alternatehistory.com

9 July

Publication of the "Manual of Arms of the Republic" by Willem Hermann, a volunteer soldier from the Army of Northern Virginia who has since become a part of the Virginia Militia Cadre (the volunteer section of the militia which is permanently embodied to provide a cadre in time of war). As part of the department concerned with procuring new weapons, Hermann has seen many of the weapons of the world pass under his eye - especially as Virginia is a state particularly inclined to spend money on their armed forces - and he has been spending the last few months working on this piece.

What makes it unusual - and charming, to many readers - is that it is not written as a dry factual work. Rather, it takes the form of a set of dialogues between "A soldier" (presumably Hermann) and "A legionary" - a man from the Roman army of the Principate, with descriptions included as to how the two men examine and demonstrate the weapons. The two men differ on occasion as to what the best properties of a weapon are, something which is generally played for gentle humour (such as the Legionary asking whether a weapon is effective against elephants.)


11 July

The RBL 120-lber is tested on a field carriage (which proves to be too unwieldy to operate as a field gun, not to anyone's surprise) and a siege carriage (where the lesser requirement for quickness of movement make it rather more satisfactory). Earthwork penetration tests are suggested, since the 7" gun is (barely) light enough to be used as a heavy battering piece and it is already known to be able to destroy masonry.

15 July

Fitzugh and his men come under attack by a number of Spanish regulars. They are hard pressed for a time, but give about as good as they get and are ultimately successful in beating off the attack.
Later that day it becomes clear that they have somewhat inadvertently prevented a full Spanish offensive - it so happens that they were in the position of the start of an echelon attack, and their resistance (and the fear factor of seeing everything from Whitworth rifles to tomahawks hitting the Spanish attackers) has caused the attack to peter out before it has really begun. One side effect of this is that Fitzugh is able to recruit a few dozen locals (relatively white locals, it is true, but locals) to make up for his previous casualties.


16 July

RBL 120-lber tested on a gunboat's pivot mount. The high level of recoil causes cracking to the pivot, and it is determined that under normal circumstances the 120-lber should be fired with reduced powder charges (20 lbs) on a pivot that has not been reinforced to handle the full charge. Since this is still sufficient to penetrate Warrior at 500 yards it is seen as quite workable under most circumstances - and a gunboat in a duel with a modern ironclad is seen as having more immediate problems than the life of the pivot mount!


17 July

Something that becomes known somewhat ironically as the Battle of Mobile takes place, when tars from a visiting ship (the Nile) spontaneously decide to destroy the slave baracoons and free all the slaves up for sale in Mobile.
The event sparks a major incident, though the situation is defused somewhat when an apology is rendered by the British ambassador in Richmond within a few hours of the event. He indicates clearly that he is unsure what form of restitution - if any - his government will make, but also that this is certainly not official British government policy.


20 July

The final defeat of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom takes place, with the capture of Nanking. The Ever Victorious Army's direct role in the fighting is necessarily minor (the sheer scale of the fighting means that a mere 9,000 troops are all but lost inside the half-million-strong Qing army) but their indirect role is considerable, as many of the small-scale tactical methods employed by the Qing army are based off the experience and training provided by the Ever Victorious Army.


21 July

Shinsengumi (special police) in Kyoto capture twenty Choshu-domain revolutionaries, preventing them from carrying through on an already-begun plan to set fire to the Imperial City.
This is actually a godsend for the Shogun, who very quickly begins using it to demonstrate that the anti-foreigner and anti-Shogun forces are so driven by madness that they are willing to endanger the Emperor himself.


25 July

Fitzugh is killed in a skirmish, taking a musket ball to the nose and dying instantly. Jesse James takes over command (he was the first to act) and the skirmish is ultimately accounted a victory for the filibusters.


26 July

Fremont and other members of the Republican Party agree privately to make every effort to expedite the admittance of Nevada into the Union - this is thought to be a strongly Republican community.
On the same day, McClellan's inspection tour of the US militia takes him to the truncated state of Maine. He expresses his sympathy for the state and their capture in the late unpleasantness (which is well viewed in newspapers) and muses that it would have been incumbent upon the Government to have readied the state for war if it was a war they wanted - making a comparison to the actions of the British Empire at the same time, who were moving troops and ships from almost the moment they heard of the Trent affair.


29 July

Full shipboard test of the RBL 120 pounder. The carriage proves to be a little unwieldy, and the rate of fire is somewhat diminished still compared to the old Armstrong 110-lber, but the gun - while slower to aim - is just as accurate when used correctly, and the higher velocity gives it a flatter trajectory.
This promptly starts arguments, between the faction who would prefer to close to the range that the 120 pounder can punch enemy armour with considerable remaining energy, and the faction who consider the longer range of the new gun to be the more important feature. Both agree the preferable range is one at which you can hurt the enemy more readily than he can hurt you - the difference is what the best assumption as to this range is.


31 July

Official apology from the British Government to the Confederate States is sent, along with a promise of restitution for the slaves freed at Mobile - specifically, the low-end price as of the 1830s emancipation of all slaves in the British Empire. The full price of replacing the baracoons is also provided for.
Alabamans are upset at this, but are overruled from making it a point of honour by the Mutual Defense Act (as an apology and compensation has indeed been provided for).
Interestingly, the reason for the fast response is the completion of the Second Transatlantic Telegraph cable (completed a few days prior) - which has been an Admiralty priority after the Trent affair's relatively slow communications hampered the Imperial response by over a week and prevented repeated two-way communications on the topic.


2 August

Observers of the Russian-Polish situation note that the Russians have mounted no offensives in some time, despite the generally good campaigning weather. This is attributed to a number of factors, among them the general high support among Poles for the Polish state; the fact that all supply lines run through (chaotic and restless) Lithuania; and the disinclination for Russian generals to be sniped by Huszaria Piechota (which has been a major problem - in some battles the Russians ran out of field-grade officers despite bringing four or more).


5 August

The main issues of debate in the talks of Canadian Federation are, firstly, which colonies in British North America should be considered part of Canada; secondly, how many railways should be built; thirdly, the precise degree of autonomy both of the provinces from Federation and the Federation from Britain; and fourthly, what to call the result. (Dominion of Canada, Federation of Canada, Kingdom of Canada, and just Canada are considered, though in the latter case in the context of "United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland and Canada".)
The flag also comes up for discussion.