1805 – The French defeat the Austrians and the Treaty of Pressburg ends the War of the Third Coalition. Britain remains at war with France in what is largely a naval war at this point. The British, increasingly worried about a French invasion and low on manpower after years of war, begin a program of impressment of sailors from other nations, particularly those in North America that are of British heritage in order to bolster the ranks of their navy. Both the US and CAS complain about this practice, along with a continuance of the British policy of intercepting and capturing ships of neutrals trading with France. The British ignore these complaints leading to public fury in both the US and CAS and the CAS stopping all trade with the British. Senior US military leaders, led by Miranda, begin contemplating an invasion of Canada, should war with the British become a reality. The Navy drafts a plan for defense of the coast and for fighting the British navy in the Atlantic. The US army reaches its peak of 100,000 men in this year and Congress discontinues the expansion of the army. Several States continue to expand their militias, preparing for what seems to be an inevitable conflict with European powers. A combined French-Spanish fleet captures the island of Diamond Rock in the West Indies. This victory and the mild success of the French in engaging the British in naval warfare so far, causes Napoleon to contemplate again a grand French Empire in North America. He begins to eye parts of Spanish America, particularly New Spain (Mexico) as a prime candidate for conquest at a future point. In November, the Lewis and Clark expedition reaches the Pacific Ocean.
1806 – War of the Fourth Coalition begins and the French defeat the Prussians after a lightening campaign. Early in the year, a massive battle (Battle of Cadiz) occurs between the combined French-Spanish fleet and the British fleet as Napoleon attempts to lure the British into a trap. The plan partially works, with the British fleet falling for the trap and being badly damaged, losing 16 of 25 ships. The French victory however is a pyrrhic one, as the French-Spanish force loses 12 of 38 ships. Napoleon, seeing the loses from the battle scraps his plan to invade Britain and decides instead to invade Portugal through Spain, then overthrow the Spanish government and build an empire in North America, starting with a re-conquest of Hispaniola. On the other side of the Atlantic, three days after the disastrous Battle of Cadiz, the British intercept a convoy of US merchant ships bound for French ports. When the commander of the cruiser USS Norfolk refuses to stop, the British open fire, sinking the ship and forcing the rest of the convoy to stop as 16 sailors are impressed into the British navy. This incident, known today as the Norfolk Incident incites public opinion against the British to such an extent, lawmakers in Washington, D.C. can no longer ignore the public outcry for war. On March 21st the Congress issues a declaration of war against Britain. Napoleon asks Spain for military access and the Spanish allow his army to enter the country for the purpose of invading Portugal. Napoleon begins his campaign against Portugal in August. Cape Colony in South Africa becomes a British colony. The Sauk and the Meskwaki complete their move to lands reserved at the moment for a possible Native American State. The population of the Pepper Coast Territory surges to 168,000.
Elections: Jonathan Steward (E), Oliver Wolcott (H), and William Hastings (S) elected Consuls of the US
The British-American War: The US organized its first invasion of British North America from three angles beginning in April: one prong of the American attack, led by General Andrew Jackson invaded across the Detroit River, quickly capturing Windsor just 13 days after the declaration of war by Congress. General Lafayette invaded Canada by crossing the Niagra River and moving quickly toward York. On the Northeastern front, General William Henry Harrison invaded Nova Scotia moving toward Halifax. The US won several initial victories against much smaller and ill-trained Canadian forces. On June 22nd, Lafayette met British general, Sir Isaac Brock at the Battle of York and with a brilliant tactical move, based on Napoleonic tactics, defeated the nearly equal British force and the British retreat to York to prepare a hasty defense.
