21 November - 27 December 1862
Saphroneth
Banned
21 November
The committee on firearms determines to adopt the Snider-Enfield, on account of its excellent qualities as a firearm. Parliament is not in session at this date, barring the occasional special session, so it is not possible to make the decision official as of yet; however, there is considerable money left in the Vote from the last parliament which will now not be needed and some of this is for weapons procurement.
Making use of this, the committee orders twenty thousand Sniders to be manufactured as soon as possible, with the intent to expand the order to at least the whole Regular Army in the next session of parliament. Orders are also placed for Snider ammunition, both in waxed-paper and metallic form, for subsidiary trials to take place later (the Snider will be adopted, the main question is whether the metallic cartridges are worthwhile).
26 November
There is a sudden general mobilization ordered in Prussia, calling out the Landwehr of both the old (un-retrained) and new classes. The results are mixed - the mobilization was ordered for concentration on the Baltic coast to repel a possible Swedish attack, and organizational chaos spreads (though the currently-in-training Landwehr are quite fast to react, brigaded as they are with the regular army).
27 November
The Royal Navy makes large orders of Palliser shells. The intent is to replace all cannonballs or solid bolts in use for anti armour weapons as soon as possible, as the Palliser shell has shown itself to be equal or superior in all roles (though it is more expensive, which is why smaller cannon will retain their solid shot until replaced with Armstrong guns or other weapons)
29 November
It is announced to the Prussian people that there is, in fact, no Swedish threat. This had already become obvious from the frank confusion on the part of the Swedes, and they are somewhat relieved to discover they had not accidentally insulted Prussia.
The exercise was intended to test the mobilization rate of the new system, though the results are inconclusive as the new system's rollout was incomplete. It does, however, prove that the Landwehr currently undergoing their refresher courses can deploy at least as much manpower to the frontiers in the first few days of an emergency as the plan to expand the regular army (though noble officers complain that the resultant troops are of a lower quality).
2 December
Tests are performed on the Glatton along with a trio of older gunboats from the Crimean period (the Beacon, Swinger and Mistletoe) against undersea mines. The ships are all modified to add a double-bottom, as a simulation of the defences against mines built into current ironclad classes and the intended mine-sweeping vessels currently under construction.
A wide variety of tests take place, with the four hapless ships subjected to everything from being pulled through contact minefields (which are of varying ages, from days to months, though fitted with only a small charge) to progressively larger charges detonated near their keels.
Against smaller mines, the double bottom tends to protect against a single charge but can rupture (thus meaning the ship must retire) while against larger charges the explosion can cause collapse of both the outer and inner hull.
Of note is the trial of mine nets on the Swinger, which are awkward but which do somewhat reduce the danger by keeping a tethered mine from coming right up against the hull.
The Glatton is ultimately sunk by a large charge exploded almost directly under her keel, which produces the unexpected effect of causing her back to break. This is noted carefully!
7 December
Coronation of Emperor Maximilian I of the (second) Mexican Empire, a grand affair. Quite a lot of the troops present are French, though they do wear cockades in Mexican colours to try to make things look less heavy handed.
15 December
Chicago submits a formal bid for consideration as the next Capital of the United States. Included in the bid are plans for fortification of the Straits of Mackinac, although it is not precisely clear whether Michigan was consulted on these plans.
18 December
A large shipment of good modern rifles is smuggled into Congress Poland. They are something of a mix - Enfields, Belgian rifles, French Minie rifles - but all are quite good quality. (There are enough that the Union of six months ago would be highly jealous.)
22 December
It is becoming increasingly clear to the Mexican Conservative faction that they have somehow found an excessively liberal Habsburg to become their autocratic Emperor.
Some of them have the grace to blame themselves.
27 December
The USS Dictator is laid down in the United States. The decision to lay down an ironclad intended to be a world-beater so soon is bold, but driven partly by the fact that California gold and Nevada silver are at last flowing again. Lancaster has escorted what amounts to a more modern version of a Treasure Fleet around the Americas, and the influx of hard cash (including nearly a year's arrears) goes a long way to helping the United States start getting back on an even keel.
