Very pleased you were able to do this update despite the circumstances, condolences xThe Americans
Western Theater
Fort McCoy, Ohio March 1,1844
William W. Watts or as his friends called him Dubya was on the older side for an active general at 57 years old. He had fought in the War of 1805 as a Second Lieutenant fresh out of the Gettysburg Military Academy, and had served in active duty until 1832 rising to the rank of Brigadier General and commander of the 2nd brigade of the 7th Legion. Before he retired to the Frontier state of Ohio where his brother Alfred T. Watts was the governor. His retirement didn’t last long as his brother offered him the Rank of Major General and command of the State Guard and the Militia in 1840 when the world started going mad. He had spent the last four years training the Ohio state guard up to the standards of the Federal Army. Dubya like everyone else in the Federal Republic of America was caught off guard by the Invasion in the Winter of 1844 however he acted quickly calling off Ohio Guard members and all Militiamen to the Colors just a day after the attacks started.
Major General William Wyatte Watts watched his men drill on the state fairgrounds outside of the state capital city Fort McCoy. The Army of Ohio had mustered at two locations, the state capital here at Fort McCoy and in the south at the city of Charlotte. Of the two the one here at Fort McCoy was the larger with 20,000 Infantry and 5,000 Dragoons of the State Guard with an additional 20,000 Militia Infantry and 2,500 Mounted Militiamen giving him a total 47,500. These units were split into two corps with each having one division of State Guards, and one division of Militia Infantry one would have the State Guard Dragoon Brigade while the other would have the Mounted Militia Brigade. Major General Keith Poindexter of the First Ohio Guards Division would assume Command of the 1st Corps of the Army of Ohio and Brigadier General Ambrose Hill would take his place commanding the 1st Ohio Guards Division, as a Brevet Major General. Major General Thomas Hunt of the 2nd Ohio Guards Division would assume Command of the 2nd Corps of the Army of Ohio while Brigadier General Atlebert Garns would assume command of the 2nd Ohio Guards Division as a Brevet Major General.
To the South in the City of Charlotte, The 3rd Corps of the Army of Ohio was gathering. Major General Alexander Davis, commander of the Dragoon Division of the Ohio State Guards would be commanding this corps. It was centered around the 2nd Ohio Dragoons Brigade 20,000 Ohio Militia men from the far south of the state along its namesake River. Davis had managed to ensure that all 25,000 men in his corps were mounted and he had only two batteries of light horse guns to accompany them.
For Dubya the campaign to retake the great state of Ohio would begin on April 2,1844. When General Davis would advance up the Wabash River and strike at the Indian positions at Council Creek. Meanwhile he would lead the main force to retake Battleboro. Once the Indians and their British allies had been driven out of the heartland of the state of Dubya would detach a Corps to hold Battleboro before marching on New Istanbul with his other two Corps. If the dice rolled right then the war would be able to move on to British soil by the start of the fall campaign.
To the East General Sherman was organizing his troops in Franklin. His 3rd Army was now fully assembled in all seven divisions, 70,000 total. His losses had also been replaced. He also had the Army of Erie assembling 20 miles away at the town of Burr, Erie. The Army of Erie was Commanded by 37 year old Major General Arron Fitzpatrick Royce commander of the Erie State Guard. The Erie State Guard was 45,000 men strong in peace time with two divisions of Infantry and two and a half divisions of Dragoons now that war was on and the state invaded militia had been called to the colors as well inflating the Army of Erie up to 70,000 men. The AoE was now split into two Corps of one state guard dragoon division, one state guard infantry division and a division of Militia infantry. There was also the Recon Division consisting of the 5th Erie Dragoon Guards Brigade and a brigade of Mounted Militia. General Sherman's plan for the spring was simple. One Corps and the Recon division of the Army of Erie would head to New Dublin whe the other corps would join up with the Third Army for a strike on Toledo. Sherman planned to be fighting around Detroit by July.
Along the Mississippi River in the State of Mississippi at Federal Port General Washington Wilson of the 4th Army and Major General Timothy Parker commander of the Mississippi State Guard were meeting. Per the established war plan the Mississippi State Guard was mustering at Fort Wayne so that it could link with the Commonwealth Army of Kentucky besieging Fort George III. As troops were called up over the course of the winter of 1844 General Wilson decided to allow the established war plan to be enacted. General Parker and the Mississippi State Guard would muster at Fort Wayne. The Militia units that mustered would be attached to the 4th Army. These three divisions would form the 3rd Corps of the 4th Army under Major General Curtis Lemar.
General Wilson’s plan was to detach the 3rd Corps at Federal Port with orders to cross the Mississippi and advance on St. Louis from the North. While he and the rest of the 4th Army would advance north toward New Istanbul with the objective of removing the British presence from the northern part of the Federal Railway system. Once that is done then he will march on Fort Michigan.
Lastly in Western Virginia the Commonwealth of American States had the CAS Army of Kentucky under the command of Major General George K. Breckinridge. This force consisted of two divisions of Virginia Infantry Divisions and a North Carolinian Infantry Division as well as a Division of Virginia Cavalry. All totaled 30,000 Infantry, 10,000 Cavalry and 42 Field guns and 12 Horse Guns. In the event of War with the British General Breckinridge was to have his men cross the Ohio and cut off land access to Fort George III while Local Militia and the Garrison of Fort George Washington as well as the heavy guns emplaced across the Ohio from the British Fort and the CASN Upper River Flotilla sealed the river access to the fort. In theory the part of the Mississippi State Guard or the Federal 4th army were to join Reinforcing the CAS Army of Kentucky however with the FRA being occupied Breckinridge assumed that he would be on his own.
God Save These American States
Very pleased you were able to do this update despite the circumstances, condolences x
Military Rank Insignia of the Federal Republic's of America
The Bloody Decade: Anglo-American War of 1844: Spring of 44 part II
Eastern Theater.
In the east the Federal Republic of America had the first and second armies both stationed at opposite ends of New York State. The First Army is based in New York City However only one of its two corps was actually based in Fort Hamilton just north of New York City its second corps was based at Fort Knox just south of Watertown, New York. (1). Commanded by General Alexander Hamilton Jr. the First Army was tasked with supporting the Republic of Vermont and defending the Northern Frontier of New York State during any conflict that may arise. With the war starting with a British Invasion of the western states of the Republic, Army General McCoy decided to have the First Army concentrate in Northern New York State to preempt any British General foolish enough to attempt General John Burgoyne’s Campaign that lead to the Battle of Saratoga in the American Revolutionary War. In its place the Vermont Expeditionary Army would be formed out of New York Militia Units and the New Jersey State Guards, and be sent to bolster the Army of Vermont. Meanwhile in Buffalo General Henry J. Knox and the Second Army were preparing for a full out offensive. Knox was a student of the War of 1805 and was convinced that he would not allow a second attempt by the british to cut off the top of New York State. To do this he would invade the Commonwealth of Canada with the objective of taking its Capital city of York and possibly marching on the City of Detroit and its surrounding fortresses from the rear.
The Eastern Armies were supported by a mixture of the New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware state guards. However unlike their western counterparts these Eastern State Guards would not form their own armies but instead be shuffled together into combined formations. The first of which was the already mentioned VEA commanded by Brevet Lieutenant General Ronald Staunton. There was also the Lake Army formed from a mixture of New York and Pennsylvania state guards and militia units and commanded by Brevet Lieutenant General Quinton Daniels. The Lake Army was tasked with protecting Pennsylvania’s western border and supporting the Second Army. The Atlantic Defence Army was tasked with the defense of the Atlantic Coast, this army was made up by Delaware State Guard troops as well as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York Militia units. This Army was commanded by the Commander of the Delaware State Guard Lieutenant General Christian McKelly.
The British
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley the Earl of Ontario was the commander of the Army of British North America. This army consisted of troops from all eight commonwealths as well as the Crown Colonies of Prince Rupertsland and British Missouri. The Force of the Crown Republic of New England was independently Commanded. The Army of British North America was broken into Five Armies the Southern Army Commanded by General Henry Percival fighting in the midwest, The Army of Niagara commanded by General Rudloph Hinzelman was stationed around the Niagara River, The Eastern Army covered the area from Lake Ontario to the Crown Republic of New England and was Commanded by General Albert Hawkins. The Army of Michigan Commanded by General George Lincol and the Army of Missouri Commanded by Major General Thomas Richfield. Of these armies the two most complicated were the Southern Army and the Eastern Army. The Southern Army drew men from the Commonwealth’s of Huron and Canada. However a large part of it would take the form of the First People’s Army. While the Eastern Army drew some men from the eastern part of the Commonwealth of Canada the bulk of its men came from the Crown Colony of Quebec which was french speaking and on the whole the most unrestful of the Commonwealths of British North America.
On the Niagara Peninsula the Earl of Ontario had assembled the Army of Niagara; at 90,000 men strong the Army of Niagara was smaller than the Southern Army. Wellesley was tempted to try and repeat his campaign of 1805 however with so many men deployed in the Southern front he decided to play defensive here until more troops arrived from Britain. He had his army deployed along a 14 mile front from St. Catherines in the north, the Welland in the south with Lake Ontario and the Welland River anchoring his flanks. Further south there was a Garrison of 5,000 Royal Marines, 5,000 cavalry and three batteries of field guns at Port Colborne. He would wait for the Americans to come at him this time and he hoped to defeat them in detail.
1st Corps commanded by Lieutenant General Richard Noland consisting of 2 Divisions of Canadian Infantry, 1 brigades of Canadian Cavalry, six batteries of field guns and 1 battery of Horse artillery. 40,000 Infantry and 5,000 Cavalry
2nd Corps Commanded by Lieutenant General Brandon Jones 2 Divisions of Canadian Infantry, 1 brigade of Canadian Cavalry six batteries of field guns 1 battery of Horse artillery. 40,000 Infantry, 5,000 Cavalry.
The Eastern Army commanded by General Albert Hawkins. The Eastern Army had the most ground to cover it on paper; had 3 corps consisting of 135,000 men because it had such a wide area to defend. However 2 of those 3 corps were from the Crown Colony of Quebec and these troops were nowhere to be seen at their deployment locations. When British had reorganized British North America Quebec had not been given the degree of self rule that the other parts had and Lower Canada had become the Crown Colony of Quebec not the Commonwealth. This had upset the french speaking part of British North America; so when War broke out the Quebecos had chosen to keep their men at home and forty Quebec City and Montreal sending messages to every one that they would not raise rebellion but they would not fight unless they gained Commonwealth status. This meant that the Eastern army had 45,000 men to cover a frontier of 229 miles. Faced with an impossible task Hawkins chose to keep his one corps in the Kingston area, figuring that if the Frenchies wanted to stay at home they could take care of themselves if the Yanks came to visit.
The Southern Front as the fighting in the Midwest is called by Commanders of the Royal Army in North America, has received a Corps of Huronian troops (European settlers of the Commonwealth of Huron) reinforcing the First Peoples Army troops already occupying the Federal Republic of America. The main strong points were New Istanbul, Battleboro and Toledo. General Percival has Fort McCoy as the target for his upcoming campaign. He would take the city by having the 2nd and 3rd FPA Corps advance on the city from the east and north. Meanwhile the 1st FPA Corps would conduct a ride south along the Erie and Pennsylvania border causing as much destruction as possible and gathering intelligence on the Federal troop locations. Soaring Hawk would ride south of Franklin before heading northwest toward Toledo, and a link up with the 1st Corps.
