alternatehistory.com

28 August

A number of exceedingly tense conversations take place in regional seats of government, as trusted retainers from various domains attempt to feel one another out for the prospective loyalties of their respective daimyo.
Some domains - notably Aizu - have publicly declared for the Shogun, but others are looking to see which way the wind is blowing.

The Shogunate takes care to avoid any appearance of sequestering the Emperor, but does ensure that a half-battalion of the Shinsengumi is on alert for the possibility of a "kidnap attempt" (i.e. an attempt by pro-rebel forces to secure the Emperor, with or without his consent).


29 August

A delegation of townsmen from Shergotty in Bihar presents a recovered meteorite to Sir John Lawrence (Bt), the Viceroy, having taken a trip on the Bengal Provincial Railway. They are granted a small monetary reward, sufficing to defray the costs of their tickets (and the lost work) and to leave enough left over for an advance on a town project.


1 September

A final Spanish effort is made to attempt to regain control of Dominica, consisting of a show of force by the screw liner Rey Don Francisco de Asís and a landing by two fresh regiments (intended to outflank rebel positions). In a case of singular bad luck for both parties involved, the landing takes place very near the current camp of the filibuster force from the Confederacy and runs into unexpected trouble, and calls in a bombardment from the screw liner.

The experience of being fired upon by a full battleship is the last straw for many of the adventurers (in some cases because they have just been hit by shells or cannonballs) and, already dissatisfied with the leadership of Jesse James, the force largely disintegrates. A few dozen stay together, and Jesse James himself survives the experience without even being wounded, but his hope of incorporating the island into the Confederacy is gone.

For the part of the Spanish, the engagement does not turn out well either. The fresh regiments are decidedly less fresh after a two-hour battle culminating in being shelled, and a general departure from the island is mooted as getting reinforcements would take another month or two.


3 September

Brazilian naval forces are preparing for a second Riachuelo, intended to clear the way to advance upriver into Paraguay. The preparations are slow going as the Brazilian navy is not used to being overmatched (especially not by their own captured ships) but some training is taking place on what amounts to the spar-torpedo - it is hoped that it could be issued for general use, thus allowing for an attack by large numbers of small boats and reducing the Paraguayan flotilla to flotsam.




7 September

Battle of Nagasaki Bay.
The first battle of the Hizen campaign, in which the Ushidoshi Maru leads a force of mixed Shogunal vessels - from somewhat modern purchased steam ships to junks - into the bay in order to land troops. They come under fire from the defensive batteries (which include a number of long-ranged Whitworth cannon) and the Kanrin Maru takes heavy damage from shells exploding around her and inside her. Worse, a chain-shot snaps the connecting rods for her port paddle wheel, leading her to slowly circle in place.
The Ushidoshi Maru, however, is well-equipped to withstand this level of bombardment and begins duelling with the most heavily armed battery. The protection for this battery is poor (the earthworks are not thick enough) and after about half an hour the Ushidoshi Maru - combined with the other Shogunal ships in support, some of them armed with 40 pounder Armstrongs - has rendered the battery unfightable.
The defences now have a hole in them, and the Shogunal ships exploit it by sailing to the blind arcs of each battery in turn and destroying them. After two are rendered unusable in this manner, the rest are abandoned and the landings begin.



9 September

Battle of Nishizaka Hill. The samurai and retainers of the Hizen domain attempt to ambush the Shogunal army by attacking downhill as the Shinsengumi march by Nishizaka hill - the site of execution of 26 Japanese Christians hundreds of years prior. The plan is good, but unfortunately it has been leaked - the Shinsengumi were aware of the plan, and deliberately marched into the trap.
When the first rifle volley is fired from atop the hill, the Shinsengumi immediately right wheel and charge - startling the Hizen army and throwing the ambush back on the attackers. This allows the Shinsengumi to get within close range without taking much fire, and they go right in with the bayonet.
After an hour or so of often-bloody fighting on the slopes and atop the hill, the Shogunal force holds the hill - and has won an important propaganda victory, to boot.
The remaining Hizen domain forces retreat inland, heading for Saga castle.


12 September

A small gunpowder bomb explodes on the rails of the Metropolitan line, causing severe delays between Baker Street and Kings Cross. No-one is killed, but already the people of London have learned to grumble about delays on the underground.
It is suspected to have been part of a Fenian plot, largely for lack of alternatives.