Yep, that's for sure. Things are about to get a little hairy on the diplomatic side as well; war is about to break out in N. America.......
Stars & Stripes: The Rise of the United States.
- Thread starter CaliBoy1990
- Start date
Yep, that's for sure. Things are about to get a little hairy on the diplomatic side as well; war is about to break out in N. America.......
BTW, folks, Round 2 of "You Wanted to Know About Them" is still open.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?p=5150842#post5150842
And please do leave a comment or two on that thread as well, it'd be very much appreciated.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?p=5150842#post5150842
And please do leave a comment or two on that thread as well, it'd be very much appreciated.
Actually, they definitely are very much anti-slavery and you will definitely hear about more them one of these days. I just have other things to do first.
Edit: Also, I am going to be ending the Napoleonic Wars pretty soon, and I'll try to post the results within a day or two. In the meantime, stay tuned!
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Okay, folks, a little sneak peek for ya:
"Extracts taken from: "Modern European History: The Complete Encyclopedia"
By Albert J. Callahan & Dr. Jonathan P. Wellesley(Principal Authors)
(c) 1962 Capstone Press: Wellington, N.Z. Full credit given to authors.
The Treaty of Erlangen & Congress of Versailles.
[The latter is basically the equivalent of OTL's Congress of Vienna. An asterisk shows a significantly different outcome than OTL.]
3 Nov. 1813 - 5 April 1814
After the end of the war, the delegates of all the great European powers whose nations had participated in the decade long conflict met in Versailles in November 1813 to commence discussions of what was to be done about territorial concessions, amongst other things. Russia, Britain, France, Prussia, Austria, Bavaria, and later on, the Netherlands & Sweden, were all participants.
The Congress was a rather informal matter compared to settlements of years past, however, it was to be a rather important turning point in the continent's history. The main goal of the Congress was to try not to heap too great a reward on the winners, or punish too harshly those who had lost, but rather, an attempt at a fair and just settlement for all involved. This was all to culminate in the Treaty of Erlangen on 10 April, 1814."
"Extracts taken from: "Modern European History: The Complete Encyclopedia"
By Albert J. Callahan & Dr. Jonathan P. Wellesley(Principal Authors)
(c) 1962 Capstone Press: Wellington, N.Z. Full credit given to authors.
The Treaty of Erlangen & Congress of Versailles.
[The latter is basically the equivalent of OTL's Congress of Vienna. An asterisk shows a significantly different outcome than OTL.]
3 Nov. 1813 - 5 April 1814
After the end of the war, the delegates of all the great European powers whose nations had participated in the decade long conflict met in Versailles in November 1813 to commence discussions of what was to be done about territorial concessions, amongst other things. Russia, Britain, France, Prussia, Austria, Bavaria, and later on, the Netherlands & Sweden, were all participants.
The Congress was a rather informal matter compared to settlements of years past, however, it was to be a rather important turning point in the continent's history. The main goal of the Congress was to try not to heap too great a reward on the winners, or punish too harshly those who had lost, but rather, an attempt at a fair and just settlement for all involved. This was all to culminate in the Treaty of Erlangen on 10 April, 1814."
Any thoughts as to what should happen to Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Asia? If anything, I can come up with some PODs to make things interesting, if only to show what is happening in the rest of the world...
I'll try to get back to you on that one.
Oh, and Chapter 11 is finally ready to be posted. Here it is:
Stars & Stripes #12-English Slavers, And Napoleon's Follies
Taken from: "Britain's Great Embarrassment: The Failure of the Slave Trade Act And How It Affected British Policy"
(c) 1942 by William F. Burroughs
Peckham & Sons: Sheffield, Yorkshire, Great Britain.
It has often been said for many decades that England is today, and was in the later 1800s, a nation of libertines, democrats, and good governors[1], but had this term been coined in the early 1800s this reputation would have been tarnished by certain unfortunate events, one of the most prominent being Parliament's failure to sign into law, the Slave Trade Act of 1807. This particular piece of legislation was principally drafted by Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce the year before, in response to the growing protests against the trade(and, to a lesser extent, the slave revolts in Haiti in July, 1804); it demanded an complete end to the slave trade by no later than December of 1808, and also ordered fines for offenders who were caught continuing to engage in the trade, and a term in jail for the most serious of them, not to exceed 5 years. This may seem rather generous to most readers[2], but it has to be realized that pro-slavery forces still held plenty of sway in London, from Puritan MPs, to slaveship owners, captains, etc. themselves, planters and farmers, particularly in the Caribbean, and even some factories and banks; many of them would not accept the end of slavery without some form of compensation. This, however, was not offered in the original bill, and there was no intention from either Wiberforce or Clarkson to include such a provision. Despite some rather decent support for the Act, even amongst the more moderate MPs, it was because of this and several other key factors, that the Act ultimately failed to pass the Upper House, despite a majority supporting it in the Lower House. When the news broke out on 1 September, riots began to occur all over the U.K., particularly in Liverpool, and the Southeast of London. And thus began Britain's Great Embarrassment...
