perhaps the most unpopular monarch in Europe....and that was saying something as Napoleon III was still the monarch of France, at least on paper. Shrill, abusive and almost unnaturally resistant to any form of Political Reform, the Queen's became openly loathed by the public, which was experiencing recession for the past decade.

It reached the point that even the Queen's son, Infante Alfonso, begged his mother to proceed with more decorum else the growing unrest may lead to revolution.

Nearly 18, the Infante was already considered more promising than his mother and public speculation about just when the Infante would take the throne (i.e. when would the Queen finally die?). However, Isabel was intent on ruling for life. Alfonso would have to wait.

Only repeated pressure from her son, with whom she actually had a GOOD relationship, would the Queen commence a series of very modest reforms. With the public hungry for more, various factions would quietly propose a coup against the Queen and place the Prince in command. Naturally, Alfonso refused to even consider such a thing and decried such talk as traitorous.

However, the Prince continued to associate with reformists and there was no doubt that the Infante was considerably more popular than his mother.

Paris

The French Republican government would be the first to sign an armistice with the Germans. They agreed to cede the "Emperor's" rights to Luxembourg to the German Confederation while also ceding the border region of Alsace and the portion of Lorraine known as the "Moselle".

For this boon, the Germans agreed to keep their Imperial prisoner for several months and pull back from Paris itself.

The German army would settle south of Dijon and advance no further, instead concentrate on reducing the remnant of the border fortresses. With the Emperor in German hands, his own base of support could not bring themselves to act from their headquarters in Lyon.

However, the Republicans, who thought to use German influence to eliminate or minimize the Imperial support would vastly underestimate the public outrage over the loss impending loss of the border territories. The French public was probably more than happy to lose Luxembourg. Most private French citizens cared little about colonial matters (unlike in Britain where every manual laborer in the Midlands somehow had an opinion on the governance of Burma).

However, losing what had been an integral portion of the French metropolis was shocking and the Republicans would soon face riots in the streets. These were put down but clearly, there would be no Republican assault on the Imperial headquarters in Lyon.
 
I suspect that Napoleon III will be put back on the throne with German assistance and pragmatic forces within the French military will join in to put down the riots. Hope things go well for Spain with Infante and Isabel. Japan seems to be invading the Philippines, wonder how they will hold on to it. Keep up with the good work.
 
Chapter 144
November, 1874

Alsace and Lorraine


Having received effectively NO support from either the Republicans or Imperials was bad enough. But when the soldiers of the border fortresses learned that the Republicans had already agreed to cede the region to the Germans, any further interest in holding out despite shrinking supplies faded. One by one, the great fortifications negotiated surrenders and the west bank of the Rhineland would fall to the Germans.

This would shatter the morale of both the Republicans and Imperials, both armies having largely erupted in confusion and mutiny.

The German forces would watch in bemused silence in Northeastern France.

London

Even more bemused were the British who remained at least nominally at war with France despite having few remaining areas of conflict. Having effectively seized those remnants of the French Empire west of Siam, the two nations were at war in name only. Britain would have been happy to come to terms if they could even get the attention of the feuding French factions.

Queen Victoria, having another tedious meeting with Gladstone, was generally content with the situation.

The Russians had offered an armistice, largely at the status ante-bellum (Britain stays out of Afghanistan). It was looking increasingly likely that the Czar had, indeed, never actually intended to war upon Britain. For all her dislike of Gladstone, the incompetent diplomacy of Disraeli had ill-served the country as badly as Palmerston's stupidity in antagonizing the Americans a decade prior.

As the French navy had effectively ceased active operations, the Admiralty ordered the same from the Royal Navy.

The war was apparently over...only paperwork was left.


Regensburg, Bavaria

The three power brokers of German, the Austrian Emperor, the King of Prussia and King of Hanover, had all decided to "oversee" the political situation from the German Confederation Capital of Regensburg. None of the three trusted the others NOT to try to use the situation to their advantage. Any hint of one monarch trying to influence the military would immediately be pounced upon by the others.

This was perhaps the best situation for the German Confederation's General Staff, who were left alone to do their duty and fight the war, which they had done quite well thus far.

However, this only opened up the debate of what to do with the new acquisitions.

The Duchy of Luxembourg had been SOLD by the King of the Netherlands. No one seriously proposed giving it back to Willem III. But who would lay claim to the throne?

