Fenians, Brits, Mexicans, Canucks and Frenchies....OH, MY! An alternate American Civil War

[Alt History Buff]

January, 1871

Paris

Napoleon III would realize that he'd been backed into a corner. He could not simply allow Britain to unilaterally blockade the Suez Canal. It was widely known that the British were concerned that the Canal may threaten India....but this was getting out of hand.

Fortunately, the Emperor had strengthened his alliance with Russia over the past year.

Surely, the Queen was not willing to go to war with the two most powerful nations in Europe...plus Egypt, Afghanistan....etc.

Was the damned little German woman REALLY willing to declare war upon the world for the 3rd time in 10 years?

For the past few months, the French and Russian fleets had been massing in the Mediterranean.

Though he'd given the Queen a deadline of January 1st, the Emperor would extend that a few weeks in hopes that the British see reason. There was no reason to act rashly.

However the British were already acting rashly enough.

North Sea

In the previous conflict with France and Russia, these nations had wisely removed their heavy warships from their northern ports in order to keep them from being blockaded in by the British Channel Fleet. This had allowed the allies to outnumber and outgun (for a while) the British in the Mediterranean.

The Royal Navy was not about to let this happen again. As the Russian ships led by the Kniaz Pozharsky passed Jutland, a British squadron led by the Prince Consort, the Iron Duke and the Vanguard would intercept.

What the British did NOT realize was that the Russian convoy was being followed by two new turret ironclads recently purchased from the American shipyards (based upon the Massachusetts-class double-turreted ocean-going ironclads).

The battle would suddenly become more hotly contested as most of the heavy ships would take a severe pummeling. Eventually, nightfall would allow the Russians to retreat.

They would not realize that they'd managed to sink the Iron Duke and a older wooden battleship.

By the time the Russians managed to return to St. Petersburg, the ice was already forming but the Czar's response would be unambiguous.

War had once again come to Europe. When the telegraph wires carried the information to Paris, the Emperor knew that making any form of separate peace would be a betrayal of his Russian allies....the only ones he had left.

Washington

While President Seward would not quite share the child-like joy of former President Lincoln in exploring new technology, he did appreciate a tour of the Washington shipyards in which the steel-hulled Massachusetts-class USS Nevada was being built. This would be the 6th of the class (though two had been sold to Russia).

Seward was impressed by the powerful-looking engines and massive guns. The vessels looked like upscaled versions of the Monitors but obviously far more seaworthy.

Returning to his carriage, Seward would find himself short of breath and collapse in the streets. A quartet of sailors carried him to his carriage and then on to his doctor.

By evening, the President was feeling better but his Doctor warned that he may have suffered a mild heart attack and demanded that the President slow down. This Seward did....for the next few hours while he took a nap. Then he got back to work.

 

[Alt History Buff]

March, 1871

British Raj

Over 110,000 soldiers were being gathered throughout the winter and spring with the intention of marching on Afghanistan.

The assorted British India political and military leaders had spent months researching the last Afghan War and how it went wrong. While certain that the Indian Army could crush Afghanistan alone, the presence of the Russians was a bit more problematic.

Here, the French-made Chassepots and German-made Krupp canon would have the advantage of the defensive. There would be no wide formations marching in unison across open fields.

The people who ordered the Army of British India forward would not be the ones to partake in the task. Most of the commanders had resigned themselves to the high casualties to come.

April, 1871

Nouvelle Caledonie

With the British domination of the southwestern Pacific, it was easy for the Australian government to form a volunteer army of 4000 irregulars and 1200 regulars to sail to the French colony of Nouvelle Caledonie.

By 1871, the colony consisted of roughly 60,000 native Kanaks and 6000 or so French prisoners. The former had something of a reputation as cannibals and the Kanak demeaner had not been improved by the measles and influenza epidemics which had so terribly ravaged their population (and would continue to cut it down to 12,000 by the turn of the century).

Having received word to sail on March (the British government decided in January that war was inevitable and it took that long for word to reach Melbourne), the Australians had prepared well and were able to sail within a month.

In April, the Australians would arrive in Nouvelle Caledonie. With only 100 French regulars on hand (part of a punishment detail) and a few dozens prison guards, not a single shot was fired.

The British Ensign was raised over the "New Caledonia".

Within a few months, the Australian occupying force would be in direct conflict with the Kanaks, with several thousand dying in the conflict.

London

William Gladstone would look on in horror, knowing that his enemy, Benjamin Disraeli, was getting his country into yet ANOTHER war with France and Russia....all over nebulous reasons.

A decade before Palmerston's government had destroyed itself over a pointless war with America. Disraeli had been fortunate to keep his office after the previous war with France and Russia.

What did the nation gain from all this carnage?

Over the past fifteen years, Britain had fought wars on four continents from the Sepoy Rebellion, the Crimean War, the American War, the Opium Wars in China, the French and Russian War (the first one).....now THIS. To the best of Gladstone's knowledge, few to none of these conflicts had resulted in any tangible gains for the British but put the nation desperately in debt.

Disraeli had to win this one...and perhaps win BIG....to keep his office. Gladstone could only watch and hope this was not the end of the British Empire.

 

[Alt History Buff]

May, 1871

The Suez Region

After months of gathering their strength, the French and Russian Naval forced consolidated into a fleet of 26 warships of various sizes, power and armor. It was hoped that whatever they lacked in quality, they could make up for in quantity. The news of the Russian forces at Jutland sinking two British ships (one of them modern) was quite heartening and perhaps gave the allies a false sense of security.

The British squadron held but 14 ships and these had largely been on station for months. Rumors of a shortfall in coal....or powder....or whatever among the British vessels soon circulated among the allied ports.

With a sense of momentum and numerical superiority, the allies sailed for Suez, intending to break the blockade.

However, the British were ready for them and did not lack in coal OR powder in the slightest. Great Britain, having deemed the older and lighter wooden ships a liability in a pitched battle, would leave them to blockading secondary French ports along the northern coast.

The "Suez Fleet" consisted almost entirely of vessels built in the past 10 years.

In short order, the French and Russians would realize that their "numerical advantage" could turn into a disadvantage as the wide array of firepower and speed would leave the allied line of battle confused within minutes of engagement. To keep the line together, the fastest Russian and French ships had to slow down, ceding the initiative to the British. Ceding the initiative to a nation with superior seamanship and artillery accuracy was not a good thing.

Within an hour, the allied fleet was in confusion. Four vessels had already been wrecked or taken. Finally, the allied withdrew leaving the "field" to the triumphant British.

The English Channel

What was understood at the time but not as well to future military historians was the design implications that a naval strategy had on military vessels in the mid-19th century.

Great Britain, for example, had a global Empire and therefore the ships had to be built for extended voyages. Comfort for the crew and a reliability in the method of transport were high priorities when a ship had to sail 8-12,000 miles on a week's notice.

Therefore, the Royal Navy had maintained the "broadside" ironclad design for many years after the USS Monitor helped revolutionize naval warfare by reducing the ship profile, utilizing only a handful of LARGE guns in a rotational turret (360 degree firing range), sheathing the ship in heavy armor and, just as revolutionary as ANY of these ideas, operating entirely without sails and depending upon engines for all transportation.

Even by the 1870's, it was rare that an ironclad would run her engines continuously for any length of time. Even when sailing moderate distances, sails were raised to augment or, more often than not, completely replace mechanized transport. Ships sailing from Britain to the Indian Ocean, even "Steamships", would often take many months to take the journey and only use their engines during times of contrary winds or currents. This was as much to do with saving coal as the ship's engines.

Thus, all British ironclads of the 1860's would be "broadside" ironclads or their slightly more evolved "castemate" designs. It would not be until late 1871 that the first "Devastation" class warships would be launched by Britain without any sails. They would be "turreted" warships akin to the American "Massachusetts" class ships which would be dependent entirely upon her engines for propulsion.

This was a great leap of faith as few engines could operate for so long.

The Americans, on the other hand, had no distant Empire to guard nor were they considered the "protector" of the open seas. Thus, the American ship designers could base their own plans upon a vessel best suited for coastal defense. The Massachusetts Class was entirely sail-free and constructed entirely for heavy guns and heavy armor over the need for range and even speed. The Americans simply wanted the best vessel to defend their shores and got it with the Massachusetts and her sister ships.

As America was not involved in the war, this did not seem to be relevant in 1871. However, two ships based upon this class had been sold by the American shipyards to the Czar. Named the Ivan and the Peter, the warships were the closest thing to indestructible on the waves. Having been forced back in the Battle of Jutland, the Russian Baltic fleet would sail on with the melting of the ice for the open sea. Unlike the previous battle in January, the Russians would not be detected off of Jutland. Instead, they sailed along the French coast.

Here the Russians discovered the British squadrons blockading the northern French ports. As the French had shipped most of their heavy armored vessels to the Mediterranean (as they had in the last war), the British squadrons comprised mainly of older and less-armored ships which were easy prey for the Russians.

First Le Havre, then Cherbourg, then Brest would witness the spectacle of Russian firepower massacring British frigates and sloops. Off of Brest, a British squadron consisting of heavier ships lead by the HMS Vanguard would arrive to challenge the Russians on more even grounds.