--
January 25, 1811
London, England
United Kingdom
William Wilberforce's life had not been in a good shape these past few years. Ever since the complete failure of the Slave Trade Act, the man who many had come to know & love as the 'Grand Crusader of Abolitionism' had not only lost his livelihood and some of his supporters, but his dreams of an emancipated Empire seemed to have been permanently shattered. It was enough to make one break down and sob quite heartily. Wilberforce, however, did his utmost best to keep a stiff upper lip[3] and keep on going. With him at this moment, on this most chilly of mid-winter mornings, was his old friend, Thomas Clarkson, whose attitude was a tad more optimistic.
Wilberforce spoke. “Thomas, dear friend, knowing how far we have fallen these past few years...is there any hope for justice?” Despite his hopes, he wondered if perhaps someday, the world would be dominated by slaveowners[4].
Clarkson replied, “Perhaps not now in England, but over yonder in America, the men calling themselves the Yankees have begun to make the most vocal protestations as of late. Not to mention fight against the slave trade did see some success; their law passed right around the same time our mission had begun to fail. Who knows? Perhaps they'll abolish the abomination faster than we will.” Clarkson, however, had his own doubts as well. The anti-emancipation slaveholders still held sway in much of the nascent United States, particularly it's southern half, and had quite a bit of money and many connections to back them all up, not the least of which was the Church[5]. And then there was the matter of what to do with the slaves if they were all to be freed; could they go to Africa, or stay in America?
“Perhaps, if they can even bother to get past the first initial stages. I fear, however, that the Americans may find someday find themselves reversing these steps towards moral government, and go back to the barbarism that is the very slave trade we failed to stop here in Britain. And they certainly won't be emancipating all the Negroes anytime soon, even if the majority of American southerners were to reject the system as a whole.” Wilberforce said in response to his friend.
"Well, William, know this: slavery within England's border has already been banned. The English people are growing ever weary of the existence of the slave trade, and more join our righteous and Godly cause every day. We may perhaps have many challenges yet, but we shall persevere and triumph. Our nation has always been capable of such feats, and may it always be so, God willing.", Despite whatever doubts he may have had, Clarkson was sure of one thing: The forces of slavery would eventually be defeated, as they had always been.
Wilberforce's spirits lifted up a little but he still had a little doubt left in him, and it wasn't just concerning England, either. “By the way, Thomas. I have heard of the revolts in New Spain. Slaveowners are being evicted left, right, and center in some places, according to the latest newspaper articles I've read. Only problem is, there is still the rest of Spanish America. Do you think the Crown would still have the audacity to continue this nightmarish sin elsewhere if the Mexicans were to seize control of their most prized jewel? Or might they, pray tell, see the error of their ways, as we have done in this country?”
Clarkson replied, “Will, I am quite afraid there is no simple answer for such a question. As honorably anti-slavery as many of the Mexican rebels may be, sadly, there are some Spaniards, even in Mexico, who would, in fact, do their best to continue the damned trade, even if the revolutionaries' victory was to be absolute. And then there's the matter of the Americans; particularly the Southern Yankees. Do you think they would actually tolerate the birth, and eventual rise, of one enormous free-soil nation, particularly one peopled by persons whom they view as of an inferior race?”
William shook his head. “I should think not, even though not all the slaveholders are actually for the expansion of the trade.”
Thomas replied, “Exactly so. However, though, what you have said is most certainly the truth; not all of the American slaveholders shall be privy to slavery's continued growth, and from what I am hearing from correspondence with our allies in that country, there are those amongst them that are even willing to negotiate the eventual emancipation of all slaves someday in the future. And if famous plantation owners such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison are able to convince themselves, and others, that such an act would be not only morally correct, but even economically feasible as well, then I do believe there IS hope for the future.”
“Then, Thomas, perhaps it's time for one last push. Let us pray for the Lord's guidance. Until we meet again, farewell.” said Wilberforce to Clarkson. “Amen. And Godspeed.” Clarkson replied.