A series of three battles, most of them fought to a draw, throughout July, eventually led to Lafayette’s capture of the important city and after an initial rest he moved his forces north toward Quebec. General Jackson, after the capture of Windsor moved northwest toward Sault Ste. Marie in an attempt to ensure control over Lake Superior. By the end of the year, Jackson is in complete control of Lake Superior and US warships on the Great Lakes secure Lake Michigan and most of Lake Huron. General Harrison is defeated outside of Halifax and retreats to occupied Fredericton to wait for his Spring Offensive. The US navy attempts a blockade of Nova Scotia initially, but this fails due to the larger British presence in the Atlantic, though that presence is smaller than in OTL due to the Battle of Cadiz the year before and British fear of a French invasion. The State fleets and merchant marine are much more successful however as they take a dramatic toll on British shipping during the year. Lafayette manages to capture Montreal in early October and stops his campaign for the year as the winter sets in. General Brock prepares defenses at Quebec and the British send a force of 24,000 men to reinforce Sir George Prevost at Halifax, but can spare no more men because of Napoleon’s threat of invasion.
1807 – Napoleon conquered Portugal by January and in February he crosses back into Spain with the bulk of his army. The Portuguese government flees to Brazil. He overthrew the Spanish government during the infamous Sixty Days, establishing control of most of Spain and destroying what remained of the Spanish Army, which never truly recovered after its defeat by Portugal three years prior. France annexes Spain entirely and Napoleon proclaims himself Emperor of Spain and all of its domains. The Treaty of Paris formally cedes all Spanish territories to the French Empire. When word of this crosses the Atlantic, many important figures in Spanish America declare their respective colonies independent of Spain and refuse to recognize Napoleon’s rule. Many of them form local military juntas and begin raising armies to secure their independence. In some cases, Spanish Royalists refuse to recognize the local juntas and civil war erupts in much of Spanish America in addition to the revolution. Napoleon decides to send a sizable force to the Americas in an attempt to formally conquer and pacify much of Spanish America. The War of the Fourth Coalition ends in French victory.
In May, after signing a treaty with Prussia and Russia, ending the War of the Fourth Coalition, Napoleon feigned an invasion of Britain using a portion of the French fleet and nearly the entirety of the Spanish fleet (captured during the Sixty Days). The British, believing an actual invasion to be underway, engaged the French fleet, fighting it to a draw as the bulk of the actual French fleet based out of Brest, embarked for the New World. In July, a force of 38,000 French soldiers land on Hispaniola and by the end of the year, the world’s first black republic is re-conquered and proclaimed a French colony once more. Also in this month, two separate French forces broke from the main fleet and land armies of 43,000 men and 24,000 men at Veracruz in New Spain and Caracas in Venezuela respectively. A second French force of 31,000 men left from occupied Portugal in August sailing for the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata. Napoleon felt secure sending a large portion of his army to the New World due to his new alliance with Russia and the end of the war on continental Europe.
French armies find limited success in the New World, as the French commander Louis-Nicolas Davout secures Veracruz and finds quick success in capturing Mexico City before revolutionary leaders can put up an effective defense or raise and train a substantial army. Mexican revolutionary leader, Miguel Hidalgo, though fielding a large 70,000-man army, is unable to push Davout from Mexico City due to the poor training and equipment of his army. Hidalgo moves slowly northward with Davout in pursuit. Other Mexican leaders, inspired by Miranda’s ideas (as is Hidalgo) and loathing the French invasion, begin raising armies as well. Two of the most important, Agustin de Iturbide and Vicente Guerrero, begin organizing and training the Mexican Revolutionary Army in southern New Spain near Acapulco. In Venezuela, the French army under Jean-Baptiste Bessieres is not quite as successful as Davout. Though he manages to quickly secure Caracas, Simon Bolivar and his 76,000 man army, though ill-trained and poorly equipped, manage to stop the French commander from making significant gains outside of Caracas by the end of the year. French forces on Hispaniola plan an invasion of Cuba for the next year.
In the US, Robert Fulton’s first American steamboat leaves New York City for Albany. The CAS considers and invasion of Cuba, fearing an imminent French invasion of the island.
