Go South, Young Man: President Abraham Lincoln, CSA
- Thread starter robertp6165
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I agree with your choices although I think Grant may have been premature at this point. He was still regarded as a bit of disgrace in military circles in 1861 and it took the battle of Ft. Donelson and its sister (I can't remember the name right now) on the Ohio to give him overall command. Since we haven't had an analogue yet Grant has yet to prove himself the brawler that he is.
Also in OTL Halleck I beleive was elevated to overall commander and was in charge of the logistics and strategic placement of troops (OTL 1864 I believe); Halleck was also at one point in overall command of the AoP. I tell you this because I think you make a good point about Seward's distrust and to show the caliber of men Seward is passing over.
I am enjoying this and I am happy you worked Threadomancy on this one, its pretty unique.
Also in OTL Halleck I beleive was elevated to overall commander and was in charge of the logistics and strategic placement of troops (OTL 1864 I believe); Halleck was also at one point in overall command of the AoP. I tell you this because I think you make a good point about Seward's distrust and to show the caliber of men Seward is passing over.
I am enjoying this and I am happy you worked Threadomancy on this one, its pretty unique.
Well, I'd hardly call it "threadomancy." The last segment of this was posted less than a month ago.
usertron2020
Donor
The War of Aggression-Whose?
Perhaps that may explain some of the virulence (frustration) of the "Union Trolls", and some of the smugness (Knowing the Union Trolls are fighting out of their league) of the "Confederate Trolls". From an outsiders viewpoint, it looks somewhat like a college debating society where the professors, instead of acting as moderators, are ganging up on one side over the other. And it's pretty much mostly the same side.
I'm still very new at this and I'm not quite sure of some of the terms being used, as well as how to locate/search for some of the older TL's. Many are accused of being "Trolls" which I have taken to mean "Extremist". I can find no period more contentious than the US Civil War. If I understand things right, a Confederate Troll says "War of Northern Aggression". A Unionist Troll says "War of Southern Aggression". But is there a very large overhang of older inactive ATL's that represent a majority of UnionistWanks? I just haven't been able to locate them in this forum. I have to conclude, though I am open to evidence to the contrary, that there IS an imbalance of TL's favoring the Confederacy. I know all about the VERY SILLY UBER-UnionistWank Trilogy by Henry Harrison (And for every one of these books, there are five superior "Guns of the South"), but they read like an elongated version of the handful of Pro-Unionist TL's out there. Poorly written, not well documented, and disorganized. The "ConfedWanks", many of them at least, show good writing, research, documentation, and good story structure. I would qualify many of them as the works of college history students or even professors. The few UnionistWanks (that I have been able to find) read like the works of thirteen year olds, C history students, or both.The user title "Confederate Troll" is a joke on my part. It refers to the picture I have in my user profile, which is shown at the bottom of this post. And it refers to the fact that, to some of the more extreme Unionists on the board, probably do think I'm a Confederate Troll.
Perhaps that may explain some of the virulence (frustration) of the "Union Trolls", and some of the smugness (Knowing the Union Trolls are fighting out of their league) of the "Confederate Trolls". From an outsiders viewpoint, it looks somewhat like a college debating society where the professors, instead of acting as moderators, are ganging up on one side over the other. And it's pretty much mostly the same side.
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I'm still very new at this and I'm not quite sure of some of the terms being used, as well as how to locate/search for some of the older TL's. Many are accused of being "Trolls" which I have taken to mean "Extremist". I can find no period more contentious than the US Civil War. If I understand things right, a Confederate Troll says "War of Northern Aggression". A Unionist Troll says "War of Southern Aggression". But is there a very large overhang of older inactive ATL's that represent a majority of UnionistWanks? I just haven't been able to locate them in this forum. I have to conclude, though I am open to evidence to the contrary, that there IS an imbalance of TL's favoring the Confederacy. I know all about the VERY SILLY UBER-UnionistWank Trilogy by Henry Harrison (And for every one of these books, there are five superior "Guns of the South"), but they read like an elongated version of the handful of Pro-Unionist TL's out there. Poorly written, not well documented, and disorganized. The "ConfedWanks", many of them at least, show good writing, research, documentation, and good story structure. I would qualify many of them as the works of college history students or even professors. The few UnionistWanks (that I have been able to find) read like the works of thirteen year olds, C history students, or both.
Perhaps that may explain some of the virulence (frustration) of the "Union Trolls", and some of the smugness (Knowing the Union Trolls are fighting out of their league) of the "Confederate Trolls". From an outsiders viewpoint, it looks somewhat like a college debating society where the professors, instead of acting as moderators, are ganging up on one side over the other. And it's pretty much mostly the same side.
Being a troll is not so much related to WHAT you say as with HOW you conduct yourself. One may hold what many would consider "extreme" views, and yet debate in a courteous and non-insulting manner. Such a person would not be a troll.
There may be some merit to the point that "frustration" due to their own lack of knowledge or debating skill might lead some to become "trolls." It certainly is easier to attack your opponent by calling them a liar or a racist, or example, than it is to actually deal with the facts and argumentation your opponent has laid out.
But there are some people on this board who are quite articulate and knowledgable, and yet who still prefer to use those same trollish tactics.
So while your observation has some merit, it does not explain the phenomenon completely.
usertron2020
Donor
I didn't think that it did explain the phenomenon completely, and I'm sorry if my writing implied that it did.
But I WAS actually trying to report two separate yet intertwined problems. The attraction of poor behavior brought up by some posters, and the attraction of writing and posting replies to ATL's that reveal, um, what they reveal. I have seen very bad UnionistWanks, and very bad ConfedWanks, and very GOOD ConfedWanks. But are there any GOOD UnionistWanks? Is there is a turgid, logical (NOT ASB), properly outlined, well plotted Pro-Union ATL? I haven't found it yet. Though I freely confess my search/internet skills could, at best, be called mediocre.
I have done so, and I must say, a very good and thorough explanation on why the Union high command structure will be much improved over OTL, without the political generals. Very fortuitous that Seward didn't like any of the OTL 1862ish incompetents.
That just leaves the mediocre lot of Pope, Burnside, and Rosecrans, who would start off with lower rank and are free to show up later if at all ITTL
.Likewise I now gladly accept McClellan to Army command, though I still have the very minor nitpick on east-west geography.
But I am very sorry, but I must still argue about Grant.
I have in front of me Vicksburg, 1863 by Winston Groom, which oddly enough is the most convenient source I have on Grant's early civil war career. The first time Grant applied to the Governor for a regimental command, he was declined on the grounds that too many political figures had already applied. He was also ignored by both the war department and, ironically, General McClellan, who in his mind overstated Grant's drinking "problem" and refused to let him on his staff.
Then, the Governor changed his mind and appointed Grant to command a regiment of Illinois volunteers, who were behaving as "little more than a mob of chicken thieves led by a drunkard". Within a month Grant had them in fine shape, they were re-christened the 21st Illinois, and were sent indeed to occupy SE Missouri. Without fighting any battles, Grant managed to win much of the populace to his side, for the moment, or at least chase away some few rebel detachments without actually fighting them. Compared to everyone else's performance at the time, that was a good job - so Grant got 3 more regiments, and yes, Elihu Washburne got him promoted to Brigadier General.