The committee on firearms determines to adopt the Snider-Enfield, on account of its excellent qualities as a firearm. Parliament is not in session at this date, barring the occasional special session, so it is not possible to make the decision official as of yet; however, there is considerable money left in the Vote from the last parliament which will now not be needed and some of this is for weapons procurement.
Making use of this, the committee orders twenty thousand Sniders to be manufactured as soon as possible, with the intent to expand the order to at least the whole Regular Army in the next session of parliament. Orders are also placed for Snider ammunition, both in waxed-paper and metallic form, for subsidiary trials to take place later (the Snider will be adopted, the main question is whether the metallic cartridges are worthwhile).
26 November
There is a sudden general mobilization ordered in Prussia, calling out the Landwehr of both the old (un-retrained) and new classes. The results are mixed - the mobilization was ordered for concentration on the Baltic coast to repel a possible Swedish attack, and organizational chaos spreads (though the currently-in-training Landwehr are quite fast to react, brigaded as they are with the regular army).
27 November
The Royal Navy makes large orders of Palliser shells. The intent is to replace all cannonballs or solid bolts in use for anti armour weapons as soon as possible, as the Palliser shell has shown itself to be equal or superior in all roles (though it is more expensive, which is why smaller cannon will retain their solid shot until replaced with Armstrong guns or other weapons)
29 November
It is announced to the Prussian people that there is, in fact, no Swedish threat. This had already become obvious from the frank confusion on the part of the Swedes, and they are somewhat relieved to discover they had not accidentally insulted Prussia.
The exercise was intended to test the mobilization rate of the new system, though the results are inconclusive as the new system's rollout was incomplete. It does, however, prove that the Landwehr currently undergoing their refresher courses can deploy at least as much manpower to the frontiers in the first few days of an emergency as the plan to expand the regular army (though noble officers complain that the resultant troops are of a lower quality).
2 December
Tests are performed on the Glatton along with a trio of older gunboats from the Crimean period (the Beacon, Swinger and Mistletoe) against undersea mines. The ships are all modified to add a double-bottom, as a simulation of the defences against mines built into current ironclad classes and the intended mine-sweeping vessels currently under construction.
A wide variety of tests take place, with the four hapless ships subjected to everything from being pulled through contact minefields (which are of varying ages, from days to months, though fitted with only a small charge) to progressively larger charges detonated near their keels.
Against smaller mines, the double bottom tends to protect against a single charge but can rupture (thus meaning the ship must retire) while against larger charges the explosion can cause collapse of both the outer and inner hull.
Of note is the trial of mine nets on the Swinger, which are awkward but which do somewhat reduce the danger by keeping a tethered mine from coming right up against the hull.
The Glatton is ultimately sunk by a large charge exploded almost directly under her keel, which produces the unexpected effect of causing her back to break. This is noted carefully!
7 December
Coronation of Emperor Maximilian I of the (second) Mexican Empire, a grand affair. Quite a lot of the troops present are French, though they do wear cockades in Mexican colours to try to make things look less heavy handed.
15 December
Chicago submits a formal bid for consideration as the next Capital of the United States. Included in the bid are plans for fortification of the Straits of Mackinac, although it is not precisely clear whether Michigan was consulted on these plans.
18 December
A large shipment of good modern rifles is smuggled into Congress Poland. They are something of a mix - Enfields, Belgian rifles, French Minie rifles - but all are quite good quality. (There are enough that the Union of six months ago would be highly jealous.)
22 December
It is becoming increasingly clear to the Mexican Conservative faction that they have somehow found an excessively liberal Habsburg to become their autocratic Emperor.
Some of them have the grace to blame themselves.
27 December
The USS Dictator is laid down in the United States. The decision to lay down an ironclad intended to be a world-beater so soon is bold, but driven partly by the fact that California gold and Nevada silver are at last flowing again. Lancaster has escorted what amounts to a more modern version of a Treasure Fleet around the Americas, and the influx of hard cash (including nearly a year's arrears) goes a long way to helping the United States start getting back on an even keel.
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