Similarly, the Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine would require crowned heads. Who would ascend here?

The important point to the three powerful leaders of the Confederation was that none of the others would take direct control.

The Austrian Emperor would recommend that the direct line descendant of Francis of Lorraine, consort of Maria Theresa, inherit the territory of Lorraine's German-speaking department of Moselle and, for "convenience of government", Alsace as well.

The Emperor also recommended a similar Habsburg assuming title to Luxembourg.

Naturally, this brought heated opposition from his fellows.

The German Confederation would argue about this for months as the war nominally continued.

Washington

In truth, President Hamlin could not make heads or tails of the Dutch offer to sell their West Indian territories (augmented by the last of the French West Indies after their sale in the previous Anglo-French/Russian War.

Hamlin had no idea what to make the formal letter as he had never been privy to Seward's scheme to purchase the Dutch colonies and trade them to the British for more proximate territories like Bermuda or the Bahama Islands or even Hawaii.

The Dutch were reportedly offering the West Indian Leeward Islands of St. Maartin (including the French half which was sold), Saba, St. Barts (also sold by the French to the Dutch), St. Eustatius (which had been a key port for the Americans during the War for Independence. Also on offer were the chain of Islands off of Venezuela (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) and Dutch Guyana (which included the former French Guiana).

The President would send for the Secretary of the Navy and inquire as to the worth of the islands. Admiral (retired) Dahlgren actually HAD been consulted by Seward years before and explained the former President's strategy of using these territories as chess pieces to acquire more desirable lands.

Hamlin inquired of the territories' worth and Dahlgren shrugged, "I fear that not a single one of these islands bears a useful harbor for the Navy. They would simply be islands surrounded by better British possessions and likely indefensible if it came to war with the British. I cannot speak to the economic prospects, though."

The President would take up the matter with his cabinet and the response was...mixed. The more aggressive simply liked the idea of gaining an "American Empire". Others pointed out that unpromising territories acquired in the past (Arizona, the Yukan) had born mineral resources and who knew what lay in under the Guyanan soil? Gold? Silver? The fountain of youth?

Just as importantly, many Cabinet members did not want some other European power, perhaps one more dangerous than the Netherlands, to take up the colonial game: This new aggressive Germany, for instance. Or France may seek to regain it.

While Britain MAY be interested in acquiring the territories, the Queen occupying them would not alter the regional balance of power much as the British already had far more and better bases for the Royal Navy in the Caribbean. If a foreign power WERE to take the islands and Guyana, it would probably best be Britain.

By this point, the entire "secret" negotiation had already been leaked to the press and America seemed genuinely willing to purchase them. There were detractors, of course, who wrote scathing opinion columns in various papers but most Americans seemed willing if only to keep the territories from potentially foreign hands.

Thus, Hamlin would speak to Secretary of the Treasury Sherman and inquire what to offer. Sherman replied, "Don't underbid. The Dutch could easily become offended and offer the lands to someone else!"

In the end, the formal American response would arrive in the Netherlands in December. It would bear an offer of $17,000,000 American dollars in gold and silver for the lands. The Dutch would be flabbergasted. They had originally intended to offer the territories for $10,000,000 American dollars in gold and silver, only modestly more than America paid Russia for Alaska and Denmark for the Danish Virgin Islands.

Naturally, the Dutch fell over themselves to agree to transfer the sovereignty of their last possessions in the West Indies effective April, 1875 for a sum to be paid in three increments. This would greatly help pay down Dutch debts.

What they DIDN'T know was that their East Indies territories were also about to escape their grasp.
 
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Chapter 145
December, 1874

The Hague


For the first time, a delegation of French negotiators (from the Republican side) agreed to meet the British negotiators who had been sitting for months in the Hague waiting for the French to acknowledge the end of the war.

It would take only a few days to negotiate the Treaty of the Hague.

The last remnants of the French Empire abroad would effectively fall to the British. This didn't amount to much once the East Asian colonies rose up in rebellion with Chinese assistance.

Effectively, the only real French colonies left were Senegal, St. Helena, New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, Reunion Islands, etc. All would fall to Britain.

France was also expected to accept the independence of the former French North Africa.

Egypt, which had switched allegiance to Britain (and Russia), would also be allowed to cancel their debts owed to the French government (though private investors would be repaid).