So far so good. This chain can be mirrored ITTL. But if Seward is serious about this war, and he is, then even the northwestern army must have several divisions, which are commanded by a Major General. Good as Grant had been in OTL at organizing troops and being a good occupation commander, he will rise no higher without fighting and "winning" at least 1 battle.
In OTL, that was the Battle of Belmont, Missouri. In point of fact, it was a large raid, and Grant ended up retreating at the end just before being surrounded and losing most of his transport ships. Casualties were 485 Union to about 600 Confederate. It could be considered a victory on the grounds both of giving his men experience, and on unnerving the Confederates into abandoning a small slice of Missouri. The newspapers lampooned it as a defeat because Grant retreated.
And, fine as Belmont was, Grant was not promoted to Major General until after Forts Henry and Donelson, and in OTL this was over the loud complaining voices of Halleck, Buell, and McClellan, and only because Lincoln recognized a winner when he saw one (the command structure at the time was Halleck as western departmental head, commanding 2 armies under Grant and Buell - the latter previously commanded by Sherman).
From this, I point out 2 features: the Governor of Illinois really didn't back Grant up at all beyond commissioning him Regimental Colonel, and Elihu Washburne only backed Grant up to Brigadier General - this only after Grant proved he was a good trainer of troops - and didn't back him up at all further until after Forts Henry and Donelson.
So ITTL it is certainly plausible to come up with the equivalent of Belmont in some small border skirmish or another - it is quite another thing to come up with the equivalent of Forts Henry and Donelson. To elevate Grant to Army command without these equivalents means that you not only have to get Halleck and Buell out of the picture (which you have done, very neatly), but also entirely get rid of the positions they would have occupied - departmental command and second army command.
Probably that would be the Department of Michigan, commanding 2 armies - one in Detroit and one near Fort Mackinac (far north). And it would certainly be plausible to give Grant command of the Army at Detroit, but then someone else would command in Northern Michigan, and there would be a Major General commanding both of them.
If not any of the political figures, because Seward disliked them, then pick a name out of a hat - some unknown little OTL Colonel from Ohio, or a hard-core Republican from New York whom Seward liked but in OTL was outranked by everyone who Lincoln liked, or whatever (or maybe even Pope or Rosecrans) - but there is a limit as to how far you can elevate someone simply by downplaying everyone else.
And this still leaves unanswered how Grant would get to Buffalo, instead of Detroit.
I dunno if I would call Rosecrans mediocre. Rosecrans did take Chattanooga and commanded the Army of the Tennessee (or the Army of the Mississippi, I can't remember who is who) with much dash and verve and was certianly more on the attack than Don Carlos Buell. I will admit his defense of Chickamauga was awful and George Thomas was an excellent replacement although was much more suited to the defensive. Pope and Burnside yes. Although Pope did what was required of him with the Sioux.
I have done so, and I must say, a very good and thorough explanation on why the Union high command structure will be much improved over OTL, without the political generals. Very fortuitous that Seward didn't like any of the OTL 1862ish incompetents.
That just leaves the mediocre lot of Pope, Burnside, and Rosecrans, who would start off with lower rank and are free to show up later if at all ITTL
Likewise I now gladly accept McClellan to Army command, though I still have the very minor nitpick on east-west geography.
But I am very sorry, but I must still argue about Grant.
I have in front of me Vicksburg, 1863 by Winston Groom, which oddly enough is the most convenient source I have on Grant's early civil war career. The first time Grant applied to the Governor for a regimental command, he was declined on the grounds that too many political figures had already applied. He was also ignored by both the war department and, ironically, General McClellan, who in his mind overstated Grant's drinking "problem" and refused to let him on his staff.
Then, the Governor changed his mind and appointed Grant to command a regiment of Illinois volunteers, who were behaving as "little more than a mob of chicken thieves led by a drunkard". Within a month Grant had them in fine shape, they were re-christened the 21st Illinois, and were sent indeed to occupy SE Missouri. Without fighting any battles, Grant managed to win much of the populace to his side, for the moment, or at least chase away some few rebel detachments without actually fighting them. Compared to everyone else's performance at the time, that was a good job - so Grant got 3 more regiments, and yes, Elihu Washburne got him promoted to Brigadier General.
So far so good. This chain can be mirrored ITTL. But if Seward is serious about this war, and he is, then even the northwestern army must have several divisions, which are commanded by a Major General. Good as Grant had been in OTL at organizing troops and being a good occupation commander, he will rise no higher without fighting and "winning" at least 1 battle.
In OTL, that was the Battle of Belmont, Missouri. In point of fact, it was a large raid, and Grant ended up retreating at the end just before being surrounded and losing most of his transport ships. Casualties were 485 Union to about 600 Confederate. It could be considered a victory on the grounds both of giving his men experience, and on unnerving the Confederates into abandoning a small slice of Missouri. The newspapers lampooned it as a defeat because Grant retreated.
And, fine as Belmont was, Grant was not promoted to Major General until after Forts Henry and Donelson, and in OTL this was over the loud complaining voices of Halleck, Buell, and McClellan, and only because Lincoln recognized a winner when he saw one (the command structure at the time was Halleck as western departmental head, commanding 2 armies under Grant and Buell - the latter previously commanded by Sherman).
From this, I point out 2 features: the Governor of Illinois really didn't back Grant up at all beyond commissioning him Regimental Colonel, and Elihu Washburne only backed Grant up to Brigadier General - this only after Grant proved he was a good trainer of troops - and didn't back him up at all further until after Forts Henry and Donelson.
So ITTL it is certainly plausible to come up with the equivalent of Belmont in some small border skirmish or another - it is quite another thing to come up with the equivalent of Forts Henry and Donelson. To elevate Grant to Army command without these equivalents means that you not only have to get Halleck and Buell out of the picture (which you have done, very neatly), but also entirely get rid of the positions they would have occupied - departmental command and second army command.
Probably that would be the Department of Michigan, commanding 2 armies - one in Detroit and one near Fort Mackinac (far north). And it would certainly be plausible to give Grant command of the Army at Detroit, but then someone else would command in Northern Michigan, and there would be a Major General commanding both of them.
If not any of the political figures, because Seward disliked them, then pick a name out of a hat - some unknown little OTL Colonel from Ohio, or a hard-core Republican from New York whom Seward liked but in OTL was outranked by everyone who Lincoln liked, or whatever (or maybe even Pope or Rosecrans) - but there is a limit as to how far you can elevate someone simply by downplaying everyone else.
Well, how about this? The timeline does mention skirmishes between U.S. and Canadian militia units in February 1862. Perhaps we shall say that Grant was in command at one of these, gained a minor victory, which was then trumpeted by newspapers across the North as a huge triumph of arms, which gained him an early appointment to Brigadier. Then he was assigned to the Army of the Hudson, where he was another of the few bright spots, along with Sherman, in the performance of said army. This gained him a promotion to Major General and assignment to command of the Army at Buffalo. McClellan, whose appointment was more politically motivated, gained his appointment primarily because of his military "reputation" rather than because of having actually done anything...although we could also say he commanded at one of the February skirmishes.
That would work, that would indeed work.
