America: My Third TL
- Thread starter herricks
- Start date
Bloody banks of the Oconee
Though the temperature was not as much of a problem in the deep south as it was further north most of the fighting would lull as winter set in. Despite the disruption caused from the Battle of Savannah General Martin would continue preparing the Army for the move on St. Augustine & by the end of the year a force of 10,000 regular troops, including 2500 cavalry, & 20 cannon had been assembled & in training. While his army was considered large enough & Georgia’s governor Jared Irwin was pushing for the large army to leave Savannah Martin would hold still & continue training as St. Augustine’s formidable defenses mainly the fortress Castillo de San Marcos was considered by him to be difficult for even a well trained army to take. So much to others grumblings Martin would continue making preparations for his invasion.
Though Martin was content to wait on attacking apparently the Spanish wouldn’t be. On January 18,1807 1100 cavalry troops both regular & militia would cross into Georgia& begin raiding border towns. Spanish raiders would raid throughout southern & central Georgia pillaging & burning all in their path. To combat the raiders Martin reluctantly dispatched cavalry commander Colonel Stephen Young & his 2500 cavalry to defeat the raiders. As Colonel Young began attempting to catch the raiders his cavalry for would grow to 3250 as volunteers seeking to defeat the Spanish & protect their homes attached themselves to the unit.
First contact would occur along the Altamaha River where two scouting parties, 300 US & 250 Spanish, would come across each other. After 30 minutes of fighting the US force, which had mostly been militia, would retreat back to the main army camped at the small settlement of Mount Vernon after losing 11 & 24 wounded. Having thoroughly defeated the scouting party & sent them off in a disorganized retreat the Spanish scout would rendezvous with the main Spanish army & pursue them thinking that, from what they saw of the scouts, the army sent to confront them would mostly be under trained low morale militia units in which they could defeat fairly easily. For two days the force would follow the Oconee River north after the scouts looking for the army while Colonel Young, who had discovered the Spanish movement a day into their journey would begin rallying his men & on February 3 as the force neared Mount Vernon set out to meet him.
The Battle of Mount Vernon would occur late in the afternoon on February 3, 5 miles south of the town. The battle would turn hand to hand quickly as the dragoons firearms were quickly used up & the battle would come down to fighting with sabre’s. For over an hour fierce bloody fighting would occur along the banks of the Oconee River as hundreds fell to the carnage. By dusk the battle would be over & with 87 dead & over 400 wounded &/or captured Colonel Young would be forced to retreat. Despite emerging the victor the Spaniards, having suffered 111 dead & 240 wounded, would be unable to continue their offensive operations in Georgia & over the next 2 weeks would withdraw back into Florida.
Having suffered defeat at the Battle of Mount Vernon Colonel Young would return to Savannah in despair. While he would still remain cavalry commander under General Martin the leaders in Washington would decide him unfit to have overall command in the field & President Pinckney would have Colonel Harrison, who had been making a name for himself in fighting the Creeks under General Jackson, to come Georgia & assume command of the newly created 1st Cavalry Regiment with the rank of Brigadier General. Arriving in March General Harrison would quickly begin gathering & training his regiment vowing to begin raids into Florida when his army reached 5000. By April he had reached his goal & would begin operations against the Spanish in Florida however, in doing so Harrison would also discover a new enemy for the US. The Seminole tribes of Florida.
US & Spanish Cavalry fighting at the Battle of Mount Vernon
Though the temperature was not as much of a problem in the deep south as it was further north most of the fighting would lull as winter set in. Despite the disruption caused from the Battle of Savannah General Martin would continue preparing the Army for the move on St. Augustine & by the end of the year a force of 10,000 regular troops, including 2500 cavalry, & 20 cannon had been assembled & in training. While his army was considered large enough & Georgia’s governor Jared Irwin was pushing for the large army to leave Savannah Martin would hold still & continue training as St. Augustine’s formidable defenses mainly the fortress Castillo de San Marcos was considered by him to be difficult for even a well trained army to take. So much to others grumblings Martin would continue making preparations for his invasion.