The French Asian colonies, of course, were not the business of Great Britain. As of December, the last remnant of French supremacy in southeast Asia was being besieged in Saigon. Upon realizing that no reinforcements were on their way, the French commander in Saigon would capitulate in January of 1875.

Beyond an exchange of prisoners and tallying costs of merchant raiding, the war was declared over between Britain and France. Britain had, for several months, had an effective armistice with Russia and this would be solidified in the coming weeks.

The entire war had proven an expensive fiasco driven by fear on the part of Britain (that Russia and France intended to invade India) and Russia (fear that Britain intended to recreate the Ottoman Empire to use as a counterweight to Russia) and, of course, Napoleon III's almost pathological scheming which cost the nation its Empire.

Thus, on the whole, Britain did not come out that badly after years of heroic expense. While the colonial assets acquired by Great Britain would not, in any particular manner, prove valuable to the nation, the fact that the French Empire itself had been destroyed (to be fair, more by the French themselves than the British) mattered a bit more. France had lost their prospering and Arable French North Africa possessions and the recently acquired Indochina colonies. Stripped of these, the French Empire was an empire in name only.

Perhaps worse was the face that France, after centuries of careful expansion to create ideal borders for their nation, had somehow managed to CREATE a new enemy out from nowhere by annexing a member of the German Confederation.

Of course, Britain would pay dearly as well for the war, much more than the financial costs (which were considerable). The Indian Rebellion caused enormous losses for the Empire, both directly in lost trade and indirectly. The China trade, once based upon Indian Opium sales, had collapsed and the distracted British would not even have time to consider the matter until the Raj was under strict control again.

Indeed, an aggressive and suddenly competitive China and Japan were rapidly making inroads into southeast Asia, mostly at the expense of the French but also the Spanish and Dutch. Worse, even the Americans were expanding into the region as the news of the Japanese assault on the Philippines (news arriving in London in January) and Indonesia (news arriving in London in February).

Madrid

Queen Isabel had been rousted from her seaside vacation and informed of the apparent fall of the Philippines to....some sort of local Asiatic nation. Geography was never the Queen's strongsuit but she knew that China and India were the only two Asian regions that mattered. What the hell was this "Japan"?

With her usual fervor, she screeched at her ministers in letters from Biscay to do something about the matter. A detailed explanation had been written by her Cabinet patiently explaining that the Philippines were SO FAR AWAY that none of the rickety "modern" Spanish steamships were likely to even MAKE IT there. The Spanish Navy had been steadily rotting since the last good performance it had put in a century ago in the American War of Independence. While Spain had not technically been an ally to America, the Spanish forces under Carlos III had proven moderately effective against the British.

Then, Carlos III died and perhaps the most ineffectual King in the past two centuries, Carlos IV, came to the throne and any modernization made by his predecessor had come to naught. Spain proved hapless in the French Revolutionary / Napoleonic Wars in anything other than partisan warfare. The Navy rotted through two Carlist Wars and had seen virtually NO NEW INVESTMENT made in the past 20 years despite the radical improvements in steam-ships and armored warships.

While Spain did possess some of both, none were were expected to managed to sail to the Philippines. The only warships likely to make it were the old-fashioned sailing ships...and those were not going to defeat the metal monsters sold to Japan by America when they arrived after an eight month sea voyage.

The Queen, flabbergasted at her nation's impotence, would demand to know what the Cabinet would do about the matter. They calmly replied that IF Her Majesty had invested in the navy over the past 20 years rather than wasting public funds on expeditions to Morocco and Haiti, the nation may be in better shape. At the moment, the only way that Spain could seriously expect to regain the Philippines would be to ally with another power (presumably Britain) and have that ally do all the work. Exactly WHY any European power would do this was not discussed.

Finally, after weeks of letters, the government ceased to communicate. A wave of riots engulfed Madrid and a group of Progressive and Moderate Reformers allied to overthrow the government. The Queen was declared ousted and her son Infante Alfonso, now 18, declared King.

While the Infante had nothing to do with the Coup, he realized that his mother's actions had led the country to this state. It was not impossible that Spain's new government go the path of a Republic....or even put a foreign ruler on the throne. Thus, when informed that HE was the new King, Alfonso wrote to his mother BEGGING her to accept the new state of affairs.