1st Corps Commanded by Lieutenant General Christopher Long consisted of 2 Huronian Division of Infantry, 2 Huronian Cavalry Brigades, 4 batteries of Huronian field guns and 1 battery of FPA Light artillery and 1 battery of British horse artillery; all totaled 40,000 Infantry, 10,000 Cavalry.
1st FPA Corps commanded by Major General Soaring Hawk consisting of 30,000 Dragoons and 3 batteries of horse artillery, at New Dublin.
2nd FPA Corps commanded by Major General Crying Wolf 30,000 Dragoons with 4 batteries of Horse artillery this corps is split with 15,000 Dragoons and 2 batteries of Horse Artillery at Council Creek, and 15,000 Dragoons and 2 batteries of Horse Artillery at New Istanbul.
3rd FPA Corps commanded by Major General Thomas Hungry Bear 30,000 Infantry, 10,000 Dragoons, and 3 batteries of horse artillery at Battleboro.
In the east the Federal Republic of America had the first and second armies both stationed at opposite ends of New York State. The First Army is based in New York City However only one of its two corps was actually based in Fort Hamilton just north of New York City its second corps was based at Fort Knox just south of Watertown, New York. (1). Commanded by General Alexander Hamilton Jr. the First Army was tasked with supporting the Republic of Vermont and defending the Northern Frontier of New York State during any conflict that may arise. With the war starting with a British Invasion of the western states of the Republic, Army General McCoy decided to have the First Army concentrate in Northern New York State to preempt any British General foolish enough to attempt General John Burgoyne’s Campaign that lead to the Battle of Saratoga in the American Revolutionary War. In its place the Vermont Expeditionary Army would be formed out of New York Militia Units and the New Jersey State Guards, and be sent to bolster the Army of Vermont. Meanwhile in Buffalo General Henry J. Knox and the Second Army were preparing for a full out offensive. Knox was a student of the War of 1805 and was convinced that he would not allow a second attempt by the british to cut off the top of New York State. To do this he would invade the Commonwealth of Canada with the objective of taking its Capital city of York and possibly marching on the City of Detroit and its surrounding fortresses from the rear.
The Eastern Armies were supported by a mixture of the New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware state guards. However unlike their western counterparts these Eastern State Guards would not form their own armies but instead be shuffled together into combined formations. The first of which was the already mentioned VEA commanded by Brevet Lieutenant General Ronald Staunton. There was also the Lake Army formed from a mixture of New York and Pennsylvania state guards and militia units and commanded by Brevet Lieutenant General Quinton Daniels. The Lake Army was tasked with protecting Pennsylvania’s western border and supporting the Second Army. The Atlantic Defence Army was tasked with the defense of the Atlantic Coast, this army was made up by Delaware State Guard troops as well as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York Militia units. This Army was commanded by the Commander of the Delaware State Guard Lieutenant General Christian McKelly.
- Where the OTL Watertown Correctional is.
- Militia units are akin to American Civil War Volunteer units.
The British
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley the Earl of Ontario was the commander of the Army of British North America. This army consisted of troops from all eight commonwealths as well as the Crown Colonies of Prince Rupertsland and British Missouri. The Force of the Crown Republic of New England was independently Commanded. The Army of British North America was broken into Five Armies the Southern Army Commanded by General Henry Percival fighting in the midwest, The Army of Niagara commanded by General Rudloph Hinzelman was stationed around the Niagara River, The Eastern Army covered the area from Lake Ontario to the Crown Republic of New England and was Commanded by General Albert Hawkins. The Army of Michigan Commanded by General George Lincol and the Army of Missouri Commanded by Major General Thomas Richfield. Of these armies the two most complicated were the Southern Army and the Eastern Army. The Southern Army drew men from the Commonwealth’s of Huron and Canada. However a large part of it would take the form of the First People’s Army. While the Eastern Army drew some men from the eastern part of the Commonwealth of Canada the bulk of its men came from the Crown Colony of Quebec which was french speaking and on the whole the most unrestful of the Commonwealths of British North America.
On the Niagara Peninsula the Earl of Ontario had assembled the Army of Niagara; at 90,000 men strong the Army of Niagara was smaller than the Southern Army. Wellesley was tempted to try and repeat his campaign of 1805 however with so many men deployed in the Southern front he decided to play defensive here until more troops arrived from Britain. He had his army deployed along a 14 mile front from St. Catherines in the north, the Welland in the south with Lake Ontario and the Welland River anchoring his flanks. Further south there was a Garrison of 5,000 Royal Marines, 5,000 cavalry and three batteries of field guns at Port Colborne. He would wait for the Americans to come at him this time and he hoped to defeat them in detail.
1st Corps commanded by Lieutenant General Richard Noland consisting of 2 Divisions of Canadian Infantry, 1 brigades of Canadian Cavalry, six batteries of field guns and 1 battery of Horse artillery. 40,000 Infantry and 5,000 Cavalry
2nd Corps Commanded by Lieutenant General Brandon Jones 2 Divisions of Canadian Infantry, 1 brigade of Canadian Cavalry six batteries of field guns 1 battery of Horse artillery. 40,000 Infantry, 5,000 Cavalry.
The Eastern Army commanded by General Albert Hawkins. The Eastern Army had the most ground to cover it on paper; had 3 corps consisting of 135,000 men because it had such a wide area to defend. However 2 of those 3 corps were from the Crown Colony of Quebec and these troops were nowhere to be seen at their deployment locations. When British had reorganized British North America Quebec had not been given the degree of self rule that the other parts had and Lower Canada had become the Crown Colony of Quebec not the Commonwealth. This had upset the french speaking part of British North America; so when War broke out the Quebecos had chosen to keep their men at home and forty Quebec City and Montreal sending messages to every one that they would not raise rebellion but they would not fight unless they gained Commonwealth status. This meant that the Eastern army had 45,000 men to cover a frontier of 229 miles. Faced with an impossible task Hawkins chose to keep his one corps in the Kingston area, figuring that if the Frenchies wanted to stay at home they could take care of themselves if the Yanks came to visit.
The Southern Front as the fighting in the Midwest is called by Commanders of the Royal Army in North America, has received a Corps of Huronian troops (European settlers of the Commonwealth of Huron) reinforcing the First Peoples Army troops already occupying the Federal Republic of America. The main strong points were New Istanbul, Battleboro and Toledo. General Percival has Fort McCoy as the target for his upcoming campaign. He would take the city by having the 2nd and 3rd FPA Corps advance on the city from the east and north. Meanwhile the 1st FPA Corps would conduct a ride south along the Erie and Pennsylvania border causing as much destruction as possible and gathering intelligence on the Federal troop locations. Soaring Hawk would ride south of Franklin before heading northwest toward Toledo, and a link up with the 1st Corps.
1st Corps Commanded by Lieutenant General Christopher Long consisted of 2 Huronian Division of Infantry, 2 Huronian Cavalry Brigades, 4 batteries of Huronian field guns and 1 battery of FPA Light artillery and 1 battery of British horse artillery; all totaled 40,000 Infantry, 10,000 Cavalry.
1st FPA Corps commanded by Major General Soaring Hawk consisting of 30,000 Dragoons and 3 batteries of horse artillery, at New Dublin.
2nd FPA Corps commanded by Major General Crying Wolf 30,000 Dragoons with 4 batteries of Horse artillery this corps is split with 15,000 Dragoons and 2 batteries of Horse Artillery at Council Creek, and 15,000 Dragoons and 2 batteries of Horse Artillery at New Istanbul.
3rd FPA Corps commanded by Major General Thomas Hungry Bear 30,000 Infantry, 10,000 Dragoons, and 3 batteries of horse artillery at Battleboro.
The Bloody Decade: Anglo-American War of 1844: Spring of 44 part III
Hell on the Wabash Part 1
Hell on the Wabash marching song of the Army of Ohio.
The First battle of the Spring would take place on March 20,1844 just south of the town of Harrodsburg (1) on the Mississinewa River. The Army of Ohio had 42,000 men having left a Brigade of Militia and a Regiment of the State Guard Cavalry behind to garrison Fort McCoy. This put both sides equal as they had detached a brigade to defend Battleboro and only had 35,000 men with him. The Scouts on both sides encountered each other on the evening of March 19th as Thomas Hungry Bear’s 3rd FPA Corps were preparing to cross the river. Meanwhile General Watts deployed his corps in front of the village of Karas (2). Watts had two of his four infantry divisions with him, one division was to the west at Osman’s Crossroad and one east where the Wheeling Pike crossed Barren Creek. His Cavalry was fanned out between his men and the approaching British troops.
The Battle of Karas would begin at 1030h on March 20, 1844 Thomas Hungry Bear advanced his army down the main road toward Fort McCoy right at the Army of Ohio’s main body. He had detached one Division of Dragoons on the western road, but had left his eastern flank in the air. Thomas Hungry Bear proved to be an unimaginative general and committed his three divisions in a general attack on the Federal positions. The weight of 30,000 men crashing on 20,000 men led to the federal line bending however the Federals had the advantage in artillery and had breech loading rifles; this combination led to the Indian line being forced back by 1300h, with heavy losses. To the west the 5,000 men of the Indian Dragoon Division were easily fended off by the 20,000 federal troops at Osman’s Crossing. By 1400h Hungry Bear had learned that he was on the verge of being flanked and ordered two divisions to retreat Harrodsburg while he led the rear guard with his last divisions. This was the smartest move he made during the battle as Watts sent orders for his two flanking Divisions to begin advancing on Harrodsburg in an attempt to cut off the British retreat. However, they were just too slow and the British Indians had managed to get a defensive position set up before the Federal troops arrived. These two divisions were able to hold off the Federal troops until the last division arrived two hours after sunset. During the night Hungry Bear has his men withdraw across the river.
On March 21 General Watts would bring up the rest of his men and the battle of Harrodsburg would begin at 1300h as the Federals started to force a crossing of the river. Thankfully for his men Hungry Bear proved a much better defensive commander than an offensive commander. He was able to use his reserves to drag the battle out until darkness fell. Keeping the Federals form establishing a bridge head. For the time being.
The Battle of Fort McCoy March 21,1844
The Battle of Fort McCoy was a one sided affair Major General Crying Wolf led the 1st Division of the 3rd FPA Corps on an attack on Fort McCoy the capital of the state of Ohio. Because General Watts was away fighting the 3rd FPA Corps at Karas, Oh all he faced was a brigade of infantry and a 2 regiments of mounted Militia all totaled 7,500 men. The Federal Force was lead by 34 year old Brigadier General Vance Zuckerman of the 44th Ohio Infantry Brigade.
Unlike Thomas Hungry Bear, Joseph Crying Wolf was a skilled offensive commander and realized that his Dragoons could easily out-mavour the Federal Infantry, deafening the city so he split his command into three columns. The two flanking columns of 6,000 men each and a center column of 3000 men. He placed his two brothers Daniel Bleeding Wolf in comand of the northern column and his younger brother Author Singing Wolf in command of the southern flanking column, while he commanded the center column.
On the Morning of March 21,1844 the attack began 1000h so that the sun was well above the horizon. Crying Wolf attacked first with all three batteries of artillery and his Center column advancing as Infantry he waited for two hours to make sure that his command was the center of the Federals attention before he sent word to his brothers via runners to begin the attack. The two Flanking attacks would begin at 1300h and 1430h respectively, having taken longer for the Runner to locate Singing Wolf’s Column. The federal flanks were not wide open Zuckerman had placed his two cavalry regiments 1,250 men each on his northern and southern flanks as well as a company of Infantry. The Northern Flanking Column would run into the 61st Ohio Cavalry Regiment at 1400h the federals put up a dogged fight but soon were forced to fall back under the weight of the attack. Had both attacks been simultaneous then the Federal defenders might have been captured, but as it was with the delay they managed to retreat to the east before being cut off.