You could even say that due to Washburne's politicing, Grant was a Brigadier before the border skirmish. After his victory, whatever that may be, he was transferred to the Army of the Hudson and given a division (which in OTL 1861 happened frequently enough, divisions headed by Brigadier Generals).
And then you could say, oh......Sherman was the bright spot in the battle proper, while Grant's was the reserve division, and so after the loss he did a very masterful job commanding the rear guard.
That would also explain why Sherman gets Army command of the Hudson, presumably the largest and most prestigious Army, while Grant gets shuffled westward to the second-most important command. McClellan, whose appointment was political, gets appointed to command at Detroit first, with Grant at Buffalo only afterward.
In fact, perhaps there already could be a division forming in Buffalo, under....well, anybody really - Pope or Rosecrans, or any OTL 1862 AoTP Corps commander (likely Porter, Franklin, or Sumner). Or my personal favorite, Thomas, since a place must be found for him if he stays in the army - and then Grant is appointed Army commander over that division plus more to come. This can also create a nice back-story of initial resentment from that commander which, soon enough, turns to admiration of Grant's abilities (unless there is also someone like McClernard, who would start politicking to remove him).
I deeply apologize if I am nitpicking too much. It is just that I really like this TL, but am also a huge Civil War buff, and so see much more than others the thin line between a "very good TL" and an "extremely good TL which has all of its details well-thought-out".
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@GreatScottMarty: Yes, I am overstating Rosecrans. He was quite competent, with a solid victory at Stone's River and yes getting Chattanooga with the Army of the Cumberland. Actually, his performance at Chickamauga was very solid - it was the 20 or so days of maneuvering before the battle where he failed - and his lack of activity once besieged in Chattanooga. On the other hand, the only Union commander with less dash and verve than Buell was McClellan, leaving aside his great organizational and morale skills.
You could even say that due to Washburne's politicing, Grant was a Brigadier before the border skirmish. After his victory, whatever that may be, he was transferred to the Army of the Hudson and given a division (which in OTL 1861 happened frequently enough, divisions headed by Brigadier Generals).
And then you could say, oh......Sherman was the bright spot in the battle proper, while Grant's was the reserve division, and so after the loss he did a very masterful job commanding the rear guard.
That would also explain why Sherman gets Army command of the Hudson, presumably the largest and most prestigious Army, while Grant gets shuffled westward to the second-most important command. McClellan, whose appointment was political, gets appointed to command at Detroit first, with Grant at Buffalo only afterward.
In fact, perhaps there already could be a division forming in Buffalo, under....well, anybody really - Pope or Rosecrans, or any OTL 1862 AoTP Corps commander (likely Porter, Franklin, or Sumner). Or my personal favorite, Thomas, since a place must be found for him if he stays in the army - and then Grant is appointed Army commander over that division plus more to come. This can also create a nice back-story of initial resentment from that commander which, soon enough, turns to admiration of Grant's abilities (unless there is also someone like McClernard, who would start politicking to remove him).
I deeply apologize if I am nitpicking too much. It is just that I really like this TL, but am also a huge Civil War buff, and so see much more than others the thin line between a "very good TL" and an "extremely good TL which has all of its details well-thought-out".
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@GreatScottMarty: Yes, I am overstating Rosecrans. He was quite competent, with a solid victory at Stone's River and yes getting Chattanooga with the Army of the Cumberland. Actually, his performance at Chickamauga was very solid - it was the 20 or so days of maneuvering before the battle where he failed - and his lack of activity once besieged in Chattanooga. On the other hand, the only Union commander with less dash and verve than Buell was McClellan, leaving aside his great organizational and morale skills.
Awesome update Robert, It really seems like this French and Anglo War is going to be one long particulary nast affair. And Bravo for comming up with a possible West Coast Invasion from India!!! It will be very interesting to see how Lincoln, always the able Political Operator, will play both sides of eachother. Keep it comming!!!
usertron2020
Donor
Rosecrans had 3 major problems: 1) A refusal to subordinate himself 2) Poor Tactician 3) Poor Strategist. His skill was in being possibly the best general in the Operational art than any other general on either side except Jackson. He could get from point A to point B to point C to point D quicker and more easily than his opponents, always outmaneuvering them from one position after another. The problem with this was he never engaged his enemies and did any damage to them. As he would move ever deeper into enemy territory his supply lines would grow longer, stringing out his command to protect them. His enemies' forces would become more concentrated in front of him. Hence, Chickamauga.
About Thomas. He was a better defender but many people cited him for over caution (Grant almost relieved him for it once). The Battle of Nashville settled that question for good.
Both judgments of Rosecrans are correct, my knowledge or the ACW is not that great for being an American (I am an FER by nature). I completely agree with you two, I just wasn't about to lump him in with Burnside and Pope, and I thought he was far superior to Buell. That's all I am saying. Thanks for filling in the blanks.
Robert please continue
(I am an FER by nature). I completely agree with you two, I just wasn't about to lump him in with Burnside and Pope, and I thought he was far superior to Buell. That's all I am saying. Thanks for filling in the blanks. Robert please continue
Revised and Expanded Part Four of the Timeline
January 1862--Word of the Anglo-French declaration of war reaches the United States. President Seward asks Congress for a declaration of war on Britain and France. This is granted on January 14, 1862. President Seward calls for 100,000 volunteers to fight the British and French.
President Lincoln of the Confederate States of America declares the neutrality of the Confederate States on January 15, 1862. Both Britain and France, through their ambassadors, attempt to entice the Confederacy to join the war on their side. President Lincoln plays “hard to get,” not refusing outright, but also not agreeing.
Meanwhile, Britain and France begin putting together an expeditionary force to be landed in Canada for operations against the northern U.S. British and French naval vessels begin seizing American merchant vessels at sea.
February 1862--The Anglo-French continue building their expeditionary force. Volunteers are pouring into Union recruiting camps, and beginning to be trained as soldiers. Skirmishes are fought along the Canadian border between U.S. and Canadian militia units. At one of these, an Ohio Colonel by the name of Ulysses S. Grant commands an outnumbered regiment of Union troops which drives off a larger force of Canadians. This relatively minor affair is picked up by the newspapers and trumpeted across the North as a great victory. With this sudden notoriety, aided by the politicking on his behalf of Congressman Elihu Washburne, Grant soon finds himself wearing Brigadier General’s stars on his shoulders, and assigned to command a division in the Army of the Hudson, which is forming at Plattsburgh, New York under the command of Major General Irvin McDowell.
Also in this month, John Ericsson, a Swedish-American engineer and naval designer, offers a new design for an ironclad warship, called the Monitor, to the U.S. Navy Department. He promises he can build it within 100 days. The design, along with several others, is accepted. Royal Navy squadrons engage the U.S. Navy squadrons outside Charleston, South Carolina and Mobile, Alabama. The outnumbered and outgunned Union warships are either captured, sunk, or forced to flee.
Meanwhile, presidential elections are held in the Confederacy, and Abraham Lincoln is elected as the first President of the Confederate States under the Permanent Constitution (he had previously been selected by a convention, rather than elected, under authority of the Provisional Constitution adopted at Montgomery in February 1861).