The battle seesawed back and forth for hours until a shell from the Ivan tore through the Vanguard's armor and hit her powder store. The vessel exploded in a terrible conflagration. There were no survivors.

At this, the Royal Navy retreated, allowing the battered Russians to sail into Brest for repair and resupply.

 

[Alt History Buff]

June, 1871

Isabella (former Cap-Haitian), Hispaniola

Frederick Seward had been rejected for entry to Hispaniola years before by the Spanish and the United States had not been in a position to do much about it. Now, the nation was at peace (at least with foreigners), financially stable and bearing a powerful navy in her own right.

The Spanish dare not refuse entry to the Assistant Secretary of State...or the President's son.

What Seward found would shock and disgust him. Population figures were always rough estimates but it was obvious by the sheer number of empty towns and the fact that women seemed to outnumber men by five to one was an indicator of what had happened here. The Spanish army was apparently hunting down the last of the Haitian insurgents throughout the interior as European soldiers were furloughed into civilian life with their choice of "wives".

What had once been the country of Haiti was an utter ruin surrounded by paradise.

Washington

President Seward was having his morning bowel movement when the piercing pain stretched through his chest. He managed to raise his trousers and stumble back to his office before calling for help. He'd been ill for months and knew it was possible that the next attack would be his last.

And the last thing he wanted was to be found on his privy floor with his trousers around his knees.

The President's aides would answer his calls and carry him to a nearby couch.

Khyber Pass

For three weeks, the British forces would invest the Khyber Pass, repeatedly charging into the Russian guns. In short order, they realized this was not going to work and therefore attempted to find any semblance of a trail into the mountains to cut off the enemy supply line.

Unfortunately for them, the Afghans knew these mountains like the backs of their hands. They would not be taken by surprise by foreigners in their own land. And rough goat trail lead the British may have had....would only turn out to be a trap.

The Peiwar Kotel pass was also suitably well protected by Russian and Afghan troops.

Hundreds of cannon had been strategically placed to cover every approach. Hundreds of trenches, ramparts, enfilades, etc were built to ensure the highest body count for every inch of ground.

Within two months, the British Army of India had taken 10,000 casualties and hadn't made an significant progress.

London

After the Russian victories over the blockading squadrons in Le Havre, Cherbourg and Brest, the British Admiralty's plans to dispatch more ships to the Mediterranean were put on hold. If the Channel were to be threatened....

It was unthinkable.

But plans to withdraw naval forces from the Indian Ocean were also rejected.

If India were to be lost.....there'd be no Empire over which Britain to rule.

There was real discussion about pulling ships back from Gibraltar, Malta and the Suez Blockading Squadron. However, the lack of Russian movement from Brest in the past months lent the impression that perhaps the Russian squadron had come out badly from their battles in the Channel as well.

 

[Alt History Buff]

July, 1871

Khyber Pass, Peiwar Kotel Pass,

Months of charging directly into the enemy guns had proven to be as successful as the any of the British commanders would have thought. Eventually, General Robert Napier, a skilled and experienced officer in the Company Army who had been absorbed into the British Indian Army after the Mutiny, flatly refused to waste any more lives with such direct attacks.

Napier would probe and prod throughout the mountains seeking an open pass....though he knew this was in vain. The Afghans would never be so stupid as to leave a pass undefended.

Though he loathed failing is sovereign, he also knew that forcing those valleys was impossible with the firepower the Russians were spewing forth. At least 50,000 Russians must be stiffening the spine of the Afghans.

However, the high casualties were already causing unrest among the British Indian Army. The British Indian Army and British Army IN India would number roughly 60,000 British soldiers and 140,000 natives. This did not include the various princely armies.

To ensure that the rest of the country would have LOYAL troops to put down unrest, the 100,000 man forces attacking the Afghans were disproportionately Indian, a fact which would cause great resentment as the casualties mounted.

By the end of summer, over 20,000 casualties had been suffered by the British Indian Army (18,000 Indian and 2000 British).

Washington

President Seward would be bedridden for weeks after his heart attack. The President could feel Congress and, more importantly, the restive Southern states sniffing for weakness.

The country was more important than one man. Seward decided that if he was not sufficiently recovered by the time Congress was back in session in August, he would resign the Presidency.

Regensburg, Bavaria

The new German alliance would be loosely organized at first but in 1871 they would form a general government in the old Holy Roman Empire to manage the Customs Union, Postal System and other key functions.....including the military alliance forming in Germany.

The Hanoverians, Prussians and Austrians would be the key powers in Germany, both militarily and economically. However, the smaller German states were utterly intent on maintaining their own rights. Some demanded to keep their own armies....while others demanded a common army which could not be dominated by one power.

Throughout 1871, the Germans would be debating this very matter, wondering how they could be protect their interests among the neighboring states...and among each other.

French North Africa

For the past three years, the British Army had quietly armed and trained the Moroccan Army with the intent of keeping that nation out of French hands.

For the past six months, the Moroccans had funneled over 60,000 modern weapons and huge stores of bullets and powder to their Arab-Berber kin.

By fall, the whole of French North Africa - which was 96% Arab - was under full rebellion.

The British domination of the Mediterranean Sea allowed the rebellion to sweep across the continent as the disorganized French forces struggled to coordinate.

Though the King of Morocco requested British military assistance, this was refused. Her Majesty was more interested in India, not North Africa.

But the Queen WAS good enough to occasional dispatch squadrons to major French North African ports to cut off any supply from the Continent. It was not a full-fledged blockade but was enough to keep the French focus towards the Mediterranean rather than the increasingly rebellious countryside. Tens of thousands of French colonists fled to the cities, leaving the Hinterlands to the natives.

Tired of waiting for help from Britain, the King of Morocco dispatched his forces across the mountains and deserts of North Africa to aid their religious brethren.

 

[Alt History Buff]

August, 1871

Washington

Though he had fully expected a recovery by August, the President found is gains slow. Two months after his heart attack, Seward could barely make his way to the bathroom on his own.

Now, with Congress back in session, it was apparent to everyone, most notably the President, that he was incapable of discharging his duties. Over the past several weeks, Vice-President Hamlin had acted almost as a defacto secretary who helped Seward with his paperwork. This was for two reasons: 1. Seward couldn’t do it alone and 2. The Vice-President needed some practical knowledge of what was happening outside of the Senate before he assumed control.

A week after Congress was in session, he sent for the Majority Leaders. Barely able to be carried to his office, Seward wanted to project his authority one last time. He announced that he was incapable of further carrying out the duties that the nation had elected him to perform. It was time to resign.


The President provided several copies of his resignation to be read in the Senate and House of Representatives and several others to be read to the press. Seward was pleased that there appeared to be genuine regret among most of those present. The New Yorker was never held to be a warm man but he’d always tried to be an honorable one.

“The Presidential Office must be a vigorous and powerful voice for the American people even in times of peace,” Seward began, “but in times of global crisis, it must be even more so. Therefore, I resign my office and leave the nation in the capable hands of President Hannibal Hamlin.”

To his credit, the Vice-President showed no undo pride or ambition at the unexpected promotion to the most powerful office in the land. Hamlin was a stalwart Republican, aligning with the party on most issues. He’d capably managed the senate well for 10 years in office under Lincoln and Seward and would almost certainly not significantly alter the policies set over the past decade. If he wasn’t the most dynamic man, he was intelligent, earnest, hard-working and loyal. For just over a year and a half in office, that would probably do well enough.

Seward’s major piece of advice given to his successor in private was something akin to “don’t let anyone, be it Congress, a foreign power or your own Cabinet, push you around.”

As the news was spread throughout the country via telegraph, Hannibal Hamlin took the oath of office for the President of the United States, becoming the third to assume that title without direct election (Seward was the first President to resign, though, as President’s Harrison and Taylor died in office).

San Diego

The First Transcontinental Railroad had been completed only two years prior in 1869. However, by that point, the growth of the country would demand further transport and this led to the Northern and Southern Transcontinental Railroads to be initiated in the late 1860’s.

The Freedmen provided over half the labor for these projects. Due to government requirements that they receive equal pay to whites, even these arduous jobs were sought after.

Seeking to reduce costs any way they could, the Railroads would solicit labor from Chinese workers, who were paid only 80% of the typical salary and had to provide their own lodgings and food. This incensed both black AND white workers and the Chinese soon found themselves the focus of this anger.

In a rare example of racial unity, the black and white workers operating from the hub of the Southern Pacific Railroad (San Diego to Charleston) would riot and burn the bulk of the Chinese community in San Diego. They then pillaged the offices of the SPR and demanded that the cowering railroad foremen and executives to ban the hiring of Chinese labor.

Only the arrival of the 4th Colored Cavalry Battalion kept the situation from escalating into open slaughter.

California’s governor, with full support of the railroad workers and much of the population, would ban Chinese immigration and laborers from working within the state. While this was well beyond the scope of a State Governor, it was not closely monitored in faraway Washington, which was more concerned with a Presidential resignation and an escalating war in Europe, Africa and Asia than what a few Chinese people were doing.