The First battle of the Spring would take place on March 20,1844 just south of the town of Harrodsburg (1) on the Mississinewa River. The Army of Ohio had 42,000 men having left a Brigade of Militia and a Regiment of the State Guard Cavalry behind to garrison Fort McCoy. This put both sides equal as they had detached a brigade to defend Battleboro and only had 35,000 men with him. The Scouts on both sides encountered each other on the evening of March 19th as Thomas Hungry Bear’s 3rd FPA Corps were preparing to cross the river. Meanwhile General Watts deployed his corps in front of the village of Karas (2). Watts had two of his four infantry divisions with him, one division was to the west at Osman’s Crossroad and one east where the Wheeling Pike crossed Barren Creek. His Cavalry was fanned out between his men and the approaching British troops.
The Battle of Karas would begin at 1030h on March 20, 1844 Thomas Hungry Bear advanced his army down the main road toward Fort McCoy right at the Army of Ohio’s main body. He had detached one Division of Dragoons on the western road, but had left his eastern flank in the air. Thomas Hungry Bear proved to be an unimaginative general and committed his three divisions in a general attack on the Federal positions. The weight of 30,000 men crashing on 20,000 men led to the federal line bending however the Federals had the advantage in artillery and had breech loading rifles; this combination led to the Indian line being forced back by 1300h, with heavy losses. To the west the 5,000 men of the Indian Dragoon Division were easily fended off by the 20,000 federal troops at Osman’s Crossing. By 1400h Hungry Bear had learned that he was on the verge of being flanked and ordered two divisions to retreat Harrodsburg while he led the rear guard with his last divisions. This was the smartest move he made during the battle as Watts sent orders for his two flanking Divisions to begin advancing on Harrodsburg in an attempt to cut off the British retreat. However, they were just too slow and the British Indians had managed to get a defensive position set up before the Federal troops arrived. These two divisions were able to hold off the Federal troops until the last division arrived two hours after sunset. During the night Hungry Bear has his men withdraw across the river.
On March 21 General Watts would bring up the rest of his men and the battle of Harrodsburg would begin at 1300h as the Federals started to force a crossing of the river. Thankfully for his men Hungry Bear proved a much better defensive commander than an offensive commander. He was able to use his reserves to drag the battle out until darkness fell. Keeping the Federals form establishing a bridge head. For the time being.
The Battle of Fort McCoy March 21,1844
The Battle of Fort McCoy was a one sided affair Major General Crying Wolf led the 1st Division of the 3rd FPA Corps on an attack on Fort McCoy the capital of the state of Ohio. Because General Watts was away fighting the 3rd FPA Corps at Karas, Oh all he faced was a brigade of infantry and a 2 regiments of mounted Militia all totaled 7,500 men. The Federal Force was lead by 34 year old Brigadier General Vance Zuckerman of the 44th Ohio Infantry Brigade.
Unlike Thomas Hungry Bear, Joseph Crying Wolf was a skilled offensive commander and realized that his Dragoons could easily out-mavour the Federal Infantry, deafening the city so he split his command into three columns. The two flanking columns of 6,000 men each and a center column of 3000 men. He placed his two brothers Daniel Bleeding Wolf in comand of the northern column and his younger brother Author Singing Wolf in command of the southern flanking column, while he commanded the center column.
On the Morning of March 21,1844 the attack began 1000h so that the sun was well above the horizon. Crying Wolf attacked first with all three batteries of artillery and his Center column advancing as Infantry he waited for two hours to make sure that his command was the center of the Federals attention before he sent word to his brothers via runners to begin the attack. The two Flanking attacks would begin at 1300h and 1430h respectively, having taken longer for the Runner to locate Singing Wolf’s Column. The federal flanks were not wide open Zuckerman had placed his two cavalry regiments 1,250 men each on his northern and southern flanks as well as a company of Infantry. The Northern Flanking Column would run into the 61st Ohio Cavalry Regiment at 1400h the federals put up a dogged fight but soon were forced to fall back under the weight of the attack. Had both attacks been simultaneous then the Federal defenders might have been captured, but as it was with the delay they managed to retreat to the east before being cut off.
- OTL Gas City Indiana
- OTL Fairmount Indiana.
The Bloody Decade: Anglo-American War of 1844: Spring of 44 the Ohio Campaign
In For the Pinch In for the Pound
Following the capture of Fort McCoy General Watts was forced to reassess his position. He was not possibly caught between three hostile armies, the Force across the River at Harrodsburg the force occupying Fort McCoy and the Force at New Istanbul that could possibly be heading south. Watts knew that Davis and his 25,000 men were marching north towards Council Creek Watts would dispatch a series of runners to intercept Davis’s column and make sure the was aware of Fort McCoy’s fall. Each Runner had simple orders for Davis and his men. They were to swing east and attack Fort McCoy from the South or southeast. Meanwhile he would detach a Division and two batteries of artillery with plenty of ammunition to hold the Indians in Harrodsburg’s attention while he and the rest of the Army slipped away in the night. They would force march his men to Collinsville (1). When would put them in the middle of the line of retreat that Watts expected them to take.
General Davis would receive Watts letter on March 27, 1844 as his men were marching into Council Creek. He received his orders and gave his men 8 hours rest before he issued his new marching orders. While Davis and his men rested, Watt's men were already marching west having slipped away from Hungry Bear’s men two nights before.
The battle of Malatya, Oh
On March 28,1844 General Watt’s cavalry reported that a large force was marching south under the flags of the British First People’s Army. Watts quickly deployed his men across Fort McCoy Pike where it crossed the South Fork of Wild Cat Creek just south of Malatya Ohio (2). Augustus Red Moon, commander of the 15,000 men coming south from New Istanbul was aware that he had Federal troops in front of him but he never thought it would be more than a Brigade. Thus he was horribly surprised when his men started reporting back that they were outnumbered. When he arrived on the field of battle he saw that his men had forced a crossing of the Creek and were now being slowly pressed backwards toward the creek by the better part of three federal divisions. Backed up by artillery. Red Moon quickly tried to take command of the mess that he had arrived to find. Personally taking command of his artillery he concentrated their fire to keep the Federals from pinching off his men’s line of escape. This action most likely saved his command as the concentrated artillery attack stunned the two federal divisions long enough for the First People Army troops to withdraw to the north side of the creek. They didn’t stay stunned for long however by 1445h Watts was organizing an assault across the creek. The federal attack would begin at 1530h. The weight of three full divisions pressing on them quickly forced Red Moon’s men to give their ground. They would hold on till dusk fell which was an impressive and bloody accomplishment before with drawing north. The battle was a bloody affair more for the First people’s army than the Federal troops. The FPC lost 850 men killed 1,000 more wounded while the Federal Army lost 650 men killed and 900 men wounded. Red Moon would pull back further north to the heights on the Northern bank of the Wabash River or the Council Creek as they referred to the river.
The Burning of Fort McCoy.
Flag of the Frist People's Council
Crying Wolf’s scouts quickly told him that a force just larger than his had taken Council Creek and were marching south east. His scouts also told him a day later that the Federals had fought a battle along the Council Creek and had won. This meant that most likely his reinforcements from New Istanbul had been stopped. That meant that he would be facing a force three times his own. On the night of April 1, 1844 he made his decision. That night his men spent the night taking ammunition from the State Arsenal that they had captured. The next morning as they marched northeast aiming to link up with Hungry Bear’s force, Crying Wolf touched off the fuse that started explosions across the city the largest of which was the State Arsenal itself. Explosions that set off fires, within an hour the city was a blaze.
The explosion of the Ohio State Arsenal was heard fir miles across the flat land scape that made up the state. On August 2nd Red Moon ordered his men to start marching back toward New Istanbul with no word from Crying Wolf he rightly assumed that his Superior was heading for a link up with Hungry Bear's larger force. To the west Crying Wolf and his men would arrive at Harrodsburg on the evening of April 3rd. It was quickly discovered that the two Native Generals could not work together so on the morning of April 4th Crying Wolf would March his men to Drysburg 35 miles to the north where he would "protect Hungry Bear's Flank" in reality there was now a five mile gap between the two forces.
On April 12th General W. W. Watta met with all three of his Corps commanders at the town of Pasha's Station. The Cavalry had concluded there scouting missions. The forces were arranged on a map. the 1st and 2nd Corps were at Jonestown just east of Malatya, the 3red Corps was at Dead Indian just North of the Ruins of Fort McCoy. The Scouts placed two enemy corps in the Harrodsburg area and one back at New Istanbul. Dubya decided that he would attack the two Corps at Harrodsburg. The reason was the five mile wide gap between the two corps.
The Battle of St. Joseph's River
The Battle of St. Joseph's River began on April 13,1844 with General Davis' 3rd Corps attacking Hungry Bear's corps at Harrodsburg at the same time 35 miles north of Harrodsburg General Poindexter's 1sr Corps attacked Crying Wolf's corps at Drysburg. These two attacks effectively locked each commander on the enemy trying to kick in his front door. Meanwhile General Watts lead along with General Hunt's 2nd Corps across the river at Newville(3)and into the five mile gap between the two FPA corps. Once across he turned South to attack the larger of the enemy corps from the rear.
Battle Flag of the Frist People's Army
By 1300h Hungry Bear was pleased the federals had been attacking him since sun up and has little to show for it. Yes they had managed to cross the river but that was all overall his lines were holding, despite the superior federal artillery. Thirty minutes later however his world turned upside down when his cavalry returned with word that two divisions of Federal Infantry were coming up from the North on the Eastern back of the river.
Dubya looked over the field the Indians had shifted a division over to confront his attack but only a few field artillery pieces. A fact that he was taking advantage of that by having all 5 batteries of field guns pour shot and shell into the Indian lines. He had one division attacking head on while the other flanked the Indian line to the east. The commander of the Indian division was clever, he right wheeled one of his brigades to reform his flank but he was short on men and support. By 1445 it was over the Indians were flanked and being rolled up. With that the FPA positions at Harrodsburg became untenable.
At 1500 Hungry Bear would order a withdrawal and lead his last reserve brigade out of town to the southeast. He would manage to extract about a division worth of men before the trap closed at 1600h. His men and himself would make a wide circle to arrive at Toledo on April 26th. Where he would be stripped of his command and sent home in disgrace. Of the 38,000 FPA troops at Harrodsburg only 9,500 would escape with Hungry Bear. The men who were left would suffer the rage of the federals. Officially some 3,500 were taken prisoner, while the rest fought till the end; unofficially many of the survivors told stories after the war of Federal soldiers killing men trying to surrender, men who had thrown down their guns and were running even wounded men laying on the ground. Harrodsburg would go down as the bloodiest battle in the history of the FRA, and the FPC/FPA. General W.W.Watts(Dubya) would receive a commendation and a promotion to Lieutenant General for his victory. Crying Wolf would withdraw his men towards New Istanbul arriving on April 28th, reuniting his Corps, Cursing Hungry Bear the whole way there. The Federals didn't escape unscathed between all three actions in the Battle of St. Joseph's River, they would suffer 1,600 killed and 2,400 wounded. And the entire Army of Ohio was fought out. With the Battle of St. Joseph's River what would become known as the Ohio campaign, would come to an end as both sides had to rest, resupply, and regroup
Following the capture of Fort McCoy General Watts was forced to reassess his position. He was not possibly caught between three hostile armies, the Force across the River at Harrodsburg the force occupying Fort McCoy and the Force at New Istanbul that could possibly be heading south. Watts knew that Davis and his 25,000 men were marching north towards Council Creek Watts would dispatch a series of runners to intercept Davis’s column and make sure the was aware of Fort McCoy’s fall. Each Runner had simple orders for Davis and his men. They were to swing east and attack Fort McCoy from the South or southeast. Meanwhile he would detach a Division and two batteries of artillery with plenty of ammunition to hold the Indians in Harrodsburg’s attention while he and the rest of the Army slipped away in the night. They would force march his men to Collinsville (1). When would put them in the middle of the line of retreat that Watts expected them to take.