Though Martin was content to wait on attacking apparently the Spanish wouldn’t be. On January 18,1807 1100 cavalry troops both regular & militia would cross into Georgia& begin raiding border towns. Spanish raiders would raid throughout southern & central Georgia pillaging & burning all in their path. To combat the raiders Martin reluctantly dispatched cavalry commander Colonel Stephen Young & his 2500 cavalry to defeat the raiders. As Colonel Young began attempting to catch the raiders his cavalry for would grow to 3250 as volunteers seeking to defeat the Spanish & protect their homes attached themselves to the unit.
First contact would occur along the Altamaha River where two scouting parties, 300 US & 250 Spanish, would come across each other. After 30 minutes of fighting the US force, which had mostly been militia, would retreat back to the main army camped at the small settlement of Mount Vernon after losing 11 & 24 wounded. Having thoroughly defeated the scouting party & sent them off in a disorganized retreat the Spanish scout would rendezvous with the main Spanish army & pursue them thinking that, from what they saw of the scouts, the army sent to confront them would mostly be under trained low morale militia units in which they could defeat fairly easily. For two days the force would follow the Oconee River north after the scouts looking for the army while Colonel Young, who had discovered the Spanish movement a day into their journey would begin rallying his men & on February 3 as the force neared Mount Vernon set out to meet him.
The Battle of Mount Vernon would occur late in the afternoon on February 3, 5 miles south of the town. The battle would turn hand to hand quickly as the dragoons firearms were quickly used up & the battle would come down to fighting with sabre’s. For over an hour fierce bloody fighting would occur along the banks of the Oconee River as hundreds fell to the carnage. By dusk the battle would be over & with 87 dead & over 400 wounded &/or captured Colonel Young would be forced to retreat. Despite emerging the victor the Spaniards, having suffered 111 dead & 240 wounded, would be unable to continue their offensive operations in Georgia & over the next 2 weeks would withdraw back into Florida.
Having suffered defeat at the Battle of Mount Vernon Colonel Young would return to Savannah in despair. While he would still remain cavalry commander under General Martin the leaders in Washington would decide him unfit to have overall command in the field & President Pinckney would have Colonel Harrison, who had been making a name for himself in fighting the Creeks under General Jackson, to come Georgia & assume command of the newly created 1st Cavalry Regiment with the rank of Brigadier General. Arriving in March General Harrison would quickly begin gathering & training his regiment vowing to begin raids into Florida when his army reached 5000. By April he had reached his goal & would begin operations against the Spanish in Florida however, in doing so Harrison would also discover a new enemy for the US. The Seminole tribes of Florida.
US & Spanish Cavalry fighting at the Battle of Mount Vernon
St. Mary’s
After months of preparation on March 1,1807 the time had arrived for Major General Martin (had received promotion in February) to lead his army out of Savannah & invade Florida. It would take two week for the 10,000 strong army to march from Savannah to the Florida border. As Martin’s army moved south word would reach St. Augustine where General Jose de la Cuesta who now commanded 6500 regular & militia troops would dispatch 2500 mostly militia troops with 10 of his 50 cannon north under his subordinate General Francisco Palafox to stall the American advance. To bolster his strength General Palafox would also send word to Captain Joaquin Díaz commanding 1600 cavalrymen on the Georgia border to move east & join his force which he would do on March 11. Palafox would continue north for another 5 days before his scouts would report that General Martin was crossing the St. Mary’s River near Clarks Bluff & that his cannon were still on the north bank & had yet to be taken across. Seeing this as an ample opportunity for his smaller force to gain a decisive victory over the Americans that he hoped could end the war in Spain’s favor, Palafox would order his army to engage.