Honolulu

By happenstance, the Prime Minister of Australia, who had been granted authority to oversee British protectorates in the Pacific (including Hawaii) would also stamp down on Chinese and general Asian immigration during this time for effectively the same reason. Asian labor competed with the white labor and lowered salaries. No resident was eager to accept this and thus the “Whites-only” immigration policy throughout Australia and her dependents was established. This would continue for better part of a hundred years.

While the labor classes of the island of Australia itself was pleased, several other island groups like Hawaii, Fiji and recently acquired New Caledonia would find their export economies stagnant due to these decisions.

Only immigration from “British Pacific” regions were deemed acceptable. These included the Polynesians and Melanesians of the Solomons, New Guinea and other Pacific Islands. As many of these island populations were low and reeling from waves of demographics-crippling introduced diseases, the labor cost would remain high.

However, in times of peace, the British and Irish immigration would help pick up the slack and the region would soon resume robust demographic growth.

 

[Alt History Buff]

September, 1871

Empire of Japan

Over the course of the past several years, the Emperor of Japan had finally managed to abolish the Shogunate. However, this did not mean that the Emperor had full control over his country. The “domains” of Japan still held a great deal of autonomy, including their own armies and navies.


In 1871, the Emperor would formally abolish the “domains” and centralize the government. This would require years of political unrest and confusion.

The Japanese Navy was initially envisioned to bear 200 modern ships but this was soon dismissed as financially impractical. Even organizing the navies of the Shogunate and the domains into the new Navy Ministry was proving chaotic and slowed by lack of funds.

Though the Japanese government had long been interested in establishing defacto control over neighboring islands (Sakhalin, the Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan) as well as the Joseon Kingdom, the internal political complexity would prevent the Japanese from doing so with one exception: the Ryukyu Islands.

For generations, the pseudo-independent Ryukyo Islands had been allowed a sort of “co-tributary states” bearing tribute to both China and Japan. At various times, they would gravitate to one power or the other.

By 1871, the Emperor of Japan, only starting the process of consolidating his power at home, determined that the Ryukyu’s were to be made solely a Japanese possession and announced that he would annex them completely.

This was deemed acceptable and reasonable given that the Chinese government and people had suffered terribly in the Opium Wars, the Taiping Rebellion and several natural disasters.

However…..the Chinese had also spent many years engaging in the “Self-Strengthening Movement” by updating their arms to modern standards and enacting deep reforms in the Mandarin Government.

Among these upgrades were the purchase of several foreign ironclads (2 Kalamazoo-Class from the United States and 2 Provence-class from France) for the Chinese Navy. The Japanese did not appear to know of this when they pronounced the Ryukyu’s a new possession.

This was soon discovered when the Japanese naval expedition sailed within sight of the Ryukyu’s and were caught at sea by the modern Chinese ships. In less than an hour, most of the Japanese vessels had been sunk, including the French-purchased “Kotetsu”.

The disaster soon made its way back to the Imperial Court and the Japanese forces would instead be reassigned to guard against a potential rebellion caused by this sign of weakness. Even the handful of ships dispatched to Gangwa Island of the Joseon Kingdom were recalled, leaving the French, Russians and Americans huddled on the miserable island waiting for the Joseons to acknowledge their existence.

Beijing

Buoyed by their victory over the impudent Japanese Emperor, the Chinese court began to pay closer and closer attention to the war between the Russians, French and British.

While still suffering economic malaise, the political situation in China was slowly recovering and the nation was increasingly ambitious to undo the “unequal” treaties imposed by the long-hated westerners after the Opium Wars.

The formation of a navy strong enough to defend the coasts of China was always in the thoughts of the Chinese Admirals. Even they accepted that the vessels purchased from abroad were not the most powerful available (and that the Chinese shipyards were not remotely capable of replicating them). However, the division of the Europeans among themselves was perhaps more than a bit promising.

If a deal could be struck with one of the foreigners, then the rest could be evicted….and then China turn on its “ally”.

Virtually every army and navy expert would agree that the time was not right. But, perhaps, soon.

Germany

The first “German-wide” military maneuvers between the bickering rival states of the Confederation would go as one may expect….a complete disaster.

Austrians refused to obey the orders of Prussians. Hanoverians demanded that their units march only with their neighbors (NOT the Prussians and Austrians). Several Regiments of various nationalities would go about looting towns and farmers’ fields.

About the only thing to go right was the efficient management of the railroads. Over the years of political division, the Railroads continued to grow omnidirectionally and these had been among the first things to be centralized with the Confederation alliance.

Also, the distribution of rifles of the Mauser factory in Wurttemberg and the Werder Factory in Bavaria would both prove to be superior to the Dreyse Needle Guns. By the end of 1871, both factories were running at full capacity to meet orders.

Krupp Cannons (cast in Hanover) were also agreed to become the standard cannon of the Confederation. This had long been in the process for years and the only real exception had been the Prussian Army, though this was due more to lack of funds and the Hanoverian resistance to shipping their rival weapons.


Another joint maneuver was scheduled for 1872 given the dismal coordination of the Confederation in 1871.

 

[Alt History Buff]

October 1871

Afghanistan

With winter coming, General Napier accepted that his forces would have to go into winter quarters. However, he refused to release them to go home. Instead, his 80,000 Indians and 10,000 Britons would have to find sanctuary in the Peshwar Valley.

Quebec

The St. Lawrence Seaway Association (a cooperative effort between Canada, Quebec and the United States) would be formally inaugurated in 1871 as government officials of the three countries would dig the ceremonial first shovel-full of dirt from the series of canals and dams intended to link the heights of the St. Lawrence from the Welland Canal in Canada, along several locks along the border of Quebec and the United States until they reach Montreal, at which most ship could travel on to the Ocean.

The engineering challenges were daunting and, to be true, not entirely figured out. But linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic was a challenge worth pursuing by all parties.

It would allow growth to Canada and the American Great Lakes region and provide income to Quebec.

Algeria

Though the French forces in North Africa may have easily enough put down a rebellion among the disorganized and poorly armed Algerians, Tunisians, etc, this did not necessarily apply to the well-armed Moroccan Army which rode east in a 40,000 man column, all armed with modern British weapons. The Algerian irregulars would immediately redouble their efforts, preventing the 40,000 French soldiers spread from Oran to Cyrenaica to consolidate.

In Eastern Algeria, 8000 French Regulars and 2000 colonials would engage the bulk of the Moroccan Army and at least 20,000 Algerian rebels.

The result was a slaughter unseen in centuries. The few thousand survivors of the French faction would retreat to the cities and, by 1872, would find themselves largely surrounded by Moroccan/Algerian/Tunisian forces on the interior and the Royal Navy along the coast.

London

Sailing for India via the Atlantic was a British squadron bearing the new Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. Lord Lucan had not actively served in the Army since the Crimean War when he led the Heavy Brigade and was censured by then-commander Raglan for failure to support. Lucan had rebuilt his reputation since, though, in the House of Lords and maintained the friendship of the Duke of Cambridge.

However, the failure of Napier to accomplish anything in Afghanistan mandated a change in command by the thought processes of the Commander-in-Chief of British forces, George, Duke of Cambridge. Of the Duke’s greatest faults (to the minds of later historians) was his insistence on only the highest of nobles be promoted to high military ranks.

Lucan was not incompetent but he would hardly be deemed dynamic and certainly not remotely as knowledgeable of the terrain or country in the lands he’d be fighting as General Napier.

But the Duke remained Commander-in-chief and he won his way.

Lucan would arrive in December of 1871 and immediately prepare to assault the Russians and Afghans in their mountain fortresses.

 

[Alt History Buff]

January, 1872

Portsmouth

The HMS Devastation, perhaps the deadliest warship on earth, would be launched in January, 1872. The shipyard had been working nearly 24 hours a day for the past year to get the vessel ready.

9000 Tons and bearing enormous guns, the Devastation’s launch would nearly be treated as a public holiday as nearly a hundred thousand Britons would witness her raising steam for the first time.

Among the witnesses was the thirty year old Lieutenant Commander Alfred Thayer Mahan (he had been written by a friend in the war department that he could expect another promotion upon his return to Washington), who had been sent by the United States Navy to make his own evaluation of the ship and her capabilities. Unlike most of the other British ironclads (or steelclads), this one resembled the mastless Massachusetts-class warshps produced by the American shipyards.

As a courtesy (and common at the time), Mahan would be granted “observer” status on the Devastation. He had spent much time on the USS Massachusetts and realized that this monster probably could not only defeat one of that class of ships but perhaps even TWO.

Mahan rather suspected he would find out that very thing first hand as rumors abounded that the Devastation would, upon a successful shakedown cruise, likely be ordered to Brest where the Russian Massachusetts-class “Peter” and “Ivan” remained stationed.