British-American War: General Harrison’s famous Spring Campaign begins in which he splits his forces between a naval force that lands north of Halifax, while advancing by land from the west with a larger force. The US navy wins a key naval victory against the British in the Battle of Cape Breton, allowing the US to temporarily blockade Nova Scotia. The tactic succeeds wildly as Harrison captures Halifax in late April. Harrison begins plans for a naval invasion of Newfoundland while the US still has naval superiority in the area. In May, his invasion of Newfoundland begins with a landing south of St. John’s. On June 12th, he defeats what is left of Prevost’s forces and forces the British commander’s surrender.
In Upper Canada, General Jackson moves westward toward the Pacific Ocean to capture key British forts along the way and on the island of Vancouver and to secure the area for the US after the war. Along the way he fights several battles against the Native allies of Britain and sporadic Canadian forces. General Lafayette captures Trois-Rivieres early in the year, then moves north against Quebec. He is repulsed four separate times by General Brock. A feigned retreat finally lures Brock from the safety of Quebec onto the open plains, allowing Lafayette to decisively defeat him several miles from the city. Though Lafayette is successful, he is wounded and spends the rest of the year healing from his wounds. By the end of this year, all of the Great Lakes are under US control. The British, though aware of the immediate need to reinforce Canada, are unable to due to the fleet operating in the Channel and the constant threat of invasion by Napoleon. The British do manage to attempt an assault on New York City, shelling the city and landing a force of 3,300 marines on Manhattan Island. The assault damages the city and is successful for several days until the New York Militia manages to dislodge the British from the island. At the end of the year, the British attempt one last counterattack by sailing a squadron of ships down the St. Lawrence River in an effort to recapture Quebec. The British successfully re-occupy Quebec on Christmas Day, forcing Lafayette to retreat south to Trois-Rivieres and wait for the spring to resume his attack on British forces led by Gordon Drummond.
1808 – Russian-Swedish War begins. John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company. The French forces under General Davout continued to pursue Hidalgo northeast into the New Spanish province of Tejas. Hidalgo is defeated at the Battle of the Rio Grande in March and fled toward the US border in the direction of Louisiana. Hidalgo sent couriers ahead of him to cross the border and ask the local authorities for asylum. As history shows, his true intention was to either secure financial support and training from the US so he could return south and liberate New Spain from the French, or goad the French into pursuing him beyond the US border, thereby bringing the US in the war against the French. In June, Hidalgo approached the US border and the local commander of the Louisiana territorial militia, Jacques Tessaline, in accordance with the governor of the territory, allowed Hidalgo and his army to cross the border and camp at Shreveport to escape Davout. On July 17th, after defeating a small Mexican militia, Davout reached the US border. Upon learning of Hidalgo’s encampment at Shreveport, the now furious Davout, against the orders of Napoleon, crossed the US border on August 3rd. The Louisiana Militia and Hidalgo are defeated and Davout occupies the town. By August 12th, he is in pursuit of the mixed Mexican-American force as he marches toward New Orleans. When word reached Washington, D.C. of the French invasion, the Congress unanimously declared war against France on August 15th. A 24,000 man Federal force is sent south with Miranda as commander to confront Davout and stop him from taking New Orleans. Miranda engaged General Davout ten miles north of New Orleans. The resulting battle led to a French defeat and Davout’s retreat back to Shreveport. Miranda pursued Davout and on November 4th, the Second Battle of Shreveport results in a draw. Miranda is forced to wait until reinforcements arrive before assaulting the city again.
In New Spain, several thousand French reinforcements landed at Veracruz and General Emmanuel de Grouchy defeated a large ragtag army led by Guerrero and Iturbide on May 3rd. This battle secured French control of central Mexico (Davout’s campaign secured the Northeast coastal region and Tejas) and Grouchy begins his campaign south toward Acapulco to destroy the Mexican Revolutionary Army. Acapulco is captured by the French by July and throughout August and September, Grouchy secures the southern half of New Spain and campaigns eastward toward Oaxaca and Palenque, capturing both by the end of the year.
