Can the union still win the American civil war with France and Britain joining the cs

Can the union win against the csa,Britain and France in 1862

  • Yes

    Votes: 123 50.8%
  • No

    Votes: 119 49.2%

  • Total voters
    242
@RodentRevolution

I already covered what an actual conflict between the Union an an Anglo/French intervention force would be previously (cliffnotes: mostly a Naval blockade, minor skirmishes on Canadian border, mere co-belligerent status with the CSA rather than full alliance and a fairly quick negotiated settlement).

This more recent plan is just for fun, assuming for some ASB reason France and the UK are hellbent on liberation of the Confederacy and are willing to do anything (including likely bankrupt themselves) to achieve that objective, despite the cost of absolute victory likely outwieghng any rewards. This is just my US plan for an ASB situation

In that situation the US - among other things - needs to have enough troops present on the eastern seaboard to stave off potentially multi-corps amphibious descents. Possibly two or three at once.

It's certainly a fun potentiality to game out, I'll admit - very whizz-bang. Especially when breechloading weapons come along. (Wonder whether the British Army could start to adopt breechloaders before the war's end?)


RR or Rodent saves so much typing :D

If you want a detailed plan the problem is that there are so many theatres of operation and the Army in particular often has to grapple with multiple terrain types within a single department. The Navy is easier to brush out in broad strokes but even for a fairly casual appreciation of the land war situation I feel I need to be looking at a detailed map of North America.

Navy (cos at least in overview it is easier)

Western Seaboard- Operations here to defend the coasts and interdict the passage of goods and troops by the enemy. Most sea going ships are based here but the enemy will have a correspondingly strong presence

Great Lakes- This is likely to be once again a key sector, vital in many ways to the Union being able to defend its North West Territories and not just the hinterlands of the lakes.

Rivers of the Interior- Tennessee, Mississippi others I am too lazy to mention, the Navy provides critical fire and mobility support to operations against the rebellion

Pacific Seaboard: horribly out numbered here but still this theatre is vital to the defence of California and denying easy access to the Northwest by the British.

Commerce raiding operations: the Navy did start work on a number of steam and sail sloops for these sort of operations and while it might be largely left to privateers it is likely only the Navy has the technical resources to equip and man effective ships for the role. This is a war of cruisers acting independently of higher command by necessity though in time the USN may develop a network of 'friendly' neutrals willing to at least do business for vital supplies.
 
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