Paris

Alfonso XII would not be the only teenager thrust upon a throne. With Napoleon III in captivity in Germany, the Empress opened a dialogue with the Republicans in Paris. This had taken longer than she thought as the news that the "French Republic's" capitulation to the Germans and cession of her Empire to the British / North African rebels would lead to massive riots in Paris culminating in several high-level Republican leaders being hanged in the streets as traitors. These included Leon Gambetta.

Through her intermediator, Eugenie would arrange for a meeting between what was left of the collapsing Republican government and her strongest supporter, Field Marshall Patrice MacMahan. The latter would travel to Paris and negotiate with the Republicans (who were by now scared to death) and agreed to a settlement. A new Constitution would be put in place guaranteeing new powers to the Lower (Deputies) and Upper (Senate) House of Parliament. The monarchy would be stripped of many of its powers, leaving mainly the "Head of State" powers to the Emperor. The Emperor would select a Prime Minister able to control Parliament.

And the 19-year-old Napoleon IV would be the Emperor. His father, Napoleon III, would remain in exile having blundered his way from possessing a dominant position in Europe with a vast Empire to seeing Paris taken by...Germans (of all peoples). That level of incompetence would prove simply unacceptable to be allowed to continue, even to dedicated monarchists like MacMahan.

As for the Empress, Eugenie never really cared for her philandering husband and loathed his touch. She was not going to risk her only son's legacy by pressing for her husband to return to France as a civilian, much less an Emperor.

The agreement was reached that Napoleon IV would ascend the throne and MacMahan would lead the government as Prime Minister, though most of the other posts would be filled by reformers. While Napoleon IV did not desire to overthrow his father, the younger man's political inclinations supported the reformers and he knew that his father had successfully brought the House of Bonaparte to the brink of dissolution.

It was accept the throne or cede it forever. In truth, Napoleon IV could not blame France for their rage. Napoleon III had wasted huge numbers of French lives in his gambles for global supremacy and lost. Vexation was the logical response.

Knowing he was the last hope of the House of Bonaparte, Napoleon IV rode into Paris with an escort of both Imperial and Republican supporters in hopes of winning the peace where has father had failed to win the war.

By happenstance, two teenagers were placed on the thrones of major European nations in the same month.

Washington

President Hannibal Hamlin would look upon the voting returns from the past election. The Republicans had lost 5 Senate seats and 15 Congressional seats. Part of this was readmitting North Carolina to the Union but still a bit discouraging given that America's economy remained strong and Hamlin had kept the nation out of war.

But the Republicans still had a significant, if no longer overwhelming, majority in both Houses of Congress. That would have to do. Hamlin had already determined NOT to run for reelection in 1876 though he would keep this under his hat for the time being. The job of President had been exhausting for the Maine man even in peace. Hamlin had no idea how Lincoln did it in war.
 
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Map of North America - 1875
Fenians - 1875 - North America.png
 
Chapter 146
January, 1875

Batavia, Java


The Dutch East Indies comprised theoretically of Java, Sumatra, parts of western coastal Borneo and a few of the "spice" islands to the east. In reality, the Dutch control was limited to say the least in many of these regions. Repeated attempts to conquer the rest of the archipelago effectively bankrupted the Dutch East Indies. The Sultanate of Aceh in particular was restive as the local Muslim warlords were using the greater war in Southeast Asia to their advantage against the Dutch. With the Suez Canal shut down, the Dutch had been slow to reinforce their colony from Europe.

In 1875, much of the Dutch Netherlands East Indies Army had been dispatched to Aceh (in northern Sumatra) in yet another attempt to conquer the Sultanate.

This left Batavia, the capital of the colony located on Java, dreadfully exposed. Worse, the Dutch had not remotely updated their fleet as much as Britain, France, Russia and America. The handful of modern ships under the Dutch flag were still stationed in Europe. The Japanese fleet easily brushed aside the few functional Dutch vessels and seized control over the harbor. The obsolete harbor defenses were shelled into submission by the American-made Kalamazoo-class ships.

The Japanese invasion force would be met with little resistance. Only about 20,000 troops were stationed in the East Indies, roughly 2/3's natives. This was actually a significant INCREASE from the years before on only reached this level due to the impending Aceh conflict. With the bulk of these troops shipped to Sumatra, only a few thousand remained in garrisons near Batavia.