--
Extracted from “Napoleon's Follies: The Fall, And Exile, of France's First And Last Emperor”
By Dominic Duvall
La Defenserie University
Versailles, France
Translated by Richard T. Carleton and Anne Roseley, St. Albans University, Parsons' Green, West London, Great Britain.
© 1949 St. Albans Press, London. Used with permission.
...In late 1812, Napoleon's worries finally seemed so far away again; Not only had Saxony and many of the other German states been forced to withdraw and much of Spain under his control, but the Russians had also lost many of their far southern lands as well; The French Army had decided to attack in early June, after having already conquered a good portion of the Ukraine in the previous 2 to 3 months. Starting in Kiev, the French made their first advance on the 12th, striking thru the Donbass plain with over 100,000 men, and due to the fact that even the best of Russia's military geniuses hadn't quite foreseen such a plan[5], the Tsar's armies were at first, largely caught off their guard.
By late August, the Russians had lost most of the southern fourth of the nation to Napoleon, and were just about to lose Tsaritsyn. On the evening of 24 August, Alexander II ordered the majority of the military to move towards the besieged city, in hopes of possibly retaking it; the first Russian divisions from Moscow arrived on 8 September. While the French sustained some 20,000 losses, they were still able to hold Tsaritsyn thanks to the fact that many of them had encamped on the outer reaches by the end of October. On the other side of the continent, the French had been able to check the second Anglo-Saxon-Prussian attempt to invade their nation thru Belgium, and not only that, but the Russo-German alliance was beginning to strain as well[6].
And then, in the middle of October, the Battle of Waterloo occurred between the French, and 2 of their German allies, Baden & Bavaria, versus the British, Prussians, and the Austrians. Though the French, Badenese, and Bavarian forces were somewhat outnumbered, poor military strategy, especially on the part of the Prussians, and the death of General Cornwallis on 27 October, contributed to the French win on 3 November, although not quite a decisive one; The French and both allies had all lost just under half of their collective fighting force, with many more wounded, some severely enough to not be able to move on with their comrades. And eventually, the Bavarians deserted them, leaving only Baden to continue to assist the French in their war.[7] On top of that, the representatives of Britain, Prussia and their allies met in The Hague in late December, 1812, to discuss a possible strategy for collectively combatting, and it was hoped, defeating, what was to be called the “Gallic Menace”...[8]
January 19, 1813
Brest, Brittany
French First Republic(nominal)
It was a cold and rather dreary mid-winter's night in this little seaport town, many hundreds of kilometers west of Paris. It was snowing heavily, and many of the roads leading in and out of the area were impassible. However, though, this actually proved to be perfect for the French leadership; Napoleon himself decided to set up shop here, in case something happened to Versailles. Despite the blizzard, the Emperor found himself in good spirits; at least for the moment.
A knock on the door interrupted the tranquility. "Do let the man in, would you, Jacques?" Napoleon gestured to a servant nearby. The man obliged and in walked one Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, head diplomat of the French Empire, and former Minister of Foriegn Affairs.[9]
"Greetings, Your Excellency."
Napoleon replied, "My thanks to you, Monsieur, for coming to my humble new abode in this time of uncertainty. Now, do tell me, how is the war effort going?"
Talleyrand looked a little uneasy. The news he had received was that France was now beginning to run into a semi-solid wall of defeats and retreats, and that a number of previously neutral nations were beginning to leave that status to fight right along side the Prussians. "Perhaps I should break this to you gently, sir. We have reached our zenith. Though our great army had felled Cornwallis in Waterloo only this past October, and we still have troops in Baden, it seems that not only have our biggest enemies regrouped, but that many of the formerly neutral states seem to have joined against us as well. And I do believe that the Bavarians have gone forward with the rest of their edict to withdraw their formal support as well."
Napoleon sighed. "Wonderful. We somehow managed to defeat, and kill, General Cornwallis in the battle of Waterloo, and scattered the Austrians at Innerrhoden[10], yet not 4 months later we find ourselves fighting enemies whose confidence has been renewed and our allies deserting us one by one! But we must not surrender. We must fight to the finish, even if it should come to something such as the loss of Paris, or my untimely death in battle."
Talleyrand replied, "Quite so, Your Excellency. But for how long can we hold out against our enemies?"
"Even in these circumstances, we must plan to fight. I have these orders in hand, ordering the additional conscription of many more men within this nation's ranks; all men from 18 to 40, that is" Napoleon said, handing Talleyrand a document.
