But for One Shell: An American Story

I don't know- Cuba throws off that balance, but there is still economic discrepancies between North and South (reliance on Northern bankers, the North has actual industry, Southerners hate tariffs etc) and a weak Mexico to the West. The internal corruption and problems endemic to Latin America at the time will manifest in Mexico as they did OTL, allowing for great expansion. I imagine having Cuba will alter the free/slave dynamic, but not too much.

In addition, Anglo settlers would already be moving into Texas and even into the West for economic gain, working a population advantage and the fact that Easterners will want to move west to get more land.
 
I don't know- Cuba throws off that balance, but there is still economic discrepancies between North and South (reliance on Northern bankers, the North has actual industry, Southerners hate tariffs etc) and a weak Mexico to the West. The internal corruption and problems endemic to Latin America at the time will manifest in Mexico as they did OTL, allowing for great expansion. I imagine having Cuba will alter the free/slave dynamic, but not too much.

In addition, Anglo settlers would already be moving into Texas and even into the West for economic gain, working a population advantage and the fact that Easterners will want to move west to get more land.

OTOH until the California gold is discovered there's little incentive for the Americans to settle there.

So I could see Texas going American as in OTL, but with the USA claiming less territory from Mexico.
 
Manifest Destiny may change its nature TTL too. In OTL it was motivated partly by a drive to increase the power of slave states, and in turn the free states tried to balance it out.
Note two events, I put Delaware on the path to become a free state. I also killed Nat Turner. These events will effect the whole, free/slave state issue.
 
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November 3 1818: President Monroe sends Secretary of State Henry Clay, who replaced John Q Adams as Secretary of State, to Mexico City. Monroe gives Clay two orders, first get Mexico to agree to an alliance against Spain. The second order was to do everything in his power to gain Texas for America, but not at the cost of gaining an alliance with Mexico.

November 10 1818: General Andrew Jackson sets sail in a fleet of transports to take Havana. His force is made up of 2,500 regular army, 2,300 militia, and 250 Marines under the personal command of Lt Colonel Archibald Henderson, the 4th Commandant of the Marine Corp.

Colonel Henderson, before he left the Commandant's House he pinned a note on the door. It read "Gone to Cuba to fight the Spanish. Be back when the war is over."

Jackson's fleet is being escorted by fleet lead by Vice Admiral Stephen Decatur. Decatur was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral for his actions in the Second Barbary War. Decatur's flag ship is the newly commissioned USS George Washington.

November 21 1818: Colonel William King received orders to remove the Spanish from Florida. With West Florida under US control, King leaves a small force to keep Fort Gadsden active, and takes the bulk of his force on a force march to St. Augustine, the capital of East Florida, and as far as anyone can tell the only place in Florida that is still under Spanish control.

November 30 1818: Illinois is admitted to the Union as a Free State

December 1 1818: The Washington & Baltimore Railway begins service between the two cities. With the war, it's hauling mostly military cargo between the two cities, but it need be it will also carry passengers.

December 2 1818: Colonel King's force of 1,500 reaches St. Augustine. The Spanish withdraw to the fort. The Americans outnumber the Spanish three to one.

December 5 1818: King's Force beaches the walls of the Spanish fort, in the early morning hours. The fighting was hard, but it was over quickly. King takes as his prisoner Governor Jose Maria Coppinger. Coppinger signs the surrender of Spanish Florida to the Americans.

December 18 1818: Commodore William Bainbridge on the USS Constitution, enters into battle with the Heros, 74 gun ship of the line. The Spanish that crewed the Heros were new and had very little in training. This would cost them. In the three hour battle, the Spanish only landed a few shots on the Constitution, but they bounced off her sides.

The Spanish strike their colors after their commander was kill. With this surrender, marks the third time this ship had change hands.

December 25 1818: In not so nice Christmas give to the Spanish the Jackson's fleet arrives off the coast of Havana.

December 26 1818: Jackson's Force of 5,000 land 8 miles west of Havana. Decatur leaves a three of his 12 warships to guard the transports, and takes the rest of his force back east. Using the lessons learned from the Bombardment of Algiers three years ago, Decatur begins to bombard Havana.

December 27-28 1818: The Battle of Havana. With the Spanish positions soften up by the bombardment of Decatur's fleet, Jackson storms the city. The toughest fighting took place at La Cabana. But under heavy pressure the Spanish finally surrender Havana to the Americans. But the cost was heavy, 587 Americans dead another 1,071 wounded. But the cost for the Spanish was even higher.

After the Battle of Havana Jackson sets up camp there to nurse his wounded army.

January 3 1819: Thomas Blanchard, so off his new idea to Colonel Decius Wadsworth the Chief of US Army Ordnance. He calls his rifle the Blanchard Rifle. It is a rifled musket, that is flint lock in design.