10,000 Japanese troops and control over the waters would allow the remarkably easy seizure of the colonial capital.

When the Dutch prisoners inquired why Japan had initiated hostilities against the Dutch (with whom they'd traded for so many decades), the Japanese commander would simply retort that the colonization of Asia by Westerners was over. Eastern Asia was THEIR Sphere of Influence now.

February, 1875

Sumatra


Learning of the fall of Batavia weeks later, the Dutch forces massing against Aceh would return to their vessels for the return trip to Batavia. However, the aggressive Japanese would be waiting for them. The handful of Dutch Royal Navy Warships and the lumbering transports trailing behind would be fallen upon by the Japanese forces and cut to pieces. Very little mercy was given even to the helpless transports with several being sunk out of hand, including the one bearing General Johan Kohler, the commander of the abortive Aceh Campaign. Indeed, three more Generals would die on board these ships (the Royal Dutch East Indies Army was rather heavy on Generals given the scarcity of troops).

The Remaining ships managed to flee in opposite directions. One group would steam for Calcutta in hopes that the British may be able to assist. The other would sail for Australia, also hoping for aid from the British Empire.

March, 1875

New Dehli


The Viceroy of India, having enough trouble with his own posting and the cancellation of British Concessions in China, was not prepared to intervene in Dutch problems. Instead, he dispatched a message to London asking for instructions....with the point that he didn't feel that the Raj could spare the resources in the near term.

April, 1875

Melbourne


The Dominion of Australia, on the other hand, would react very differently. With contact with Britain sporadic for the past few years, the Australians were proving quite independent and were starting to enjoy the idea of being a power into themselves. A small Royal Australia Navy had been chartered by the Queen (though the British Royal Navy still had more vessels in Oceania).

Having been alerted by the Australian Viceroy of the troubles in the Dutch East Indies, the Australians leaped with remarkable alacrity....to seize several of the Lesser Sunda Islands and the "Spice" islands of the Dutch....naturally to keep them out of Japanese hands.

If the Japanese wanted to fight over Sumatra and Java, that was one thing. But the newly confident Australians would be more than happy to insert themselves into the power vacuum.

Over the previous decade, immigration from the United Kingdom had picked up substantially despite the occasional disruptions in trade. This was largely because the relations with America severely reduced that option for emigration from the burgeoning population of the United Kingdom, Canada was in, some ways, cut off geographically and most of the best farmland there had been taken, the Maritimes were largely populated, the Boer Republic had been recognized (Transvaal, Orange Free State and Natal) and halted any British immigrants/miners, India was proving a mess......

There were fewer places for those British of a migratory bent to go. Thus the South Pacific Islands, now considerably closer due to the Suez Canal and the rise of Steamships, would see a boost in immigration from Europe. While virtually ANY European was welcome, the Asiatic migrant was turned away in a bid to keep the peace with the burgeoning labor unions and general working class who did not want some Asian taking his job for HALF the salary (had the Chinese or Indian laborer been offered the FULL salary of a white man, he probably would have been happy to take it). Within a few years, the "White Australia" Policy was already in effect. Regardless, wages were quite high in Australia and rising, enticing more British migrants.

Australia, now a Dominion, was flexing its political and economic muscles with increasing confidence and acted without any official oversight or permission from London. The Australian Viceroy was shocked by the move but did not publicly condemn it. Governing a vast swathe of territory (well, it WAS mainly water) from the Solomon Islands to Hawaii to Tasmania to Perth, Australia was reckoning itself to be a power in its own right.

The Australians would enter Bali, Sumba, Flores, Timor, Sumbawa and Lombok over the course of the next six months. Some fell immediately to Australian conquest, others limited the Australians to only a few handholds. In truth, the Australians were more intent on the claim rather than the actual immediate exploitation.

April, 1875

Esquimalt Naval Base, United States Territory of Vancouver Islands


The Australians would not be the only scavengers off the carcasses of fallen European colonial Empires. News of the fall of Manila at the hands of the Japanese was nothing short of shocking. However, Secretary of the Navy Dahlgren and Secretary of State Fish would meet and discuss the status of the remnants of the Spanish Empire in the Pacific. Effectively, this comprised the Mariana Islands with Guam being the only one of substance.