In Venezuela, General Bessieres made important gains along the coast, defeating Bolivar in a number of engagements at Valencia and Barquisimeto before besieging Maracaibo in September. The Battle of Maracaibo ends in victory for the South American Liberation Army (Bolivar’s army) and Bolivar pushed Bessieres eastward. A battle at Coro on the coast ended in a draw and Bolivar fortified the city for the inevitable counterattack. Bessieres retreated south to Barquisimeto to prepare his army for a campaign along the coast to push Bolivar westward and into Colombia. Bessieres’ campaign began in late August and he drove Bolivar westward, defeating the South American rebel in December at the Battle of Cartagena in Colombia.
The French under General Jean-de-Dieu Soult landed on the northern coast of Cuba and move toward Havana. The remainder of the force, some 12,000 men, invaded Spanish Florida. The CAS, worried about the French presence so close to their border and emboldened by the US declaration of war two days prior, declared war on France and began preparations for an invasion of Florida and eventual conquest of Cuba. By the end of the year, CAS forces secured northern Florida and on December 23rd, a squadron of ships and a 14,000-man force left Charleston headed for Cuba.
French forces landed at Buenos Aires in the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata in February and quickly conquered the small settlement. The French engaged Jose de San Martin by early March and though they inflicted heavy casualties on the Rio de la Plata Revolutionary Army, they are unable to move inland more than sixty miles beyond Buenos Aires for the rest of the year.
British-American War: An attempted British assault on Tangier ends in disaster, as the French fleet attacks the British fleet during the attempted capture of the city. Later in the year, the Americans attempt an assault on Gibraltar, but are badly defeated. US militia forces from the Pepper Coast Territory, mostly composed of free blacks, marched north and captured Freetown from the British. British leaders in London decided to take a gamble and attempt to knock the US out of the war by sending a force of 40,000 men from Britain to the New World and invade the US at New York City and march south to Washington, D.C. They have decided that Napoleon will probably not invade at this point and sending a large force to the Americas and capturing Washington might bring the Americans to terms and at least allow for a status quo victory for the Empire. General Lafayette re-conquered Quebec after an intense battle with General Drummond. Lafayette’s small naval force cleared the St. Lawrence River of British ships by July and both Upper and Lower Canada were considered secure by that point. General Jackson reached the Pacific Ocean and captured several British forts at Puget Sound and Vancouver Island, securing these locations for the US after the war. In July, the British expeditionary force shelled New York City for thirteen hours straight before landing and capturing the city. Though the militia force fought valiantly, they were overwhelmed by British numbers. The British under Lord Chatham began pushing south toward Washington, D.C. On September 21st , the last significant battle of the British-American War is fought five miles outside of Baltimore when a combined Federal-State militia force (mostly made up of Virginia militia) of 32,000 men met the British in battle.
The Americans are almost routed from the battlefield, but a timely intervention by an Ohio militia force, recently federalized and sent east, helps bolster US forces. The force is mostly made of Native Americans and includes forces led by Black Hawk and Tecumseh. The Ohio militia manages to outflank the British (mostly thanks to Black Hawk’s cavalry) and the main Federal force is able to split British lines, routing them from the battlefield. Lord Chatham is killed during the battle and the US forces captured nearly 21,000 men as prisoners of war. The performance of the Native American militia at the Battle of Baltimore (and the general lack of support of the Native tribes for Britain as compared to OTL) helps foster much goodwill between whites and Natives after the war and many white Americans come to respect Native culture much more than in OTL. This helps lead to a number of Native states throughout US territory over the next century. The legend of Black Hawk’s Cavalry and Tecumseh’s Charge become almost mythical, and a romanticized image of Native Americans emerged in the American mind that greatly helps race relations and tolerance, along with general respect for Native culture. Three weeks after the Battle of Baltimore, Britain sued for peace and negotiations began to determine the terms of the peace treaty. On November 15th, the Treaty of Richmond officially ends the British-American War. A separate treaty with Russia demarcates the boundary between US territory and Russian Alaska.
Treaty of Richmond:
1.The US annexes all of Canada, including Labrador and Newfoundland.
2.The US extends its claims in North America westward to the Pacific Ocean, including the Oregon Territory and Vancouver Island, north to the border of Russian Alaska.