Brest


The “Stationing” of the Peter and Ivan at the French port of Brest had not been intended to last as long as it had. Most of this had to do that the French shipyards were rather obsolete both in technology and process. Several serious wounds received at the hands of the Royal Navy would take months to repair (and some of those not terribly well) in the French shipyard. Neither Russian ship had been completely incapacitated. Both would sail out of Brest on occasion to challenge British interlopers attempting to evaluate if the Russian ships were still present.

By January of 1872, the Russian ships had been patched up as best the French shipyards could. The complaints from the Russian Captains underlined what the French Naval commanders had been saying for years: that their facilities were largely out of date.

The combined Russian and French squadrons in 1871 had been enough to keep the Royal Navy from sailing too close. However, led by the Devastation?

The French and Russian commanders would discuss their strategy. The Russian plan had always been to sail to the Eastern Mediterranean to protect the Dardanelles by augmenting the Black Sea Fleet. It would also be possible to break the British blockade of the Suez Canal.

The French, eager to keep the Russian presence along the Channel to prevent the British from blockading the northern French ports (as they did in early 1871), would argue that the Ivan and Peter forced the British to keep a larger Channel Fleet at home and thus free up the allies in the Mediterranean.

The Russians, naturally, would have no part of this and followed their orders. They steamed down to the Mediterranean and didn’t stop until reaching the Dardanelles.

The French squadron in Brest, though powerful, could not seriously hope to resist the Royal Navy and defend Brest. They could make the attempt, be sunk for the effort, and still leave the Channel open…..or they could sail south to the Mediterranean and help the French Mediterranean fleet break the British blockades of North Africa.

This latter was chosen and the French effectively ceded the Channel to the British.

This was a fortunate event for the Royal Navy as, on her shakedown cruise, the HMS Devastation suffered a terrible fire in one of her engine rooms and she would be laid up for months for repairs. By the time she was ready to sail again, her sister ship Thunderer was also ready to launch.

 

[Alt History Buff]

February - May, 1872

Washington

After serving for a year and a half, Hannibal Hamlin would announce that he would seek a full term of office in the 1872 election. Several Republicans had their eye on that election as being the first truly contested since 1860 (Lincoln's first term). Lincoln had not been internally challenged in 1864 and the expected battle between Seward and Grant in 1868 never occurred as the General had been wounded in Italy.

The Republican candidates would wait with baited breath as the natural contender with the incumbent Hamlin decided if he was going to run. In the end, the Secretary of War Ulysses S. Grant opted against. He'd served honorably under Hamlin's administration and had come to respect the President. Undermining one's own superior by running against him seemed abhorrent, akin to treason or mutiny. With their politics being almost entirely aligned, Grant saw no reason to upset the applecart and announced prior to the April Republican Caucus that he was NOT a candidate and would support the President.

There WOULD be opposition though. Many in America, even the Republicans, were tired of paying 100,000 soldiers to occupy the southern states (even those which had been readmitted to the Union usually held SOME Federal troops). Others were unhappy with the level of support the Republicans were giving the Freedmen and black voting rights.

However, the economy was still recovering well enough, the debt was being paid down bit by bit and the nation had been kept out of the British/French/Russian wars as of yet.

With the momentum of the remaining Southern States to be readmitted stalling, the Republicans were plainly still the heavy favorites to retain both the Presidency and control of Congress in the 1872 General Election.

The Democrats, on the other hand, were somewhat less enthused. Once again, every pundit would agree that it would be a miracle for the Democrats to win the White House, though advances in Congress were entirely possible, even likely given the huge Republican advantage in that body could scarcely be increased.

But who would lead?

In 1868, the top candidates, Governor Seymour of New York, General Hancock and Senator Douglas of Illinois practically RAN FROM THE NOMINATION, knowing it was a futile effort and would damage the future prospects of the nominee. In the end, the Democrats selected a "Copperhead" for President, which no doubt cost them dozens of seats in Congress.

This could plainly not happen again. Thus, the same three names were batted about. Seymour had retired from office in 1868 and hadn't sought to run again. Douglas was something of a spent force. While supporting the Union in the war, his attempts to reach the office via grand compromises had retroactively brought scorn from both sides.

Hancock, having forged a distant friendship with Douglas who served as his political mentor, had returned to Washington in 1871 from his time as commander of the Department of the Pacific. The two would agree that Democratic chances in 1872 were somewhat of a longshot. Douglas, now 60 and aging poorly due to stress and gout, had largely given up his hopes for the Presidency but though his younger (48 years) friend may still have a chance.

But 1872 would NOT be that year.

Having learned a bitter lesson in 1868 that whoever you have at the TOP of the ticket mattered downticket, the Democrats were inclined to put their best foot forward even if the candidate was less than enthused about the idea.

The Democrats would choose Seymour as their standard bearer. Having few political scandals and being from a large state helped. The Democratic Caucus would then choose Senator Douglas as his Vice-Presidential Candidate. Douglas knew that this was the kiss of death for his future but agreed out of Party loyalty.

It was a nice, well-balanced ticket with good Union men. It also didn't stand a chance of victory but certainly the Democrats could hope that a few states may go their way and that the Congressional and Senatorial elections may increase their ranks.

The Republican Caucus would go unexpectedly smoothly as well. In the end, there were no serious contenders to Hamlin once Grant announced his support for the President. Potential challengers like John Sherman and Benjamin Wade of Ohio were easily eliminated by offering them positions in the government. Sherman would be Treasury Secretary and Wade would serve as Vice-Presidential Candidate.

After that, there were but a few fringe candidates who couldn't even force a second ballot at the Caucus.

Montana and Cheyenne Territories

Having served for years in the west, Governor-Generals Stuart and Custer were preparing for recall to Washington. The soldiers were happy enough in the west. This allowed them to remain close to their cavalry and in the saddle themselves. Occasional Indian rebellions were cherished as a needed break from routine. Neither relished being handed some desk job in Washington and quietly spoke of.....shudder.....retirement.

Mrs. Stuart and Mrs. Custer, on the other hand, were utterly delighted. The women HATED the frontier life and practically sprinted to gather up their children and possessions to return east.

The official date of the cavalrymens' recall was to be June 30th of 1872. The ladies were SO excited that they talked their husbands into allowing them to leave a month early in order to "set up household" in Washington.

 

[Alt History Buff]

February through May 1872

London

Disraeli's position in Parliament was getting more and more tenuous as even his own backbenchers were preparing to rebel at the cost and waste of the war.

Gladstone had taken to giving loud, grandiose speeches pointing out that not a single Russian soldier had entered Afghanistan before "British ham-fisted diplomacy" at forcing the Emir's hand had forced the Afghans into the arms of the Russian Bear. Previously, Afghanistan had proved quite useful as a buffer between the British Raj and Russia.

It had been DISREALI who started this war! Gladstone thundered.

Further, the government's stupidity at blockading the Suez Canal ENSURED that this threw Egypt into the arms of the French!

None of this war was necessary, in Gladstone's mind, and Britain had little to show for it. Did Disraeli really believe that crowing about conquering NEW CALEDONIA (a place Gladstone had never heard of until Disraeli bragged of the seizure in Parliament) justified this heroic expense?

The problem was that Gladstone's Party appeared to be mired in the minority. The Liberals were close enough power to taste it but simply could not entice enough Parliamentarians to his side to force a vote of No Confidence.

In the end, Gladstone realized that only a terrible defeat in this war......meaning the loss of India....would force a breakup of the Tory government. That losing India would probably guarantee the destruction of the Tories and ascendance of the Liberals for the next century or so would be cold comfort.

No, there must be another way to switch over dozens of Tories to his side.

In the end, there was but one option. Ironically, it was the same subject which tore apart the Liberals in Gladstone's short-lived administration a less than a decade prior.

Then First Lord of the Treasury Gladstone had sought to implement Home Rule for Ireland. This split his party down the middle and threw Parliament over to Disraeli. Since then, the Tory First Lord had studiously avoided almost any mention of Ireland, quietly granting minor concession on a regular basis that were popular in Ireland but never quite agreeing to Home Rule. This had been enough to keep most of the Irish Catholic MP's in the Tory Party. Gladstone's Liberals, fearful of the beating they took when last bringing up this subject, would refuse to make Home Rule as part of their platform for years.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Gladstone accepted this....until now. Now he needed to get the Disraeli buffoons out of office as soon as possible. If that meant bringing up a sore subject, that is what he must do.

British Raj

Lord Lucan arrived with minimal advance warning and presented his credentials as the new commander-in-chief of the British Indian Army and British Army in India. General Napier, with remarkable dignity, accepted his demotion and ceded command.

This would, however, result in some additional friction between the two bodies.

The officers of the British Army (stationed in India) had been reared in a very different system. Though the "Commission Purchase" system had been formally abolished in 1871, virtually all officers in service had been raised in it. In Britain, a definition of a "gentleman" was a man with means who did not require anything from anyone. He was independent and free. Purchasing a commission meant that you had means and would be loyal to the system. Most British officers, even by the 1870's, had little formal training.

The British Indian Army (the former East India Company Armies of the various Presidencies of India which had been reformed into one unit after the Mutiny) was entirely different. The officers did not purchase commissions but were usually granted them after graduating from Sandhurst or other colleges. The pay scale (paid by the Indian taxpayer) was actually HIGHER than the British Army for many years and men of lower means gravitated to India.