"Your Excellency, I shall deliver this at once when the circumstances permit. The nearest command post is about 50 miles west of here." the diplomat said.
"Good then. You should probably wait till morning, however. This weather could make a corpse out of even the hardiest Russian, were he dressed in anything less than a full winter coat." said Napoleon wryly.[11]
Talleyrand respectfully nodded. "Then I shall do it. I'll be returning to my quarters now, Your Excellency, with your blessing."
Napoleon smiled just a bit. "Ah yes. Then go ahead. I have some further conversation with my military strategists. They should be here soon." Talleyrand nodded one last time and went to his quarters, while Napoleon began to comtemplate how he could keep France alive during these next 12 months of uncertainty.......
[1]An ATL term coined in the 1850s as a respectful and admiring nod to the long standing liberal(in the classical way)traditions of Britain, brought back to full fruition right around that time.
[2]And it probably would, particularly in Britain. Especially 1940s Britain.
[3]As the old saying goes.
[4]Slight nod to 'Decades of Darkness' here.
[5]Here, it was assumed that Napoleon would probably try a drive straight for Moscow and the surrounding towns, as he had done IOTL.
[6]The Russians ITTL had begun to question whether a war to protect these Germans was actually worth it.
[7]Waterloo would eventually enter the lexicon as the definition of what happens when a country wins a major battle, but at a time when they are about to lose the war.
[8]As coined by one of the Saxon noblemen in attendance.
[9]Pretty much as IOTL, except he actually did turn out to be pretty loyal to Napoleon after all, unlike what happened OTL when he started to betray him outright.
[10]ATL battle that occurred in July 1812 which resulted in the severe wounding and eventual death of Karl Phillipp von Schwarzenberg.
[11]Hey, even Napoleon can have a sense of humor, can't he?
Thanks. Sorry it took so long to update folks(mainly thanks to trouble with Napoleon, but this is a pretty sizable one. In fact, it's my biggest post yet!)
Stars & Stripes #13-Napoleon's Follies, Act II and Madison's Race To The Finish
Apr. 21, 1812
The White House
Washington, D.C.
President Madison was feeling rather comfortable on this warm spring day; though the election was heating up quickly, and Rufus King seemed poised to strike harder with every passing day, Madison still had the upper advantage on one issue; the Indian Question. King had recently taken a hardline stance on the issue, advocating with the total deportation of all Native Americans anywhere east of the 94th meridian, starting with the most particularly troublesome groups such as the Maumee and Kiowas[1], and then proceeding onward to the Shawnee, etc. These extreme measures weren't always well appreciated many of the American people, but on the other hand, nobody wanted the Indian Wars to continue as they had been; Madison had a more moderate solution: the Army could deal with the Indians who did aggress further against the country, but they would also leave the more peaceful tribes alone for the moment, unless warranted. And the President sincerely hoped this would help earn him a second term in office, as he sincerely wanted to continue his diplomacy with not just the Indians, but Britain as well.
At around 11 that morning someone knocked on the door. It was none other than junior Congressman Henry Clay[2]. Madison turned around. “Congressman Clay? Well, you are in the Oval Office, so please do have a seat.”
The redheaded young Congressman smiled. “Thank you, Mr. President.” Madison replied, “Now pray tell, what business do you have here in the White House?”
“A number of reasons, good sir. Firstly, you've heard about the troubles in West Florida, have you not?”
Madison nodded yes. West Florida had become a major hotbed of all sorts of mercenary activity,
lawlessness, and something rather close to chaos in some parts, since that country broke off from Spanish control in March, 1810, under the guidance of William Claiborne and certain others. Its temporary capital, St. Francisville[3], was practically nonexistent on most maps of the day, and was barely functioning. Even worse for them, Spanish renegades were becoming a rather dangerous nuisance, since Spain had just surrendered all remaining control of East Florida to an interim gov't, whose leaders didn't even an official militia, let alone a standing army, and frankly, the same thing happened to be true, to an extent, for West Florida as well. “Yes, Mister Clay, I have indeed heard about West Florida.” Clay replied, “Well, Mr. President, sir, I have been requested to send a message from none other than William Claiborne, the Governor of West Florida. He requests to meet with you within the next month to discuss possible annexation to the United States.[4]”
“I understand, but there are some pressing matters to attend to first, particularly the Indians.......” Madison said.
