I like the premise but it all seems to be moving too fast...Unless it's all a set-up to have the New Yorkers suffer a devastating defeat and get knocked back to the Hudson Valley.
I agree that looking at things on a map, that New York and Virginia make logical protagonists but I just can't see it happening in this time frame. Is it even in New York's interests to be fighting out in the forest beyond the Ohio. I could see this conflict in the 1810s, once the *Erie Canal has been built but not in 1790. I'd have thought that in 1790, an Independent New York would be looking eastward to the sea and maybe better relations with Britain.
If I was Clinton, I'd be more worried about what is Connecticut going to do in all of this? Are they just letting New York take over the Western Reserve? If everything goes to hell, I could see Connecticut and New Hampshire dong "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" thing and allying with Virginia to sort some things out in their favour.
Beyond the question of why is New York doing this, is the more pointed "How is New York doing this?" How are they projecting all of this force into the Ohio Valley without the *Erie canal? How are they supplying them?. It's only 1790 or so. They've barely settled upstate New York as far as Syracuse. How do they get troops to the Ohio Territory? How do they get enough troops in place to have a chance against the Virginians from just across the river? I don't see the Pennsylvanians just looking the other way while New Yorkers march through.
What are all of the locals doing while this is going on? In OTL, they were handling anything the US could send at them at this point. This is a few years before Fallen Timbers. I don't really see them just standing aside and watching. The locals are still not impressed with the Treaty of Fort Stanwix and I'd see them looking to re-stake their claim to the areas lost there.
Finally, how bloody-minded are the British going to be? This is before the OTL *Jay Treaty and even more to the point if there is no more United States, then the Treaty of Paris becomes a dead letter. Maine, Michigan and all of the Illinois country just went back on the table as far as they would be concerned.
Just a few thoughts,
David
I agree that looking at things on a map, that New York and Virginia make logical protagonists but I just can't see it happening in this time frame. Is it even in New York's interests to be fighting out in the forest beyond the Ohio. I could see this conflict in the 1810s, once the *Erie Canal has been built but not in 1790. I'd have thought that in 1790, an Independent New York would be looking eastward to the sea and maybe better relations with Britain.
If I was Clinton, I'd be more worried about what is Connecticut going to do in all of this? Are they just letting New York take over the Western Reserve? If everything goes to hell, I could see Connecticut and New Hampshire dong "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" thing and allying with Virginia to sort some things out in their favour.
Beyond the question of why is New York doing this, is the more pointed "How is New York doing this?" How are they projecting all of this force into the Ohio Valley without the *Erie canal? How are they supplying them?. It's only 1790 or so. They've barely settled upstate New York as far as Syracuse. How do they get troops to the Ohio Territory? How do they get enough troops in place to have a chance against the Virginians from just across the river? I don't see the Pennsylvanians just looking the other way while New Yorkers march through.
What are all of the locals doing while this is going on? In OTL, they were handling anything the US could send at them at this point. This is a few years before Fallen Timbers. I don't really see them just standing aside and watching. The locals are still not impressed with the Treaty of Fort Stanwix and I'd see them looking to re-stake their claim to the areas lost there.
Finally, how bloody-minded are the British going to be? This is before the OTL *Jay Treaty and even more to the point if there is no more United States, then the Treaty of Paris becomes a dead letter. Maine, Michigan and all of the Illinois country just went back on the table as far as they would be concerned.
Just a few thoughts,
David