General Davis would receive Watts letter on March 27, 1844 as his men were marching into Council Creek. He received his orders and gave his men 8 hours rest before he issued his new marching orders. While Davis and his men rested, Watt's men were already marching west having slipped away from Hungry Bear’s men two nights before.
The battle of Malatya, Oh
On March 28,1844 General Watt’s cavalry reported that a large force was marching south under the flags of the British First People’s Army. Watts quickly deployed his men across Fort McCoy Pike where it crossed the South Fork of Wild Cat Creek just south of Malatya Ohio (2). Augustus Red Moon, commander of the 15,000 men coming south from New Istanbul was aware that he had Federal troops in front of him but he never thought it would be more than a Brigade. Thus he was horribly surprised when his men started reporting back that they were outnumbered. When he arrived on the field of battle he saw that his men had forced a crossing of the Creek and were now being slowly pressed backwards toward the creek by the better part of three federal divisions. Backed up by artillery. Red Moon quickly tried to take command of the mess that he had arrived to find. Personally taking command of his artillery he concentrated their fire to keep the Federals from pinching off his men’s line of escape. This action most likely saved his command as the concentrated artillery attack stunned the two federal divisions long enough for the First People Army troops to withdraw to the north side of the creek. They didn’t stay stunned for long however by 1445h Watts was organizing an assault across the creek. The federal attack would begin at 1530h. The weight of three full divisions pressing on them quickly forced Red Moon’s men to give their ground. They would hold on till dusk fell which was an impressive and bloody accomplishment before with drawing north. The battle was a bloody affair more for the First people’s army than the Federal troops. The FPC lost 850 men killed 1,000 more wounded while the Federal Army lost 650 men killed and 900 men wounded. Red Moon would pull back further north to the heights on the Northern bank of the Wabash River or the Council Creek as they referred to the river.
The Burning of Fort McCoy.
Flag of the Frist People's Council
Crying Wolf’s scouts quickly told him that a force just larger than his had taken Council Creek and were marching south east. His scouts also told him a day later that the Federals had fought a battle along the Council Creek and had won. This meant that most likely his reinforcements from New Istanbul had been stopped. That meant that he would be facing a force three times his own. On the night of April 1, 1844 he made his decision. That night his men spent the night taking ammunition from the State Arsenal that they had captured. The next morning as they marched northeast aiming to link up with Hungry Bear’s force, Crying Wolf touched off the fuse that started explosions across the city the largest of which was the State Arsenal itself. Explosions that set off fires, within an hour the city was a blaze.
The explosion of the Ohio State Arsenal was heard fir miles across the flat land scape that made up the state. On August 2nd Red Moon ordered his men to start marching back toward New Istanbul with no word from Crying Wolf he rightly assumed that his Superior was heading for a link up with Hungry Bear's larger force. To the west Crying Wolf and his men would arrive at Harrodsburg on the evening of April 3rd. It was quickly discovered that the two Native Generals could not work together so on the morning of April 4th Crying Wolf would March his men to Drysburg 35 miles to the north where he would "protect Hungry Bear's Flank" in reality there was now a five mile gap between the two forces.
On April 12th General W. W. Watta met with all three of his Corps commanders at the town of Pasha's Station. The Cavalry had concluded there scouting missions. The forces were arranged on a map. the 1st and 2nd Corps were at Jonestown just east of Malatya, the 3red Corps was at Dead Indian just North of the Ruins of Fort McCoy. The Scouts placed two enemy corps in the Harrodsburg area and one back at New Istanbul. Dubya decided that he would attack the two Corps at Harrodsburg. The reason was the five mile wide gap between the two corps.
The Battle of St. Joseph's River
The Battle of St. Joseph's River began on April 13,1844 with General Davis' 3rd Corps attacking Hungry Bear's corps at Harrodsburg at the same time 35 miles north of Harrodsburg General Poindexter's 1sr Corps attacked Crying Wolf's corps at Drysburg. These two attacks effectively locked each commander on the enemy trying to kick in his front door. Meanwhile General Watts lead along with General Hunt's 2nd Corps across the river at Newville(3)and into the five mile gap between the two FPA corps. Once across he turned South to attack the larger of the enemy corps from the rear.
Battle Flag of the Frist People's Army
By 1300h Hungry Bear was pleased the federals had been attacking him since sun up and has little to show for it. Yes they had managed to cross the river but that was all overall his lines were holding, despite the superior federal artillery. Thirty minutes later however his world turned upside down when his cavalry returned with word that two divisions of Federal Infantry were coming up from the North on the Eastern back of the river.
Dubya looked over the field the Indians had shifted a division over to confront his attack but only a few field artillery pieces. A fact that he was taking advantage of that by having all 5 batteries of field guns pour shot and shell into the Indian lines. He had one division attacking head on while the other flanked the Indian line to the east. The commander of the Indian division was clever, he right wheeled one of his brigades to reform his flank but he was short on men and support. By 1445 it was over the Indians were flanked and being rolled up. With that the FPA positions at Harrodsburg became untenable.
At 1500 Hungry Bear would order a withdrawal and lead his last reserve brigade out of town to the southeast. He would manage to extract about a division worth of men before the trap closed at 1600h. His men and himself would make a wide circle to arrive at Toledo on April 26th. Where he would be stripped of his command and sent home in disgrace. Of the 38,000 FPA troops at Harrodsburg only 9,500 would escape with Hungry Bear. The men who were left would suffer the rage of the federals. Officially some 3,500 were taken prisoner, while the rest fought till the end; unofficially many of the survivors told stories after the war of Federal soldiers killing men trying to surrender, men who had thrown down their guns and were running even wounded men laying on the ground. Harrodsburg would go down as the bloodiest battle in the history of the FRA, and the FPC/FPA. General W.W.Watts(Dubya) would receive a commendation and a promotion to Lieutenant General for his victory. Crying Wolf would withdraw his men towards New Istanbul arriving on April 28th, reuniting his Corps, Cursing Hungry Bear the whole way there. The Federals didn't escape unscathed between all three actions in the Battle of St. Joseph's River, they would suffer 1,600 killed and 2,400 wounded. And the entire Army of Ohio was fought out. With the Battle of St. Joseph's River what would become known as the Ohio campaign, would come to an end as both sides had to rest, resupply, and regroup
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The Bloody Decade: Anglo-American War of 1844: Spring of 44 the Rivers Campaign
War on the Rivers
The Treaty that ended the War of 1805 had established the Mississippi River and Ohio Rivers as an International waterways, and all parties were prohibited form keeping armed ships on them. What this meant was that the Nations of North America built their River Marine Bases on the deep water tributaries to these rivers. The Federal Republic of America kept its main River flotilla at New Cork on the Great Miami River; the Federal Navy had a second squadron based Osmantown (1) at The Commonwealth of American States had three River Squadrons The Upper River Flotilla based at Fleet Town on the Green River, The Arkansas Flotilla Based at Piette Roche and the Lower Flotilla based at New Orleans. The Royal Navy was not without representation on the American Rivers The Missouri Squadron was based at Finchburg (2) and the Mississippi Squadron based on the Rock River at Fort Tilde (3).
The First Action on the Rivers was Commander West CASN Southern Squadron moving up to Baton Rouge to attempt to aid the defenders of the city hold off the British. And it proved unsuccessful. The failure of the bombardment to make a difference would trigger a Shipwright named Martin McDonald in New Orleans to design a new type of river gunboat, it featured a casemate with an open top and a simple steam engine but mounted a single ten inch mortar. The CWS Surprise would make its way up the Mississippi slowly to take part in the bombardment of Fort George III.
CWS Cotton Queen flag ship of the Arkansas River Squadron
The Bombardment of fort George III would be the second action by the river marines of the war and it would feature the FN Ohio Squadron and the the CASN Northern Squadron steaming down the Ohio and taking up positions around the fort on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and adding the weight of their heavy guns to those of the Commonwealth batteries on the south bank of the Ohio. This would be the action that the CWS Surprise would join when she arrived on March 27th. Meanwhile the FN Illinois Squadron and the CASN Arkansas Squadron would sortie against the Royal Navy. This would see the first two naval battles on the Rivers. The First would take place on April 15,1844. The CASN’s Arkansas Squadron consisted of 6 ships: the CSW: Bullfrog (6), Redfish (6), Bluegill (6), Snapper (6), Mary Sue (6) and the Flagship Cotton Queen (6). Commanded by Lieutenant Commander Frederick Anderson. Anderson and his Squadron would run into the Royal Navy’s Missouri Squadron at Marquette Island. The Royal Navy Missouri Squadron consisted of Five ships HMS: Iroquois(9), Abenaki(9), Pequot (9), Winnebago(9), Tionontat (9). The Tionontati was the largest and the flag ships. The designs of these ships were similar, all had wooden enclosed gundecks (casemate) and were all steam powered. The British ships were all screw steamers while the Commonwealth were mostly paddlewheelers of one form or another. The British ships all mounted 3 guns forward 2 guns aft and 2 guns port and starboard. The Commonwealth ships (and their federal kin) were smaller mounting 2 guns forward and aft and 2 port and starboard. The exception to this was the CWS Cotton Queen which was a converted cargo steamer the Cotton queen mounted its six guns 3 forward 3 aft. The Battle of Marquette Island would begin at 1335h with the CASN coming up the river from the south and the Royal Navy down the river from the north. The battle lasted just under an hour and was a draw or a Commonwealth tactical victory as the British fleet was turned back from trying to break the siege of Fort George III. However both sides were hurt the CASN losing 1 ships sunk and 3 damaged the British lost 2 ships sunk and 2 damaged. Two weeks later a second battle would be fought to the north. In the Battle of Mason Island just north of St. Louis the Federal Illinois Squadron would engage the Royal navy’s Mississippi squadron. However the Federal Squadron possessed the FNS Armor the and Ironclad river boat with armor based off of the FNA Ironsides Class Frigates. The Armor and the Illinois Squadron would shred the Royal Navy’s Mississippi squadron sinking 3 of its ships and damaging 3 more. Before steaming back up the Illinois River. The Royal Navy would limp up the Missouri River and begin trying to figure out how to deal with the “ Illinois River Monster”
The Treaty that ended the War of 1805 had established the Mississippi River and Ohio Rivers as an International waterways, and all parties were prohibited form keeping armed ships on them. What this meant was that the Nations of North America built their River Marine Bases on the deep water tributaries to these rivers. The Federal Republic of America kept its main River flotilla at New Cork on the Great Miami River; the Federal Navy had a second squadron based Osmantown (1) at The Commonwealth of American States had three River Squadrons The Upper River Flotilla based at Fleet Town on the Green River, The Arkansas Flotilla Based at Piette Roche and the Lower Flotilla based at New Orleans. The Royal Navy was not without representation on the American Rivers The Missouri Squadron was based at Finchburg (2) and the Mississippi Squadron based on the Rock River at Fort Tilde (3).
The First Action on the Rivers was Commander West CASN Southern Squadron moving up to Baton Rouge to attempt to aid the defenders of the city hold off the British. And it proved unsuccessful. The failure of the bombardment to make a difference would trigger a Shipwright named Martin McDonald in New Orleans to design a new type of river gunboat, it featured a casemate with an open top and a simple steam engine but mounted a single ten inch mortar. The CWS Surprise would make its way up the Mississippi slowly to take part in the bombardment of Fort George III.