3.The British are granted special trading rights in eastern Canada and fishing rights on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.
4.The US will reserve specific territory for several Native tribes in the area previously protected by the Crown, the most notable of which are the Five Nations of the Iroquois League.
5.The US will help Britain end the slave trade in the Atlantic in accordance with the US Constitution and the British Slave Trade Act of 1807.
6.Britain will forever end the impressment of US sailors into the British Navy.
7.Britain will respect neutrality of the seas and the right of neutrals to trade with belligerents.
8.Britain will not further colonize, claim, or conquer any land in the New World, though it shall retain all existing territories except Canada.
9.The US annexes Freetown and surrounding territory in Africa.
1806 – War of the Fourth Coalition begins and the French defeat the Prussians after a lightening campaign. Early in the year, a massive battle (Battle of Cadiz) occurs between the combined French-Spanish fleet and the British fleet as Napoleon attempts to lure the British into a trap. The plan partially works, with the British fleet falling for the trap and being badly damaged, losing 16 of 25 ships. The French victory however is a pyrrhic one, as the French-Spanish force loses 12 of 38 ships. Napoleon, seeing the loses from the battle scraps his plan to invade Britain and decides instead to invade Portugal through Spain, then overthrow the Spanish government and build an empire in North America, starting with a re-conquest of Hispaniola. On the other side of the Atlantic, three days after the disastrous Battle of Cadiz, the British intercept a convoy of US merchant ships bound for French ports. When the commander of the cruiser USS Norfolk refuses to stop, the British open fire, sinking the ship and forcing the rest of the convoy to stop as 16 sailors are impressed into the British navy. This incident, known today as the Norfolk Incident incites public opinion against the British to such an extent, lawmakers in Washington, D.C. can no longer ignore the public outcry for war. On March 21st the Congress issues a declaration of war against Britain. Napoleon asks Spain for military access and the Spanish allow his army to enter the country for the purpose of invading Portugal. Napoleon begins his campaign against Portugal in August. Cape Colony in South Africa becomes a British colony. The Sauk and the Meskwaki complete their move to lands reserved at the moment for a possible Native American State. The population of the Pepper Coast Territory surges to 168,000.
Elections: Jonathan Steward (E), Oliver Wolcott (H), and William Hastings (S) elected Consuls of the US
The British-American War: The US organized its first invasion of British North America from three angles beginning in April: one prong of the American attack, led by General Andrew Jackson invaded across the Detroit River, quickly capturing Windsor just 13 days after the declaration of war by Congress. General Lafayette invaded Canada by crossing the Niagra River and moving quickly toward York. On the Northeastern front, General William Henry Harrison invaded Nova Scotia moving toward Halifax. The US won several initial victories against much smaller and ill-trained Canadian forces. On June 22nd, Lafayette met British general, Sir Isaac Brock at the Battle of York and with a brilliant tactical move, based on Napoleonic tactics, defeated the nearly equal British force and the British retreat to York to prepare a hasty defense.
A series of three battles, most of them fought to a draw, throughout July, eventually led to Lafayette’s capture of the important city and after an initial rest he moved his forces north toward Quebec. General Jackson, after the capture of Windsor moved northwest toward Sault Ste. Marie in an attempt to ensure control over Lake Superior. By the end of the year, Jackson is in complete control of Lake Superior and US warships on the Great Lakes secure Lake Michigan and most of Lake Huron. General Harrison is defeated outside of Halifax and retreats to occupied Fredericton to wait for his Spring Offensive. The US navy attempts a blockade of Nova Scotia initially, but this fails due to the larger British presence in the Atlantic, though that presence is smaller than in OTL due to the Battle of Cadiz the year before and British fear of a French invasion. The State fleets and merchant marine are much more successful however as they take a dramatic toll on British shipping during the year. Lafayette manages to capture Montreal in early October and stops his campaign for the year as the winter sets in. General Brock prepares defenses at Quebec and the British send a force of 24,000 men to reinforce Sir George Prevost at Halifax, but can spare no more men because of Napoleon’s threat of invasion.