With Australia apparently conquering the last of the French Pacific Islands (New Caledonia and the Hebrides) and casting a covetous glance towards the American protectorates of Samoa and Tahiti (the United States Navy was actively forming alliances with other minor islands in Polynesia near Tahiti in what would one day be called American Polynesia), it seemed to the Americans that it would be best to lay a claim to the Mariana Islands sooner rather than later.....to keep them safe, naturally.

That no one bothered to inform the Spanish was not commented upon. Spain had its own troubles and was unlikely to care much about these remote islands.

In March of 1875, the newly expanded Pacific Squadron would sail from Esquimalt Harbor to Guam where it would find the native Chamorros in another snit with the Spanish priests. Eventually, the American commander would be obligated to hustle the priests on board for their own protection.

He then met with the local chieftains and inquired of their complaints. They did not hold back.

Historically, Guam had been a stopping and resupplying point for the Manila Galleon. Beyond that, the Europeans had done little with the island chain in 300 years beyond bring the occasional obnoxious priest and bout of infectious disease. The natives were sick and tired of Spain and were willing to accept American "Protectorate" Status pending an agreement with Spain.

April 1875

Dutch West Indies


Per the agreement with the Netherlands, American troops and administrators would begin assuming control of the Dutch West Indies in April, 1875. Most of the islands were of relatively low population as was the mainland territories:

Sint Maartin (15,000 including the former French side)
Sint Barthelemy (2000)
Sint Eustatius (2000)
Saba (500)
Aruba (5000)
Bonaire (2000)
Curacao (7500)
Surinam ( including French Guiana) -50,000

Thousands of American soldiers and sailors would work arduously to figure out what they'd bought. For the life of them, most couldn't come up with an answer. There were few good harbors for naval bases. Agriculture did not seem promising on ANY of these regions.

America paid $17,000,000 in gold for THIS?
 
Chapter 147
May, 1875

London


Having pushed Disraeli from office, Gladstone would take credit for making the peace with France. For the first time in two generations, the French Empire had largely ceased to exist. With the relatively settling of Indian revolt, Britain's future seemed assured.

However, the Minister of India was reportedly already feuding with Viceroy John Lawrence, who had not only allowed the formation of defacto political parties (the new Indian Congress) but actually seemed to SUPPORT them. Gladstone found the suppression of Indian political representation the true cause of the latest rebellion, not the botched Afghan war.

Seemingly granting an endless stream of concessions to the Indians, the Viceroy was already getting criticism in Parliament and the public. For the moment, Gladstone was inclined to grant the Viceroy a free hand.

In the meantime, Gladstone had his own problems to deal with. In order to gain the support necessary to pass a vote of no confidence against Disraeli, Gladstone had agreed to support Home Rule in Ireland. This was somewhat problematic as many of the rural British landowners and workers of his own Party were massively opposed to the idea. The splitting of the Liberal Party may be at hand if Gladstone proceeded.

Of course, Gladstone would proceed as he'd promised. He could do no less. The proposal to proceed with Home Rule in Ireland would occur in the fall session.

In the meantime, the First Lord would discuss the offer by the American President, Hannibal Hamlin, to exchange some of the recently acquired American protectorate or territories (the Dutch West Indies, the Danish Virgin Islands) for Hawaii, the Bahama/Turk/Caicos Islands and Bermuda.

In truth, Gladstone did not even need to consult the Secretary of Foreign Affairs or the Admiralty to know the answer. Few to none of the American acquisitions, even if they included the American Pacific "Protectorates" of Samoa, Tahiti and (though this would not be known in Europe for another month) the Mariana Islands (called the Chamorros Islands by the Americans), possessed any value to the British. They seldom bore good harbors fit for Naval use or some sort of local crop or agricultural bounty. America simply wanted the lands closest to their own borders.

Gladstone was sympathetic to this but the longtime British residency in the Bahamas and Bermuda prevented them from being easily used as trading pieces in a global game. The First Lord wouldn't even consider the idea just as Disraeli had refused as well.

However, Gladstone was eager to improve relations with America and instead opted to pursue a "charm offensive" with the Americans. Rumor had it that the French were considering a "gift" for the United States, no doubt in hopes of repairing the poor image America had of France. Gladstone wondered if Britain should do something akin to this. America seemed the perfect trading partner and perhaps ally. America was largely interested only in trading rights and held few inclination thus far to engage in colonial games (their acquisition in the West Indies non-withstanding).