CWS Cotton Queen flag ship of the Arkansas River Squadron
The Bombardment of fort George III would be the second action by the river marines of the war and it would feature the FN Ohio Squadron and the the CASN Northern Squadron steaming down the Ohio and taking up positions around the fort on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and adding the weight of their heavy guns to those of the Commonwealth batteries on the south bank of the Ohio. This would be the action that the CWS Surprise would join when she arrived on March 27th. Meanwhile the FN Illinois Squadron and the CASN Arkansas Squadron would sortie against the Royal Navy. This would see the first two naval battles on the Rivers. The First would take place on April 15,1844. The CASN’s Arkansas Squadron consisted of 6 ships: the CSW: Bullfrog (6), Redfish (6), Bluegill (6), Snapper (6), Mary Sue (6) and the Flagship Cotton Queen (6). Commanded by Lieutenant Commander Frederick Anderson. Anderson and his Squadron would run into the Royal Navy’s Missouri Squadron at Marquette Island. The Royal Navy Missouri Squadron consisted of Five ships HMS: Iroquois(9), Abenaki(9), Pequot (9), Winnebago(9), Tionontat (9). The Tionontati was the largest and the flag ships. The designs of these ships were similar, all had wooden enclosed gundecks (casemate) and were all steam powered. The British ships were all screw steamers while the Commonwealth were mostly paddlewheelers of one form or another. The British ships all mounted 3 guns forward 2 guns aft and 2 guns port and starboard. The Commonwealth ships (and their federal kin) were smaller mounting 2 guns forward and aft and 2 port and starboard. The exception to this was the CWS Cotton Queen which was a converted cargo steamer the Cotton queen mounted its six guns 3 forward 3 aft. The Battle of Marquette Island would begin at 1335h with the CASN coming up the river from the south and the Royal Navy down the river from the north. The battle lasted just under an hour and was a draw or a Commonwealth tactical victory as the British fleet was turned back from trying to break the siege of Fort George III. However both sides were hurt the CASN losing 1 ships sunk and 3 damaged the British lost 2 ships sunk and 2 damaged. Two weeks later a second battle would be fought to the north. In the Battle of Mason Island just north of St. Louis the Federal Illinois Squadron would engage the Royal navy’s Mississippi squadron. However the Federal Squadron possessed the FNS Armor the and Ironclad river boat with armor based off of the FNA Ironsides Class Frigates. The Armor and the Illinois Squadron would shred the Royal Navy’s Mississippi squadron sinking 3 of its ships and damaging 3 more. Before steaming back up the Illinois River. The Royal Navy would limp up the Missouri River and begin trying to figure out how to deal with the “ Illinois River Monster”
- Beardstown Il OTL
- Across the river from OTL Jefferson City
- Davenport
The Bloody Decade: The Anglo American War of 1844: British Bowties
As federal forces advanced across Ohio they found miles and miles of destroyed Railroad track where ever the First People's Army had been. Not only were these tracks torn up but they had often been twisted and deformed to make them unusable in the future. Federal troops quickly started calling these deformed rails British Bowties.
Federal Soldiers eximaning destroyed track around the ruins of Fort McCoy
FPA troops destroying rail during their occupation of Ohio
Federal Soldiers eximaning destroyed track around the ruins of Fort McCoy
FPA troops destroying rail during their occupation of Ohio
The Bloody Decade: Commonwealth-Mexican War: Tejas spring of 44 part I
Those Damned Frenchmen
Flag of the Quebec Independence movement
Field Marshal Arthur Weasley Earl of Ontario had a problem two thirds of the Eastern Army had failed to report; instead the french speaking Qubecos had chosen to muster their army but instead keep them at home. He had sent numerous request for the status of those troops but was met with silence; that was until the Royal Governor of the Crown Colony of Quebec Sir Dudley Moore turned up in York, telling the story that the french speaking Qubecos had evicted him and his staff from the Governors place in Quebec City handing him a wax sealed envelope as he left. In this envelope he had found a declaration of their Intent to form an Independent Nation. This Declaration of Independence was different from the American one sixty eight years ago. It first stated that the Quebecois first choice was to create a Crown Republic within the British Empire much like New England. However the Declaration made clear that if this could not be arranged then they would break away from the British empire and establish a government along other lines. Weasley sighed there was little he could do, having to fight the Ameicans first. He passed the issued orders for a troop of cavalry to escort now Ex Governor Moore to Boston where he could take the Declaration to London the would decide what they wanted to do for the foreseeable future he would be without the Quebecois troops.
Second Battle of San Marco, La
With the Coming of Spring the situation in Tejas/Western Louisiana favored the Commonwealth even with the British destructing of Baton Rouge and sinking the Rail Ferries there. Rojo’s Mexian army was still at the forts around San Marco, while Major General General Randolph had succeeded in surrounding Santa Anna’s Army at the port town of Beauregard. Thomas O'Keefe, newly promoted to Lieutenant General was ready to renew his drive on retaking San Antonio from the Mexicans and the Louisiana rebels. The Commonwealth Western Army was back to full strength after receiving reinforcements during the winter despite everything else going on and was in good spirits despite being repulsed back in the fall. They began their march on March 1,1844, and would arrive at the Mexican Positions around San Marco early on the morning of March 4th. In the defenses around the town Major General Rojo’s force was also back at full strength at 110,000 men; however many of these men were locals form San Marco and San Antonio that had been drafted into service by the Republic of Louisiana, and were not of the same caliber as the professional Mexican soldiers. Unknown to O’Keefe, Rojo was already planning on abandoning his positions at San Marco; the fact that Santa Anna’s army had been bottled up at Beauregard meant that this southern Flank was more open than Rojo felt comfortable with. Yet, he was not going to just give the Americans the fortified town without a fight.
The Second Battleof San Marco would begin at 0900h on March 4th. The Mexican Positions were in three parts a three mile line of trenches and redoubts that stretched from the Blanco River north of town to Spring Lake. A second line ran from the southern part of Spring Lake just behind the southern bank of the San Marco River to Scrutin Lake The last bit was a mile lone line running for the southern Point of Scrutin lake along Mockingbird Ridge protecting the Southern Flank. In the Fall O’Keefe had focused on the line between the lakes along the San Marco River. This time he would make a feint toward that section of line with three divisions of infantry and supporting artillery while he sent five Divisions across the Blanco River to attack the Mockingbird Ridge line of the Mexican line. The Mockingbird Ridge attack would begin at 1145h almost three hours after the start of the feint on the Center line. The Mockingbird Ridge attack would begin with the 50,000 Commonwealth troops overwhelming the 20,000 Mexican troops defending the ridge; However the Mexicans quickly rallied and Rojo sent three Divisions of his reserve to reinforce the ridge. These fresh troops began to slowly retake the ridge from the Americans. O’Keefe had reinforcements to send as well and by 1800h the battle for Mockingbird ridge had become a stalemate. Sensing an opportunity O’Keefe would send his last three Division that he had been holding in reserve to hit the Meixcan Center. The assault would not go in till right as the Sun was sinking resulting in a Confused action that lasted till around 2200h before the last of the Commonwealth troops could make it back to their lines. The last minute assault would achieve little beside adding to the mounting casualties count. What this Commonwealth did do was tie down the Mexican Center making it harder for Rojo to disengage and withdraw like he had planned; and so the stage was set for the second day to start.
The Second day of the Second Battle of San Marco began with a Mexican Counter attack from Mockingbird Ridges. Rojo had moved men from his Left flank to free up 2 divisions to reinforce the 5 divisions already on the ridge. Being attacked caught off guard, after the fighting on the previous day they didn’t believe that the Mexicans had the strength to attack. For most of the morning the Mexicans managed to force the Commonwealth soldiers back till finally they retake the southern bank of the Blanco River. O’Keefe had only managed to establish a reserve of a single division after his late attack the day before. He would commit this division to reform his Flank and keep the Mexicans from flanking him. Once the flank was stabilized around 1500h the battle calmed down again; at 1630h both O’Keefe and Rojo would meet and establish a Ceasefire to see to the wounded,on both sides. The Next day Rojo would withdraw his army to the south leaving behind a division of Cavalry to act as a Rear Guard. It would not be needed as O’Keefe had no plans on following him. The Second Battle of San Marco would continue the trend of ever increasingly bloody battles. The Mexicna Army would lose 2,600 men killed and 6,000 men wounded with 2,000 captured or missing. The Commonwealth Western Army would lose 1,050 men killed; 3,500 men wounded and 1,500 men missing or captured. Rojo would retreat with his army to Las Martinas (1) on the Guadalupe River here as the ground became more rugged Rojo would make his last stand North of San Antonio. If he could not hold here then the Next defensive position would be at San Antonio itself. However when he arrived the more bad news awaited him Santa Anna had been forced to surrender on March 3rd after a Tornado touched down in on top of his army at Beauregard killing hundreds of men and wounding thousands more, even Santa Anna had been wounded when the storm picked up a field gun and flung it at the house that Santa Anna had made his headquarters in. It had smashed in the walls and landed on Santa Anna’s leg crushing it, following the storm the doctors had had to remove the limb. The Commonwealth Commander Major General Randolph had paroled him and his men so that they could fight in Central America after they were equipped in Mexico. That evening Rojo Gave up the position at Las Martinas falling back to San Antonio.
Flag of the Quebec Independence movement
Field Marshal Arthur Weasley Earl of Ontario had a problem two thirds of the Eastern Army had failed to report; instead the french speaking Qubecos had chosen to muster their army but instead keep them at home. He had sent numerous request for the status of those troops but was met with silence; that was until the Royal Governor of the Crown Colony of Quebec Sir Dudley Moore turned up in York, telling the story that the french speaking Qubecos had evicted him and his staff from the Governors place in Quebec City handing him a wax sealed envelope as he left. In this envelope he had found a declaration of their Intent to form an Independent Nation. This Declaration of Independence was different from the American one sixty eight years ago. It first stated that the Quebecois first choice was to create a Crown Republic within the British Empire much like New England. However the Declaration made clear that if this could not be arranged then they would break away from the British empire and establish a government along other lines. Weasley sighed there was little he could do, having to fight the Ameicans first. He passed the issued orders for a troop of cavalry to escort now Ex Governor Moore to Boston where he could take the Declaration to London the would decide what they wanted to do for the foreseeable future he would be without the Quebecois troops.
Second Battle of San Marco, La
With the Coming of Spring the situation in Tejas/Western Louisiana favored the Commonwealth even with the British destructing of Baton Rouge and sinking the Rail Ferries there. Rojo’s Mexian army was still at the forts around San Marco, while Major General General Randolph had succeeded in surrounding Santa Anna’s Army at the port town of Beauregard. Thomas O'Keefe, newly promoted to Lieutenant General was ready to renew his drive on retaking San Antonio from the Mexicans and the Louisiana rebels. The Commonwealth Western Army was back to full strength after receiving reinforcements during the winter despite everything else going on and was in good spirits despite being repulsed back in the fall. They began their march on March 1,1844, and would arrive at the Mexican Positions around San Marco early on the morning of March 4th. In the defenses around the town Major General Rojo’s force was also back at full strength at 110,000 men; however many of these men were locals form San Marco and San Antonio that had been drafted into service by the Republic of Louisiana, and were not of the same caliber as the professional Mexican soldiers. Unknown to O’Keefe, Rojo was already planning on abandoning his positions at San Marco; the fact that Santa Anna’s army had been bottled up at Beauregard meant that this southern Flank was more open than Rojo felt comfortable with. Yet, he was not going to just give the Americans the fortified town without a fight.
