A Loyal City on the Hill -The Commonwealth Wank

VT45

Banned
So I posted this in the main thread in the Maps and Graphics thread, but I figured since this was mostly text it would probably be a better fit here. I know that the American Revolution might’ve been done to death, but I figured I might as well dip into that well again. So I’d like to present to you, my first instalment of A Loyal City On a Hill, The Commonwealth Wank:

In November of 1776, Lord Howe sent a letter to Lord Germain, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, outlining his plan for an ambitious campaign to take the Hudson Valley and split the rebellious colonies in twain. History would remember this as the Saratoga Campaign. Lord Germain approved of the plan and sent instructions to Howe and Burgoyne, telling them that the plan would begin on 14 June of the following year.

In the interim, Howe had cooled on the idea and thought he should focus more on capturing the rebel capital of Philadelphia. He wrote to Burgoyne informing him of this, and within a few weeks received back a scathing reply, threatening a formal complaint to Germain should he deviate from the plan, effectively forcing Howe’s hand. Begrudgingly, Lord Howe began marching a force of 16,000 men north from New York on 14 June.

Lord Howe reached Newburgh on the 25th and took the town with very little effort. Poughkeepsiefell 3 days later. The people of New York trembled. For it was at point Burgoyne appeared on the rebel frontier and laid siege to Fort Ticonderoga. It fell on the 3rd of July. It was clear that their aim was Albany, and all rebel forces that could be spared made their way with all haste to the HudsonValley. Some reinforcements under Horatio Gates met Howe at Germantown, but succeeded only in delaying him.

As Burgoyne began moving into Vermont, Howe began closing in on Albany and cutting it off from the rest of the rebel forces. The Siege of Albany began on July 20th with shelling of the city beginning at sunrise. The city held out for threeweeks before surrendering to Howe’s forces. With that, the colony of New York was considered to have officially surrendered, with the governorbeing forced to recall all representatives from the Continental Congress. A few members of the New York delegation, most notably Philip Schuyler, were able to escape and took refuge in New Spain, before setting sail for Europe. The Schuyler family eventually settled in St Petersburg. Many of theother delegates however were arrested and held for the duration of the rebellion.

By the end of September, Howe and Burgoyne had joined forces in Saratoga, leading to a decisive victory for the loyalist forces. Together, they spent the rest of 1777 pacifying the rest of New York,before proceeding through New Jersey to take Philadelphia in early December. They settled into winter quarters in Philadelphia, with Washington at Valley Forge. Meanwhile, word had reached France of the success of the Saratoga Campaign, the surrender of New York, and the capture of Philadelphia. Unimpressed, Louis XVI stated he could not in good faith support the Americanrebels. Franklin was expelled from court. He was found dead in Paris a month later.

Over the course of the winter of 1777-1778, a staggering 90% of the rebel forces succumbed to the cold, lack of provisions, communicable diseases, or outright deserted. By spring, Washington saw the writing on the wall. He proceeded to Philadelphia with his senior officers under a flag of truce, and surrendered to Lord Howe. The Continental Congress officiallysurrendered that summer.
 

VT45

Banned
A very realistic start. I am very interested in where you go with this.

Thanks. Working on the peace plan right now. I based parts of it on the outcome of the Second Jacobite Rising, but I honestly don’t think that the same insane crackdown and cultural genocide that followed the Forty-Five would work or be plausible in this instance.
 
The Peace of London and the Great Compromise

VT45

Banned
Upon receiving word of the surrender of the American rebels, Lord North was ready to make an example of the traitors. He wanted to come down as hard on the colonies as Pelham had on Scotland in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden 30 years before. If not harder. He wished to see all members of the Continental Congress shipped to Britain to have their heads summarily mounted on pikes on London Bridge. He wanted to revoke colonial charters. He wanted to confiscate all weapons in the colonies, melt them down and turn them into statues glorifying George III. This approach had the wholehearted support of the king and some of North’s most ardent supporters, but few others. It was met in parliament with shock and horror, with the Rockinghamites threatening a vote of no confidence if North didn’t soften.

In the end it was decided that it was better to compromise than rule by fear and oppression. They obviously did not accept the Declaration of Independence, but went over the Olive Branch Petition with great scrutiny, as well as other documents outlining their grievances and reasons for rebellion.

Members of the Continental Congress were summoned to London, and were put on trial for sedition and treason. Most were found guilty, with about half eventually being executed. Washington’s head was displayed on London Bridge as a cautionary tale to others. However, the remarkable thing was that several were merely imprisoned, or in the case of John Adams and a couple others, pardoned outright in light of “previous services rendered to the empire.” It would be these men that would negotiate the Great Compromise.

First and foremost, it was decided that the political barriers between colonies needed to be strengthened, so that such a large number of colonies could never band together again in defiance of the crown. The American colonies were divided into four circles, similar to those in the Holy Roman Empire, and these served as the basis of the dominions that emerged in the next century.

Next the British government agreed to respect the autonomy of the colonial governments, but at the same time they had to acknowledge their subservience to London. However, to quash the idea of no representation in parliament, each of the circles would choose a commissioner to advise the Secretary of State for the Colonies on matters and how they effect their circles, as well as to advocate for the people of their circles. This was also the only legal form of inter-circle interaction, as this would become the forum for colonies to also try to influence each other and also resolve disputes between each other. These commissioners would be voted on by their colonial assemblies and approved by the royal governors and viceroys.

Eventually these institutions would grow and change into a standard form of imperial government and would be extended to every colony.
 
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