America, under Hamlin, had actually been sympathetic to both China and Japan and he had publicly condemned the invasion of foreign peoples for colonial means. This had resulted in China giving slightly better access to Chinese markets that the Europeans. This was a long way from America forming an alliance with the Asiatics but certainly made the potential for aggressive European action in eastern Asia more problematic.

In the meantime, there were many calls for Gladstone to launch another war against China for "withdrawing the Concessions" forced upon them by Britain in the Opium Wars. This the First Lord refused to do as he was violently opposed to the criminal export of opium to the Chinese for British profit. Over the the past decades, Gladstone had seen his own sister Helen suffer from the drug. To fight a war to maintain Britain's profitable drug peddling was abhorrent. With the growth of the the domestic Chinese opium trade, the British Raj exports had been dropping precipitously for over a decade. The First Lord would flat out refuse to launch yet another expedition to China.

Instead, he sent trade representatives to Peking with the intent of reopening trade. Since China was no longer the divided nation of twenty years prior and had just evicted France from Vietnam, the First Lord doubted such heavy-handed tactics as in the Opium Wars would work again.

June

Madrid


King Alfonso XII of Spain, having finally convinced his mother to cede her claims to the throne and at least temporary exile in France, would seek to please his new moderate Ministers by passing a law to abolish slavery in the Spanish colonies over a period of 4 years. As Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico held relatively few slaves relative to the pre-abolition French and British colonies, this did not bring a great deal of resistance, particularly in Spain itself.

The King also fully supported a series of reforms granting greater autonomy to the colonial governments in economic and administrative issues. Indeed, the King (despite receiving some opposition from slave-owners) would be greatly feted in the New World for these newly progressive views. He would continue to encourage migration from Europe to the West Indies, a rather stubborn position intended to remind the public of the good his mother had done for Spain and her colonies.

In the meantime, the Spanish had....at great effort....managed to dispatch an expedition to the Philippines with the intent of reconquering the islands from Japan. The King quietly doubted that the haphazard collection of Spanish warships and transports would even REACH the Philippines, much less reconquer them, it was obvious that all political factions (now rapidly forming into Political Parties in the modern sense with the lifting of the ban on Parties) were intent on reconquering them.

July, 1875

Paris


Emperor Napoleon IV would cling to his advisor, Field Marshall Patrice MacMahan, in hope to reunify the nation under one banner. Blanket amnesty was issued for ALL factions had long been issued as Napoleon IV summoned Parliament back to Paris to "grant him desperately needed advice".

The French people were livid at the inept governance of the past decades which led to numerous expensive wars (Crimea, Southeast Asia, Mexico, North Africa, Egypt, etc) and the loss of the French Empire.

Napoleon IV would publicly stated that the endless expansion of colonialism almost always cost more than it was worth (British India was, of course, a significant exception). Calls to regain North Africa or Indochina, etc, were not to be answered and instead, the Empire of France would instead concentrate upon internal reforms.

This was generally well-received by the public, who had to pay the bills for foreign wars but cared very little about an Empire most would never visit. French public life was very much a domestic matter compared to the seemingly unquenchable thirst by even the most humble British Midlands textile worker for colonial conquest.

July, 1875

Regensburg


For months, the assorted Crowned heads of the victorious German would debate the distribution of the regained territories of Luxembourg, Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine. The three powers of Germany - Hanover, Prussia and Austria - were intent that the new rulers would not be beholden to any of the others.

In the end, a compromise was made for Luxembourg. The 2nd surviving son of King Willem III of the Netherlands would be offered the crown, being deemed "neutral enough" and a logical rightful inheritor.

Alsace-Lorraine (the Moselle region) was slightly more contentious. The Austrian Emperor demanded that the lands should rightly be returned to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. It had been Francis of Lorraine who had given up Lorraine a century and a half ago as part of a greater exchange of territories to maintain the peace in Europe.

Prussia, of course, didn't care much about this and demanded a more neutral party. However, the Prussians would lose this battle. The Austrians would proposed Ferdinand IV of Tuscany, who had lose his patrimony in the 1859, when the Italian people launched their war of Unification. His father died the same year and Ferdinand hardly had a chance to reign. His line would also be next in line for the throne of Lorraine (after the current Austrian branch) had Francis not traded it away so long ago.