The Second Battleof San Marco would begin at 0900h on March 4th. The Mexican Positions were in three parts a three mile line of trenches and redoubts that stretched from the Blanco River north of town to Spring Lake. A second line ran from the southern part of Spring Lake just behind the southern bank of the San Marco River to Scrutin Lake The last bit was a mile lone line running for the southern Point of Scrutin lake along Mockingbird Ridge protecting the Southern Flank. In the Fall O’Keefe had focused on the line between the lakes along the San Marco River. This time he would make a feint toward that section of line with three divisions of infantry and supporting artillery while he sent five Divisions across the Blanco River to attack the Mockingbird Ridge line of the Mexican line. The Mockingbird Ridge attack would begin at 1145h almost three hours after the start of the feint on the Center line. The Mockingbird Ridge attack would begin with the 50,000 Commonwealth troops overwhelming the 20,000 Mexican troops defending the ridge; However the Mexicans quickly rallied and Rojo sent three Divisions of his reserve to reinforce the ridge. These fresh troops began to slowly retake the ridge from the Americans. O’Keefe had reinforcements to send as well and by 1800h the battle for Mockingbird ridge had become a stalemate. Sensing an opportunity O’Keefe would send his last three Division that he had been holding in reserve to hit the Meixcan Center. The assault would not go in till right as the Sun was sinking resulting in a Confused action that lasted till around 2200h before the last of the Commonwealth troops could make it back to their lines. The last minute assault would achieve little beside adding to the mounting casualties count. What this Commonwealth did do was tie down the Mexican Center making it harder for Rojo to disengage and withdraw like he had planned; and so the stage was set for the second day to start.
The Second day of the Second Battle of San Marco began with a Mexican Counter attack from Mockingbird Ridges. Rojo had moved men from his Left flank to free up 2 divisions to reinforce the 5 divisions already on the ridge. Being attacked caught off guard, after the fighting on the previous day they didn’t believe that the Mexicans had the strength to attack. For most of the morning the Mexicans managed to force the Commonwealth soldiers back till finally they retake the southern bank of the Blanco River. O’Keefe had only managed to establish a reserve of a single division after his late attack the day before. He would commit this division to reform his Flank and keep the Mexicans from flanking him. Once the flank was stabilized around 1500h the battle calmed down again; at 1630h both O’Keefe and Rojo would meet and establish a Ceasefire to see to the wounded,on both sides. The Next day Rojo would withdraw his army to the south leaving behind a division of Cavalry to act as a Rear Guard. It would not be needed as O’Keefe had no plans on following him. The Second Battle of San Marco would continue the trend of ever increasingly bloody battles. The Mexicna Army would lose 2,600 men killed and 6,000 men wounded with 2,000 captured or missing. The Commonwealth Western Army would lose 1,050 men killed; 3,500 men wounded and 1,500 men missing or captured. Rojo would retreat with his army to Las Martinas (1) on the Guadalupe River here as the ground became more rugged Rojo would make his last stand North of San Antonio. If he could not hold here then the Next defensive position would be at San Antonio itself. However when he arrived the more bad news awaited him Santa Anna had been forced to surrender on March 3rd after a Tornado touched down in on top of his army at Beauregard killing hundreds of men and wounding thousands more, even Santa Anna had been wounded when the storm picked up a field gun and flung it at the house that Santa Anna had made his headquarters in. It had smashed in the walls and landed on Santa Anna’s leg crushing it, following the storm the doctors had had to remove the limb. The Commonwealth Commander Major General Randolph had paroled him and his men so that they could fight in Central America after they were equipped in Mexico. That evening Rojo Gave up the position at Las Martinas falling back to San Antonio.
Just wanted to pop in real quick to remind you that I'm still loving this TL! I don't comment much so it may seem like I'm not watching anymore or have lost interest, but I just wanted to let you know that that isn't the case. Keep up the great work and I look forward to how things shake up!
Happy Thanksgiving to all. Hopefully everyone has at least one thing to be thankful for. Thanks for supporting this Timeline for the last four years.
The Bloody Decade: The Anglo American War of 1844: The Erie Campaign
The Erie in the Spring and the Fourth battle of Toledo.
To the east of Ohio the State of Erie was witnessing its own spring offensives. In an Irony of war the opening moves missed each other. The FPA first corps stormed east then south while the Army of Erie. Marched north towards New Dublin on the most direct route. On March 30, 1844 after a brief battle with a holding force that Soaring Hawk had left behind to harass any Federal Troops that came to retake the city. This force was easily driven away by the men under Major General Royce. Royce would detach a Division and a battery of field guns to hold the state capital before marching west, New Dublin flew the Eagle Flag once again. Now it was time to link up with General Sherman and drive the Redskins out of Toledo too. He didn’t know that Sherman would be delayed.
Battle of Zanesville
Railyard and Roundhouse at Franklin Erie
Southern Pennsylvania Railroad bridge at Zanesville
On April 1st General Sherman and the Federal 3rd Army was east of Franklin at the down of Zanesville. General Sherman had moved here to keep Soaring Hawk and his men from destroying the Railroad bridge over the Muskingum River. The Indians had cut the Susquehanna Railroad east of Franklin that left the Southern Pennsylvania Railroad was the last intact rail link connecting the Eastern part of the Republic to the Western part. The battle began around 1100h. At first Soaring Hawk believed that was just a militia unit pressed into the attack as the Federals were dug in on the Eastern side of the river. He soon realized that he had run into something more than just militia as by 1200h the enemy still held, and had an impressive amount of field artillery behind them. After another hour of combat he realized that he wasn’t going to be able to break through. He gave it till 1400h then he gave the orders for his men to begin disengaging from the Federal Troops. By 1600h the FPA 1st Corps had managed to withdraw from the 3rd Army and ended the Battle of Zanesville.
Battle of Adam's Tavern
Soaring Hawk and his men were not out of the woods yet. As night fell Soaring Hawk would lead his men north hoping to circle north and cross the river at the town of Longford (1). However he soon found his route blocked by Major General Rosco Coldtrain of the 9th Legion, the 3rd Army’s Cavalry arm, dug in around a crossroads called Adam’s Tavern. Soaring Hawk cussed under his breath that was the same command that had harassed his men back in the winter. The battle of Adam's Tavern would begin just before dawn on April 2nd, Soaring Hawk had hoped that an early attack would catch the Federals off guard, this didn't happen. Coldtrain had kept his men in their entrenchments during the night and only about half of them were sleep when the attack came. The predawn gloom sprung to life as the sparks of light from the Federals rifles and flaming bursts from the horse Artillery batteries behind the line met the incoming charge. As dawn broke on the crossroads the fog of gun smoke covered the land, the men of the FPA 1st corps limped back to their starting points the attack had failed. Soaring Hawk now began to try and flank the Federal Cavalry sending two divisions out on the far left and far right. By 0900h he had achieved this when both commanders reported that they were around the Federal flanks. At 1000h Soaring Hawk began an attack from three sides at once. Coldtrain was forced to give ground and by 1150h his men were mounted retreating north. With word of more Federals coming up from the south Soaring Hawk ordered his men to ride hard to the west and was able to cross the River at Longford before the federals caught up with him. Not wanting to push his luck he bypassed the city of Franklin and headed northwest toward Toledo.
The fourth battle of Toledo.
The fourth battle of Toledo would begin when the Army of Erie arrived from the south having crossed the Maumee river at Perrysburg. Major General Royce surveyed the British defenses around the city they were impressive, they had taken over the three American Forts and built a system of trench ms connecting the Forts, even now they were working on building redoubts and supporting trenches. If they had the time they could make Toledo a hard nut to crack. Royce decided not to give them that time. There was still no sign of the 3rd Army but still his Army of Erie looked to outnumber the British forces in the city. He gave the order to have the army come up with all haste, he would liberate Toledo before the British could reinforce their position.
It would not be until 1100h the next day April 5th that the Army of Erie was up and fully deployed. Royce's plan was to attack with four of his seven legions aimed at the trench line between Swan Creek and the Ottawa River, a fifth his cavalry he would send to the northwest as a feint. The attack would start at 1300h 40,000 men all of the Erie State Gaurds no Militia advanced in the British line. Almost from the start Artillery took a toll on the as shot and shell tor into the lines of men. As they got closer to the trenches rifle fire was added to the mix and more men fell. Then at 100 yards as the Boys of Erie broke into a charge the smooth bore brown besses opened up. Then they were in the trenches fighting hand to hand. The weight of numbers began to tell then just in the knick of time Soaring Hawk's exhausted FPA 1st Corps arrived behind the Federal lines charging into their rear. Caught off guard and from behind the Federal broke off their attack and fell back. However they would remain on the battle field beginning there own trenches. The Fourth battle of Toledo had cost the Army of Erie 2,000 men killed, 4,500 men wounded Two days later General Sherman and the 3rd Army arrived the siege of Toledo had begun.
1 Dresden,oh
To the east of Ohio the State of Erie was witnessing its own spring offensives. In an Irony of war the opening moves missed each other. The FPA first corps stormed east then south while the Army of Erie. Marched north towards New Dublin on the most direct route. On March 30, 1844 after a brief battle with a holding force that Soaring Hawk had left behind to harass any Federal Troops that came to retake the city. This force was easily driven away by the men under Major General Royce. Royce would detach a Division and a battery of field guns to hold the state capital before marching west, New Dublin flew the Eagle Flag once again. Now it was time to link up with General Sherman and drive the Redskins out of Toledo too. He didn’t know that Sherman would be delayed.
Battle of Zanesville
Railyard and Roundhouse at Franklin Erie
Southern Pennsylvania Railroad bridge at Zanesville
On April 1st General Sherman and the Federal 3rd Army was east of Franklin at the down of Zanesville. General Sherman had moved here to keep Soaring Hawk and his men from destroying the Railroad bridge over the Muskingum River. The Indians had cut the Susquehanna Railroad east of Franklin that left the Southern Pennsylvania Railroad was the last intact rail link connecting the Eastern part of the Republic to the Western part. The battle began around 1100h. At first Soaring Hawk believed that was just a militia unit pressed into the attack as the Federals were dug in on the Eastern side of the river. He soon realized that he had run into something more than just militia as by 1200h the enemy still held, and had an impressive amount of field artillery behind them. After another hour of combat he realized that he wasn’t going to be able to break through. He gave it till 1400h then he gave the orders for his men to begin disengaging from the Federal Troops. By 1600h the FPA 1st Corps had managed to withdraw from the 3rd Army and ended the Battle of Zanesville.
Battle of Adam's Tavern
Soaring Hawk and his men were not out of the woods yet. As night fell Soaring Hawk would lead his men north hoping to circle north and cross the river at the town of Longford (1). However he soon found his route blocked by Major General Rosco Coldtrain of the 9th Legion, the 3rd Army’s Cavalry arm, dug in around a crossroads called Adam’s Tavern. Soaring Hawk cussed under his breath that was the same command that had harassed his men back in the winter. The battle of Adam's Tavern would begin just before dawn on April 2nd, Soaring Hawk had hoped that an early attack would catch the Federals off guard, this didn't happen. Coldtrain had kept his men in their entrenchments during the night and only about half of them were sleep when the attack came. The predawn gloom sprung to life as the sparks of light from the Federals rifles and flaming bursts from the horse Artillery batteries behind the line met the incoming charge. As dawn broke on the crossroads the fog of gun smoke covered the land, the men of the FPA 1st corps limped back to their starting points the attack had failed. Soaring Hawk now began to try and flank the Federal Cavalry sending two divisions out on the far left and far right. By 0900h he had achieved this when both commanders reported that they were around the Federal flanks. At 1000h Soaring Hawk began an attack from three sides at once. Coldtrain was forced to give ground and by 1150h his men were mounted retreating north. With word of more Federals coming up from the south Soaring Hawk ordered his men to ride hard to the west and was able to cross the River at Longford before the federals caught up with him. Not wanting to push his luck he bypassed the city of Franklin and headed northwest toward Toledo.