1807 – Napoleon conquered Portugal by January and in February he crosses back into Spain with the bulk of his army. The Portuguese government flees to Brazil. He overthrew the Spanish government during the infamous Sixty Days, establishing control of most of Spain and destroying what remained of the Spanish Army, which never truly recovered after its defeat by Portugal three years prior. France annexes Spain entirely and Napoleon proclaims himself Emperor of Spain and all of its domains. The Treaty of Paris formally cedes all Spanish territories to the French Empire. When word of this crosses the Atlantic, many important figures in Spanish America declare their respective colonies independent of Spain and refuse to recognize Napoleon’s rule. Many of them form local military juntas and begin raising armies to secure their independence. In some cases, Spanish Royalists refuse to recognize the local juntas and civil war erupts in much of Spanish America in addition to the revolution. Napoleon decides to send a sizable force to the Americas in an attempt to formally conquer and pacify much of Spanish America. The War of the Fourth Coalition ends in French victory.
In May, after signing a treaty with Prussia and Russia, ending the War of the Fourth Coalition, Napoleon feigned an invasion of Britain using a portion of the French fleet and nearly the entirety of the Spanish fleet (captured during the Sixty Days). The British, believing an actual invasion to be underway, engaged the French fleet, fighting it to a draw as the bulk of the actual French fleet based out of Brest, embarked for the New World. In July, a force of 38,000 French soldiers land on Hispaniola and by the end of the year, the world’s first black republic is re-conquered and proclaimed a French colony once more. Also in this month, two separate French forces broke from the main fleet and land armies of 43,000 men and 24,000 men at Veracruz in New Spain and Caracas in Venezuela respectively. A second French force of 31,000 men left from occupied Portugal in August sailing for the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata. Napoleon felt secure sending a large portion of his army to the New World due to his new alliance with Russia and the end of the war on continental Europe.
French armies find limited success in the New World, as the French commander Louis-Nicolas Davout secures Veracruz and finds quick success in capturing Mexico City before revolutionary leaders can put up an effective defense or raise and train a substantial army. Mexican revolutionary leader, Miguel Hidalgo, though fielding a large 70,000-man army, is unable to push Davout from Mexico City due to the poor training and equipment of his army. Hidalgo moves slowly northward with Davout in pursuit. Other Mexican leaders, inspired by Miranda’s ideas (as is Hidalgo) and loathing the French invasion, begin raising armies as well. Two of the most important, Agustin de Iturbide and Vicente Guerrero, begin organizing and training the Mexican Revolutionary Army in southern New Spain near Acapulco. In Venezuela, the French army under Jean-Baptiste Bessieres is not quite as successful as Davout. Though he manages to quickly secure Caracas, Simon Bolivar and his 76,000 man army, though ill-trained and poorly equipped, manage to stop the French commander from making significant gains outside of Caracas by the end of the year. French forces on Hispaniola plan an invasion of Cuba for the next year.
In the US, Robert Fulton’s first American steamboat leaves New York City for Albany. The CAS considers and invasion of Cuba, fearing an imminent French invasion of the island.
British-American War: General Harrison’s famous Spring Campaign begins in which he splits his forces between a naval force that lands north of Halifax, while advancing by land from the west with a larger force. The US navy wins a key naval victory against the British in the Battle of Cape Breton, allowing the US to temporarily blockade Nova Scotia. The tactic succeeds wildly as Harrison captures Halifax in late April. Harrison begins plans for a naval invasion of Newfoundland while the US still has naval superiority in the area. In May, his invasion of Newfoundland begins with a landing south of St. John’s. On June 12th, he defeats what is left of Prevost’s forces and forces the British commander’s surrender.