Palafox’s army would move into position throughout the night of March 12 & 13 with his troops ready by 0600 though his troops were tired after moving all night Palafox would gamble that the American’s being unprepared would outweigh his own troops fatigue & he would be able to overrun the US’s defenses. At 0700 his cannon would begin firing thus starting the Battle of Clarks Bluff however to his surprise they would be answered by 6 of Martin’s cannon that had been brought across the night before. Though the discovery of US artillery was unpleasant, with only 4000 US troops believed to be across the river at 0720 Palafox would order his infantry forward to engage the Americans. The two army’s would fire back & forth for over an hour before at 0850 the American line would look to be on the verge of collapse & its troops would begin withdrawing towards the river. Deciding to end the battle now & not let the retreating Americans regroup Palafox would order Captain Díaz to charge at 0853 with 1200 horses. As Díaz closed in on the retreating Americans Palafox would be sure that this battle was all but over however, the Díaz’s charge would suddenly run into a wall of lead as 1500 concealed troops & 10 cannon firing canister shot would open up on them over the heads of the retreating troops that were now regrouping showing Palafox that the retreat had been planned.
Within minutes over half the horse & a third of the men had been cut down & the Spanish troops were now retreating themselves as Martin now had his men advancing & overrunning the Spanish lines. Palafox could see that his army was quickly failing & he began trying desperately to rally them for a counter attack. However at this time, 0930, Colonel Young & 2000 cavalrymen that had crossed the river 2 miles east of the battlefield would charge into Spain’s reserve as well as Palafox himself. Heavy fighting would continue for another 30 minutes before the Spanish, shattered & exhausted would retreat leavin the mortally wounded General Palafox to die of his wounds. The Battle of Clarks Bluff had left 209 Americans dead & 578 wounded but Spain’s numbers would be much higher. Of the 4100 Spanish troops that had entered the battle 623 were dead, 1492 wounded, & 1601 captured. News of the first real major land battle would quickly spread causing widespread celebration in the US & despair in St. Augustine as General de la Cuesta would see half of his force destroyed in a single battle. On March 18 Martin now with no obstacles in his way would continue the march south towards St. Augustine. On March 26 the walls of Martin’s army entered the city which de la Cuesta who was unable to defend abandoned for the walls of Castillo de San Marcos. Martin, who would not have the manpower to take the fortress by force would settle his army in around it thus beginning the siege of St. Augustine.
Fronts March 1807
After months of preparation on March 1,1807 the time had arrived for Major General Martin (had received promotion in February) to lead his army out of Savannah & invade Florida. It would take two week for the 10,000 strong army to march from Savannah to the Florida border. As Martin’s army moved south word would reach St. Augustine where General Jose de la Cuesta who now commanded 6500 regular & militia troops would dispatch 2500 mostly militia troops with 10 of his 50 cannon north under his subordinate General Francisco Palafox to stall the American advance. To bolster his strength General Palafox would also send word to Captain Joaquin Díaz commanding 1600 cavalrymen on the Georgia border to move east & join his force which he would do on March 11. Palafox would continue north for another 5 days before his scouts would report that General Martin was crossing the St. Mary’s River near Clarks Bluff & that his cannon were still on the north bank & had yet to be taken across. Seeing this as an ample opportunity for his smaller force to gain a decisive victory over the Americans that he hoped could end the war in Spain’s favor, Palafox would order his army to engage.
Palafox’s army would move into position throughout the night of March 12 & 13 with his troops ready by 0600 though his troops were tired after moving all night Palafox would gamble that the American’s being unprepared would outweigh his own troops fatigue & he would be able to overrun the US’s defenses. At 0700 his cannon would begin firing thus starting the Battle of Clarks Bluff however to his surprise they would be answered by 6 of Martin’s cannon that had been brought across the night before. Though the discovery of US artillery was unpleasant, with only 4000 US troops believed to be across the river at 0720 Palafox would order his infantry forward to engage the Americans. The two army’s would fire back & forth for over an hour before at 0850 the American line would look to be on the verge of collapse & its troops would begin withdrawing towards the river. Deciding to end the battle now & not let the retreating Americans regroup Palafox would order Captain Díaz to charge at 0853 with 1200 horses. As Díaz closed in on the retreating Americans Palafox would be sure that this battle was all but over however, the Díaz’s charge would suddenly run into a wall of lead as 1500 concealed troops & 10 cannon firing canister shot would open up on them over the heads of the retreating troops that were now regrouping showing Palafox that the retreat had been planned.