The fourth battle of Toledo.
The fourth battle of Toledo would begin when the Army of Erie arrived from the south having crossed the Maumee river at Perrysburg. Major General Royce surveyed the British defenses around the city they were impressive, they had taken over the three American Forts and built a system of trench ms connecting the Forts, even now they were working on building redoubts and supporting trenches. If they had the time they could make Toledo a hard nut to crack. Royce decided not to give them that time. There was still no sign of the 3rd Army but still his Army of Erie looked to outnumber the British forces in the city. He gave the order to have the army come up with all haste, he would liberate Toledo before the British could reinforce their position.
It would not be until 1100h the next day April 5th that the Army of Erie was up and fully deployed. Royce's plan was to attack with four of his seven legions aimed at the trench line between Swan Creek and the Ottawa River, a fifth his cavalry he would send to the northwest as a feint. The attack would start at 1300h 40,000 men all of the Erie State Gaurds no Militia advanced in the British line. Almost from the start Artillery took a toll on the as shot and shell tor into the lines of men. As they got closer to the trenches rifle fire was added to the mix and more men fell. Then at 100 yards as the Boys of Erie broke into a charge the smooth bore brown besses opened up. Then they were in the trenches fighting hand to hand. The weight of numbers began to tell then just in the knick of time Soaring Hawk's exhausted FPA 1st Corps arrived behind the Federal lines charging into their rear. Caught off guard and from behind the Federal broke off their attack and fell back. However they would remain on the battle field beginning there own trenches. The Fourth battle of Toledo had cost the Army of Erie 2,000 men killed, 4,500 men wounded Two days later General Sherman and the 3rd Army arrived the siege of Toledo had begun.
1 Dresden,oh
Let me get to an actual pc and I'll see what I can do. But this war is one of movement similar to the ACW except in a few places, in Europe and North America at least l. South America is set trench warfare as was Spain before the Spanish surrendered.
Bloody Decade: American-Anglo war of 1844: Maps Spring Great Lakes or Southern Front spring 1844
map of Toledo Erie showing trench lines the "three forts" mentioned in the last update only reference the three on the Eastern side of the River.
The yellow orange stars mark battles note the Battle in Mississippi has not been covered yet. Currently the British/First Peoples Army hold New Istanbul, Battleboro and Toledo. Fort McCoy is black because it is a burn city. Fort Michigan is not controlled by the FRA that sliver blue is my default city color, FRA captured British cities will appear dark grey.
Bloody Decade: American-Anglo war of 1844: Spring Along the Mississippi
The Battle of Jonestown, Ms.
On March 15th two armies met on a field in north central Mississippi. These were the 60,000 strong Federal 4th Army and the 70,000 strong British Army of Michigan. The 4th Army led by General Washington Lee Wilson while the Army of Michigan was led by General Charles H. Armstrong. Neither commander expected at the crossroads named Jonestown the Federals were on route to attack the FPA troops at New Istanbul. The British were moving on New Ankara to act as a buffer to the troops at New Istanbul as well as Fort Michigan. While neither commander had planned on it when the two advanced troops started fighting at the crossroads the rest of the armies were drawn in like a moth to a flame. As the two armies were even and the ground offered no advantage. It came down to the commanders experience and the training of the troops.
The battle began at 1056h when the two cavalry brigades ran into each other. Over the next two hours the two brigades of cavalry fought it out as more troops trickled into Jonestown. The rest of the cavalry arrived first, with the first brigades of infantry not arriving until 1350 for the 4th Army and 1415 for the Army of Michigan.
The battle would slowly spread out from the crossroads town and more and more troops arrived. By the end of the first day all of the Army of Michigan was on the field with two Infantry divisions in line and a third just arrived and in reserve. The 4th Army was also all up, And the cavalry on both sides were fought out and moved to the extreme flanks of the armies.
So when the second day of battle began at 0700h on March 16,1844. The 4th army had 60,000 men up with 30,000 in the line and 20,000 in reserve while the Army of Michigan had 60,000 men up with 40,000 in line and 20,000 in reserve. The British start out on the offensive with their 2nd Division attacking the 8th Legion and part of the 11tt Legion on the Federal left flank. After three hours of combat the Federal flank was crumbling forcing Wilson to commit half of his reserve to reinforce it. While he did this he sent his other reserve Legion to his Right and launched an attack on the British left with the 25th and 27th Legions. This prevented Armstrong from using his reserve to reinforce his attack. And Wilson had no troops to feed into his attack so by 1700h the battle of the Second day had ended.
As the third day dawned the ball was in the British court. The 4th army was forced into a defensive stance with just one Legion in reserve. The attack came at 1100h after a five hour Artillery duel. It came in the center with 40,000 men, the full third division and half of the first and second divisions as well. The 11th Legion held the center and would take the brunt if the British assault. However the 27th Legion quickly joined them as did brigades from the 8th and 26th legions. In the end the assault would not break the Federal line and the survivors would fall back around 1355h. Later that day the two Generals would agree to a ceasefire to see to the wounded, both commanders would agree to withdraw the following day realizing that their armies were fought out. In the final count the Battle of Jonestown was a draw. And a costly one. The Federals lost 975 men killed and 2,600 wounded, the British lost 1,002 men killed and 2,900 wounded. Both armies would be out of action for the rest of the spring.
Start of the siege of St. Louis
Federal Troops manning the heavy 13.8 pounder guns at fort Hamilton
The City of St Louis was a divided city. The original french settlement of St. Louis lies in Massive Missouri territory of the Federal Republic of America however it is commonly known as South St. Louis because it is smaller than the British settlement that also uses the name St. Louis. The Federal Army kept a defensive garrison of 5,000 infantry supported by a battery of field guns and two batteries of heavy artillery guns, in Fort Hamilton on the south bank of the Missouri River. The British kept a slightly larger garrison 10,000 infantry, two batteries of field guns and two batteries of heavy artillery on the Northern Bank of the Missouri River at Fort Missouri. For the first five months of the war these two groups stared at each other exchanging the occasional artillery volley. Then in June this changed when Arnott arrived in St. Louis on June 7,1844 with his column 35,000 men strong. The March though the Ozark Territory had taken its toll on Arnott’s column but his arrival shifted the numbers west of the Mississippi drastically. In a rush the Federal Army rushed the 28th Legion from Federal Port and the 32nd Mississippi Infantry Brigade as well as the 1st Maryland Colored Infantry Division; this brought the Federal forces to South St. Louis up to 30,000 Infantry, three batteries of field guns and two batteries of heavy artillery.
Commonwealth of American States Officers stand by the massive 13 inch mortar battery assigned to support the 1st Maryland Colored Infantry Division defending St. Louis.
Arnott would assume command of the British forces in St. Louis and with the assistance of the Royal Navy Missouri Squadron Crossed the Missouri River on June 14,1844, with 40,000 of his 50,000 men. Beginning at 1435h on June 14th he would assault the Defenses however he found that the American forces had more than enough fire power that by 1800h he had to halt any further assaults. However he would not retreat backa across the river instead he had his men construct trenches parallel to the American Defenses. The Siege of St. Louis had begun.
On March 15th two armies met on a field in north central Mississippi. These were the 60,000 strong Federal 4th Army and the 70,000 strong British Army of Michigan. The 4th Army led by General Washington Lee Wilson while the Army of Michigan was led by General Charles H. Armstrong. Neither commander expected at the crossroads named Jonestown the Federals were on route to attack the FPA troops at New Istanbul. The British were moving on New Ankara to act as a buffer to the troops at New Istanbul as well as Fort Michigan. While neither commander had planned on it when the two advanced troops started fighting at the crossroads the rest of the armies were drawn in like a moth to a flame. As the two armies were even and the ground offered no advantage. It came down to the commanders experience and the training of the troops.
The battle began at 1056h when the two cavalry brigades ran into each other. Over the next two hours the two brigades of cavalry fought it out as more troops trickled into Jonestown. The rest of the cavalry arrived first, with the first brigades of infantry not arriving until 1350 for the 4th Army and 1415 for the Army of Michigan.
The battle would slowly spread out from the crossroads town and more and more troops arrived. By the end of the first day all of the Army of Michigan was on the field with two Infantry divisions in line and a third just arrived and in reserve. The 4th Army was also all up, And the cavalry on both sides were fought out and moved to the extreme flanks of the armies.
So when the second day of battle began at 0700h on March 16,1844. The 4th army had 60,000 men up with 30,000 in the line and 20,000 in reserve while the Army of Michigan had 60,000 men up with 40,000 in line and 20,000 in reserve. The British start out on the offensive with their 2nd Division attacking the 8th Legion and part of the 11tt Legion on the Federal left flank. After three hours of combat the Federal flank was crumbling forcing Wilson to commit half of his reserve to reinforce it. While he did this he sent his other reserve Legion to his Right and launched an attack on the British left with the 25th and 27th Legions. This prevented Armstrong from using his reserve to reinforce his attack. And Wilson had no troops to feed into his attack so by 1700h the battle of the Second day had ended.
As the third day dawned the ball was in the British court. The 4th army was forced into a defensive stance with just one Legion in reserve. The attack came at 1100h after a five hour Artillery duel. It came in the center with 40,000 men, the full third division and half of the first and second divisions as well. The 11th Legion held the center and would take the brunt if the British assault. However the 27th Legion quickly joined them as did brigades from the 8th and 26th legions. In the end the assault would not break the Federal line and the survivors would fall back around 1355h. Later that day the two Generals would agree to a ceasefire to see to the wounded, both commanders would agree to withdraw the following day realizing that their armies were fought out. In the final count the Battle of Jonestown was a draw. And a costly one. The Federals lost 975 men killed and 2,600 wounded, the British lost 1,002 men killed and 2,900 wounded. Both armies would be out of action for the rest of the spring.
Start of the siege of St. Louis
Federal Troops manning the heavy 13.8 pounder guns at fort Hamilton
The City of St Louis was a divided city. The original french settlement of St. Louis lies in Massive Missouri territory of the Federal Republic of America however it is commonly known as South St. Louis because it is smaller than the British settlement that also uses the name St. Louis. The Federal Army kept a defensive garrison of 5,000 infantry supported by a battery of field guns and two batteries of heavy artillery guns, in Fort Hamilton on the south bank of the Missouri River. The British kept a slightly larger garrison 10,000 infantry, two batteries of field guns and two batteries of heavy artillery on the Northern Bank of the Missouri River at Fort Missouri. For the first five months of the war these two groups stared at each other exchanging the occasional artillery volley. Then in June this changed when Arnott arrived in St. Louis on June 7,1844 with his column 35,000 men strong. The March though the Ozark Territory had taken its toll on Arnott’s column but his arrival shifted the numbers west of the Mississippi drastically. In a rush the Federal Army rushed the 28th Legion from Federal Port and the 32nd Mississippi Infantry Brigade as well as the 1st Maryland Colored Infantry Division; this brought the Federal forces to South St. Louis up to 30,000 Infantry, three batteries of field guns and two batteries of heavy artillery.
Commonwealth of American States Officers stand by the massive 13 inch mortar battery assigned to support the 1st Maryland Colored Infantry Division defending St. Louis.