In Upper Canada, General Jackson moves westward toward the Pacific Ocean to capture key British forts along the way and on the island of Vancouver and to secure the area for the US after the war. Along the way he fights several battles against the Native allies of Britain and sporadic Canadian forces. General Lafayette captures Trois-Rivieres early in the year, then moves north against Quebec. He is repulsed four separate times by General Brock. A feigned retreat finally lures Brock from the safety of Quebec onto the open plains, allowing Lafayette to decisively defeat him several miles from the city. Though Lafayette is successful, he is wounded and spends the rest of the year healing from his wounds. By the end of this year, all of the Great Lakes are under US control. The British, though aware of the immediate need to reinforce Canada, are unable to due to the fleet operating in the Channel and the constant threat of invasion by Napoleon. The British do manage to attempt an assault on New York City, shelling the city and landing a force of 3,300 marines on Manhattan Island. The assault damages the city and is successful for several days until the New York Militia manages to dislodge the British from the island. At the end of the year, the British attempt one last counterattack by sailing a squadron of ships down the St. Lawrence River in an effort to recapture Quebec. The British successfully re-occupy Quebec on Christmas Day, forcing Lafayette to retreat south to Trois-Rivieres and wait for the spring to resume his attack on British forces led by Gordon Drummond.
1808 – Russian-Swedish War begins. John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company. The French forces under General Davout continued to pursue Hidalgo northeast into the New Spanish province of Tejas. Hidalgo is defeated at the Battle of the Rio Grande in March and fled toward the US border in the direction of Louisiana. Hidalgo sent couriers ahead of him to cross the border and ask the local authorities for asylum. As history shows, his true intention was to either secure financial support and training from the US so he could return south and liberate New Spain from the French, or goad the French into pursuing him beyond the US border, thereby bringing the US in the war against the French. In June, Hidalgo approached the US border and the local commander of the Louisiana territorial militia, Jacques Tessaline, in accordance with the governor of the territory, allowed Hidalgo and his army to cross the border and camp at Shreveport to escape Davout. On July 17th, after defeating a small Mexican militia, Davout reached the US border. Upon learning of Hidalgo’s encampment at Shreveport, the now furious Davout, against the orders of Napoleon, crossed the US border on August 3rd. The Louisiana Militia and Hidalgo are defeated and Davout occupies the town. By August 12th, he is in pursuit of the mixed Mexican-American force as he marches toward New Orleans. When word reached Washington, D.C. of the French invasion, the Congress unanimously declared war against France on August 15th. A 24,000 man Federal force is sent south with Miranda as commander to confront Davout and stop him from taking New Orleans. Miranda engaged General Davout ten miles north of New Orleans. The resulting battle led to a French defeat and Davout’s retreat back to Shreveport. Miranda pursued Davout and on November 4th, the Second Battle of Shreveport results in a draw. Miranda is forced to wait until reinforcements arrive before assaulting the city again.
In New Spain, several thousand French reinforcements landed at Veracruz and General Emmanuel de Grouchy defeated a large ragtag army led by Guerrero and Iturbide on May 3rd. This battle secured French control of central Mexico (Davout’s campaign secured the Northeast coastal region and Tejas) and Grouchy begins his campaign south toward Acapulco to destroy the Mexican Revolutionary Army. Acapulco is captured by the French by July and throughout August and September, Grouchy secures the southern half of New Spain and campaigns eastward toward Oaxaca and Palenque, capturing both by the end of the year.
In Venezuela, General Bessieres made important gains along the coast, defeating Bolivar in a number of engagements at Valencia and Barquisimeto before besieging Maracaibo in September. The Battle of Maracaibo ends in victory for the South American Liberation Army (Bolivar’s army) and Bolivar pushed Bessieres eastward. A battle at Coro on the coast ended in a draw and Bolivar fortified the city for the inevitable counterattack. Bessieres retreated south to Barquisimeto to prepare his army for a campaign along the coast to push Bolivar westward and into Colombia. Bessieres’ campaign began in late August and he drove Bolivar westward, defeating the South American rebel in December at the Battle of Cartagena in Colombia.
The French under General Jean-de-Dieu Soult landed on the northern coast of Cuba and move toward Havana. The remainder of the force, some 12,000 men, invaded Spanish Florida. The CAS, worried about the French presence so close to their border and emboldened by the US declaration of war two days prior, declared war on France and began preparations for an invasion of Florida and eventual conquest of Cuba. By the end of the year, CAS forces secured northern Florida and on December 23rd, a squadron of ships and a 14,000-man force left Charleston headed for Cuba.