This left a predictable rivalry between the British Indian Army (paid for by the Raj) and the British Army IN India (regular regiments which were stationed in India but paid for by Britain). The Regular Army officers considered their counterparts "not quite gentlemen" as they had to earn their positions rather than pay for them.

Since the Mutiny, the two had been forced to work together but still largely did not socialize. The Commander-in-Chief of both sets of forces were typically British Indian Army officers (given the heavy majority of soldiers were part of THAT army). Replacing the respected and skilled General Napier with an over-the-hill aristocrat was considered a slap in the face by many British and Indian soldiers of the British Indian Army.

Lord Lucan, who had never been to India nor understood the cultural clashes common to the subcontinent, was intent on only one thing: the seizure of the passes of eastern Afghanistan. Benjamin Disraeli, eager for an end to the war, commanded Lucan to complete this by any means necessary.

Within weeks of arrival, Lucan had reached the Peshwar valley and gazed for the first time upon the intimidating mountains. But Lucan was convinced that he could take the passes. After all, there were only Wogs and Russians guarding those fortifications. Surely, nothing the British Army could not handle.

 

[Alt History Buff]

May, 1872

North Atlantic

With the Russian Fleet's departure from Brest earlier in the year, the Royal Navy once again had effective control over the Atlantic. The grain and cotton imports from America continued with little interruption.

As opposed to many previous wars over the centuries, "privateering" had effectively died off. This was more due to the evolution of technology than a lack of interest in the seizure of enemy shipping. By 1872, the advancements in naval technology meant that only the latest model ships were likely to survive any kind of engagement. Gone were the days when a relatively light but fast ship could easily be converted into a privateer (or pirate, depending upon the point of view). Privateers could go years, taking dozens of merchant ships, before they even encountered a ship of war. Even then, the lighter ship, if kept in good condition, had a better than even chance of escape against a heavy warship.

Now, the steam-powered warships were frequently the fastest on the waves. In addition, they were often so expensive that they could not be "wasted" on privateering. They were required to remain in powerful squadrons.

By 1872, the British kept only a few of their ironclads on the open seas, hunting for privateers. That was enough for most prospective French rogues who knew that being sighted by one of these warships was tantamount to capture or death.

Thus, trade with Britain and America continued largely apace. The heavy Massachusetts-class warships, of which there were now four and all stationed along the east coast, would ensure no instances of foreign warships taking their battles to closely to American shores.

Meanwhile, trade with France, predictably, had effectively fallen as the British lighter warships easily kept the French merchant fleet at anchor.

Paris

Emperor Napoleon III was nothing short of apoplectic at the rebellion rising in French North Africa. Outnumbered 20 to 1 by Arabs, the French (and other European) settlers had been forced into the cities....where they were frequently blockaded by sea by the Royal Navy, apparently without French naval assistance.

The Emperor thundered at his Admirals, who calmly pointed out that even the Emperor acknowledged the inferiority of the French ironclads to the British. It would not be until late 1872 at the earliest that the newly upgraded shipyards in Bordeaux and Marseille were able to produce the all-steel hulls necessary to compete with the British. Instead, the French ships were being strapped with extra armor and heavier guns in hopes that this would give them a chance in battle (though at the cost of speed and seaworthiness).

The Admiralty pointed out that the direct assistance of the Russians MAY help a bit but the Black Sea Fleet appeared to be permanently anchored in Greece, the Dardanelles and the Levant. Negotiations with their Russian "ally" to get them to coordinate at sea in the Mediterranean were not going well. Russia had not terrible concern regarding the shutdown of the Suez as there appeared to be no real threat by the British to their Siberian ports.

Thus why get upset?

Also, the Suez Canal being shut hurt the British more than the Russian in the Afghan War so why risk Russia's Fleet.

Not for the first time in the last decade was the Emperor regretting his actions of intriguing against his enemies for his own gain. France had just fought a war against Britain a few years ago which gained them very little (Siam) while costing the last of the French West Indies. His invasion of Morocco, intended to cement France's power over all of North Africa (even Egypt was a debtor to France), had been a failure.

The entire war was an expensive waste in which others gained.

Now, the Admirals were not even willing to challenge the British in order to relieve blockades of French North African cities. Indeed, often these blockades would be randomized by the British due to lack of resources. A blockade would cut off one city for a month or so....then rapidly do the same to her neighbor. That way, the French were never entirely sure WHICH cities would be guarded by the Royal Navy until they arrived.

This allowed SOME supply ships to make it through but not enough to make a difference in breaking out of the cities to challenge the Arabs of the hinterlands.

Only PEACE would allow this to happen and the Emperor was willing to talk peace....if the British were.

Kassel, Kingdom of Hesse

The French officer representing the Duchy of Luxembourg in the 1872 spring maneuvers would look on in amusement as the Germans squabbled. While there had been some improvements in the German Confederation armies from the previous joint military maneuvers, the French observer would not seriously find Germany a threat.

Indeed, the French presence at such maneuvers was something of a farce as it was well-known that the Emperor maintaining the Duchy of Luxembourg (recently purchased from the King of the Netherlands) as a separate entity from France would soon end. Napoleon III needed a public relations coup and this would placate some angry French citizens.

In the meantime, the officer DID find the innovative use of railroads in moving troops about the Confederation as well as the benefits of having a General Staff. This should be implemented in France but the officer knew better than to recommend the old goats in Paris to do anything new. Clerks still ran the French army and not terribly well.

Kassel had been selected as the headquarters of the German Army (which Regensburg to the south was the political Capital). This was intended to keep the key functions of government out of the hands of ANY of the three main powers in German (Austria, Prussia and Hanover).

While the French observers would witness the errors and tribulations of the maneuvers, they did not see the German General Staff (inspired by Von Moltke but not commanded) recognizing the shortfalls and quietly addressing them.

Afghanistan

Having prepared for months for the assault, Lord Lucan overrode his new senior officers (both British Army in India AND British Indian Army) and commanded his forces into the passes. He didn't care how many men were lost as long as the Russians and Afghans were pushed back.

Lucan even had the benefit that he did not need to conquer Afghanistan, only to seize an "adequate length" of the passes which would ensure no Russian armies could conceivably march into India.

As Lord Lucan possessed a low opinion of both Russians and "Wogs" (usually possessed by those who hadn't fought them), the British aristocrat was fully confident of victory. His British soldiers were the best in the world and his Indian Sepoys would at least be adequate to the task.

What the General did not realize was that the British Indian Army (and British Army IN India) had been deliberately forbidden from gaining the most modern British weapons (the upgraded Snider-Enfield breech-loader) in an attempt to keep another mutiny from getting out of control. Virtually all of the Indian Regiments and most of the British still utilized the old Enfield muzzle-loading musket.

Lucan was not worried about this no matter how many times his staff would beg him to take into account the Russian forces (and many of the Afghans) had superior Chassepot rifles with better accuracy, range and rate of fire. Given that they British would be marching into the teeth of Russian defenses, this was somewhat daunting the men who would be in the front ranks.

But Lord Lucan was adamant. He'd been sent to India to accomplish what Napier had failed to do: seize the passes of Afghanistan. And he didn't give a damn how many Indians had to die to do it.

 

[Alt History Buff]

May, 1872

Khyber Pass

The initial assaults upon the Khyber Pass (and the other passes) would commence on May 28th, 1872. The Earl of Lucan would spend the spring preparing advanced artillery positions, bringing forth heavy mortars, gathering supplies, etc to throw all of his resources at the enemy at once.

Within a few weeks of arriving in India, Lucan had realized his predecessor, General Napier, was NOT incompetent at all, he was simply unwilling to accept the likely tens of thousands of casualties it would take to seize the passes.

Choosing British Army IN India commanders to assault the other routes into Afghanistan, Lucan determined that he would personally lead the seizure of the Khyber.

Lucan wondered if the Iron Duke (who HAD served in India) would think of these dismal Kush mountains after fighting the Spanish and French in the Spanish Alps. Wellington had crushed his enemies time after time in the mountains.

Unfortunately, Lucan was not quite the mountain fighter that Wellington had been. Attempts to flank the entrenched Russians and Afghans failed miserable as every conceivable trail had been blocked.

Finally, frustrated, Lucan ordered his armies into the Khyber Pass. Artillery duels would swiftly result in the Russian forces gaining the advantage due to the heights, fortified position and more powerful guns. The Armstrong Cannons, though exception in an infantry support role, proved insufficient for the task at hand. Few of the cannon could even be elevated enough to reach the Russian positions, much less reduce them. The larger British cannon and mortars were simply pummeled into submission.

The necessary frontal attacks into the Passes, Valleys and Gorges would prove disastrous. Thousands of Russian and Afghan snipers could fire down into advancing columns, withering the Indian and British forces which could barely reply in kind.

But still Lucan ordered his men forward. Eventually, the first valley of the Khyber Pass was taken via a daring night assault. However, light would reveal that the next valley, the next gorge, the next mountain would be every bit as well guarded and fortified.

