7 August
Dahlgren begins the long process of casting his remarkable new 20 inch gun for the
Puritan. The projected powder charge for solid shot is a fantastic 100 pounds, and the gun is expected to weigh well over forty tons with a shot weight of half a ton. The muzzle energies involved are just as astonishing - though it is noted by one of the men at the Fort Pitt Foundry that a gun of this size will probably fire about once every half hour or less simply due to the need for a large, cumbersome crane to load.
As is the nature of things, Rodman begins casting a very similar gun at the other appropriately-sized furnace in Fort Pitt the same day - his plan is for
two hundred pounds of gunpowder to be the firing charge, and
his gun is to be over
fifty tons.
Neither man is particularly looking forward to the proofing process, as the expense of these huge guns is commensurate with their mighty size.
10 August
Diaz announces to the Republican press in Mexico that the process of national consolidation is complete. He is vague about where the 'traitor' leaders have gone, but remains adamant about the prospects of the future campaign to drive French influence out of Mexico.
As his announcement is taking place in Chihuahua, and as the latest rather fanciful reports have Imperialist troops pushing their way through the mountain passes to the south of the city, there is not the optimism and patriotism he was hoping for.
11 August
In the final day of a complicated three-day battle, one of Diaz' generals is defeated at Bachimba. Of note is the deployment of a special regiment of troops with the Terry, though most of the infantry involved were armed more conventionally.
Part of the reason for the complexity of this battle is the combination of the Imperial siege train (four 164mm rifles) and the difficulty of supply via wagon through the Mexican heat - as such the force started off quite widely dispersed, and so the Battle of Bachimba has been one of the Republican force having to deal with multiple opponents consecutively. Eventually, however, the Terry-armed regiment has managed to bring itself into play in a decisive fashion (after having to send for more cartridges twice) and the battle has been decided.
The next step for the Imperials is to consolidate their forces, and to march on Chihuahua.
13 August
Jesse James mounts a daring cavalry raid against Spanish forces, losing several of his men but managing to overwhelm the guards of a Spanish supply dump. With their stores lost, the Spanish are now compelled to retreat to an alternative source of supply - thus taking the pressure off a hard-pressed Dominican fort and earning much in the way of accolades.
Also on this date, the first fish and chips shop opens in London.
15 August
Uruguay rejects an ultimatum from the Empire of Brazil, and war breaks out (though the war is not actually formally
declared, with the Brazilian government deciding to skip that step.)
This is in effect an intervention in an ongoing civil struggle.
16 August
Incident in Kyoto where former Choshu domain samurai attempt to take over the city, an attempt which collapses very quickly and leads to the death of all the rebels. The Shogun declares that this is intolerable and that Choshu must be brought to account.
18 August
Diaz personally leads his army in the defense of Chihuahua. This succeeds in preventing the encirclement of the city, though he cannot prevent the Imperial forces from securing high ground to use as a base of operations for their heavy rifles.
His problem is simply that there is not a great deal of
Mexico left for him to run to.
23 August
The
Ushidoshi Maru is rearmed, ready to lead an expedition against Choshu domain. The Shogun is keen to use her as a demonstration of overwhelming firepower, and orders some aftermarket modifications - primarily fitting some plates of iron to the base of her mast as a guard against fire, something which increases her draft by a couple of inches but which does not seem to fundamentally alter the ship's seaworthiness.
24 August
French naval designers discuss the new British RBL 120 pounder and the implications of its abilities. There is a sense among those present that this means that heavier armour - and equivalent guns - are a priority, but not long after the beginning of the meeting someone brings up the Confederate torpedo vessels from Charleston.
He suggests that it would perhaps be worthwhile looking into these as well - or instead. Others bring up the concept of the ram, someone suggests combining the two, and there is even discussion of building a Monitor design with very heavy armour on a circular turret (though there
is agreement that, if the French did build a shield-ship, they would do it
correctement.)
26 August
The Nevadan state constitution is being worked on at great speed, with much of the legal work being done by a "frontier lawyer" going largely off other state constitutions for precedent. A census is also underway, though it is evident that Nevada is so sparsely populated that according it a single Representative is probably being generous. (One wag jokes that what Nevada needs is not two Senators and a Representative, but two Sheriffs and a Deputy.)
29 August
In a convention in Chicago, Illinois, the Democratic party selects George B. McClellan and George H. Pendleton as their nominees for President and Vice President respectively.
The platform has been somewhat influenced by McClellan's entirely coincidental national tour over the last several months, and stresses a desire to avoid foreign entanglements; the need for a defensive military; the value of mending relations with those overseas; the absolute avoidance of uncompensated emancipation, and that the War with Britain (and the subsequent defeat) was entirely the fault of the Republican party.
Privately, McClellan writes to his wife that he would probably not have decided to run - but that he could see the possibility that the Democrats would win, and would rather he be leading the charge and able to direct it instead of watching from behind the lines as wrong decisions were made. (Since the nomination of Fremont, his position has solidified - he sees Fremont as being dangerously radical).
The extent to which this is self justification is unknown - even to McClellan himself.
31 August
After some weeks of negotiation, the Geneva Convention is signed (in Geneva). The document provides for:
- the immunity from capture and destruction of all establishments for the treatment of wounded and sick soldiers
- the impartial reception and treatment of all combatants
- the protection of civilians providing aid to the wounded
- the recognition of the Red Cross symbol as a means of identifying persons and equipment covered by the agreement
The list of signatories is impressive (and indeed several of the signatories had to be argued round to participating). In addition to several of the smaller German states, the Convention is signed by representatives of:
The Grand Duchy of Baden
The Kingdom of Belgium
The Kingdom of Denmark
The French Empire
The Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Spain
The Swiss Confederation (hosts)
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United States of America
The Kingdom of Württemberg
The Mexican Empire and the Polish Republic are not present owing to either travel time concerns or being busy elsewhere; the Confederate States are uninterested. (Some suggest that the very disinterest of the Confederacy is why both the United Kingdom and the United States signed on).