What makes the Blanchard Rifle different than every other fire arm in the world, was the bullet it fired. Unlike every other bullet of this time period, the but had a point on it, and it base was hollow. When fire the base would expand the skirt and engage the rifling. This gave the Blanchard Rifle, much longer range and accuracy than every other musket in the world.

Colonel Wadsworth, seeing the promise of the design orders the Blanchard Rifle into product as it was, so American troops would have an edge on the Spanish. With the machine tools also invited by Thomas Blanchard, one person at the Springfield Armory could turn out 15 Blanchard Rifles a day.

February 15 1819: Secretary of State Henry Clay reaches, Mexico City. With him is a small number of US Army officers.

February 22 1819: The Treaty of Mexico City: The US and Mexico come to an agreement for an alliance. The Mexicans agreed to give the Americans Texas, in return for US financial help, American recognizes, and other help. The Mexicans also agree to give up any claims on Oregon Country.

The only point the two sides couldn't agree on was the border of Texas. The Americans wanted the southern border at the Rio Grande, but the Mexicans wanted the border at the Nueces River. There were also the western border which differ, but both parties agreed to meet at a later date to work out a compromise.

March 17 1819: After resting his army after the Battle of Havana, General Jackson takes 4,000 troops to clear the remaining Spanish off the island. Jackson leaves 2,000 troops in Havana to keep the city incase the Spanish try to retake it.

Some of Jackson's troops had been rearmed with the Blanchard Rifle. Only a few hundred of the new rifle-musket has made their way to Cuba, and they had ended up in the hands of sharpshooters and skirmishers.

March 29-April 1 1819: The Battle of Santa Clara: Jackson forces reach Santa Clara on the 29 of March, and after Spanish fire on Jackson's Army, Jackson decides to let his skirmishers and sharpshooters do the wear the Spanish down, before assaulting the city.

After two days, Jackson was preparing to storm Santa Clara, but the skirmishers and sharpshooters did their job to well. The Spanish surrender.

April 1 1819: Vice Admiral Decatur and his task force bombard Santo Domingo for 7 hours. To the shock of Decatur, and the other Americans, the Spanish surrender Santo Domingo.

April 30-May 1 1819: The Battle of Santiago de Cuba: Jackson lets his artillery, skirmishers, and sharpshooters work for one day, before he assaults the city. On a bold assault Jackson launches two different columns to break the Spanish lines.

The Spanish fall apart, being underequipped in very thing one could think of. The city surrenders within 9 hours after the assault started.

May 25 1819: With the bad news from the Americas pouring in, the Spanish decided to make attempt to end the war with the United States, by sacking Washington DC. They saw this almost worked for the British back in 1814. They put together a fleet of 25 warships, and another 20 transports. This is the bulk of what is left of the Spanish navy that is able to put to sea at the moment.

July 4 1819: Battle of the Chesapeake: Commodore William Bainbridge on the USS Constitution, is putting to sea again to raid Spanish shipping. So far this had been a good war for Bainbridge. He had taken 9 ships as prizes. Currently under his command, he had nine ships.

As he was exiting the Chesapeake, he saw the Spanish task force tasked with sacking Washington DC. On board the USS Constitution Bainbridge, make a short speech to rally his men. "Men, today the Spanish have sent their navy to attack our homeland. We saw what happen the last time a foreign nation stepped on American soil. I say never again! If we must die today, let's take as many Spanish as we can with us! And send them to hell where they belong!"

Over the next 3 and half hours both sides go after each other like a bar room brawl. American seamen after far better trained than their Spanish counterparts, but the Spanish out number.

Three different Spanish warship attempt to take the USS Constitution as a prize but each one is turned back, with heavy losses. But when the four tries to take the Constitution, the crew of the Constitution is too few in number and to wounded to stop them. Bainbridge not wanting to see his own ship's gun turn loose on his homeland, set off the power magazine of the Constitution, destroying his ship as well as the Spanish warship that was trying to take his ship.

By the end of the battle, the whole American squadron under Bainbridge has been sunk. Not one American ship strike their colors in this battle. The American squadron took with it, 12 Spanish warships, and damaged three others so badly they had to be scuttled.

When the Spanish enter the range of the guns of the newly build Fort Armistead named after the fallen commander of Ft McHenry, the Spanish began to take a pounding again. After losing three more warships, and five transport the Spanish commander withdraws and decides to return to Spain.

July 9 1819: Vice Admiral Decatur was in New York City getting ready to sail to the coast of Spain to attack Spanish shipping there, when word reaches him of the Battle of the Chesapeake. Decatur changes his plans to guarding the US eastern seaboard.

August 17 1819: The Spanish fleet sent to sack Washington DC returns to Spain. Two more warships were lost on the return trip. The lost of the Battle of the Chesapeake, causes unrest within Spain itself. Needing to get out of the war now, the Spanish send their Foreign Minister Luis de Onis y Gonzalez-Vara to Washington DC to ask for terms.

