If they will not meet us on the open sea (a Trent TL)

[Saphroneth]

24 June

Nathan Bedford Forrest (a Brigadier General) examines Plan 64, and points out several cases where the assumptions involved are optimistic or where the plan does not take into account certain features of the terrain.
On the strength of this rather informal exam, he is assigned to the Confederate War Planning department - his first task is to revise Plan 64.

The Republican National Convention continues. Butler loses the support of many of the delegates by the fourth ballot, and at the fifth he bows out after instructing his remaining delegates to support Fremont.
Unfortunately for Fremont, Butler's remaining delegates largely do not listen to him - not that they alone would change the result - and the stalemate continues.

Abraham Lincoln is noted to be mildly upset that he is not even on the list.


25 June

The HMS Minotaur undergoes modifications to her sailing rig, part of a series of tests to determine the best and most efficient rig for large ironclads.

In Columbus a number of deals are done behind closed doors, and Blair agrees to throw his delegates behind Fremont in order to prevent Bates from taking the nomination. The quid pro quo for this is that Blair be named for the Secretary of State position.


26 June

Fitzugh's men engage in their first battle in Santo Dominigo, when two companies capture a weakly held Spanish outpost at the cost of four or five casualties (one fatal).
Buoyed up by this minor success, Fitzugh determines to press onwards and ideally take the Spanish supply port itself - thus ending the war at a stroke - and endeavours to attract to himself a number of rebel infantrymen to serve as supports.

The Republican National Convention selects John C. Fremont as their presidential nominee, with Oliver Morton as the vice presidential nominee. The platform adopted is fairly emphatic on the issue of slavery, and also states that the army and the navy should be built up to such a level as to prevent any future "national humiliation". (Interestingly, the platform as adopted leads strongly towards the suggestion that the existence of the Confederacy is a perpetual "national humiliation")


29 June

Serious disputes take place in the Confederacy over whether San Diego or Long Beach would be the ideal fortified port on the Confederate West Coast. This has become a matter of political influence as much as military logic.
Also on this date, Fitzugh's gunboat (renamed the Golden Star) makes a raid on Monte Cristi. The gunboat has to make a hasty retreat when fired upon by the Berenguela, a full Spanish steam frigate currently moored at the port.


1 July

The British Government determines to move forward seriously on the prospect of Canadian federation; that is, the fusing of most of the components of British North America into a single colony (or "Dominion") with partial independence and local "responsible government".


5 July

At a moderately sized engagement in Santo Dominigo, the Whitworth rifles brought by Fitzugh to the country prove devastating. Their long range and accuracy allows his gunners to engage in powerful counter-battery fire, disabling four Spanish cannon in as many minutes. The attempt to follow up runs afoul of further cannon-fire, but nevertheless is a significant achievement which garners Fitzugh much local respect.


7 July

Forty Indians from Fitzugh's expedition launch a raid on a Spanish camp, scalping several of those they kill. This act garners Fitzugh not a little local disrespect.

 

[Thoresby]

Might Canada in this TL be the Kingdom of Canada (with Vicky as Queen) rather than a Dominion. US sensibilities about Monarchies in North America are going to count for rather less in this TL after all.

 

[Saphroneth]

Might Canada in this TL be the Kingdom of Canada (with Vicky as Queen) rather than a Dominion. US sensibilities about Monarchies in North America are going to count for rather less in this TL after all.

Good question. I looked into the origin of the Dominion name and it did seem to have a pedigree, but I'll admit I'm not sure why they didn't end up as kingdoms.

ED: okay, it looks like among other things it was felt that "Kingdom" was pretentious, as well as US opinions being a concern.

 

[Wet Coast]

Good question. I looked into the origin of the Dominion name and it did seem to have a pedigree, but I'll admit I'm not sure why they didn't end up as kingdoms.

ED: okay, it looks like among other things it was felt that "Kingdom" was pretentious, as well as US opinions being a concern.

The Canadians, especially McDonald, wanted the status of "Kingdom" and basically settled for "Dominion" when it became obvious that this wasn't going to fly. Without as much concern about the US I wonder how much currency is given to Canadian desires in this. This could prompt Victoria getting the Empress title earlier than OTL.

In reality, given that the head of state per the constitution is the King/Queen of Canada, Canada is in fact a Kingdom regardless of title used. The title to be used depends upon what sort of fan dance the politicians want to get involved with.

 

[The Gunslinger]

I think the Canadians might push for their own monarch, one of Victoria's sons could fit the bill.

