War with France over impressment - how likely?

I remember reading that France also impressed American sailors during the Napoleonic Wars. How likely was this to turn into war?

I'm working on a TL - whether I ever start posting it I'm not sure - that came from reading the previous threads on Jeffers in 1796.

Basically, it involves Jefferson not quite soundins waarm toward the French Revolution, being willing to denounce the worst parts, and especially the French Ambassador at the time not being caught publically endorsing Jefferson. it's enough to sway 2-3 electors, and that's enough to get him a win and a few more D-Rs in office.

Jefferson doesn't see the XYZ Affair as that large of a deal but Federalists do, and trounce him in mid-term elections, but war is avoided. John Adams, who becomes a Senator in 1799, is elected President in 1800, but not before Jefferson makes peace. His ambassador, Livingston, is kept on and negotiates the Louisiana Purchase, which Adams makes, and slavery is disallowed in the territory. (What this means for New Orleans and surrounding area is anyone's guess, and for another thread, as it's further on into the Tl anyway.)

One reason John Adams isn't so depressed is that Charles Adams and he reconcile in the time he's out of politics, and Charles - who really admired von Steuben according to histornet.com - uses a chance comment by his father to try to emulate him, which causes him to go to Denmark-Norway to help after the 1801 attack. (D-N, BTW, because of butterflies had a couple extra days to wait for Swedish help in the 1801 attack, so that and some extra encouragement and preparedness causes butterflies that convince them to joint he Coalition after Trafalgar, but that's another story, too.)

So, while I may have time to read other comments, too, on how to make the above work (or a better way for D-N to become a Coalition member), my main question is how to get American - once it and Britain agree on ending impressment and other issues - to have a short war which helps to establish a national identity.

Actually, what would they even gain from a war with France, anyway? Maybe this is the kidn of scenario where, as another thread goes, the U.S. could fight Spain over Florida. (Possible if Spain is still a French ally - after all, France really had almost no Navy after 1805, right? So, was this impressment before then?:confused:)

Whether John Adams would run again in 1804 or not might be helpful too, but I can't see it; I suspect he'd figure he's too old after one term from 1801-1805.

Comments?
 

birdboy2000

Banned
I think they'd use another casus belli if it came to war with France, such as Indian raids or navigation on the Mississippi. British impressment was more common, I'd assume.

I can easily see a "war" in this period, but it'd be more like Andrew Jackson's conquest of Florida than the war of 1812 - the US would conquer the Louisiana territory (or at least the part that mattered) present the French with a fait accompli, and sign a treaty paying them to recognize the US conquest and settle some outstanding diplomatic issues. And France, which OTL sold the territory cheap anyway, would sign, being too busy warring in Europe to care all that much, and unable to meaningfully prosecute such a war.

(I don't see Haiti being of interest. The whites there speak French and are mostly exiled or dead. Slave revolt was bad, sure, but why crush an insurgency in the Caribbean and re-enslave a free people when you can fight Indians in the west? Dominica and Martinique and any other of those tiny islands France held/still holds are more likely, being small enough to easily subjugate and major sugar exporters, but would be hard to defend, would require the consent of the European Great Powers and are a long way from the continental US.)
 
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I think they'd use another casus belli if it came to war with France, such as Indian raids or navigation on the Mississippi. British impressment was more common, I'd assume.

I can easily see a "war" in this period, but it'd be more like Andrew Jackson's conquest of Florida than the war of 1812 - the US would conquer the Louisiana territory (or at least the part that mattered) present the French with a fait accompli, and sign a treaty paying them to recognize the US conquest and settle some outstanding diplomatic issues. And France, which OTL sold the territory cheap anyway, would sign, being too busy warring in Europe to care all that much, and unable to meaningfully prosecute such a war.

(I don't see Haiti being of interest. The whites there speak French and are mostly exiled or dead. Slave revolt was bad, sure, but why crush an insurgency in the Caribbean and re-enslave a free people when you can fight Indians in the west? Dominica and Martinique and any other of those tiny islands France held/still holds are more likely, being small enough to easily subjugate and major sugar exporters, but would be hard to defend, would require the consent of the European Great Powers and are a long way from the continental US.)

Thanks; I'm a little concerned, though, about how the British would react; plus the effects of no Louisiana Purchase might meant hey can't take it, after reading that TL.

Perhaps a better cause belli would be something in Spanish Florida, both agitating Indians in Georgia and not returning escaped slaves. Considering that Georgia went partly for Adams OTL because he promised a strogner army (or at least militia) I can very easily see in one where Jefferson wins in 1796 this could be a bigger concern. So, when Adams wins in 1800 and begins a buildup, by 1806-7 perhaps they decide they can try to inviade Spanish Florida.

After all, as someone noted in another thread, if Adams buys Louisiana, it's probably going to prohibit slavery. (I was stunned that Jefferson actually considered it.) So, this would make the South feel better, with the Federalists winning again in 1804. (Hamilton? Jay? *Maybe* Madison if he promises to keep the military strong, he wasn't as anit-Navy as Jefferson IIRC, and might be a little more willing to meet the Federalists halfway on a few issues of Jefferson's been discredited in 1796.)
 
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