A young Russian Lieutenant was captured during the battle and brought before Lucan. The General, smug with his "victory" which cost over 8000 casualties in the Khyber Pass alone, would demand to know if the Russian commander would surrender. Even Lucan's adjutants had the good sense to look embarrassed.

The young officer, cradling a wounded arm courtesy of a British bayonet, would retort in passably good English, "General, there are a hundred more valleys between here and Kabul no less impregnable than the one you so bravely captured at the cost of so much Indian blood. If your Queen is so interested in replicating your "Victory", I'm sure the Czar would be delighted to sell each of these other valleys for the same price!"

Given that the efforts to force the Peiwal Kotel Pass and the other routes toward Kabul had not met even THIS much success (for another 6500 Indian and British casualties), the seizure of a mile or two of the Khyber Pass was indeed proving quite expensive indeed.

By this point, the Earl began to realize that the task would be even greater than previously estimated. While his orders did not necessarily require him to "conquer" Afghanistan, they did require him to seize enough of the passes to ensure that no Russian Armies could possibly march down into India. Lucan knew that he had no accomplished THAT as of yet.

Thus, Lord Lucan summoned another 20,000 Indian troops from various corners of the subcontinent. He carefully kept as many of the British Army IN India forces scattered about to ensure compliance by the natives as well as the handful of British India Army regiments comprised entirely or largely of Europeans.

The assault on the Kush should remain a largely Indian affair.

Lisbon

Pedro II of Brazil would visit his aged stepmother in Portugal in 1872 (his visit in 1871 had been cancelled due to the outbreak of war). He was shocked how sick and decrepit she looked after 40 years apart. However, it was a warm reunion. Pedro would also go on to visit Spain, Italy, the Vatican and other parts of Europe on a year long voyage.

While in Europe, he received copies of Brazilian newspapers that pronounced that his daughter Isabel, who he had left in command of Brazil while he was travelling, had signed into law the freedom of all children born to slave women from that moment on.

Pedro had long been an enemy of slavery (he pushed for an end to the slave trade) but his encouragement of a staged emancipation had brought great opposition throughout the slave-owning classes in Brazil. Without adequate support, there had not been significant movement in this direction in years. However, recent government ministries had also spoken against slavery and Pedro had hoped to end the institution in his lifetime.

The Emperor had not left any instructions whatsoever to his daughter or his Ministers on this matter and the Law of Free Birth passed Parliament somehow and his daughter, the Regent Isabel, approved it immediately. Though happy to know future generations would be safe from the vile institution, the King was quite concerned that this may lead to political unrest in Brazil.

But there was nothing he could do about the matter now and the Emperor went on with his European tour.

 

[Alt History Buff]

June, 1872

Oran

While the walls of Oran continued to hold, the French grip on the Muslim citizens did not. In the night of June 6th, 1872, a group of Arab-Berbers would throw open one of the city gates and allow the Moroccan-Arab-Berbers into the city.

A wild night of slaughter ensued in which the French garrison and most of the European civilians were slaughtered.

By this point, Algiers, Constantine and Tunis were similarly besieged. The example of Oran would cause shudders throughout the European refugees and many would demand evacuation from North Africa.

With the intermittent British blockade cutting off regular supplies, reinforcements, etc, this proved difficult and only the odd vessel bearing a few hundred civilians would be routed back to the Metropolis whenever the blockade momentarily lifted.

Cairo

The Khedive would seethe in anger after the French "financial advisor" bluntly told him how to run his Kingdom. Over the past years, Egypt had grown closer to France. When Britain ceased to offer loans, the Khedive was forced to look entirely upon the French for his far-reaching....but terribly costly....reforms.

With the French apparently incapable of breaking the British blockade (and the Russian disinterest), the Khedive looked at the 70% of his nation's debt owned by the French and wondered how he could get out from under it.

Moscow


Over the course of the past several years, the Russian railroads continued to expand exponentially. A new series of railroads had reached throughout the Ukraine, Poland and even Finland.

Wars had been lost by Russia largely due to the great distances and Russian incompetence at logistics. The Crimea ended in defeat not so much on the battlefield but the supply depot.

With most of the Russian large cities west of the Urals connected by rail in the past 20 years, the Czar began to wonder if he may even reach as far east as the Pacific. This was probably too ambitious for now but the capacity for the British to cut off the Russian shipping from St. Petersburg and Constantinople was troubling.

COULD Britain....or China....or France....or America someday threaten Russian Siberia?

The prospect could not be dismissed.

Alexander II would have to think on it.

 

[Alt History Buff]

July, 1872

Hungary

King Maximilian of Hungary would see his nation coming apart at the seams as the Slovaks to the north and the Transylvanians rebel against his authority. If his brother in Vienna were to see this, he'd probably laugh.

Maximilian, childless, would adopt one of his brother Karl Ludwig's 2nd son Otto (six years old) for his own heir.

In the end, Hungary would continue to convulse for years.

Dorah Pass, Peiwar Pass, Afghanistan

As casualties mounted in the Khyber Pass, simultaneous attacks on the Dorah and Peiwar Passes. Neither would go any better.

Forced back onto the plains with inadequate medical facilities (the British had apparently not learned their lesson from the Crimean War), as many men died of disease in Afghanistan as of war wounds.

Nearly 30,000 had succumbed in 1872 alone to match the 18,000 the previous year.

It was also quite obvious that the Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and other Indian faiths were bearing the brunt of the campaign as the British regiments remained billeted in various Indian cities to ensure compliance of the population.

Resentment built up in droves as it became quite clear that the Indian regiments would carry the burden of the war.

The Earl of Lucan would, with regret, withdraw his forces back to the Peshwar Valley to enter into winter quarters. Three months of heroic bloodshed had accomplished nothing.

Italy

The laying of the first Duilio-class Italian Ironclad would take place in 1872, a full year earlier than expected. Witnessing the effect of ironclads against wooden warships first-hand, the Italian admiralty spent years designing the biggest, fastest and most powerful ironclads on earth. At nearly 11,000 tons, the Duilio class would dwarf even the new British Devastation class warships.

The guns of the Devastation class were still to be decided. Some Italian Admirals were looking towards some British-built guns, the Armstrong guns. Rumor had it that the Armstrong company was investigating a 100 ton gun. However, the likelihood of Britain EXPORTING weapons even to a neutral power in the near future was somewhat low.

Thus, the Italians would look to design their own guns along these specification or even purchase them from America, where the Americans were working on a heavy guns as well.

Washington

Secretary of the Navy Dahlgren had spent years working with various companies to design new, heavy naval artillery. The Navy Department was doing a bit better than the Army at this point, though (the army still couldn't come up a decent medium size "workhorse" gun).

By 1872, the old muzzle-loading "Dahlgrens" were getting more and more obsolete. The new Armstrongs were reportedly MUCH more accurate with greater range.

Fortunately, Dahlgren's experiments had bourn fruit. While he had not yet design a new "Breech-loader" (most nations continued to have problems with gas escaping with large breech-loaders), rifled muzzle-loaders continued to prove to be effective.

The largest of Dahlgren's new creations were compatible with the heavy Armstrongs being designed even now.

With the larger gun, Dahlgren would also sign off on a proposal to Congress for the construction of four vessels to succeed the Massachusetts-class (four in service, two more in production) with a displacement of over 10,000 tons. This would nearly match the Italian vessels reportedly under construction and exceed the tonnage of the British Devastation class.

 

[Alt History Buff]

August, 1872

Southern Montana Territory

Mrs. Custer and Mrs. Stuart had planned on returning to Washington in May to await their husbands' return.

Unfortunately, an uprising by some some of Arapaho and northern Cheyenne had delayed this as the ladies' safety (and their children) could not be guaranteed. As it happened, Mrs. Custer had been visiting Mrs. Stuart and helping to prepare for the move when she was stuck in Cheyenne country.

Over 1400 Cheyenne and Arapaho had left their reservation. Contradictory American initiatives meant to both isolate the Plains Indians from and assimilate into "regular" American society.

At Fort Sheridan (the home of the 4th Cavalry), Governor-General Stuart would control most of Cheyenne Territory. However, the uprising would cause the Cheyenne and Arapaho to effectively besiege the cavalry station.

With Stuart on patrol hundreds of miles to the south and Custer in Fort Bozeman, Montana, the 120 or so cavalrymen and 40 civilians were BADLY outnumbered. The earthen and stone walls of the fortification were poor protection from the rebellious tribesmen.

Both Stuart and Custer had spent years attempting to gain a level of trust with the local tribes. The Crow and the Lakota had come around and often served in auxiliary roles with the American Cavalry. However, the other tribes were much less inclined to cooperate no matter the inducements offered.

Bethlehem

For the first time in recent history, the Pope Pius IX would travel to Bethlehem to give homage to the birthplace of Jesus. He would then travel on to Jerusalem to visit the various Holy Sites.

In Jerusalem, he would witness Jews keening at the Wailing Wall....and a tourist industry being built with remarkable speed.

