When the Civil War, or the War for American Succession, began in earnest at the start of 1869, millions flocked to enlist. Eager for fame, fortune, honor, and ready to fight for country, denomination, and family.
The Northern, Alexandrian army swelled to immense size in weeks. The amount of Europeans that enlisted was astounding; 300,000 Germans enlisted for Alexander, claiming they were going "To Fight mit Schicklgruber."
General Alois Schicklgruber - The Union's greatest general during the war, only matched by the Duke of Arlington
Alois Schicklgruber, an illegitimate Austrian born in 1837 with the last name Schicklgruber, had come to America as a toddler with his mother and grandfather due to the terrible internal conflicts in German Europe. They had settled in the German district of New York City. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Indian Wars and quickly rode up the ranks of the New York Army. While serving he was also converted to Lutheranism from Catholicism. He was a close friend of Andrew III when he was Grand Duke of New York, but they seemed to have had a falling out. 33 in 1869, he was one of the few that young to have reached the rank of general so young.
Schicklgruber was placed in charge of the Army of the Mississippi on January 7th, 1869 and was instructed to annihilate any attempt of Andrew's to come up the river. This did indeed occur when French steamships motored up the mighty waterway with thousands of troops. On January 18th, Schicklgruber led his men into battle near St. Louis, South Missouri. In the first major blood-letting of the war, over 5,000 Royalist troops died. Shicklgruber lost 1,000 of his Alexandrians. This great victory made Alois disregard orders to stay in near St. Louis, and he marched his men south. He met another, smaller army and routed it. By the end of the week, over 15,000 Royalists, Frenchmen, and Hispanics had been killed. Alois was a hero.
These early victories encouraged Alexander greatly. But with France and Austria sending in more troops to reinforce his older brother, he still was in a bad situation.
As of this point, Britain had only favored Alexander, and did not actually assist him. However, when it discovered a French fleet was about to invade New England. Acting at last, on February 15th, the British navy attacked the French in the Battle of the Mid-Atlantic. The French were utterly destroyed and the invasion was halted. Britain was at war.
Schicklgruber led his men back north when the resistance grew too thick, but the damage had been done, and the South had had its face dragged through the mud. As you can imagine, Andrew III was beyond furious. He ordered his top general, Louisiana's Pierre G. T. Beauregard to join up with Marquis François Achille Bazaine, commander of French forces in Virginia. The joint army marched into Prince William County, Virginia and joined up with Grand Marshal Hiram Ulysses Grant's Army of Northern Virginia. The 80,000 strong army marched into occupied Catholic-leaning Maryland and met an army of 40,000 Alexandrians, under the command of General Robert Edward Lee, Duke of Arlington. At eight in the morning on March 5th, Lee waved his plumed bicorne on a small hill, signaling the artillery to open fire. So the Battle of Antietam Creek began with a massive Union artillery barrage of canister shot. As the Southern forces waded across the creek, they were mowed down. The barrage was brutal and wiped out the entire first two ranks of men. As the Southerners pulled back to regroup, they switched to shells, which hit them over the long distance. Eight minutes latter, hurling curses in various languages and pointing their bayonets forward, they attempted another crossing. The bodies became so numerous that they formed a human bridge. Trying to navigate through the carnage, the Southerners were starting falter again. They retreated a second time.
P. G. T. Beauregard in Royalist Gray
The third time, the French cavalry led the attack. Despite losses, they made it across and forced the Northern infantry to engage. Blue met green, gray, and white in a horrific bloodbath. Only a few stray buildings interrupted the clockwork lines of troops, who duked it out for around a half hour. A half hour of standing upright and being mowed down. The casualties were massive. Dozens of jackbooted Southern troops tramped back through the mud, bodies, and craters, deserting. An entire group of 200 Irishmen was wiped off the face of the earth. After several more minutes, the Northerners suddenly threw themselves to the ground. It had been a trap. The canisters opened up at close range, scything down the Royalist forces. The Marquis withdrew from the battle at this point, and Grant soon followed. Beauregard and his men, mainly grenadiers at this point, stood alone to cover the retreat. They failed.
Royalist and French troops are slaughtered in a cluster of buildings next to Antietam Creek; the snow and cold also affected their ability to maneuver correctly
A Mexican Royalist Regiment regroups and prepares for anther assault after the second charge over Antietam Creek - The Mexicans' uniforms were rare for the era, being black, which led to the general nickname "Blackcoats" in the future for Hispanic troops in American service, even when they did not wear black coats
Over the course of the day, General Karl Weber, a Bavarian immigrant, had been leading his German cavalry to Antietam. Now, singing the new "I Goes to Fight Mit Schicklgruber" tune, they were heard over the hills in the distance. Minutes later, blowing bugles, swords gleaming in the sun, they crashed into Beauregard's men and slaughtered them. Lee rode out with his cavalry and hit Grant from behind. The rout was unstoppable, and corpses were strewn everywhere. Finally, at 9:00 that night, it was over. Suffering over 20,000 casualties, the Royalists retreated, leaving Maryland under occupation by Alexander.
( "I Goes to Fight Mit Schicklgruber
)