Negotiations continue between the Confederacy and both the United States and the Anglo-French Alliance. President Lincoln refuses to commit to either side. Arkansas secedes from the Union, and is admitted to the Confederacy. Confederate Secretary of the Navy Stephen Mallory introduces to President Lincoln a design for a casemate ironclad warship submitted by Lieutenants John Porter and John Brooke, CSN. The design is similar to that of the OTL CSS Albemarle, designed to operate primarily in the shallow waters of Southern rivers and harbors and which can be built in the most primitive shipyards. President Lincoln goes to the Confederate Congress and obtains funding for the construction of several of these, at shipyards in Norfolk, Virginia, Wilmington, North Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, Mobile, Alabama, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Galveston, Texas. Engines and guns for these vessels are to be imported from Britain and France.
Meanwhile, in Washington, President Seward is being presented with another, and quite major, problem. Upon assuming the Presidency, Seward had sent Lammot DuPont, of the famous DuPont gunpowder works in Delaware, to go to Britain and buy up all available saltpeter, which forms approximately 3/4 of the composition of gunpowder. DuPont had successfully purchased over three million pounds of saltpeter, about half of which had been successfully shipped to the United States. But when the San Jacinto Crisis turned into war in December 1861, Britain immediately halted all saltpeter shipments to the United States. Therefore, in this month Lammot DuPont meets with Seward and encourages the establishment of niter beds across the United States, and the mining of saltpeter caves, wherever those can be found. Seward agrees with DuPont, and issues the appropriate orders.
March 1862--President Seward, knowing that the U.S. Navy has no chance in a general engagement with the Royal Navy, orders the U.S. Navy to abandon its stations off southern ports and to disperse, operating as commerce raiders against British and French shipping. Admiral Milne, commanding the British North American and West Indian Squadron, establishes a strict blockade of U.S. ports shortly afterward. Meanwhile, a Royal Navy vessel intercepts the S.S. Athena, a paddle-wheel steamer carrying a load of gold and silver bullion from California to New York, whose Captain was totally unaware of the outbreak of war between the United States and Britain. News of the loss of this shipment of specie throws Union financial markets into chaos, vastly complicating President Seward’s task of arranging financing for the war.
On land, the Anglo-French continue building their expeditionary force and volunteers continue pouring into Union recruiting camps, to be trained as soldiers. A U.S. army of 60,000 men, called the Army of the Hudson, has been assembled at Plattsburg, New York, under the command of Major General Irvin McDowell. Under heavy political pressure, General McDowell advances across the Canadian border on March 19, advancing toward Montreal. The men of the Army of the Hudson are barely trained, and the advance, bedeviled by hit-and-run attacks by mounted units of Canadian militia, proceeds extremely slowly. The invading U.S. army is brought to battle by a British and Canadian force of 40,000 men (the British have been transporting approximately 13,000 men to Canada every six weeks since November 1861, and smaller numbers before that since the beginning of the San Jacinto Crisis) near the village of Saint Jean Sur-Richelieu on March 29, 1862. Despite the U.S. army’s heavy advantage in numbers, the superior training and discipline of the British regulars wins out, and the Army of the Hudson is routed. The British pursue quite effectively, and, despite the bravery displayed by the Union rear guard commanded by Brigadier Generals William T. Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant, barely half of the Union troops make it back across the border into the United States…about a third of those lost are dead or wounded, and the other two thirds end up sitting in British P.O.W. camps. The British army does not enter the United States, as, until the full Anglo-French expeditionary force is in place, the forces in Canada have been ordered to stand on the defensive.
The Confederate Congress, at President Lincoln’s urging, votes to allow the Confederate Army to accept 100,000 volunteers for a three-year term. Most of the 100,000 1-year volunteers re-enlist.
April 1862--News of the shocking defeat of the U.S. Army of the Hudson at the Battle of Saint Jean Sur-Richelieu sweeps across the Union via telegraph wires, and reaches Britain by fast steamer. In Britain, newspaper editorials loudly trumpet the expectation that the Americans will quickly surrender after this demonstration of British superiority. But instead, something quite different is happening in the Union…a hardening of resolve, and a realization that the war won’t be won quickly or easily. President Seward calls for 500,000 volunteers. Major General McDowell is replaced by one of the few officers in his army to acquit himself well during the ill-fated campaign…Major General William T. Sherman.
The British launch a raid against the U.S. naval base at Sacket’s Harbor, New York. They succeed in severely damaging the shipyards and other military facilities there. The British gain total domination of Lake Ontario.
The Anglo-French Expeditionary Force is almost ready to sail. The new iron steam and sail ocean liner, S.S. Great Eastern, is pressed into duty as a troop ship. She is capable of transporting up to ten thousand men in one trip, and of making the trans-Atlantic crossing in a mere ten days. This greatly increases the capacity of the Anglo-French forces to bring troops from Europe to America.
Word of the outbreak of war between the British Empire and the United States has reached India, where an expeditionary force, intended for an invasion of the American West Coast, is soon being formed.
May 1862--The main Anglo-French Expeditionary Force sails. It lands at Quebec, where it has access to one of Canada’s few rail lines to move troops and supplies quickly to and from the front. Overall command of the expeditionary force is given to British Field Marshall Sir Colin Campbell. The main Anglo-French Field army is to consist of two Corps…one British, commanded by Lieutenant General Sir William Fenwick Williams, and a French Corps commanded by Marshal Patrice de MacMahon, Duc de Magenta.
Meanwhile, new U.S. armies are forming up at Buffalo, New York (commanded by Major General Ulysses S. Grant, another of the few bright spots in the performance of the Army of the Hudson in April 1862), and Detroit (commanded by Major General George B. McClellan, whose military reputation as an expert on military tactics and logistics, and political support by Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, has earned him this important command).
June 1862--Captain David Glasgow Farragut, in command of the U.S.S. Hartford, has gained a reputation as a highly successful commerce raider, capturing over 30 ships in the three months since March. However, in June 1862, his luck runs out. The Hartford is cornered, low on coal and ammunition, and sunk off Zanzibar by the British steam frigates, H.M.S. Topaze and H.M.S. Euryalus. Farragut goes down with his ship, colors still flying defiantly as the Hartford slips beneath the waves. Meanwhile, the Monitor is launched at New York.
On land, a second, smaller Anglo-French force is landed at Halifax, Nova Scotia. This force will begin moving toward Frederickton, New Brunswick, which will be it’s base of operations against U.S. forces in Maine.
July 1862--The urgent pleas of the Governor of Maine, who is alarmed by reports of British troops massing on his northern border, has led President Seward to dispatch Major General Robert Patterson to organize defenses there. Another officer sent to that front is Brigadier General John Pope. Pope soon begins politicking to get Patterson removed from command.
The main Anglo-French expeditionary force, under the command of Field Marshall Sir Colin Campbell, has established it’s base of operations at Montreal. Campbell, a cautious soldier, delays taking offensive action while the positions at points facing the growing U.S. armies at Buffalo and Detroit are strengthened. Meanwhile, a British expeditionary force from India lands in the Sandwich Islands. They swiftly establish British control over the islands, and begin stockpiling coal and other military stores on the islands, to be used as a forward base for the invasion of the West Coast of the United States.