The Mediterranean Sea

Having realized that the Russians were NOT intending to sail from the Dardanelles and challenge the Suez blockading squadron, the increasingly confident British Admiralty would authority Royal Navy assaults along southern France and, more devastatingly, the French North African ports.

While some French ships ran the blockades of the French southern coast and those of the North African coast, as many as not were stopped and seized. Eventually, most attempts were halted.

Instead, a new strategy was formed: France would mass ships and supply convoys in Marseille and sail south in overwhelming numbers to brush aside a given North African port's British blockading squadron.

This worked in 1871 in Tunis, then early 1872 in Algiers. However, this would fail miserably in mid-1872 in Tripoli when the French convoy was intercepted at sea by a British fleet off of Malta. The French forces were scattered and not a single ship even made it to challenge the blockading squadron.

Khyber Pass

Preparing to enter winter quarters, an early snowstorm granted the Earl of Lucan one last chance to make gains. Under cover of the blinding snow, the General would force 15,000 soldiers into the Pass in hopes of catching the Russians and Afghans by surprise.

While it is true that the whiteout prevented the Chassepots and Krupps from annihilating them from a distance, this did not mean that the casualties were not high as the Indian and British troops leapt the ditches and ramparts into the allied lines.

While a brave and daring maneuver, the Indians would soon learn that the Russians and Afghans knew more about fighting in snow that they ever would. Beyond taking a few outposts and advance lines, the British Indian Army accomplished very little. When the slow lifted, the allied artillery would start pounding the exposed Indians crammed into the valley like live fish in a barrel. The Chassepots would join in as the retreat became a route.

6000 brave men would lay dead or wounded upon the Pass when the others fled. The wounded would be left to pray that blood loss or exposure would kill them before the Afghans arrived.

 

[Alt History Buff]

August, 1872

Victoria, Vancouver

Against any conceivable odd, the name of Victoria, capital of the US Territory of Vancouver had not been changed. Even the positioning of an American naval base at Esquimalt (the southern tip of Vancouver Island) would not change this.

After the land was seized by the British, it was assumed that the name would be changed. However, internal political friction in Congress and the Territory itself would see discussion of a name change only inflate tempers. Accusations that self-aggrandizing Lincoln or Seward would name the city after themselves would keep this simmering until, a decade later, a public vote opted to leave the name be.

In truth, many diplomats breathed a sigh of relief as re-designating a city named after the Queen would be considered an insult to Victoria and undo much of the goodwill gained in the past years.

Denver, Colorado Territory

As the Territorial Legislature was embodied in 1872, it was a given that, by the next Presidential election of 1876, the Territory would have applied for...and received statehood.

The only question was if Colorado would be admitted to the Union before or after any more Confederate states would be re-admitted.

Rio de Janeiro

For months, a series of slave-holding gentry had gathered in secret. The Regent's, Princess Isabel's, decision in the Law of Free Birth (or Free Womb) enraged many in the capital. Though Isabel had few political opinion not related to Abolitionism, the general thought was that the Princess should be removed from her official duties as regent.

However, the scheme was leaked to several government supporters who brought it to the attention of several high-ranking Royal Guards soldiers. These men would lead a group of Paraguayan War veterans against the gathering of potential insurgents and surrounded the large building in which they were meeting (conveniently placed out of town).

No one knew who fired the first shot, if it was a soldier or a rebel. However, the firefight soon trapped the slave-owners in place. Attempts to flee would result in a vicious withering fire. When the building was set ablaze...the soldiers still killed all who set foot outside.

The important thing to realize was that most of the soldiers were "slave-soldiers". With few volunteers in the war, the Government would "rent" slaves from their masters and put them in uniform to fight Brazil's war. Few were returned to their masters after the war. Who would want a slave that had been trained to be a killer?

This was the local garrison called upon to protect the Princess-Regent. They happily killed all the plantation-owning gentry and conservative military officers on hand. Even several priests were trapped in the building when it burned. 160 of the 200 attendees were killed, either by flame or bullet. The rest were captured and fully confessed their aim to overthrow the Monarchy and replace it with a Republic dominated by slave-owners, the military and the Church.

While the King and Princess were not terribly popular in SOME quarters, they were beloved by the general population who were outraged at the attempted coup.

Isabel's husband, Gaston, Count of Eu, would lead the government forces in hunting down the most militant of the plotters. In short order, several dozen high-ranking men were arrested and held for various terms under house arrest. A few were convicted and sent to prison. Others were allowed to take the loyalty oath and return home....minus their slaves or commissions (whichever the case may be).

When Pedro II returned home in late 1872, the Emperor was dismayed by the rebellion but pleased at how quickly it had been put down.

Most importantly, the Emperor had learned a valuable lesson: keep loyal people in arms.

Pedro II would formally liberate all the "slave-soldiers" and grant them full citizenship. Over the coming years, Pedro would disproportionately recruit from this demographic, much as the United States Army had taken to doing.

 

[Alt History Buff]

November, 1872

Washington

President Hamlin would slowly receive the results of the November election. As expected, he was able to defeat the Seymour-Douglas ticket by a fair margin (almost 3-2 in the popular vote) and much more in the electoral college.

The Republicans would lose some seats in the House and Senate but not to the point of really challenging the majority.

On the whole, Hamlin had his referendum on his own leadership and that of the Republicans.

"He kept us out of war" was always a good rallying cry.

Not all went well. The Irish and German immigrants (particularly of New York) had initially been solidly Democrat but had drifted in the past decade to the Republicans. This election saw that these groups were now drifting back. Some of this may have to do with the former New York governor being at the top of the ticket but most pundits agreed that this may be a longtime trend. Despite Lincoln, Seward and Hamlin's attempts to bring them into the Republican fold, the occasional anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant faction was starting to take center stage much to the Republican dismay at the ballot box.

New York and New Jersey fell to the Democrats. This would severely hinder future elections if these states went solidly to the opposition.



London

It had taken a longer-than-expected time for the news of the Afghan War. The results were dismaying. Tales of being severely outgunned by the Russians was not received well.

Worse, Disraeli had dragged his feet with the peace feelers with France due to his belief that he may squeeze some sort of victory from this fiasco. This seemed impossible now.

The First Lord was preparing to reply to the French offer when further news that the French had badly mauled the blockading squadron off of Algiers by consolidating their forces into one heavy fleet and overpowering the British vessels.

Algiers received some supplies before the French were driven off by rumors of the imminent arrival of the Maltese Squadron (in fact, Malta was not even aware of the attack by this point).

This was a disaster and Disraeli could not begin negotiations with such a defeat still lurking in the minds of the negotiators.

Disraeli's Cabinet met and agreed: a victory must be won before going to the negotiating table.

The easiest way to do this was at sea. Several heavy ships were dispatched from the Channel fleet to augment the Mediterranean squadrons. They were ordered to hunt the French Navy and draw it to battle. Unfortunately for the British, the French fleet had already fled to the safety of the southern Mediterranean harbors.



Constantine, French North Africa

In November of 1872, the Arab-Berber rebels managed to break into Constantine, an inland city. Unlike in Oran, there would be no mass slaughter. The French civilians were escorted to the coast on parole and allowed to depart. The Arab-Berbers made contact with the local British squadron and arranged for Italian ships to dock and pick up the Europeans in small seaside villages.

The French soldiers were forced into quarters but were generally treated as European prisoners-of-war expected to be treated. The King of Morocco had managed to get the local Arab-Berbers under adequate control to avoid the murder of prisoners or civilians. He knew that he must live with the consequences of his actions in the future and did not want THAT hanging over his head.

 

[Alt History Buff]

February, 1873

Bombay

Lord Lucan would read between the lines of the correspondence from Britain - the Commander-in-Chief, the Minister of War, the Foreign Secretary, the First Lord of the Treasury and even the Queen herself - and come to the obvious conclusion that the whole of Britain was castigating him for his failure to shift the Russians and Afghans from the Passes of Eastern Afghanistan.

Slightly more subtle were the urgings to accomplish SOMETHING so Britain could sit down at the negotiating table with something resembling leverage. As it was, Britain had gained nothing.

There had been talk about Royal Navy and British Army directly aiding the North African rebels.....or even invading Egypt.

Caustic comments had been levied about that the British Indian Army was better off invading French Indochina that protecting against a Russian incursion from Afghanistan.

Lucan took this to heart and prepared his Generals for even greater pushes into the Kush Mountain chain in the Spring. Many of his subordinates objected, in some cases publicly, of this directive. In the end, the passes practically defended themselves. Filled with a hundred thousand Russian and Afghan troops with superior weapons and years to dig in would only extend the slaughter more. In the past two years, over 50,000 had died of injuries and disease. This dwarfed the Crimean War already.

The Earl's snide reply that there were always more Indians to fill the ranks would unfortunately be captured by the press - native, British and foreign. By Spring, even the most remote Indian villager had heard THOSE words.

In the meantime, the once-moderate educated Indian class, having be excluded from power in the past decade and forbidden from forming a legal political group, would start to form ILLEGAL political groups.