Clay cut him off. “That's one of the other things, Mr. President. Word's been going around that some of the Creek may want to declare war on the United States soon, due to what they see as 'encroachment' on their homelands. The Red Sticks are already making plans for their first strike, and may soon be mobilizing.[5]”
Madison replied, “Well, perhaps it'll be time to pull out the quill pen again one of these days. Hopefully, the Indians will see reason: We don't wish for a full war anymore than they would. And we still have to continually watch the British and their subordinates, particularly those in Canada. Too many moves in the wrong direction could anger the British, and even with Napoleon still fighting his war, we can't risk angering them. The only sensible solution I see at this moment is to continue to compromise with Britain, and to negotiate with the Indians, even if we may have to pull back a small amount of military influence, and ignore at least the majority of the rhetoric from the more hawkish elements of this Congress.[6]”
Clay replied,”Frankly, sir, I am in complete agreement at this moment. I only hope, however, that Britain may not be so eager to fight a war with us, even if they do succeed in containing Napoleon's forces.”[7] Clay didn't mention the tens of thousands of reserve troops in the Canadas as well; they could do some damage in the Northwest if loosed by London.
Madison looked up at Clay. “We can only hope and pray for such good fortune, Mister Clay.” He hadn't exactly been optimistic about America's relations with Britain as of late. Despite Thomas Jefferson's assistance in moderation, which he hoped would bring around a cease-fire one of these days,
he still wondered if America could make a colossal mistake, such as angering any of one of the Great Powers outside Britain, especially at a time when America was just beginning to seriously need allies in Europe. “Anything else?”
“One more pressing matter of importance, sir.”, Clay replied. He was a little hesitant to say what was about to come out next. “I'm afraid that......that another British merchant ship has been destroyed, this time in Norfolk, Virginia.” Madison stared for a second, dumbfounded, and then slumped a little in his chair, and breathed a sigh of exasperation. “Damn it all. It's already bad enough that our relations with Britain continue to be strained. But these vigilantes continue to disrespect the law as it stands. I fear that soon, that this indeed could be the cause of a war with England, if nothing else.” Madison was also concerned that Spain could get involved as well; even though their empire in most of what was now basically Mexico had almost totally ceased to exist on any meaningful level, they still had two to three hundred thousand men who basically had nothing to lose now that Madrid had left them standing in the cold, so to speak.[8] Tens of thousands of loyal renegades also existed in the Floridas and they couldn't be ignored, either. Madison hoped, however, that Britain might be in a much better mood to negotiate an end to the tensions once the Napoleonic Wars were all over.......and preferably, after the elections.
“I understand sir. Perhaps if I may offer a word?” Clay said. He then offered his advice on how to further deal with the vigilantes, and how to explain their actions to the British. Clay then made suggestions as how Madison could deal with the Indians.[9]
After about 30 minutes had passed Clay then bade farewell but before he left, he added, “I wish you the best of luck this next election, Mr. President.” Madison smiled and let Clay move on. He then began to write a letter to his campaign committee on improving his campaign........
--
The U.S. Election of 1812
From “Callahan's Authoritative Guide to the Political History of America, 1788-present”
© 1962 by T. Louise Callahan
Jefferson Press Company.
Madison, New Mexico: United States
Summary:
The election of 1812 was quite notable for two reasons: It was not only the year that Spanish colonial rule over Mexico and Florida came to a screeching halt, but also the when the U.S. began to involve itself diplomatically in the Napoleonic conflict. James Madison and and Rufus King were engaged in a struggle that managed to get more and more heated every day, with Madison accusing King of being a warhawk, and King, a lily-livered coward of Madison, when it came to dealing with the Native Indians.
Madison attempted to bank his success on his policy of moderation with the Indians, particularly the peace treaty with the Shawnee, and Jefferson's rather slick diplomatic exploits in Europe, which had, so far at least, kept America in decent standing with all but one of the Great Powers who dealt with her, Britain being the only exception to the rule. King countered that isolationism was the best policy when dealing with Napoleon and that the Indians were a far greater threat at the moment, than Britain's armies. To complicate things even further, both Hamilton and Louisiana were to be admitted as states that year, on August 3rd, and April 24th, respectively. By the end of October, there were all sorts of guesses as to just which candidate would win his seat for the Presidency...