September 29 1819: Decatur on his flagship USS George Washington, intercepted the Spanish ship carrying Spanish Foreign Minister Onis. When the Spanish fly a white flag, Decatur and a small team take a small row boat to the Spanish ship. When Onis learn Decatur his on his ship he is heard to say, "I hope he doesn't burn our ship to the ground."

After learning of the Spanish mission, Decatur and the USS George Washington escort the Spanish to Washington DC.

October 6 1819: The Treaty of Washington: In this treaty the Spanish admit to killing Secretary of State John Q Adams. They also ceded Cuba, Florida, Texas, and the eastern half of Hispaniola to the Americans. They also agree to pay 7.5million silver Spanish Real to the American for killing Secretary of State Adams.

The Spanish also give recognizing to Mexico, Gran Colombia and all other former Spanish territories fighting for their Independence. They were allow to keep Puerto Rico as their last new world colony.

As the Spanish-American War drew to a close many Americans knew how close they came to seeing Washington DC sacked for the second time in five years. If not for a stroke of luck, the Spanish would had to only face Fort Armistead, not the whole of Bainbridge's squadron. Bainbridge last stand showed they could go toe to toe with the European powers, but their navy was still do small.

The Americans also had to figure out now what to do with all of the territory they had taken in this war. They only had planned to take Cuba, taken the eastern half of Hispaniola was something they never even though would happen. They were just shocked when the Spanish garrison in Santo Domingo by naval bombardment alone.

But this war as made three men heroes across the whole US. General Andrew Jackson, Admiral Stephen Decatur, and Commodore William Bainbridge, but only two men lived to see the end of the war.
 
Whoa nelly, that's cool.

And Spain kicks the US to Hell and back..... the colonies unite behind the mother country at such unprovoked agression by the petulant upstart trying to call itself a civilized state...declaring war on them without even a shred of proof.

France and Britain quitely aid the Spanish in the stomp down.

Suggesting anything else is virtually impossible
 
Mexico became independent in 1810, so Texas, California etc are now Mexican.

Mexico rebelled in 1810 and was defeated... Independence was gained under Inturbide in 1821. I suspect Ferdinand will be more amenable to the Iguala Plan and the personal Union of the two Empires with this development.


Mexico cannot sign a treaty of alliance with the US when the border between the Louisana purchase and the rest of Spain is yet to be legitimized or even determined....None will give up any part of the patrimony...and lets be blunt... all of NEW SPAIN is the MEXICAN empire. Their position is exactly the Same as Spain. Louisiana is just the strip on the west bank...not the vast interior the US claims it is.


NO agreement is possible...nor is it even desirable. they have just witnessed the US declare war on the mother country without a shred of proof and they have to share a land border with them... They throw their lot in with Spain from the Start...Sorry..no other option...
Ferdinand will be most grateful.

As to Spanish actions..They will will reinforce Cuba.. or retake Cuba in force and push the Americans into the Sea. The Spanish Navy may only be shadow of its former self, but it will wipe the floor with the USN in the waters around Cuba. I wouldn`t be surprised if the French throw their lot in with the Spanish at such a petulant act. Family compact an all you know. After all they did act to save Ferdinand`s butt OTL you know by direct intervention. thats all butterflied now.
 
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You have my nod of support, this seems fairly interesting so far; hopefully it won't end up as an Ameriwank (which this still isn't) OR Ameriscrew, both are pretty tedious. Keep up the good work!
 
Where are the Spanish getting the forces to do any of this, anyway? During this period they were losing their empire because they couldn't defeat the Mexicans or Argentines; but they can take on the U.S.?
 
Where are the Spanish getting the forces to do any of this, anyway? During this period they were losing their empire because they couldn't defeat the Mexicans or Argentines; but they can take on the U.S.?

Mexico at this point is not in play so much as they have not decided on a definitive break, souring those relations with Spain...thats still 3 years off.

And then Spain is caught up in its own turmoil resulting from the conflict between the liberal and conservative factions at home...and at this point that has not come to a head yet.

With this development..Inturbide gets another card in his hand in his dealings with Ferdinand..the Ruling circles at this point still favour Ferdinand as Emporer..they just want their own state ruled from MC and not Spaniards in Madrid. Not to mention Ferdinand has not yet had time to alienate all those he disagreed with in Spain itself by throwing them in prison or putting his opponents to death. This probabgbly units those factions for the time being before rebellion really flares in Spain itself...which in OTL required French intervention to put down...as stated earlier.

Not much can be done about the Plate though...that boat sailed. Peru is still firmly loyalist.
 
Wait, American railroads in 1818? They only arrived OTL in the late 1820s, and with good reason - the technology just wasn't there yet. Heck, the first British railway wouldn't open until 1825.
 
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