alternatehistory.com

20 Feb

The Prussian Landwehr continues its normal training cycle involving the regular army.
Bismarck strongly advises that Frederick III aid the Russians in suppressing the Polish revolt (feeling that "all aid short of help" would earn a favour for the Prussian king to cash in later) but the monarch demurs.

The training itself is going at least somewhat more steadily than when the system was instituted. By now the Regulars are on their third session of joint training, and are starting to get used to it and develop useful shortcuts. They are somewhat dismissive of the new batches of Landwehr, and this provokes the German militiamen to improve faster.


23 Feb

The procurement of the Snider-Enfield is confirmed. All Enfield rifles of sufficient quality will be converted, and then new-construction rifles will enter production to increase the numbers.
It is expected that, once the industry has reached fruition, the conversion rate may be as high as 800 rifles per day; in the event, this is pessimistic.

27 Feb

News of the action involving the Spirit of Carolina reaches the United Kingdom. The Confederate ambassador (Mason) is somewhat startled by the attitude he encounters on the streets of London to the slave ship's capture - he had hoped it would be viewed negatively, but the opposite is happening.
In the afternoon, Mason has a meeting with Lord Palmerston at 97 Piccadilly. The redoubtable Prime Minister informs Mason that the boarding was according to the right of search - something which puzzles Mason as he cannot actually recall agreeing to the right of search - and that the subsequent seizure of a vessel breaking Confederate and British law was entirely above-board and legal.


1 Mar

Four thousand Enfield rifles (spares) are 'lost' on the way back from Canada. Coincidentally, a couple of weeks later the number of modern rifles in use in Poland increases noticeably.

3 Mar

Considerable anger in the Confederacy over the seizure of the Spirit of Carolina. In the Union the reaction is more one of mild confusion, with a strong undercurrent of schadenfreude.

HMS Royal Oak completes for service. She is effectively as capable a combatant as Warrior in all respects but speed; her steering is actually better protected than the slightly older ironclad, but her speed under steam is only 12.5 knots.
Oddly, she has a faster top speed under sail alone than under steam alone.


8 Mar

A clash takes place between a Russian infantry battalion and a few hundred Polish irregulars (known as huzaria after the famous Polish Hussars of the past). While these sorts of clashes have been taking place all over Congress Poland, this one is notable because it takes place several miles over the border with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

About seventy are left dead or seriously wounded, including a dozen huzaria after the Russian battalion gets close enough for Nessler volleys. This clash is more important, however, as it demonstrates the more-than-national dimensions the Polish revolt is taking.

Also on this date, the 1st Polish Foot is formed. This is a regular infantry regiment formed by the provisional Polish government using captured muskets - following the example of the Patriots and the Confederacy, the White faction at least would like to see a regular army formed to give their claim to independence legitimacy.
For now, no artillery can be sourced.