Within minutes over half the horse & a third of the men had been cut down & the Spanish troops were now retreating themselves as Martin now had his men advancing & overrunning the Spanish lines. Palafox could see that his army was quickly failing & he began trying desperately to rally them for a counter attack. However at this time, 0930, Colonel Young & 2000 cavalrymen that had crossed the river 2 miles east of the battlefield would charge into Spain’s reserve as well as Palafox himself. Heavy fighting would continue for another 30 minutes before the Spanish, shattered & exhausted would retreat leavin the mortally wounded General Palafox to die of his wounds. The Battle of Clarks Bluff had left 209 Americans dead & 578 wounded but Spain’s numbers would be much higher. Of the 4100 Spanish troops that had entered the battle 623 were dead, 1492 wounded, & 1601 captured. News of the first real major land battle would quickly spread causing widespread celebration in the US & despair in St. Augustine as General de la Cuesta would see half of his force destroyed in a single battle. On March 18 Martin now with no obstacles in his way would continue the march south towards St. Augustine. On March 26 the walls of Martin’s army entered the city which de la Cuesta who was unable to defend abandoned for the walls of Castillo de San Marcos. Martin, who would not have the manpower to take the fortress by force would settle his army in around it thus beginning the siege of St. Augustine.
Fronts March 1807
Glory Road
As Martin settled in to the Siege of St. Augustine on the other side of the country a second attempt at taking the nations main objective, New Orleans, from French hands. Brigadier General Herman Wilcox had been sent from Tennessee with 1250 men to Fort Reliance where his force would merge with the 250 regulars & 600 militia already stationed there & make a second attempt on New Orleans. On April 2,1807 General Wilcox would set out generally following the same route taken by Taggart down the Mississippi. For two weeks Wilcox’s force would trek down the river towards Baton Rouge in which he would near on April 19. Upon nearing Baton Rouge Wilcox would discover that the town was guarded by 1200 French troops but unlike Taggart who had rushed in to battle unprepared Wilcox would order his troops to dig in outside the town & try & force the French to come to him by firing on the town with his 4 cannon during the night.
Wilcox’s plan would work & the next day the French would respond with their own cannon & would begin moving out to engage the Americans. At 1035 the first sets of small arms first would occur between the two armies. The Americans, thanks to Wilcox’s orders to fight on the defensive, were well protected fighting behind a fence which helped somewhat shield them from French fire. Before noon the French would make two attempts to find a weakness in the US lines & break through however, at each time they would be repulsed. Throughout the early afternoon the fighting would die down some to the occasional cannon fire as the two sides rested & gathered their wounded however by 1500 the fighting would begin once more with a third French attempt to breakthrough the lines. Following their third unsuccessful attempt at breaking the Americans lines Frances casualties were starting to really add up. At 1620 Wilcox would use this opportunity to his advantage & order his men to assault the French lines. With superior numbers the Americans would succeed in overrunning the French troops at 1715 & at 1730 the French commander would reluctantly order his men to retreat & withdraw from the town ending the Second Battle of Baton Rouge in a US victory.
Following 5 days recuperation for his troops Wilcox would move out once more & continue south towards New Orleans on April 26. The march from Baton Rouge would initially be met with no resistance as for a week Wilcox would move closer & closer to his objective however that would all change on May 4 at the small town of LaPlace. Wilcox’s army had stopped in LaPlace on May 4 during the early afternoon to rest for a while before continuing on their trek. Though his forward scouts had initially reported now enemy troops at around 1400 his scouts would report a large enemy army approaching. That army consisted of over half of New Orleans defenders with 1100 French, 1400 Spanish, & 1000 militia troops under the command of French General Sebastian Duvall & wound begin assaulting the town almost immediately after a brief bombardment by his 12 cannon. The Americans would fight valiantly as they would fend off two assaults by Duvall’s infantry however, by 1640 the third French assault would breakthrough the lines. With his men being heavily outnumbered & outgunned Wilcox would order the retreat saving most of his army from being overrun.
