alternatehistory.com

14 June

In order to attempt to head off an undirected movement for reform, the Duke of Cambridge asks for officers connected with both the regular army and the recent militia callout to raise any objections or problems they have with the current system of operation of the British Army. His hope is that a forthright examination, done in-house, will allow for any objectionable issues to be discovered and corrected before they can be used as a lever for a reform that would destroy the army's efficient functioning.


16 June

Several Brazilian guns are set up to attack any movement by Paraguayan shipping along the Riachuelo, in lieu of assistance from the now badly damaged Brazilian navy. Pedro Ignácio Meza (the victorious Paraguayan commander) is nervous about using his advantage to attempt to finish off the Brazilian riverine fleet, considering that his success was only due to the action of surprise.


20 June

Prussia makes a "clarifying statement" that they are dismayed by the agitation over the Polish issue. There was never any intent to cause objection to the German Confederation, and no support of any kind was given to Poland in advance of the de facto recognition of Poland as an independent state (it is now looking like there will be no major Russian summer offensive this year either, and the Polish are settling into a somewhat guarded state of independence). The official statement also notes that the alternative would be active cooperation in the suppression of the Polish uprising, an action which the Prussian subjects of Polish ancestry might object to.
The statement does not mention one way or the other the three big Krupp guns obtained through unknown means by Poland, though of course by now there are many more heavy guns on order.


24 June

Justo José de Urquiza contacts the Paraguayan president Lopez, mentioning his interest in discussing the current situation. The provincial governor (of the provinces of Corrientes and Entre Rios, or in other words most of Argentinia to the east of the Parana river) has never had great relations with Buenos Aires, and the Paraguayan victory has led him to be... interested.


26 June

Already a number of letters have begun to arrive in Horse Guards, detailing the various gripes, issues and problems on which the Duke of Cambridge requested information. One of the points which draws interest from the Duke is the complaint about the inefficient nature of the militia training - in effect, each battalion is trained for a month (roughly) but for nearly three-quarters of this month some companies are missing and are at the rifle range. This means that there is only time for the basics of battalion drill and that most drill is company drill, a situation which the training officers consider is distinctly sub optimal. (It is also mentioned that there is no time for open order drill, which parallels the Duke's experiences with Canadian militia - they could form line, but not skirmish except for the flank companies and that not well).

Among the other issues raised are the usual ones of supply quantity and organization, the thorny problem of Purchase, one letter which complains about the Hythe musketry method (claiming that it is all either glaringly obvious, unutterably boring or ridiculously petty, citing the making of a record of every shot and the way that the rifle ranges must be paced out) and an interesting point about the "India Problem" (to whit, the India Problem is that men may not be sent overseas to India unless they are both twenty years of age and a year or more in the service).

Another issue which may come up in the near future is what to do with the 100th Foot (The Prince of Wales's Royal Canadian). A regiment recruited from British North America, in the main, there are suggestions that it (along with the RCR) should be assigned to form the nucleus of a Canadian Army upon the confederation of the colonies. While this would necessitate a shifting of the numbers, the 101st-109th Foot are not especially attached to their numbers (which were only assigned in 1862).

At this point, however, Cambridge has made no decisions on what to recommend.


29th June

The first Rodman 20 inch gun is tested, after many delays resulting from an investigation into Rodman's loyalty to the Union and into possible malfeasance in office. The official verdict has not been published, and the various hearings have delayed work on his great piece.
Rodman's gun has much larger powder charges than the equivalent Dahlgren gun, at two hundred pounds of gunpowder for the full charge.
Starting somewhat smaller, Rodman works his way up towards the full charge. Performance with the 100 pound charge is similar to that of the Dahlgren gun, but Rodman notes that there is a definite tendency for the gun to belch forth powder unburned. This suggests that the gun barrel is too short.
Using the full 200 pound charge results in only a relatively marginal increase in muzzle velocity, and Rodman determines to go away and do some calculations and experiments - specifically, as to the effect of smaller grained powder on the pressure within the barrel of a gun. He notes that the ideal size for large grained powder is that it should complete burning just as the shot exits the barrel.


4 July

The Puritan formally enters commission, though there is plenty of work still to go and she has not yet had her sea trials. She is expected to make fifteen knots, though when this is brought up more than a few naval officers are heard to quietly chuckle.


7 July

The Ironclad committee in Britain determines to fund two fully rigged turret vessels, one to Reed's design (to be designated the Monarch) and one to the design of Cowper Coles (speculatively named Captain).
Also on this date, Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) publishes Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, an odd and surreal book.


8 July

The A'a and the Pahoehoe are declared completed, to much fanfare.
Powerful breastwork monitor designs, with built-up wooden sides for oceanic transit (to be removed once the destination is reached) these two ships are to travel to Hawai'i in company with one of the Royal Navy's steam ships of the line - and plenty of colliers. The voyage is likely to be long, but it is felt to be worthwhile - Reed's design for the breastwork monitors is such that they have a lot of "growth room", and could theoretically have their guns replaced with guns of nearly double the weight without excessively endangering their freeboard or stability once in Pearl Harbour. (The growth room is a necessary design element, guns have already changed twice since the initial design).


10 July

A formal request is made by the committee on Canadian Confederation that the British Government (and Crown) rule on whether Canada should be officially styled as a Kingdom, a Dominion or a Confederation.
Also on this date, Napoleon III finalizes an adjustment to the Code Napoleon - removing the article that states that the word of an employer is to be given greater weight in a legal case than that of the employee.