Popular Votes Electoral Votes
State Madison King Madison King
Alabama 42,462 32,456 9 0
Connecticut 93,415 94,214 0 8
Delaware 24,683 25,357 0 3
Georgia 46,572 45,783 8 0
Hamilton 9,246 4,257 1 0
Kentucky 55,732 46,245 0 13
Louisiana 11,356 10,842 2 0
Maryland 93,246 87,225 7 0
Massachusetts 152,465 148,356 22 0
Pennsylvania 150,245 161,246 25 0
N. Hampshire 83,451 90,314 8 0
New Jersey 142,456 116,340 8 0
New York 214,732 192,063 29 0
N. Carolina 126,421 134,298 15 0
Rhode Island 74,236 71,356 4 0
S. Carolina 76,452 73,132 11 0
Tennessee 92,435 89,337 8 0
Vermont 42,567 28,468 7 0
Virginia 148,356 172,350 25 0
Total 1,680,528 1,623,639 189 24
--
The Washington Picayune[10]
Nov. 9th, 1812
President Madison Re-Elected.
...As many more politically aware denizens of this nation may realise, this was the closest election this country has seen to-date. Rufus King exhaustively campaigned on the platform of isolationism, which won him many voters, up north, but, in the end, he simply could not compete with President Madison; particularly owing to his last-minute initiatives of compromise concerning the Indian Question, which King claimed to be “unreasonable, and foolish.”. Despite this protestation, however, a great number of people, even in the frontier states like Ohio and Kentucky, saw the compromise as perhaps the only way to eventually bring the conflict between our country and the Indians to a halt. And thus, it can be safely said that the President has just earned a second term in the White House...
--
Census Date for the Entire U.S. & Territories: 1810
Taken from, “The Complete Encyclopedia of American History”[11]
© 1981 by Sara Vallejo
American Liberty Press: Visalia, California. May be used with full credit given to the author.
[12]
--
Extracted from “Napoleon's Follies: The Fall, And Exile, of France's First And Last Emperor”
By Dominic Duvall
La Defenserie University
Versailles, France
Translated by Richard T. Carleton and Anne Roseley, St. Albans University, Parsons' Green, West London, Great Britain.
© 1949 St. Albans Press, London. Used with permission.
...When the spring of 1813 came, it was clear that the end of Napoleon's regime was on the horizon. In December of 1812, emissaries of several those nations opposed to the French congregated in Warsaw to discuss possible ways of ending the war early; the Russian gov't suggested a many-pronged attack on the French homeland, then asking Napoleon to surrender; The British suggested attempting to get Napoleon to surrender, and then invading & occupying France if he refused; and then the Saxons had the idea of just starting a massive rush into France and dragging Napoleon back to their nation and executed if he was found by their troops. The Swedes, however, had their own solution; create a grand alliance and then re-invade France, piece by piece, until Napoleon did surrender; the Corsican would then have to agree to at least some of their terms. The Swedish solution was eventually accepted, and at the end of the month, the Grand Alliance was born[13]...Waterloo was to be the last hurrah for the French from that point on.[14] By the end of March, the French had won their last significant victory, and began a long string of disastrous losses, both at sea and on the battlefield, the first of which was at Strasbourg in April, 1813...
--
May 5, 1813
Le Havre, Normandy
Empire of France
In his latest retreat, Napoleon found himself stuck in this little port town in the middle of Normandy with no way out of hiscurrent predicament. Everything had been going wrong since that winter, it seemed; his first loss of that note was in Russia at the end of December, when the Tsarists broke thru one of their defenses north of Tsaritsyn; a careless lack of maintenance of one of the temporary French walls surrounding the city was reportedly the primary cause of that loss; French forces were in full retreat by the end of January. Then there was the Dresden problem; The French advance into Saxony via Nassau in March of 1813[15] had ended in disaster as well; they were ill-prepared for the Saxon response or the fact that several of the other German states had rushed to their aid. And now Strasbourg had fallen to the Austrians and Prussians...this was starting to take a toll on him; he began to agonize silently. “Could Paris or Versailles be next?”, he wondered. After an hour or to of agonizing, Napoleon decided that the best course of action at this stage was to continue drafting plans for the defense of France. One such plan he drafted this afternoon, was a drive to Prussia, thru Baden and Bavaria...
--
Extracted from “The Napoleonic Wars: The Roots, The Battles, and The Aftermath”
By. J. Denison Armitage
New Orleans, Louisiana
© 1953 LeFavre House: New Orleans.