Arnott would assume command of the British forces in St. Louis and with the assistance of the Royal Navy Missouri Squadron Crossed the Missouri River on June 14,1844, with 40,000 of his 50,000 men. Beginning at 1435h on June 14th he would assault the Defenses however he found that the American forces had more than enough fire power that by 1800h he had to halt any further assaults. However he would not retreat backa across the river instead he had his men construct trenches parallel to the American Defenses. The Siege of St. Louis had begun.
The Bloody Decade: the Anglo-American War of 1844: New England Front battle of Fort Green Rock
War on the Connecticut River
Field Marshall Thomas Childs
Author Wellesley Grand Duke of New England
By the start of April the war which had remained frozen in New England thawed out and came back to life. Over the winter months the Crown Republic of New England and mustered a total of 150,000 men. This represented the bulk of her male population between the ages 16 and 45. With older men forming up taking over Coastal defenses and creating reserve units. There would be a total of 4, maybe 5 divisions in reserve this showed New England's chief problem, lack of population. All of the New English army was equipped with the Springfield-Sharps Breech loading Rifle. The Royal Army of New England was divided into two Field Armies, the Northern and Southern Armies. The Northern Army would be led by Field Marshall Thomas Childs while Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley led the Southern Army. Their plan was to breach the Connecticut Line and swiftly sever the links to the Southern Republics and take the Capital of Vermont Montpelier.
The Battle of Fort Green
Vermont Green Coats
For Childs this meant going though Fort Green Rock or Fort Whitehead. Of these two fort Whitehead was the easier but it meant hauling all of the Artillery over White Mountain, and New England had only a small redoubt adjacent to that fort, where Fort Green Rock was opposed by the Great Lebanon Redoubt with three batteries of heavy Artillery. So he aimed his Army at Fort Green Rock betting that numbers would carry the day. The day. Before his force the New English Heavy guns opened up on Fort Green Rock with a full 24 hour bombardment.
Across the River Fort Green Rock was more a series of defenses than an actual fortress. It stretches from the White River to the Ottauquechee River. It is made up of three belts the Lower Belt is located on the ridge line behind the village of White River Junction, and runs south along that ridge line to where Burnap Island is. This belt consists of three masonry forts Forts 1, 2, and 3, connected by a series of earthwork forts and trenches. The Middle Belt is located at the foot of the mountains west of the river this belt consists of a series of earthwork Forts that have cover each other with enveloping fire this belt runs from the White River to the Ottauquechee River. Lastly there is the Upper Belt built along the ridge Crest of the mountains. It is a mix of five masonry Forts and eighteen earthen redoubts. Fort Green Rock is armed with no less than fifteen batteries of heavy artillery and fifty batteries of field guns supported by three divisions of Vermont Infantry. Fort Green Rock was commanded by Lieutenant General Alexander Guzzman.
As his Army arrived at Lebanon Childs sent his seven batteries of field guns to add to the bombardment. His two batteries of horse guns and Cavalry he sent north to join with the Woodville Redoubt in bombarding Fort Whitehead in a Feint. With large stores of ammunition and Britain supplying plenty more if needed. Childs let the bombardment go on for a week. On the night of April 28th he sent his engineers to build the pontoon bridges. He would attack at two points, half the army crossing at White River Junction and the other crossing at Johnson Island. Major General Ruchard Ratcliffe would lead the White River Junction assault and Major General Forest Patterson would lead the Johnson Island assault.
The battle would begin in the predawn hours of April 29th when the columns started the river during this the Artillery shifted its fire so that it bore on the lower belt of defenses. While seeking to protect the crossing Infantry it alerted the Vermont Artillery that the crossing was starting who began dropping shells around the bridges by the time that the sun shone down in the valley Childs had managed to get a division across at each crossing. His plan had been to wait till he had all three divisions across but the fire that his men were taking made him slow Ratcliffe and Patterson to begin their assaults. Both attacks began at 0645h. With their second divisions still crossing the pontoon bridges. As the Infantry went in the New English Artillery shifted toward the Middle and Upper Belts trying to suppress the Vermonter Artillery. The battle for the lower belt had turned into a fierce melee as the New English commanders fed brigades regiments and companies in as soon as they had crossed the bridges. Then at 1117h the Vermonter Artillery scored a direct hit on the pontoon bridge at White River Junction breaking it up and throwing most of the 75th New Hampshire Regiment into the Connecticut River. And stopping the rest of Ratcliffe's third division from crossing until more Pontoons could be brought up worse still the free floating debris from that bridge impacted the Johnson Island bridges destroying the longer bridge east of the island too and dropping the 12th Connecticut Infantry regiment into the Cumberland. Each corps now had two divisions and a part of their third divisions on the western bank but with limited supply. Still the battle continued as Childs improvised a ferry system to bring supplies across the river even if manpower was stopped for now. The rest of the days battle pitted four new English divisions against three Vermonter divisions, however the Vermonters were armed with .50-56 Colt Revolving Rifles. And now the New English like the Colombians, and Mexicans before them found out just how deadly repeating rifles were.
The New English attack ground to a halt with them clinging onto a bridgehead. During the night the New English engineers managed to get the bridge to Johnson Island rebuilt and after a hard night march both remaining divisions across that bridge setting up Patterson for the morning attack. That attack would begin at 0645h on April 30th. While Ratcliffe had his men also renew the attack to keep the Vermonters tied down. Once again the battle would last the full day; however when the sun set the Vermonters had pulled back to the middle belt. Childs had secured his bridgehead and occupied the lower belt. But,his army had been fought out to get here. The Northern Army had lost 5,000 men killed and 12,000 wounded, as well as 3,000 missing. All totaled two full divisions worth of men were gone for the forsee able future, he sent word back to Boston requesting reinforcements, as his men dug in. The Vermonters were better off but just. They had lost 1,100 men killed and 3,000 men wounded but they had less men to start with. They could not counter attack as the battle of Fort Green Rock became a stalemate. While other battles were fought to the south.
(1) yes I know I'm using the Otl portrait of the 2nd Duke of Wellington for Childs and Prince Albert for Wellesley but ITTL Albert is butterflied and it works better for pictures of Victoria
Author Wellesley Grand Duke of New England
By the start of April the war which had remained frozen in New England thawed out and came back to life. Over the winter months the Crown Republic of New England and mustered a total of 150,000 men. This represented the bulk of her male population between the ages 16 and 45. With older men forming up taking over Coastal defenses and creating reserve units. There would be a total of 4, maybe 5 divisions in reserve this showed New England's chief problem, lack of population. All of the New English army was equipped with the Springfield-Sharps Breech loading Rifle. The Royal Army of New England was divided into two Field Armies, the Northern and Southern Armies. The Northern Army would be led by Field Marshall Thomas Childs while Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley led the Southern Army. Their plan was to breach the Connecticut Line and swiftly sever the links to the Southern Republics and take the Capital of Vermont Montpelier.
The Battle of Fort Green
Vermont Green Coats
For Childs this meant going though Fort Green Rock or Fort Whitehead. Of these two fort Whitehead was the easier but it meant hauling all of the Artillery over White Mountain, and New England had only a small redoubt adjacent to that fort, where Fort Green Rock was opposed by the Great Lebanon Redoubt with three batteries of heavy Artillery. So he aimed his Army at Fort Green Rock betting that numbers would carry the day. The day. Before his force the New English Heavy guns opened up on Fort Green Rock with a full 24 hour bombardment.
Across the River Fort Green Rock was more a series of defenses than an actual fortress. It stretches from the White River to the Ottauquechee River. It is made up of three belts the Lower Belt is located on the ridge line behind the village of White River Junction, and runs south along that ridge line to where Burnap Island is. This belt consists of three masonry forts Forts 1, 2, and 3, connected by a series of earthwork forts and trenches. The Middle Belt is located at the foot of the mountains west of the river this belt consists of a series of earthwork Forts that have cover each other with enveloping fire this belt runs from the White River to the Ottauquechee River. Lastly there is the Upper Belt built along the ridge Crest of the mountains. It is a mix of five masonry Forts and eighteen earthen redoubts. Fort Green Rock is armed with no less than fifteen batteries of heavy artillery and fifty batteries of field guns supported by three divisions of Vermont Infantry. Fort Green Rock was commanded by Lieutenant General Alexander Guzzman.
As his Army arrived at Lebanon Childs sent his seven batteries of field guns to add to the bombardment. His two batteries of horse guns and Cavalry he sent north to join with the Woodville Redoubt in bombarding Fort Whitehead in a Feint. With large stores of ammunition and Britain supplying plenty more if needed. Childs let the bombardment go on for a week. On the night of April 28th he sent his engineers to build the pontoon bridges. He would attack at two points, half the army crossing at White River Junction and the other crossing at Johnson Island. Major General Ruchard Ratcliffe would lead the White River Junction assault and Major General Forest Patterson would lead the Johnson Island assault.
The battle would begin in the predawn hours of April 29th when the columns started the river during this the Artillery shifted its fire so that it bore on the lower belt of defenses. While seeking to protect the crossing Infantry it alerted the Vermont Artillery that the crossing was starting who began dropping shells around the bridges by the time that the sun shone down in the valley Childs had managed to get a division across at each crossing. His plan had been to wait till he had all three divisions across but the fire that his men were taking made him slow Ratcliffe and Patterson to begin their assaults. Both attacks began at 0645h. With their second divisions still crossing the pontoon bridges. As the Infantry went in the New English Artillery shifted toward the Middle and Upper Belts trying to suppress the Vermonter Artillery. The battle for the lower belt had turned into a fierce melee as the New English commanders fed brigades regiments and companies in as soon as they had crossed the bridges. Then at 1117h the Vermonter Artillery scored a direct hit on the pontoon bridge at White River Junction breaking it up and throwing most of the 75th New Hampshire Regiment into the Connecticut River. And stopping the rest of Ratcliffe's third division from crossing until more Pontoons could be brought up worse still the free floating debris from that bridge impacted the Johnson Island bridges destroying the longer bridge east of the island too and dropping the 12th Connecticut Infantry regiment into the Cumberland. Each corps now had two divisions and a part of their third divisions on the western bank but with limited supply. Still the battle continued as Childs improvised a ferry system to bring supplies across the river even if manpower was stopped for now. The rest of the days battle pitted four new English divisions against three Vermonter divisions, however the Vermonters were armed with .50-56 Colt Revolving Rifles. And now the New English like the Colombians, and Mexicans before them found out just how deadly repeating rifles were.
The New English attack ground to a halt with them clinging onto a bridgehead. During the night the New English engineers managed to get the bridge to Johnson Island rebuilt and after a hard night march both remaining divisions across that bridge setting up Patterson for the morning attack. That attack would begin at 0645h on April 30th. While Ratcliffe had his men also renew the attack to keep the Vermonters tied down. Once again the battle would last the full day; however when the sun set the Vermonters had pulled back to the middle belt. Childs had secured his bridgehead and occupied the lower belt. But,his army had been fought out to get here. The Northern Army had lost 5,000 men killed and 12,000 wounded, as well as 3,000 missing. All totaled two full divisions worth of men were gone for the forsee able future, he sent word back to Boston requesting reinforcements, as his men dug in. The Vermonters were better off but just. They had lost 1,100 men killed and 3,000 men wounded but they had less men to start with. They could not counter attack as the battle of Fort Green Rock became a stalemate. While other battles were fought to the south.
(1) yes I know I'm using the Otl portrait of the 2nd Duke of Wellington for Childs and Prince Albert for Wellesley but ITTL Albert is butterflied and it works better for pictures of Victoria
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