Seeing no better option (or hope that he may regain Tuscany), Ferdinand IV would agree to formally give up all rights to Tuscany on behalf of himself and his dependents.

In the same Confederation Council meeting, the question of forming a true German Navy was brought up (only minor coastal ships were utilized by the northern Confederation nations to this time). This would be delegated to a committee.
 
Could we see some more American POVs if possible? Would like to see a civilian POV look for Reconstruction after the Civil War, would be nice to see how all the changes are affecting them.
 
Chapter 148
September, 1875

Washington


Secretary of War Ulysses S. Grant would arrive nearly a half hour early for his appointment with the President. He was ushered into a waiting room to avoid the mass of job seekers which somehow always swamped the ground floor of the Presidential Mansion. If Grant had his way, there is no way in hell he'd allow every flim-flam man off the street to wait in the White House Lobby to see if they could get an appointment with the head of the nation.

He read through the packet of reports. Somehow, the amount of paperwork seemed to proliferate daily. He was outright incensed at the latest report from the Board of Ordnance. For reasons, he could not quite fathom, America somehow couldn't design a standard infantry rifle that was the match of the Europeans. For years, the Chassepot had been the best mainstream rifle on earth. Now, it was being replaced by the Martini-Henry in Britain, the new Mausers in Germany and reportedly the French had a new rifle called the "Gras" which was basically a Chassepot upgraded to metal cartridges.

America still hadn't come up with a rifle the equal of the OLD Chassepot.

Grant would demand a full accounting of the Ordnance Board. He wanted every option in America explored.....YESTERDAY.

The good news is that General Hunt had finally designed a series of cannon capable of matching the Krupps....not just THIS generation but the next one. THAT was what Grant demanded. The War Between the States, not to mention the British and French Wars, were won via new technological innovations. Grant had no intention of allowing another nation THAT advantage on America.

While the Secretary of the Navy was getting whatever he wanted for upgrading the fleet, the Army had been forced to steadily reduce her forces bit by bit, year by year. Grant understood this but he expected the men he DID have in uniform could match any on earth.

Finally, the President's aides ushered Grant into Hamlin's office. The man seemed to have shrunk a bit over the past years. Poor fellow probably had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Hamlin didn't waste any time, "Grant, I will not be standing for reelection next year."

This was hardly a surprise. Hamlin had done nothing to indicate that he would be running again. The next words were not particularly surprising either though they did bring mixed feelings in Grant.

"Grant, you are going to be my recommendation for the office next year at the Presidential Caucus."

"That is.....", Grant began, "a great honor that you think so highly of me."

"The nation thinks highly of you, Grant." Hamelin replied. "You are perhaps our greatest war hero from the war and a Republican Stalwart. You know how many of our nominal Republican brethren have been quite willing to vote with the Democrats over the years. There are more and more every election. Half would probably be willing to let the Freedmen vote be withdrawn if we let the matter drop. That can't be allowed to happen."

"No," Grant nodded, "I suppose not. But I am hardly a guarantee that the Caucus will select me."

Hamlin agreed, "It will take some doing. We need to start laying the groundwork now with our allies. But I think we can get you selected on the first ballot of the Caucus if we do it right."

To be truthful, Grant did have his bouts of ambition for the office. He probably would have accepted the nomination in 1872 if he hadn't been wounded in Italy all those years ago. As no one in America was sure he'd LIVE, the Republicans weren't willing to nominate him until he stood healthy before them. But Grant did not begrudge Hamlin. The man had thrown his all into the nigh-impossible task of governing a huge nation with a multitude of problems and done a commendable job. Grant respected the man and was honored to have served him. Now, Hamlin had handpicked HIM to be his heir. Given the huge resources available to a sitting President, this endorsement within the Party meant a great deal.

In the meantime, Grant determined to get back to the problem of finding a decent standard Infantry weapon.
 
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Good chapter, can't wait to see how TTL Grant's Presidency is like, with no major scandals too affect him from doing his job as President. Keep up the good work.
 
Let's hope the Republicans don't get weak in the knees and capitulate, the Democrats will exploit that weakness and use whatever power they have to reverse all the gains and progress made. More American POVs please. Keep up the good work.
 
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