Chapter 18: The Tide Turns on Napoleon
The unfortunate loss at Tsaritsyn and the creation of the Grand Alliance in December 1812 had both indicated to Napoleon that his war, and perhaps his empire, might soon be waning. The French had already had a significant amount of trouble escaping the stalemate that had begun to develop shortly before the battle of Waterloo in October, but it was the birth of the Grand Alliance that was said to be the snowball that started the avalanche[16a], and the battle of Tsaritsyn, the little Swiss boy who got it rolling[16b]. And by the end of January the only question that would be asked by most, is how long his army's initiatives and fighting spirit could keep on going...or if there would even be a French army to speak of. And even worse, several additional major losses continued to occur, most notably in Dresden in March; though the French Army was able to check the Saxons at every turn at first, they hadn't counted the Saxon reinforcements, or the aid of several of the nearby German states. Things soon began to go downhill fast for the French and they found themselves in full retreat by the end of the month. Another significant setback occurred soon after, this time in Strasbourg in early and mid-April, at the hands of the Prussians and the Austrians, who rushed the city seemingly out of nowhere on the morning hours of the 6th. The Grande Armee defended the city quite valiantly but were unable to hold it much longer than 2 weeks; by April 23, they had to retreat, once again, to the countryside lying west of Strasbourg.
Yet, despite all this, Napoleon consistently proved, time and time, again, that he still had some tactical genius and know-how. He had managed to check the Austrians near Nice, and had even managed to defeat the Prussians at Brussels. He had also managed to cut off a number of German supply lines, slowing their advance into French territory. Still, though, it wasn't enough to prevent what even he knew would be the eventual defeat of France. But he did have one last trick up his sleeve, however; while staying in Normandy, Napoleon drafted one last great plan, one which he hoped could buy France some extra time...
Chapter 22: The Prussian Gambit.
The Prussian Gambit, coined in 1882 by British historian Sir John Walpole[17] was Napoleon's most ambitious scheme yet; instead of trying to attack the Saxons, he would instead go straight for the nation whom he saw as his worst enemy amongst the German powers in those days: the Prussians. To accomplish this, Napoleon requested that a final call of conscription be made for up to 500,000 more men in the country. He also ordered a tripling of the production of all armaments, and that temporary citizen's militias be set up to defend the towns and cities of the country, especially the east, if the Army couldn't be able to do so. Throughout May and much of June, the French were continually ramping up for this last minute invasion. Finally, on June 20, the French Army was ordered to move out, towards Prussia, and whomever else stood in their way...
--
[1]Haven't done much on the Kiowas yet. You'll see more of them eventually. On the other hand, the Maumees are about finished here.
[2]ITTL, Clay ran for Congress in 1810, having been asked to resign from the Senate due to his being underage, and won. Quite handily, in fact.
[3]St. Francisville IOTL has become somewhat of a “no-account' town; it's not even incorporated. ITTL, however, this may be a different story altogether...
[4]Which eventually does happen. But what will the state, or states be called afterwards? That, dear readers, is a question that will hopefully be answered, quite soon in our future. =)
[5]Such a conflict actually did occur IOTL.
[6]Madison seems to be hopeful that peace wil prevail...
[7]...As does Clay. Unfortunately, the hopes of both men will be dashed to pieces, and sooner than they think...
[8]That's how many of them had begun to see it, anyway. You can count on one thing for certain; the bloodshed is going to linger for many months after the end of the Revolution.
[9]Too much of a hassle to write everything down, TBH. Probably would have covered a dozen pages and taken weeks to finish if I had.
[10]ATL newspaper in D.C. You may hear from them again one of these days...
[11]You'll be seeing quite a few of these.
[12]Made with OpenOffice 3.3 Calc. =)
[13]But only until the end of the war, however.
[14]As seen in the previous S&S post.
[15]Any relation to 'Decades of Darkness' is strictly coincidental(no, really.)
[16a]This, however, is kind of an homage to DoD.(Hello Jared!)
[16b]Adopted from a popular German fairy tale written circa 1862. May be expanded upon later.
[17]Yes, he is in fact, intended to be a descendant of Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the U.K.
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So, any thoughts, etc.?
I really need the comments anyway, they motivate me and help me keep writing.
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RamscoopRaider
Donor
Interesting, looks like this could turn out really well or really badly for Napoleon. Keep it coming.
Yep. Be sure to stick around for the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars, which should be soon(I hope.)
Here are some ideas for what is happening in the rest of the world. The best way to see what I am doing is to consider the idea of an Muslim analogue to Martin Luther, with Sunni and Shiite schols being similar to Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox :
May 23rd, 1844: Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází proclaims himself the Qá'im (a.k.a. Mahdi) in Shiraz, Persia, proclaiming that the Ottoman Empire had strayed far from the teachings of the Prophet...