 

[Captain Jack]

One comment- if Blair is critical to Fremont securing the nomination, Secretary of State might be a better reward. At the time, the VP was a pretty ignored and powerless post. If a politician is looking for an important office, that probably isn't the office they'd want.

 

[pjmidd]

I think the Canadians might push for their own monarch, one of Victoria's sons could fit the bill.

At this time very unlikely, Canada basically is too patriotic ( overall , Quebec would still object but for differing reasons ). They would ask for admittance as a fifth kingdom of the UK before splitting monarch ( and chances of asking are about nil )

 

[Saphroneth]

One comment- if Blair is critical to Fremont securing the nomination, Secretary of State might be a better reward. At the time, the VP was a pretty ignored and powerless post. If a politician is looking for an important office, that probably isn't the office they'd want.

Fair point. Does raise the question of who Fremont's VP nominee would be, though...

 

[RPW@Cy]

Good question. I looked into the origin of the Dominion name and it did seem to have a pedigree, but I'll admit I'm not sure why they didn't end up as kingdoms.

ED: okay, it looks like among other things it was felt that "Kingdom" was pretentious, as well as US opinions being a concern.

It was felt to be pretentious by the Colonial Office in London, if Wikipedia is to be believed Kingdom was definitely the form preferred by the Canadians themselves. I guess it all comes down to how respectful of American sensitivities London feels it needs to be...

 

[Captain Jack]

Fair point. Does raise the question of who Fremont's VP nominee would be, though...

Depends on if the Republicans have any elder statemen types they need to put out to pasture, or if they feel a need to balance the ticket geographically. I'm inclined to say Fremont probably wouldn't feel the need for a balanced ticket. He won most of te North in 1856, and his image as the explorer will help win support in the Western states. So The VP slot will probably go to a politician who has influence, but isn't looking at much more in the way of a political career.

 

[Saphroneth]

I've edited to say Oliver Morton, which admittedly makes this a full Radical Republican ticket...

 

[Skallagrim]

I've edited to say Oliver Morton, which admittedly makes this a full Radical Republican ticket...

That should make Fremont very happy. And in any case... go big or go home.

 

[Saphroneth]

That should make Fremont very happy. And in any case... go big or go home.

Perhaps unfortunately for Fremont, he does have the minor problem of having been given overall OpCon of the Northern front. (He didn't have a job and was the most senior general thus free...)
But yes, this is a tricky move for him and the party. It's got the chance for some fairly hefty dividends, but on the other hand it rather surrenders the centre to McClellan and TTL the whole "slavery superbad" thing was sort of... not a thing.
(Not yet, anyway. The North has far too few slave states, and far too few slaves, to stick with slavery for long - while it's a very Confederate value and something that distinguishes the two states in terms of attitude, so in the manner of such things both sides will sort of slide away from the moderate position. But such things take time in peacetime.)

 

[Saphroneth]

9 July

Publication of the "Manual of Arms of the Republic" by Willem Hermann, a volunteer soldier from the Army of Northern Virginia who has since become a part of the Virginia Militia Cadre (the volunteer section of the militia which is permanently embodied to provide a cadre in time of war). As part of the department concerned with procuring new weapons, Hermann has seen many of the weapons of the world pass under his eye - especially as Virginia is a state particularly inclined to spend money on their armed forces - and he has been spending the last few months working on this piece.

What makes it unusual - and charming, to many readers - is that it is not written as a dry factual work. Rather, it takes the form of a set of dialogues between "A soldier" (presumably Hermann) and "A legionary" - a man from the Roman army of the Principate, with descriptions included as to how the two men examine and demonstrate the weapons. The two men differ on occasion as to what the best properties of a weapon are, something which is generally played for gentle humour (such as the Legionary asking whether a weapon is effective against elephants.)


11 July

The RBL 120-lber is tested on a field carriage (which proves to be too unwieldy to operate as a field gun, not to anyone's surprise) and a siege carriage (where the lesser requirement for quickness of movement make it rather more satisfactory). Earthwork penetration tests are suggested, since the 7" gun is (barely) light enough to be used as a heavy battering piece and it is already known to be able to destroy masonry.

15 July

Fitzugh and his men come under attack by a number of Spanish regulars. They are hard pressed for a time, but give about as good as they get and are ultimately successful in beating off the attack.
Later that day it becomes clear that they have somewhat inadvertently prevented a full Spanish offensive - it so happens that they were in the position of the start of an echelon attack, and their resistance (and the fear factor of seeing everything from Whitworth rifles to tomahawks hitting the Spanish attackers) has caused the attack to peter out before it has really begun. One side effect of this is that Fitzugh is able to recruit a few dozen locals (relatively white locals, it is true, but locals) to make up for his previous casualties.


