alternatehistory.com

5 February

Artillery fire commences on the Dannevirke, with the first day's firing dedicated largely to registering the guns.
The Krupp heavy pieces would trouble most modern forts at this range, and do serious damage to the nearest fortified position on the Dannevirke itself, with the Danish defenders taking light casualties but with the loss of four of the defending cannon - indeed, the reason for the light losses is that the Danes abandoned the position after it became clear that they could not materially affect the bombardment from their positions.

Despite this, the Danish commander is willing to continue to try and fight the position - specifically, he intends to (in a move inspired by the British actions of the Trent war) establish a base of fire by infiltrating troops over the Dannevirke overnight, into an area his cannon can command, and then direct long-range minie fire at the Krupp guns.


6 February

The Danish harassment attack is executed.
Results are poor - the Danes are not well experienced with range estimation or distant shooting, and many of their shots are hence wrongly aimed - but the bullets cause several casualties among the Prussian artillerymen and there is some considerable disruption caused.
Around lunchtime the Danes are driven back to their fortifications in disarray by an Oldenberg cavalry charge, though the Oldenbergers are in turn taken under effective cannister fire from the Dannevirke and leave several dead on the field.

In response to this the German forces deploy a light infantry screen further forwards, though this does leave them inside a range they can take attritional casualties from the Dannevirke defences.



9 February

Joseph Trudeau, a Louisiana militia sargeant, is found dead in his plantation house along with his wife, two children, and seven of his slaves (all dead to close-range rifle or bayonet attacks; the Enfield rifle used to kill the slaves is missing). There is evidence that his wife and teenaged daughter were mistreated before death.
The incident sparks outrage among Trudeau's regiment of militia, and considerable cognitive dissonance among the people of most of North America when they hear of it for one reason or another - for Joseph Trudeau's rank was in the Louisiana Native Guard, and his skin colour is as black as that of any of his slaves.

The other members of the 1 Louisiana NG start a search for the perpetrators (Trudeau's five other slaves are the prime suspects, though they cannot be found).


10 February

A Prussian probing attack on the frozen water obstacles on the right flank of the Dannevirke scores some success, with a battalion of mixed Landwehr and Regulars executing a bayonet charge to carry the Danish position.
The Prussian lodgement is precarious (and the sound is considered likely to thaw soon) but this only makes the task of Danish general de Meza harder. Having walked the terrain, he knows that the Danish defences here were actually somewhat more formidable than the Dannevirke itself - at least when troop density is considered - and that suggests to him that the Prussians can take his positions if they push it.
Accordingly, he activates the plan he requested be put together last month, which uses the road and the railway to pull back from the Dannevirke in favour of more constrained positions.
A rearguard is left, and de Meza's comment when asked whether Holstein regiments should be selected specifically to be left behind - "Danish is Danish, do not pay attention to origin" - is often quoted and misquoted in future, though in fact the rearguard does contain a higher than average proportion of 'German' soldiers.