U.S.S. Monitor attempts to break the British blockade off New York harbor. She proves impervious to the shot and shell thrown at her by the British vessels…all of which are wooden ships…arrayed against her, and she does inflict some damage on the British ships with her heavy guns. But her handling qualities on the open sea are so poor that she is forced to return to the safety of the harbor without accomplishing her task. Navy officials are disappointed, and realize that the Monitor class will be useless against the British blockade. They will make good harbor defense ships, however, and construction of similar vessels is ordered at Boston, Baltimore, and other ports along the Eastern seaboard.
A meeting is held in London between Lord Palmerston and other members of his cabinet; Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, Prince George, Duke of Cambridge; Lord Seymour, Duke of Somerset and First Lord of the Admiralty; and Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Milne, commanding naval operations against the Americans. The British had expected that, having seen their blockade of the Confederate States brushed aside, a blockade imposed on the ports of the United States itself, U.S. merchant shipping essentially swept from the seas, and most shockingly of all, the complete and utter rout of the American invasion of Canada at the Battle of Saint Jean Sur-Richelieu, the United States would come to it’s senses and ask for terms. Nothing of the sort had happened. Indeed, what British agents in the United States were seeing and reporting back to London was a hardening of resolve, and a determination to carry the war to a successful conclusion, no matter the cost. President Seward was as rabidly anti-British as ever, and there seemed no prospect of a negotiated peace. Therefore, the British leadership were presented with a dilemma…how to actually DEFEAT the United States and force it to the negotiating table.
Vice Admiral Milne described his own war plan thusly…first, to crush any American fleet that opposed him, which had pretty much been accomplished; second, to impose a blockade from Cape Henry, Virginia, to Maine, again, something else that had already been accomplished; and third, to conduct at least a few strong raids against the Northern coastline. In particular he planned to enter the Chesapeake Bay, isolate Washington, and "if possible to get at the capital."
The First Lord of the Admiralty pointed out that the Admiralty had put together a "List of the Chief Ports of the Federal Coast of the United States...with an approximate Estimate of the Number of Vessels required to blockade the several Ports and Rivers." The Admiralty report stated that control of New York harbor would quite likely throw the U.S. economy into chaos and put an end to the war. But the report also threw cold water upon any expectations that even major naval raids could force their way into Northern ports, which were well defended. "From the intricacy of the channels and the strength of the forts," one typical passage read, "it is probable that Boston could not be attacked with any hope of success." The estimate for New York was no better.
Milne himself, despite his hopes for a raid against Washington, also did not favor major operations against strongly-defended ports. He argued, "The object of the war can only be considered to cripple the enemy. That is his trade and of his trade it can only be his shipping. No object would be gained if the Forts alone are to be attacked, as modern views deprecate any damage to a town. If ships are fired upon in a Port the town must suffer; therefore the shipping cannot be fired on. This actually reserves operations to against vessels at sea. If a town is undefended or the defences subdued an embargo might be put on it and a subsidy demanded."
The Duke of Cambridge, presenting the army view, stated that Canada offered a poor base of operations for an invasion of the United States. However, he did favor a major landing at Portland, Maine, which, in combination with an invasion by the Anglo-French forces massing in New Brunswick, could seize the State of Maine. Such an operation would protect Canada by cutting the most likely line of attack via Lake Champlain; cover the province's exposed line of communications along the Saint Lawrence River; contribute a new line of communications, the Great Trunk Railway; and tie down large numbers of American forces that might otherwise enter Canada. The rest of the forces now in Canada, he argued, should be deployed defensively, and react to thrusts made by American forces, rather than attempt offensive operations.
The Duke of Cambridge also stated the army assessment that "The interests of Maine and Canada are identical. A strong party is believed to exist in Maine in favor of annexation to Canada; and no sympathy is there felt for the war which now desolates the U. States. The patriotism of Americans dwells peculiarly in their pockets; & the pockets of the good citizens of Maine would benefit largely by the expenditure and trade we should create in making Portland our base & their territory our line of communications with Canada."
The Duke of Somerset opposed a landing at Portland, and retorted, "Possibly a very strict blockade, without an attack, might induce the people of Maine to consider whether it would not be for their interest to declare themselves independent of the United States, and so profit by all the advantages that would be derived from railway communications with Canada and the Lakes."
Lord Palmerston listened to the bickering between the Army and the Navy with growing despair. It seemed that nobody had a clear idea how this war could be won. And yet, Britain was too deeply committed to simply withdraw. She had to have victory, or risk major damage to her international prestige, which might encourage her rivals…Russia among the foremost…to engage in activities detrimental to British interests.
Lord Russell, the Foreign Secretary, stated the obvious. “We have to bring the Southern States into the war. If the North were forced to fight on two fronts, there might be a chance of success.” The Duke of Cambridge agreed, stating, “A war between the North and South States, so long as it shall continue, will greatly relieve our conflict with the former.” However, he added, “While our proceedings will be in some degree in concert and mutual support with the efforts of the South, especially as far as the fleet may be concerned, if we can avoid as much as possible any combined operations with her land forces on a great scale, we may avoid to some degree the great evils of combined operations by armies of different countries.” Palmerston agreed, and ordered that efforts in that direction be renewed, and sweetened with certain major incentives.
However, that still left the question open of how to end the war successfully if the Confederate States did not join the alliance against the United States. Palmerston approved the raids on Washington and Portland, with priority to be given to the raid on Portland. He ordered Cambridge and Milne to work out the details as quickly as possible. [1]
August 1862--U.S. shipyards established at Chicago turn out the first of several ironclad warships designed by James Eads for operation on the Great Lakes. U.S.S. New Ironsides is commissioned at Philadelphia. It will be several months before she is ready for combat, however.
British diplomats meet with President Lincoln of the Confederate States. The British offer a large package of interest-free loans and grants for the development of railroads, shipyards, and other war industries in the South as an incentive for the Confederacy to join the war against the Union. They also point out the President Seward remains committed to the restoration of the Union. “If we are unable to defeat the North, Seward will come South. On that you may depend,” the British ambassador flatly states. President Lincoln listens. He has grown increasingly concerned that President Seward has not responded to Lincoln’s own offer to join the war against the British if Seward’s government will recognize the independence of the South. However, he does not immediately respond to the proposal. “I will consider your offer,” and ends the meeting.
September 1862--After consulting with Congressional leaders and the members of his own cabinet, President Lincoln signs a Treaty of Alliance with Great Britain. The following day, the Confederate Congress declares war on the United States. Rapid expansion of the Confederate Army is begun immediately. President Seward, hearing of the Confederate declaration of war, issues a call for 500,000 more men to fight the South. The response to this call is overwhelming, and new Union armies are soon forming at various points along the border with the Confederacy.
A British fleet and army expeditionary force capture Portland, Maine. They fortify themselves in the city, and await the British army forming at Frederickton, New Brunswick. That army crosses the border into northern Maine and begins marching on Bangor, which it’s commander, General John Fox Burgoyne, plans to use as a base of operations against Augusta, the State capital, and for the eventual push to link up with the force at Portland. However, the rapid approach of winter, and the resistance of U.S. forces (both regular and militia) slow the advance of the British army, and Bangor is not reached before increasingly bad weather forces the end of combat operations in the region in November, 1862.