16 July

RBL 120-lber tested on a gunboat's pivot mount. The high level of recoil causes cracking to the pivot, and it is determined that under normal circumstances the 120-lber should be fired with reduced powder charges (20 lbs) on a pivot that has not been reinforced to handle the full charge. Since this is still sufficient to penetrate Warrior at 500 yards it is seen as quite workable under most circumstances - and a gunboat in a duel with a modern ironclad is seen as having more immediate problems than the life of the pivot mount!


17 July

Something that becomes known somewhat ironically as the Battle of Mobile takes place, when tars from a visiting ship (the Nile) spontaneously decide to destroy the slave baracoons and free all the slaves up for sale in Mobile.
The event sparks a major incident, though the situation is defused somewhat when an apology is rendered by the British ambassador in Richmond within a few hours of the event. He indicates clearly that he is unsure what form of restitution - if any - his government will make, but also that this is certainly not official British government policy.


20 July

The final defeat of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom takes place, with the capture of Nanking. The Ever Victorious Army's direct role in the fighting is necessarily minor (the sheer scale of the fighting means that a mere 9,000 troops are all but lost inside the half-million-strong Qing army) but their indirect role is considerable, as many of the small-scale tactical methods employed by the Qing army are based off the experience and training provided by the Ever Victorious Army.


21 July

Shinsengumi (special police) in Kyoto capture twenty Choshu-domain revolutionaries, preventing them from carrying through on an already-begun plan to set fire to the Imperial City.
This is actually a godsend for the Shogun, who very quickly begins using it to demonstrate that the anti-foreigner and anti-Shogun forces are so driven by madness that they are willing to endanger the Emperor himself.


25 July

Fitzugh is killed in a skirmish, taking a musket ball to the nose and dying instantly. Jesse James takes over command (he was the first to act) and the skirmish is ultimately accounted a victory for the filibusters.


26 July

Fremont and other members of the Republican Party agree privately to make every effort to expedite the admittance of Nevada into the Union - this is thought to be a strongly Republican community.
On the same day, McClellan's inspection tour of the US militia takes him to the truncated state of Maine. He expresses his sympathy for the state and their capture in the late unpleasantness (which is well viewed in newspapers) and muses that it would have been incumbent upon the Government to have readied the state for war if it was a war they wanted - making a comparison to the actions of the British Empire at the same time, who were moving troops and ships from almost the moment they heard of the Trent affair.


29 July

Full shipboard test of the RBL 120 pounder. The carriage proves to be a little unwieldy, and the rate of fire is somewhat diminished still compared to the old Armstrong 110-lber, but the gun - while slower to aim - is just as accurate when used correctly, and the higher velocity gives it a flatter trajectory.
This promptly starts arguments, between the faction who would prefer to close to the range that the 120 pounder can punch enemy armour with considerable remaining energy, and the faction who consider the longer range of the new gun to be the more important feature. Both agree the preferable range is one at which you can hurt the enemy more readily than he can hurt you - the difference is what the best assumption as to this range is.


31 July

Official apology from the British Government to the Confederate States is sent, along with a promise of restitution for the slaves freed at Mobile - specifically, the low-end price as of the 1830s emancipation of all slaves in the British Empire. The full price of replacing the baracoons is also provided for.
Alabamans are upset at this, but are overruled from making it a point of honour by the Mutual Defense Act (as an apology and compensation has indeed been provided for).
Interestingly, the reason for the fast response is the completion of the Second Transatlantic Telegraph cable (completed a few days prior) - which has been an Admiralty priority after the Trent affair's relatively slow communications hampered the Imperial response by over a week and prevented repeated two-way communications on the topic.


2 August

Observers of the Russian-Polish situation note that the Russians have mounted no offensives in some time, despite the generally good campaigning weather. This is attributed to a number of factors, among them the general high support among Poles for the Polish state; the fact that all supply lines run through (chaotic and restless) Lithuania; and the disinclination for Russian generals to be sniped by Huszaria Piechota (which has been a major problem - in some battles the Russians ran out of field-grade officers despite bringing four or more).


