Quasi War of 1798 escalates

What would have happened to if the quais war between france and U.s escalated into an all out war, waht effect does this have France fighting hte Napoleonic wars? Can the U.S defend itself, and who wins the the lection of 1800, if there is one?
 
Sounds like a British wet dream: the damn Frogs and uppity Colonials kicking the snot out of one another.

As for the war if the Brits stay neutral between the two belligerents I'd expect:

A. Naval war goes in favor of the French, as OTL: "During the course of the fighting, the new US Navy captured 85 French privateers, while losing approximately 2,000 merchant vessels." - About.com (if trustworthy! :eek:)

B. The US quickly invades and likely seizes Louisiana (at least initially).

C. Land war...hmmm. France is already fighting a losing battle in Haiti, demanding lots of troops. Plus the fight with Britain. A lot depends on if France can spare the troops. If she can, expect 1812 analog with US invaded, cities torched. The US has (plus side) a cadre of ARW veterans (not as available or spry in 1812) and surviving blooded officers, but (minus side) is broke, in debt, and has no real standing army of note any more. Also, considering southern Francophilia, this could divide the nation at a critical phase.

D. The real fight is over New Orleans, or whether the US can keep it if France sends a serious expeditionary force to retake it. Expect Creek and possibly Choctaw and Chickasaw uprisings and inter-tribal wars. It will get ugly quickly.


Synopsis: All in all, not a good thing for either side. The US is young, poor, and weak. France is recovering from the horrors of revolution, losing her crown colony in Haiti, and fighting the British. Neither side is likely to come out well.

Winner: Britain.
Loser: US and France.
 
which brings up the question of just what Britain would do, in this scenario... the USN 'contribution' at sea would be negligable by RN standards... France is already beaten at sea anyway... if the US is fighting France, do we later go to war with Britain anyway? I'd think not, as the US is going to take on a hell of a task just trying to capture New Orleans. Will Britain take advantage of the chaos to grab part of the LA region in the north? One thing, it's unlikely that there will be all that warfare with Tecumseh and invading Canada and all that...
 
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