French forces landed at Buenos Aires in the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata in February and quickly conquered the small settlement. The French engaged Jose de San Martin by early March and though they inflicted heavy casualties on the Rio de la Plata Revolutionary Army, they are unable to move inland more than sixty miles beyond Buenos Aires for the rest of the year.
British-American War: An attempted British assault on Tangier ends in disaster, as the French fleet attacks the British fleet during the attempted capture of the city. Later in the year, the Americans attempt an assault on Gibraltar, but are badly defeated. US militia forces from the Pepper Coast Territory, mostly composed of free blacks, marched north and captured Freetown from the British. British leaders in London decided to take a gamble and attempt to knock the US out of the war by sending a force of 40,000 men from Britain to the New World and invade the US at New York City and march south to Washington, D.C. They have decided that Napoleon will probably not invade at this point and sending a large force to the Americas and capturing Washington might bring the Americans to terms and at least allow for a status quo victory for the Empire. General Lafayette re-conquered Quebec after an intense battle with General Drummond. Lafayette’s small naval force cleared the St. Lawrence River of British ships by July and both Upper and Lower Canada were considered secure by that point. General Jackson reached the Pacific Ocean and captured several British forts at Puget Sound and Vancouver Island, securing these locations for the US after the war. In July, the British expeditionary force shelled New York City for thirteen hours straight before landing and capturing the city. Though the militia force fought valiantly, they were overwhelmed by British numbers. The British under Lord Chatham began pushing south toward Washington, D.C. On September 21st , the last significant battle of the British-American War is fought five miles outside of Baltimore when a combined Federal-State militia force (mostly made up of Virginia militia) of 32,000 men met the British in battle.
The Americans are almost routed from the battlefield, but a timely intervention by an Ohio militia force, recently federalized and sent east, helps bolster US forces. The force is mostly made of Native Americans and includes forces led by Black Hawk and Tecumseh. The Ohio militia manages to outflank the British (mostly thanks to Black Hawk’s cavalry) and the main Federal force is able to split British lines, routing them from the battlefield. Lord Chatham is killed during the battle and the US forces captured nearly 21,000 men as prisoners of war. The performance of the Native American militia at the Battle of Baltimore (and the general lack of support of the Native tribes for Britain as compared to OTL) helps foster much goodwill between whites and Natives after the war and many white Americans come to respect Native culture much more than in OTL. This helps lead to a number of Native states throughout US territory over the next century. The legend of Black Hawk’s Cavalry and Tecumseh’s Charge become almost mythical, and a romanticized image of Native Americans emerged in the American mind that greatly helps race relations and tolerance, along with general respect for Native culture. Three weeks after the Battle of Baltimore, Britain sued for peace and negotiations began to determine the terms of the peace treaty. On November 15th, the Treaty of Richmond officially ends the British-American War. A separate treaty with Russia demarcates the boundary between US territory and Russian Alaska.
Treaty of Richmond:
1.The US annexes all of Canada, including Labrador and Newfoundland.
2.The US extends its claims in North America westward to the Pacific Ocean, including the Oregon Territory and Vancouver Island, north to the border of Russian Alaska.
3.The British are granted special trading rights in eastern Canada and fishing rights on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.
4.The US will reserve specific territory for several Native tribes in the area previously protected by the Crown, the most notable of which are the Five Nations of the Iroquois League.
5.The US will help Britain end the slave trade in the Atlantic in accordance with the US Constitution and the British Slave Trade Act of 1807.
6.Britain will forever end the impressment of US sailors into the British Navy.
7.Britain will respect neutrality of the seas and the right of neutrals to trade with belligerents.
8.Britain will not further colonize, claim, or conquer any land in the New World, though it shall retain all existing territories except Canada.
9.The US annexes Freetown and surrounding territory in Africa.