5 August

The main issues of debate in the talks of Canadian Federation are, firstly, which colonies in British North America should be considered part of Canada; secondly, how many railways should be built; thirdly, the precise degree of autonomy both of the provinces from Federation and the Federation from Britain; and fourthly, what to call the result. (Dominion of Canada, Federation of Canada, Kingdom of Canada, and just Canada are considered, though in the latter case in the context of "United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland and Canada".)
The flag also comes up for discussion.

 

[diestormlie]

Observers of the Russian-Polish situation note that the Russians have mounted no offensives in some time, despite the generally good campaigning weather. This is attributed to a number of factors, among them the general high support among Poles for the Polish state; the fact that all supply lines run through (chaotic and restless) Lithuania; and the disinclination for Russian generals to be sniped by Huszaria Piechota (which has been a major problem - in some battles the Russians ran out of field-grade officers despite bringing four or more).

Knowing Russia, the last one.

 

[Saphroneth]

Knowing Russia, the last one.

That's actually taken from one of the Crimea battles - Inkerman - where (to quote wiki)

During this fighting [Lt Gen] Soymonov was killed by a British rifleman. Russian command was immediately taken up by Colonel Pristovoitov, who was himself shot a few minutes later. Colonel Uvazhnov-Aleksandrov assumed command of the Russian forces. Shortly after, Uvazhnov-Aleksandrov was also killed in the withering British fire. At this point, no officer seemed keen to take up command...

 

[Saphroneth]

As an incidental aside, I just discovered the tale of the 128th Illinois - the regiment which completely deserted upon the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation!

The reason this matters is that it supports a key thesis for my election-campaign stuff... which is that the Radical Republicans did not have nearly as much support for their views as is sometimes supposed. There simply hadn't been enough time for those views to be absorbed.

 

[Saphroneth]

7 August

Dahlgren begins the long process of casting his remarkable new 20 inch gun for the Puritan. The projected powder charge for solid shot is a fantastic 100 pounds, and the gun is expected to weigh well over forty tons with a shot weight of half a ton. The muzzle energies involved are just as astonishing - though it is noted by one of the men at the Fort Pitt Foundry that a gun of this size will probably fire about once every half hour or less simply due to the need for a large, cumbersome crane to load.
As is the nature of things, Rodman begins casting a very similar gun at the other appropriately-sized furnace in Fort Pitt the same day - his plan is for two hundred pounds of gunpowder to be the firing charge, and his gun is to be over fifty tons.
Neither man is particularly looking forward to the proofing process, as the expense of these huge guns is commensurate with their mighty size.


10 August

Diaz announces to the Republican press in Mexico that the process of national consolidation is complete. He is vague about where the 'traitor' leaders have gone, but remains adamant about the prospects of the future campaign to drive French influence out of Mexico.
As his announcement is taking place in Chihuahua, and as the latest rather fanciful reports have Imperialist troops pushing their way through the mountain passes to the south of the city, there is not the optimism and patriotism he was hoping for.



11 August

In the final day of a complicated three-day battle, one of Diaz' generals is defeated at Bachimba. Of note is the deployment of a special regiment of troops with the Terry, though most of the infantry involved were armed more conventionally.

Part of the reason for the complexity of this battle is the combination of the Imperial siege train (four 164mm rifles) and the difficulty of supply via wagon through the Mexican heat - as such the force started off quite widely dispersed, and so the Battle of Bachimba has been one of the Republican force having to deal with multiple opponents consecutively. Eventually, however, the Terry-armed regiment has managed to bring itself into play in a decisive fashion (after having to send for more cartridges twice) and the battle has been decided.

The next step for the Imperials is to consolidate their forces, and to march on Chihuahua.


13 August

Jesse James mounts a daring cavalry raid against Spanish forces, losing several of his men but managing to overwhelm the guards of a Spanish supply dump. With their stores lost, the Spanish are now compelled to retreat to an alternative source of supply - thus taking the pressure off a hard-pressed Dominican fort and earning much in the way of accolades.
Also on this date, the first fish and chips shop opens in London.


15 August

Uruguay rejects an ultimatum from the Empire of Brazil, and war breaks out (though the war is not actually formally declared, with the Brazilian government deciding to skip that step.)
This is in effect an intervention in an ongoing civil struggle.


16 August

Incident in Kyoto where former Choshu domain samurai attempt to take over the city, an attempt which collapses very quickly and leads to the death of all the rebels. The Shogun declares that this is intolerable and that Choshu must be brought to account.


