alternatehistory.com

1 May

In the Paraguayan War, an official alliance is signed - the war is now Paraguay versus Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.
There is no especial indication that Francisco Solano López (elected president of Paraguay, much like his father was for twenty years) is particularly intimidated by the way his nation of 450,000 people is now outnumbered roughly 25:1.


2 May

Nursing an elbow broken by a rifle bullet, Chamberlain successfully manages to break out of the Chamla valley - the key moment being an uphill charge of the 11th Bengal cavalry led by Lt. Colonel Dighton Probyn (VC) which manages to break through a Pashtun force at the cost of notable casualties. The 11th Bengal Cavalry subsequently attack the Pashtun camp, causing a collapse in discipline and allowing for a brigade-front advance in open order by the Snider-equipped battalions of Chamberlain's force.
His management of the long battle comes in for severe criticism after the fact (especially as his artillery was insufficiently far from the fighting front and most of the gunners are now dead) but his success answers some of the criticisms - as is ever the way, a victorious general looks much better than a defeated one.


5 May

The Admiralty sets up a "plans and preparations board", a staff of professionals (with Admiral Milne the first head) whose task is to do the planning work "in advance" of any possible war breaking out. For example, the board is to evaluate both the prospective targets of port attacks (with a view to keeping them up to date) and the logistics of blockade and convoy, ahead of time.
An illustration of the kind of work the Preparations Board will become familiar with in future is an analysis of a possible blockade of the Confederacy (both in concert with another power and absent help from that other power). One notable conclusion reached is that the current state of Confederate rail and the length and nature of the Confederate coastline makes a blockade quite tricky, though a successful capture of Savannah (Georgia) would remove all of Florida's coastline from the possible ports of entry for blockade-runners.
It is also noted that securing Spanish cooperation would be key in such a venture - Havana is well placed as a blockade running port - and that stopping up the mouth of the Chesapeake would be a useful way to materially injure the Confederate navy.


11 May

President McClellan and General Grant have a long discussion about McClellan's vision for the Army of the United States, in which the two men discuss how best to ensure a competent cavalry and artillery for the Union - these two being less amenable than the infantry to a "militia" style of part time training. One key point that comes out of the discussion is that US regular cavalry and artillery units should be trained as cavalry (not dragoons) and artillery (not as infantry, as many of the nominal artillery regiments often act), as these roles - properly stressed - create the institution which would be needed to properly increase size in time of war.
This is, however, likely to cost.


13 May

HMS London suffers from a failure of sail drill while working in towards Valletta harbour, and runs aground on a shoal. This is not particularly dangerous - it is near low tide and so the screw liner can float off after only a couple of hour - but it is very embarrassing.


16 May

The Joint Committee on Railways (composed of both MPs and Lords) reaffirms the requirement and intent for a complete circle underground rail line in London. The current state of the system has the Metropolitan Line's existing route (from Paddington to Moorgate) to be extended east to Tower Hill and west to Brompton, and plans a second route (the "District" line) which will connect Brompton and Tower Hill in a different way.
Various schemes have been both considered and rejected, and it is felt that the ideal route is one which incurs as little purchase cost as possible - even if this means a less straight and thus longer route - though this is not set in stone.
Meanwhile, in Paris, arguments have been going on about their potential urban rail system for ten years and show no sign of abating.


19 May

Chamberlain's forces burn the mountain fortress of Malka after a short siege and a storming operation led by a regiment of Gurkhas (four of whom will later receive the VC). Pleased with the successful conclusion of the campaign, Chamberlain orders a withdrawal to India (functionally to the Sindh).


21 May

Francis Galton (an English polymath with an especial focus on statistics) begins writing an article on the scientific possibility of heredity of ability - that is, the idea that there are not merely alleles for skin colour, hair colour, eye colour and the ability to roll the tongue, but also for intelligence, perfect pitch, and other such positive mental and physical qualities.


22 May

A large explosion rocks Atlanta (Georgia) where several tonnes of gunpowder have exploded. The explosion's source is not clear, but it is suggested that it may have been a suicidal slave.


24 May

The Confederate Congress proposes a law that states that all government-approved suppliers of explosives (i.e. gunpowder) must avoid any ignition materials entering their facilities - especially in the hands of slaves. A poor safety record will be considered grounds for the lucrative business of supplying the Confederate Army (and thus the Navy) to go elsewhere.


27 May

The Orenberg campaign begins in Central Asia. This comes as a surprise to many - the forces present are the ones that were expected to go after Poland upon the opening of the summer campaign season - and uses large supply dumps set up in Orenberg as the logistical base for a large movement to Chymkent (currently under light Russian control).

The Orenberg campaign has the support of many of Russia's best rail engineers and is slowly extending the rail line from Orenberg towards Chymkent (in addition to the military aspects of the move, which will place a very large force in Chymkent by the standards of the region). It is not known precisely how long it will take until the expansion (or military campaign) is complete, though some sources suggest that the aim of the Russian operation is to make it at least as far as Samarkand over the next few years.


31 May

The Paraguayans secure an early strategic coup in Mato Grosso, successfully disrupting the flow of precious minerals from this province. This puts an unexpected hole in Brazilian governmental revenues, though they still have several Brazilian sources of income to draw upon.


4 June

The line survey on the Confederate trans-continental railroad project is completed. The planned route is New Orleans - Schriever - Lafayette - Lake Charles - Beaumont - Houston - San Antonio - Del Rio - Sanderson - Alpine - El Paso - Deming - Lordsburg - Benson - Tucson - Maricopa - Yuma - Palm Springs - Ontario - Los Angeles, repeatedly passing close to the Mexican border. (The usefulness of it as a jumping-off point for invasion of Mexico is carefully not stated.)
The line is expected to take a few years to construct.


11 June

Battle of the Riachuelo in the Paraguayan War.
The Paraguayan concept of operations in the battle involves taking advantage of the way that Brazilian crews of their fleet lie on shore at night, only boarding their vessels for the day's work; as such, several hundred troops are to be put ashore and board the Brazilian vessels, thus capturing them.

Things do not go quite according to plan, as when the attack takes place - in heavy fog shortly after sunrise - the Brazilian crews are in the midst of returning to their vessels. A bloody battle takes place, with the Paraguayans losing the Ygureí and Salto Guairá (along with all but two of the seven barges full of troops, most of which are already holed and sinking when they deliver their infantry) but managing to capture the Amazonas and Belmonte; the Jequitinhonha and two Brazilian gunboats (Ipiranga and Araguari) are destroyed, and the remaining Brazilian corvettes (Beberibe and Parnaíba) are badly knocked about.

With the Paraguayans now in possession of the largest two ships on the river, the later belief is that they could have won a decisive victory and destroyed the Brazilian navy here; however, as it stands most of the Brazilian crews manage to escape.