June 21st, 1845: Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází condemns the Ottoman Empire, during a rally in Mecca as being "a den of wickedness and vile corruption..."
October 16th, 1848: Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází wins scholarly acclaim after studying with clerics at the University of Mecca, sparking international attention...
October 31st, 1853: Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází publishes his "The Pillars of Faith" condemning the political and religious corruption within the Ottoman Empire...
June 15th, 1856: Ottoman Empire officials declare an official ban on the works of Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází, stating that ownership alone is grounds for arrest...
March 6th, 1858: Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází returns secretly to Shiraz, Persia, condemning the corruption of the Otoman Empire....
May 23rd, 1844: Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází proclaims himself the Qá'im (a.k.a. Mahdi) in Shiraz, Persia, proclaiming that the Ottoman Empire had strayed far from the teachings of the Prophet...
June 21st, 1845: Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází condemns the Ottoman Empire, during a rally in Mecca as being "a den of wickedness and vile corruption..."
October 16th, 1848: Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází wins scholarly acclaim after studying with clerics at the University of Mecca, sparking international attention...
October 31st, 1853: Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází publishes his "The Pillars of Faith" condemning the political and religious corruption within the Ottoman Empire...
June 15th, 1856: Ottoman Empire officials declare an official ban on the works of Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází, stating that ownership alone is grounds for arrest...
March 6th, 1858: Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází returns secretly to Shiraz, Persia, condemning the corruption of the Otoman Empire....
I like these ideas, but the problem is.........I do hate to be picky, but this isn't exactly the style I wanted this to be seen in, and it's a little too far ahead, given that we haven't quite ended the Napoleonic Wars yet.
I'll send you some examples soon, hopefully there won't be a problem with that.
Is that so? If you could send me some data on that, Ted, I'd appreciate it, especially if it's still early enough to edit my post.
@Ted: Okay, thanks for the heads up.
BTW, folks, here's another tasty little preview for ya:
July 13, 1813
Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia
Ferdinand von Bismarck woke with a start on this somewhat coolish summer morning. The former cavalryman had been aware for some time that the Frenchmen might attack his country, but the boom that ended his slumber was all the proof he needed. He then shook his wife a little. “Wilhelmine?”...she woke up with a start. “Ja, Ferdinand?” she replied groggily. Ferdinand replied, somewhat hoarsely, “The French.....I think they're here....”. Wilhelmine looked a little startled. “Wait, wha....” “We have to get out of here, now!” Ferdinand replied hurriedly. “All right, Ferdy. Let me get dressed.” Wilhelmine went to the dresser to find some decent clothes.
“Please, Wilhelmine, for the love of God, do hurry.”
“Don't worry, darling, I'm ready now.”
As soon as they came out, they found a carriage waiting for them outside their home. They rushed towards it, in a desperate attempt to flee the fighting; they then asked the driver to take them to Schönhausen. As they left, more and more artillery batteries began to fire in the distance.
Just 20 minutes after they left, a stray artillery shell destroyed their posh apartment...they had only barely escaped death. And the siege of Berlin had begun...
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BTW, folks, here's another tasty little preview for ya:
July 13, 1813
Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia
Ferdinand von Bismarck woke with a start on this somewhat coolish summer morning. The former cavalryman had been aware for some time that the Frenchmen might attack his country, but the boom that ended his slumber was all the proof he needed. He then shook his wife a little. “Wilhelmine?”...she woke up with a start. “Ja, Ferdinand?” she replied groggily. Ferdinand replied, somewhat hoarsely, “The French.....I think they're here....”. Wilhelmine looked a little startled. “Wait, wha....” “We have to get out of here, now!” Ferdinand replied hurriedly. “All right, Ferdy. Let me get dressed.” Wilhelmine went to the dresser to find some decent clothes.
“Please, Wilhelmine, for the love of God, do hurry.”
“Don't worry, darling, I'm ready now.”
As soon as they came out, they found a carriage waiting for them outside their home. They rushed towards it, in a desperate attempt to flee the fighting; they then asked the driver to take them to Schönhausen. As they left, more and more artillery batteries began to fire in the distance.
Just 20 minutes after they left, a stray artillery shell destroyed their posh apartment...they had only barely escaped death. And the siege of Berlin had begun...
--
Hello, faithful readers. I'll try to get something up soon, but I need to get my old PC repaired so I may not be able to post anything for a little while......if I even get to finish this chapter before then, that is.