Gangwa Island, Joseon Kingdom

At length, the various European and Japanese forces which maintained an uneasy truce on Gangwa Island would depart one by one. The Americans were the first, having no patience for such work. The Japanese, having been defeated by the Chinese, also withdrew effectively ending their claim to influence.

Finally, the French withdrew their ships, tertiary though they were to the powerful vessels now menacing the seas.

In the end only the Russians remained. Easily supplied from their bases in China and the Pacific, would remain, hoping to wait out the Joseon Kingdom.

Sakhalin and Kuril Islands

With the defeat of the Japanese fleet in the Ryukyu Islands, the Russians had quietly assumed control over the lightly governed Sakhalin and Kuril Island chain.

The Japanese population on Sakhalin, usually small and reserved mainly to traders which used Sakhalin as a middle-man for Chinese silk, would immediately urge the Emperor to do something about this.

At the moment, though, the Japanese confidence was low and, given the modest value of the northern islands, were not inclined to make war over such a thing.

Washington

The delegation of Tennessee notables was politely received by the President. He pronounced that the State Legislature may be reembodied.....IF.....the vote was deemed fair and free for all individuals.

Years before, Tennessee had sought readmission to the Union but violence had marred the election so badly that the results were thrown out by the National Government. In the time since (and the assassination of the Longstreets and Sheridans in Louisiana), the American Army had ruthlessly hunted down any glimmer of organization of these "raiders" who would frequently burn black churches and assault Freedmen....among even worse atrocities.

While the organizations had largely been laid low, the violence would continue on such a regular basis that Hamlin had not even considered reestablishing these states as viable partners in the Union. Freedmen bureaucrats taking voter registration and receiving the "Oath of Loyalty" from white southerners had so inflamed passions that South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama (minus the new state carved from her northern borders) and Louisiana had not even bothered requesting readmission in years.

Only North Carolina, Arkansas and Tennessee had repeatedly attempted to regain their political rights of the remaining holdouts.

Arkansas was still heavily divided. Ante-bellum Arkansas has largely seen her population centered along the western shore of the Mississippi. Virtually all of the black population of this region, while remaining in the state, had left the Mississippi and settled in western Arkansas on land grants. However, the two sides, armed to the teeth, were only kept apart by Union soldiers.

Tennessee, on the other hand, had been less violent due to her position as an economic "middle state" which was already much more industrialized than other portions of the south (only Virginia had more manufacturing that Tennessee). Hoping to end the occupation, Tennessee's political leaders had actively sought to halt any organization of "raiders" and would even form conventions stating their acceptance of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments (non-binding as they were not recognized political meetings).

President Hamlin would determine that Tennessee and North Carolina would be allowed to vote on a new State Legislature in 1873, which would be embodied in 1874 IF and ONLY IF, the elections were fair and free.

North Carolina, always so genteel, had hoped to emulate Virginia and regain her citizenship as well.

Hamlin was not terribly hopeful that a truly free election in either state was likely. Worse, if he annulled the results, he would be playing into the Democrats' hands. However, there had been legitimate efforts made on the part of MANY of those states' leaders to meet the Union's requirements and he could not in good conscience refuse them the opportunity to prove themselves.

Paris

Emperor Napoleon III had not cared much when France lost the French West Indies in the last war.

He would not care if he lost the prison colony of New Caledonia in THIS war.

However, he sure as hell DID care about the prospect of losing North Africa. Located so close to the Metropolis, and bearing a large population and fertile fields, this had been a cornerstone of French policy since before the Restoration of the House of Bonaparte (it actually had been the House of Bourbon that had first seized the region).

More than any other event, the Emperor knew that he could not lose North Africa. THAT was the reason he sent out peace feelers last year. But the British had apparently deemed the Queen's hand stronger and only doubled-down on the blockades in the Mediterranean. This left the Arab-Berber population free to rise up with Moroccan help on land and British at sea.

By February of 1873, only the cities of Algiers and Tunis remained under French control.

And, of course, Tripolitania and Cyrenaica.

Had the Emperor known of the Egyptian Khedive's plots, he would have collapsed.

Alexandria

An Egyptian ship bearing several high-ranking negotiators quietly slipped from their moorings and sailed towards the Royal Navy blockading fleet. Expected, they were met with courtesy by the commander of the British force.

That man would send his swiftest ship back to London bearing this unexpected but welcome offer.

 

[Alt History Buff]

April, 1873

Washington

Libbie Custer had barely survived years on the frontier. She also told her husband in no uncertain terms that should would not go back.

Mrs. Custer and Mrs. Stuart had been besieged for months at Fort Sheridan, Cheyenne Territory by almost a thousand Arapaho and Northern Cheyenne. Eventually, General Custer would return from Fort Bozeman in Montana Territory and General Stuart arrived from the southern reaches of the vast Cheyenne Territory with assorted cavalry units and Lakota and Crow auxiliaries. In one cataclysmic battle, over 300 Indians were slain including their battle leaders, the oddly named Two Moons and Lame White Man.

The Lakota auxiliaries under command of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse would hunt down dozens of the others in the wilds of western Montana. For this boon, the Lakota tribes were granted additional lands to their reservations in Minnesota and Montana.

Mrs. Custer and Mrs. Stuart would settle in with their families in Washington as their husbands, among the most dynamic and energetic soldiers in America, were placed in command of storage facilities and the like.

April and May, 1873

Khyber, Peiwar Kotal and Dorah Passes of Afghanistan

Despite great efforts by scouts, the British would only find again and again that every goat trail had been heavily fortified to the point that there was no realistic way to flank the Russians and Afghans. There would be no Ephialtes to lead the invaders to a secret trail and emerge behind the Russians as the Persians at Thermopylae.

The British Indian Army was pointed towards the heavily fortified passes, with trenches, stone and earthen ramparts, tunnels and enfilades at every conceivable position. Krupp Cannon would be situated at every height, often beyond the possible reach of British artillery.

Taking heart that his latest instructions did not demand that he CONQUERED Afghanistan....but far enough into the passes for a suitable defensive frontier could be established where the Russians and Afghans would have as much trouble grinding forth onto the Peshwar Valley as the British did INTO the mountains, Lord Lucan deemed this to mean he had to conquer several miles into the major passes.

Of course, this was far easier said than done. This meant attacking on very narrow fronts into the teeth of prepared enemy formations. The casualties immediately inflated. Yet the Sikh, Muslim and Hindu Indians would manage to grind forward one redoubt at a time throughout April. Each time, the Russians and Afghans fell back, sometimes a hundred yards, sometimes a quarter mile, never very far until they reached the next line of prepared defenses.

Before the snows had even melted, the casualties had reached 15,000. And there seemed to be no end. The brave formations were withered by accurate Chassepot fire and obliterated by powerful Krupps. British artillery was only of the most moderate utility as the British gunners were constantly attempting to fire UP at the enemy targets. Even the handful of heavy mortars dragged forward would prove of little use and often were picked apart by Russian-manned Krupps holding the high ground.

Eventually, the brave Indian soldiers could not bring themselves to charge into the next enfilade.....to climb the next rampart.....to endure the next bombardment on open ground.

One by one, the British Indian Army Regiments would simply refuse to march forward into the slaughter. By most estimates, the casualties of the attackers outmatched the defenders by as many as 10 to 1. Disease ran rampant in the British Indian Army camps, causing almost as many deaths as Russian bullets. The Commissariat and Medical branches had improved somewhat since the Crimean War...but not terribly much and this had not been matched by the British Indian Army. Many of these soldiers were not acclimated to the altitude or climate and therefore sickened easily.

The "Martial Races", which now dominated the British Indian Army, would simply refuse to advance. The Jats, Gurkhas, Pathans, Nairs, Dogra, Brahmins, etc, etc, etc, who had replaced the "mainstream" Indians who had fought in the Mutiny (as these minorities would be viewed as more reliable) would bleed no more for the Queen when even the dimmest among them could see that the entire army could be consumed for a few more miles of Kush valley.

In panic, the Earl of Lucan would order hundreds of these "Mutineers" to be executed before their fellows. Knowing full well how this would be taken, dozens of British Indian Officers would bluntly refuse to follow it but the mere knowledge of the order would cause riots.

In a crucial moment, the Russians and Afghans attacked the disorganized British and push them nearly back to the border before Lucan could stabilize the situation. Oddly, the Russian attack may have prevented a full-blown repeat of the Mutiny as it forced the Indians to defend themselves.

Fearful of shattering his reputation, the Earl would demand that the Army march forward. Knowing this was both futile and sure to cause greater rebellion among the troops, the senior officers refused. Lucan's threats to execute any man who did not march forward would only lead to the worst conceivable result: his own officers would secretly meet and decide that the Earl was unfit to command. A dozen General officers and high ranking staff would confront the Earl and present a petition that he step down immediately as Commander-in-Chief.

Appalled, Lucan refused and threatened to arrest the dozens of officers if they did not march immediately. To a man, they declined, stating that the Earl was incompetent and risking the British Raj. Thus, several General Officers and Regimental commanders were placed under arrest and shipped eastward to Bombay.

The gross insubordination of the Officers would soon be followed by open Mutiny among the common soldiers.