October 1862--On October 1, the Union Army of Maine, under the command of Major General Robert Patterson, meets the Anglo-French army under General Burgoyne at Vanceboro, Maine. The Americans have entrenched themselves, and although they are outnumbered and much less disciplined than their British and French foes, inflict heavy casualties before being driven from the field. Burgoyne, appalled by his losses, follows the Yankees cautiously. Patterson then fights a series of delaying actions, ambushing the British column wherever practicable as it passes through the dense forests of northern Maine. His actions considerably slow the British advance.
In the aftermath of the fight at Vanceboro, Brigadier General Pope successfully lobbies the Seward Administration to remove Patterson and place him in command, arguing that if he had been in command, the Union army would have been victorious. Pope is given command of the Army of Maine on October 29, despite the objections of General Winfield Scott, who supported Patterson.
November 1862--The British drive toward Bangor is halted at the little town of Lincoln, Maine, by the onset of early winter snows. Burgoyne orders the army into winter quarters, effectively ending fighting in the theater until the Spring.
December 1862--A Confederate army, under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston, bases itself at Manassas Junction, Virginia, in a position to threaten Washington. This causes a panic in Washington, but the Confederates do not make an immediate advance on the city. A second, under the command of General Albert Sidney Johnston, takes position at Bowling Green, Kentucky, and a third, under General P.G. T. Beauregard, takes position at Paducah, Kentucky, in a position to threaten St. Louis.
[1] The opinions, plans, and assessments expressed at the London conference are based on actual British war plans and assessments prepared during the Trent Affair of 1861 in OTL.
I have made some revisions to Part Four of the timeline, and expanded it to the end of 1862. Here it is...
Part Four: 1862
January 1862--Word of the Anglo-French declaration of war reaches the United States. President Seward asks Congress for a declaration of war on Britain and France. This is granted on January 14, 1862. President Seward calls for 100,000 volunteers to fight the British and French.
President Lincoln of the Confederate States of America declares the neutrality of the Confederate States on January 15, 1862. Both Britain and France, through their ambassadors, attempt to entice the Confederacy to join the war on their side. President Lincoln plays “hard to get,” not refusing outright, but also not agreeing.
Meanwhile, Britain and France begin putting together an expeditionary force to be landed in Canada for operations against the northern U.S. British and French naval vessels begin seizing American merchant vessels at sea.
February 1862--The Anglo-French continue building their expeditionary force. Volunteers are pouring into Union recruiting camps, and beginning to be trained as soldiers. Skirmishes are fought along the Canadian border between U.S. and Canadian militia units. At one of these, an Ohio Colonel by the name of Ulysses S. Grant commands an outnumbered regiment of Union troops which drives off a larger force of Canadians. This relatively minor affair is picked up by the newspapers and trumpeted across the North as a great victory. With this sudden notoriety, aided by the politicking on his behalf of Congressman Elihu Washburne, Grant soon finds himself wearing Brigadier General’s stars on his shoulders, and assigned to command a division in the Army of the Hudson, which is forming at Plattsburgh, New York under the command of Major General Irvin McDowell.
Also in this month, John Ericsson, a Swedish-American engineer and naval designer, offers a new design for an ironclad warship, called the Monitor, to the U.S. Navy Department. He promises he can build it within 100 days. The design, along with several others, is accepted. Royal Navy squadrons engage the U.S. Navy squadrons outside Charleston, South Carolina and Mobile, Alabama. The outnumbered and outgunned Union warships are either captured, sunk, or forced to flee.
Meanwhile, presidential elections are held in the Confederacy, and Abraham Lincoln is elected as the first President of the Confederate States under the Permanent Constitution (he had previously been selected by a convention, rather than elected, under authority of the Provisional Constitution adopted at Montgomery in February 1861).
Negotiations continue between the Confederacy and both the United States and the Anglo-French Alliance. President Lincoln refuses to commit to either side. Arkansas secedes from the Union, and is admitted to the Confederacy. Confederate Secretary of the Navy Stephen Mallory introduces to President Lincoln a design for a casemate ironclad warship submitted by Lieutenants John Porter and John Brooke, CSN. The design is similar to that of the OTL CSS Albemarle, designed to operate primarily in the shallow waters of Southern rivers and harbors and which can be built in the most primitive shipyards. President Lincoln goes to the Confederate Congress and obtains funding for the construction of several of these, at shipyards in Norfolk, Virginia, Wilmington, North Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, Mobile, Alabama, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Galveston, Texas. Engines and guns for these vessels are to be imported from Britain and France.
Meanwhile, in Washington, President Seward is being presented with another, and quite major, problem. Upon assuming the Presidency, Seward had sent Lammot DuPont, of the famous DuPont gunpowder works in Delaware, to go to Britain and buy up all available saltpeter, which forms approximately 3/4 of the composition of gunpowder. DuPont had successfully purchased over three million pounds of saltpeter, about half of which had been successfully shipped to the United States. But when the San Jacinto Crisis turned into war in December 1861, Britain immediately halted all saltpeter shipments to the United States. Therefore, in this month Lammot DuPont meets with Seward and encourages the establishment of niter beds across the United States, and the mining of saltpeter caves, wherever those can be found. Seward agrees with DuPont, and issues the appropriate orders.
March 1862--President Seward, knowing that the U.S. Navy has no chance in a general engagement with the Royal Navy, orders the U.S. Navy to abandon its stations off southern ports and to disperse, operating as commerce raiders against British and French shipping. Admiral Milne, commanding the British North American and West Indian Squadron, establishes a strict blockade of U.S. ports shortly afterward. Meanwhile, a Royal Navy vessel intercepts the S.S. Athena, a paddle-wheel steamer carrying a load of gold and silver bullion from California to New York, whose Captain was totally unaware of the outbreak of war between the United States and Britain. News of the loss of this shipment of specie throws Union financial markets into chaos, vastly complicating President Seward’s task of arranging financing for the war.
On land, the Anglo-French continue building their expeditionary force and volunteers continue pouring into Union recruiting camps, to be trained as soldiers. A U.S. army of 60,000 men, called the Army of the Hudson, has been assembled at Plattsburg, New York, under the command of Major General Irvin McDowell. Under heavy political pressure, General McDowell advances across the Canadian border on March 19, advancing toward Montreal. The men of the Army of the Hudson are barely trained, and the advance, bedeviled by hit-and-run attacks by mounted units of Canadian militia, proceeds extremely slowly. The invading U.S. army is brought to battle by a British and Canadian force of 40,000 men (the British have been transporting approximately 13,000 men to Canada every six weeks since November 1861, and smaller numbers before that since the beginning of the San Jacinto Crisis) near the village of Saint Jean Sur-Richelieu on March 29, 1862. Despite the U.S. army’s heavy advantage in numbers, the superior training and discipline of the British regulars wins out, and the Army of the Hudson is routed. The British pursue quite effectively, and, despite the bravery displayed by the Union rear guard commanded by Brigadier Generals William T. Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant, barely half of the Union troops make it back across the border into the United States…about a third of those lost are dead or wounded, and the other two thirds end up sitting in British P.O.W. camps. The British army does not enter the United States, as, until the full Anglo-French expeditionary force is in place, the forces in Canada have been ordered to stand on the defensive.