18 August

Diaz personally leads his army in the defense of Chihuahua. This succeeds in preventing the encirclement of the city, though he cannot prevent the Imperial forces from securing high ground to use as a base of operations for their heavy rifles.
His problem is simply that there is not a great deal of Mexico left for him to run to.


23 August

The Ushidoshi Maru is rearmed, ready to lead an expedition against Choshu domain. The Shogun is keen to use her as a demonstration of overwhelming firepower, and orders some aftermarket modifications - primarily fitting some plates of iron to the base of her mast as a guard against fire, something which increases her draft by a couple of inches but which does not seem to fundamentally alter the ship's seaworthiness.



24 August

French naval designers discuss the new British RBL 120 pounder and the implications of its abilities. There is a sense among those present that this means that heavier armour - and equivalent guns - are a priority, but not long after the beginning of the meeting someone brings up the Confederate torpedo vessels from Charleston.
He suggests that it would perhaps be worthwhile looking into these as well - or instead. Others bring up the concept of the ram, someone suggests combining the two, and there is even discussion of building a Monitor design with very heavy armour on a circular turret (though there is agreement that, if the French did build a shield-ship, they would do it correctement.)


26 August

The Nevadan state constitution is being worked on at great speed, with much of the legal work being done by a "frontier lawyer" going largely off other state constitutions for precedent. A census is also underway, though it is evident that Nevada is so sparsely populated that according it a single Representative is probably being generous. (One wag jokes that what Nevada needs is not two Senators and a Representative, but two Sheriffs and a Deputy.)


29 August

In a convention in Chicago, Illinois, the Democratic party selects George B. McClellan and George H. Pendleton as their nominees for President and Vice President respectively.
The platform has been somewhat influenced by McClellan's entirely coincidental national tour over the last several months, and stresses a desire to avoid foreign entanglements; the need for a defensive military; the value of mending relations with those overseas; the absolute avoidance of uncompensated emancipation, and that the War with Britain (and the subsequent defeat) was entirely the fault of the Republican party.

Privately, McClellan writes to his wife that he would probably not have decided to run - but that he could see the possibility that the Democrats would win, and would rather he be leading the charge and able to direct it instead of watching from behind the lines as wrong decisions were made. (Since the nomination of Fremont, his position has solidified - he sees Fremont as being dangerously radical).
The extent to which this is self justification is unknown - even to McClellan himself.


31 August

After some weeks of negotiation, the Geneva Convention is signed (in Geneva). The document provides for:

1. the immunity from capture and destruction of all establishments for the treatment of wounded and sick soldiers
2. the impartial reception and treatment of all combatants
3. the protection of civilians providing aid to the wounded
4. the recognition of the Red Cross symbol as a means of identifying persons and equipment covered by the agreement

The list of signatories is impressive (and indeed several of the signatories had to be argued round to participating). In addition to several of the smaller German states, the Convention is signed by representatives of:

The Grand Duchy of Baden
The Kingdom of Belgium
The Kingdom of Denmark
The French Empire
The Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Spain
The Swiss Confederation (hosts)
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United States of America
The Kingdom of Württemberg

The Mexican Empire and the Polish Republic are not present owing to either travel time concerns or being busy elsewhere; the Confederate States are uninterested. (Some suggest that the very disinterest of the Confederacy is why both the United Kingdom and the United States signed on).

 

[Major Major]

29 August

In a convention in Chicago, Illinois, the Democratic party selects George B. McClellan and George H. Pendleton as their nominees for President and Vice President respectively.
The platform has been somewhat influenced by McClellan's entirely coincidental national tour over the last several months, and stresses a desire to avoid foreign entanglements; the need for a defensive military; the value of mending relations with those overseas; the absolute avoidance of uncompensated emancipation, and that the War with Britain (and the subsequent defeat) was entirely the fault of the Republican party.

Privately, McClellan writes to his wife that he would probably not have decided to run - but that he could see the possibility that the Democrats would win, and would rather he be leading the charge and able to direct it instead of watching from behind the lines as wrong decisions were made. (Since the nomination of Fremont, his position has solidified - he sees Fremont as being dangerously radical).
The extent to which this is self justification is unknown - even to McClellan himself.

What will their campaign literature be like?

 

[Saphroneth]

Probably quite a mix - focus on the failings of the previous administration, pictures of the ruined forts, quotes from Seward about how easily the Union could take Canada, and the odd bit of heavy handed but depressingly successful racism.
Also, plenty of discussion of the planned Peninsular campaign that never was, and how it would have ended the war nicely...