The Confederate Congress, at President Lincoln’s urging, votes to allow the Confederate Army to accept 100,000 volunteers for a three-year term. Most of the 100,000 1-year volunteers re-enlist.
April 1862--News of the shocking defeat of the U.S. Army of the Hudson at the Battle of Saint Jean Sur-Richelieu sweeps across the Union via telegraph wires, and reaches Britain by fast steamer. In Britain, newspaper editorials loudly trumpet the expectation that the Americans will quickly surrender after this demonstration of British superiority. But instead, something quite different is happening in the Union…a hardening of resolve, and a realization that the war won’t be won quickly or easily. President Seward calls for 500,000 volunteers. Major General McDowell is replaced by one of the few officers in his army to acquit himself well during the ill-fated campaign…Major General William T. Sherman.
The British launch a raid against the U.S. naval base at Sacket’s Harbor, New York. They succeed in severely damaging the shipyards and other military facilities there. The British gain total domination of Lake Ontario.
The Anglo-French Expeditionary Force is almost ready to sail. The new iron steam and sail ocean liner, S.S. Great Eastern, is pressed into duty as a troop ship. She is capable of transporting up to ten thousand men in one trip, and of making the trans-Atlantic crossing in a mere ten days. This greatly increases the capacity of the Anglo-French forces to bring troops from Europe to America.
Word of the outbreak of war between the British Empire and the United States has reached India, where an expeditionary force, intended for an invasion of the American West Coast, is soon being formed.
May 1862--The main Anglo-French Expeditionary Force sails. It lands at Quebec, where it has access to one of Canada’s few rail lines to move troops and supplies quickly to and from the front. Overall command of the expeditionary force is given to British Field Marshall Sir Colin Campbell. The main Anglo-French Field army is to consist of two Corps…one British, commanded by Lieutenant General Sir William Fenwick Williams, and a French Corps commanded by Marshal Patrice de MacMahon, Duc de Magenta.
Meanwhile, new U.S. armies are forming up at Buffalo, New York (commanded by Major General Ulysses S. Grant, another of the few bright spots in the performance of the Army of the Hudson in April 1862), and Detroit (commanded by Major General George B. McClellan, whose military reputation as an expert on military tactics and logistics, and political support by Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, has earned him this important command).
June 1862--Captain David Glasgow Farragut, in command of the U.S.S. Hartford, has gained a reputation as a highly successful commerce raider, capturing over 30 ships in the three months since March. However, in June 1862, his luck runs out. The Hartford is cornered, low on coal and ammunition, and sunk off Zanzibar by the British steam frigates, H.M.S. Topaze and H.M.S. Euryalus. Farragut goes down with his ship, colors still flying defiantly as the Hartford slips beneath the waves. Meanwhile, the Monitor is launched at New York.
On land, a second, smaller Anglo-French force is landed at Halifax, Nova Scotia. This force will begin moving toward Frederickton, New Brunswick, which will be it’s base of operations against U.S. forces in Maine.
July 1862--The urgent pleas of the Governor of Maine, who is alarmed by reports of British troops massing on his northern border, has led President Seward to dispatch Major General Robert Patterson to organize defenses there. Another officer sent to that front is Brigadier General John Pope. Pope soon begins politicking to get Patterson removed from command.
The main Anglo-French expeditionary force, under the command of Field Marshall Sir Colin Campbell, has established it’s base of operations at Montreal. Campbell, a cautious soldier, delays taking offensive action while the positions at points facing the growing U.S. armies at Buffalo and Detroit are strengthened. Meanwhile, a British expeditionary force from India lands in the Sandwich Islands. They swiftly establish British control over the islands, and begin stockpiling coal and other military stores on the islands, to be used as a forward base for the invasion of the West Coast of the United States.
U.S.S. Monitor attempts to break the British blockade off New York harbor. She proves impervious to the shot and shell thrown at her by the British vessels…all of which are wooden ships…arrayed against her, and she does inflict some damage on the British ships with her heavy guns. But her handling qualities on the open sea are so poor that she is forced to return to the safety of the harbor without accomplishing her task. Navy officials are disappointed, and realize that the Monitor class will be useless against the British blockade. They will make good harbor defense ships, however, and construction of similar vessels is ordered at Boston, Baltimore, and other ports along the Eastern seaboard.
A meeting is held in London between Lord Palmerston and other members of his cabinet; Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, Prince George, Duke of Cambridge; Lord Seymour, Duke of Somerset and First Lord of the Admiralty; and Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Milne, commanding naval operations against the Americans. The British had expected that, having seen their blockade of the Confederate States brushed aside, a blockade imposed on the ports of the United States itself, U.S. merchant shipping essentially swept from the seas, and most shockingly of all, the complete and utter rout of the American invasion of Canada at the Battle of Saint Jean Sur-Richelieu, the United States would come to it’s senses and ask for terms. Nothing of the sort had happened. Indeed, what British agents in the United States were seeing and reporting back to London was a hardening of resolve, and a determination to carry the war to a successful conclusion, no matter the cost. President Seward was as rabidly anti-British as ever, and there seemed no prospect of a negotiated peace. Therefore, the British leadership were presented with a dilemma…how to actually DEFEAT the United States and force it to the negotiating table.
Vice Admiral Milne described his own war plan thusly…first, to crush any American fleet that opposed him, which had pretty much been accomplished; second, to impose a blockade from Cape Henry, Virginia, to Maine, again, something else that had already been accomplished; and third, to conduct at least a few strong raids against the Northern coastline. In particular he planned to enter the Chesapeake Bay, isolate Washington, and "if possible to get at the capital."
The First Lord of the Admiralty pointed out that the Admiralty had put together a "List of the Chief Ports of the Federal Coast of the United States...with an approximate Estimate of the Number of Vessels required to blockade the several Ports and Rivers." The Admiralty report stated that control of New York harbor would quite likely throw the U.S. economy into chaos and put an end to the war. But the report also threw cold water upon any expectations that even major naval raids could force their way into Northern ports, which were well defended. "From the intricacy of the channels and the strength of the forts," one typical passage read, "it is probable that Boston could not be attacked with any hope of success." The estimate for New York was no better.
Milne himself, despite his hopes for a raid against Washington, also did not favor major operations against strongly-defended ports. He argued, "The object of the war can only be considered to cripple the enemy. That is his trade and of his trade it can only be his shipping. No object would be gained if the Forts alone are to be attacked, as modern views deprecate any damage to a town. If ships are fired upon in a Port the town must suffer; therefore the shipping cannot be fired on. This actually reserves operations to against vessels at sea. If a town is undefended or the defences subdued an embargo might be put on it and a subsidy demanded."
The Duke of Cambridge, presenting the army view, stated that Canada offered a poor base of operations for an invasion of the United States. However, he did favor a major landing at Portland, Maine, which, in combination with an invasion by the Anglo-French forces massing in New Brunswick, could seize the State of Maine. Such an operation would protect Canada by cutting the most likely line of attack via Lake Champlain; cover the province's exposed line of communications along the Saint Lawrence River; contribute a new line of communications, the Great Trunk Railway; and tie down large numbers of American forces that might otherwise enter Canada. The rest of the forces now in Canada, he argued, should be deployed defensively, and react to thrusts made by American forces, rather than attempt offensive operations.
The Duke of Cambridge also stated the army assessment that "The interests of Maine and Canada are identical. A strong party is believed to exist in Maine in favor of annexation to Canada; and no sympathy is there felt for the war which now desolates the U. States. The patriotism of Americans dwells peculiarly in their pockets; & the pockets of the good citizens of Maine would benefit largely by the expenditure and trade we should create in making Portland our base & their territory our line of communications with Canada."
The Duke of Somerset opposed a landing at Portland, and retorted, "Possibly a very strict blockade, without an attack, might induce the people of Maine to consider whether it would not be for their interest to declare themselves independent of the United States, and so profit by all the advantages that would be derived from railway communications with Canada and the Lakes."
Lord Palmerston listened to the bickering between the Army and the Navy with growing despair. It seemed that nobody had a clear idea how this war could be won. And yet, Britain was too deeply committed to simply withdraw. She had to have victory, or risk major damage to her international prestige, which might encourage her rivals…Russia among the foremost…to engage in activities detrimental to British interests.
Lord Russell, the Foreign Secretary, stated the obvious. “We have to bring the Southern States into the war. If the North were forced to fight on two fronts, there might be a chance of success.” The Duke of Cambridge agreed, stating, “A war between the North and South States, so long as it shall continue, will greatly relieve our conflict with the former.” However, he added, “While our proceedings will be in some degree in concert and mutual support with the efforts of the South, especially as far as the fleet may be concerned, if we can avoid as much as possible any combined operations with her land forces on a great scale, we may avoid to some degree the great evils of combined operations by armies of different countries.” Palmerston agreed, and ordered that efforts in that direction be renewed, and sweetened with certain major incentives.
However, that still left the question open of how to end the war successfully if the Confederate States did not join the alliance against the United States. Palmerston approved the raids on Washington and Portland, with priority to be given to the raid on Portland. He ordered Cambridge and Milne to work out the details as quickly as possible. [1]
August 1862--U.S. shipyards established at Chicago turn out the first of several ironclad warships designed by James Eads for operation on the Great Lakes. U.S.S. New Ironsides is commissioned at Philadelphia. It will be several months before she is ready for combat, however.
British diplomats meet with President Lincoln of the Confederate States. The British offer a large package of interest-free loans and grants for the development of railroads, shipyards, and other war industries in the South as an incentive for the Confederacy to join the war against the Union. They also point out the President Seward remains committed to the restoration of the Union. “If we are unable to defeat the North, Seward will come South. On that you may depend,” the British ambassador flatly states. President Lincoln listens. He has grown increasingly concerned that President Seward has not responded to Lincoln’s own offer to join the war against the British if Seward’s government will recognize the independence of the South. However, he does not immediately respond to the proposal. “I will consider your offer,” and ends the meeting.
September 1862--After consulting with Congressional leaders and the members of his own cabinet, President Lincoln signs a Treaty of Alliance with Great Britain. The following day, the Confederate Congress declares war on the United States. Rapid expansion of the Confederate Army is begun immediately. President Seward, hearing of the Confederate declaration of war, issues a call for 500,000 more men to fight the South. The response to this call is overwhelming, and new Union armies are soon forming at various points along the border with the Confederacy.
A British fleet and army expeditionary force capture Portland, Maine. They fortify themselves in the city, and await the British army forming at Frederickton, New Brunswick. That army crosses the border into northern Maine and begins marching on Bangor, which it’s commander, General John Fox Burgoyne, plans to use as a base of operations against Augusta, the State capital, and for the eventual push to link up with the force at Portland. However, the rapid approach of winter, and the resistance of U.S. forces (both regular and militia) slow the advance of the British army, and Bangor is not reached before increasingly bad weather forces the end of combat operations in the region in November, 1862.
October 1862--On October 1, the Union Army of Maine, under the command of Major General Robert Patterson, meets the Anglo-French army under General Burgoyne at Vanceboro, Maine. The Americans have entrenched themselves, and although they are outnumbered and much less disciplined than their British and French foes, inflict heavy casualties before being driven from the field. Burgoyne, appalled by his losses, follows the Yankees cautiously. Patterson then fights a series of delaying actions, ambushing the British column wherever practicable as it passes through the dense forests of northern Maine. His actions considerably slow the British advance.
In the aftermath of the fight at Vanceboro, Brigadier General Pope successfully lobbies the Seward Administration to remove Patterson and place him in command, arguing that if he had been in command, the Union army would have been victorious. Pope is given command of the Army of Maine on October 29, despite the objections of General Winfield Scott, who supported Patterson.
November 1862--The British drive toward Bangor is halted at the little town of Lincoln, Maine, by the onset of early winter snows. Burgoyne orders the army into winter quarters, effectively ending fighting in the theater until the Spring.
December 1862--A Confederate army, under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston, bases itself at Manassas Junction, Virginia, in a position to threaten Washington. This causes a panic in Washington, but the Confederates do not make an immediate advance on the city. A second, under the command of General Albert Sidney Johnston, takes position at Bowling Green, Kentucky, and a third, under General P.G. T. Beauregard, takes position at Paducah, Kentucky, in a position to threaten St. Louis.
[1] The opinions, plans, and assessments expressed at the London conference are based on actual British war plans and assessments prepared during the Trent Affair of 1861 in OTL.
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Great Update. I was hoping this wasn't dead . So Lincoln enters the War with the US on financial pretenses correct? How well known is that among the CSA? Do they even care?
. So Lincoln enters the War with the US on financial pretenses correct? How well known is that among the CSA? Do they even care?Great Update. I was hoping this wasn't dead
Nope, it's not dead. T'was merely resting.
The time between updates may be a bit long, because I am working on several other projects as well. But rest assured, the timeline will continue to be updated. Well, he had been considering entering the war anyway, because Seward still refuses to recognize the Confederacy. So when the British offer the financial package, he takes it and jumps in. He will no doubt spin it as "the United States continues to insult us by not recognizing our independence," as the primary reason for entry into the conflict.
ah, I was wondering if this was still around.
Nontheless, can the United states manage this war?
Nontheless, can the United states manage this war?
It's not looking good. But some of the Union's best commanders have come to the fore a bit earlier than usual. We'll have to see.
I'd just like to throw my two cents in here about the earlier discussion about how ASB it was for anti-slavery Lincoln to be a pro-slavery MS senator.
It isn't, given an 1816 POD, but I'll regretfully add that with a POD occurring when Lincoln is only seven years old, this Abraham Lincoln might as well be John Q. Southron from South Alassippi: he has probably zero similarity in thought or action or OTL's Abe Lincoln, and is just an amusing name slapped onto a completely unrecognizable character.
That said, the time line remains interesting.
It isn't, given an 1816 POD, but I'll regretfully add that with a POD occurring when Lincoln is only seven years old, this Abraham Lincoln might as well be John Q. Southron from South Alassippi: he has probably zero similarity in thought or action or OTL's Abe Lincoln, and is just an amusing name slapped onto a completely unrecognizable character.
That said, the time line remains interesting.