Wilcox would retreat back to Baton Rouge with his remaining 970 men & dig in for a second attack that would never come. Having protected New Orleans General Duvall would withdraw back to the town & leave the Americans, which were no long a threat, be. Unable to go on the offensive anymore Wilcox & his men would settle in to Baton Rouge as the Mississippi Theater of the war would once again stabilize. Though he would ask for regular reinforcements to renew his assault on New Orleans, due to new operations being planned, Wilcox would receive none & the Second New Orleans Campaign would end the same as the first one, in failure.
As Martin settled in to the Siege of St. Augustine on the other side of the country a second attempt at taking the nations main objective, New Orleans, from French hands. Brigadier General Herman Wilcox had been sent from Tennessee with 1250 men to Fort Reliance where his force would merge with the 250 regulars & 600 militia already stationed there & make a second attempt on New Orleans. On April 2,1807 General Wilcox would set out generally following the same route taken by Taggart down the Mississippi. For two weeks Wilcox’s force would trek down the river towards Baton Rouge in which he would near on April 19. Upon nearing Baton Rouge Wilcox would discover that the town was guarded by 1200 French troops but unlike Taggart who had rushed in to battle unprepared Wilcox would order his troops to dig in outside the town & try & force the French to come to him by firing on the town with his 4 cannon during the night.
Wilcox’s plan would work & the next day the French would respond with their own cannon & would begin moving out to engage the Americans. At 1035 the first sets of small arms first would occur between the two armies. The Americans, thanks to Wilcox’s orders to fight on the defensive, were well protected fighting behind a fence which helped somewhat shield them from French fire. Before noon the French would make two attempts to find a weakness in the US lines & break through however, at each time they would be repulsed. Throughout the early afternoon the fighting would die down some to the occasional cannon fire as the two sides rested & gathered their wounded however by 1500 the fighting would begin once more with a third French attempt to breakthrough the lines. Following their third unsuccessful attempt at breaking the Americans lines Frances casualties were starting to really add up. At 1620 Wilcox would use this opportunity to his advantage & order his men to assault the French lines. With superior numbers the Americans would succeed in overrunning the French troops at 1715 & at 1730 the French commander would reluctantly order his men to retreat & withdraw from the town ending the Second Battle of Baton Rouge in a US victory.
Following 5 days recuperation for his troops Wilcox would move out once more & continue south towards New Orleans on April 26. The march from Baton Rouge would initially be met with no resistance as for a week Wilcox would move closer & closer to his objective however that would all change on May 4 at the small town of LaPlace. Wilcox’s army had stopped in LaPlace on May 4 during the early afternoon to rest for a while before continuing on their trek. Though his forward scouts had initially reported now enemy troops at around 1400 his scouts would report a large enemy army approaching. That army consisted of over half of New Orleans defenders with 1100 French, 1400 Spanish, & 1000 militia troops under the command of French General Sebastian Duvall & wound begin assaulting the town almost immediately after a brief bombardment by his 12 cannon. The Americans would fight valiantly as they would fend off two assaults by Duvall’s infantry however, by 1640 the third French assault would breakthrough the lines. With his men being heavily outnumbered & outgunned Wilcox would order the retreat saving most of his army from being overrun.
Wilcox would retreat back to Baton Rouge with his remaining 970 men & dig in for a second attack that would never come. Having protected New Orleans General Duvall would withdraw back to the town & leave the Americans, which were no long a threat, be. Unable to go on the offensive anymore Wilcox & his men would settle in to Baton Rouge as the Mississippi Theater of the war would once again stabilize. Though he would ask for regular reinforcements to renew his assault on New Orleans, due to new operations being planned, Wilcox would receive none & the Second New Orleans Campaign would end the same as the first one, in failure.
Basic
After nearly 2 months under siege General de la Cuesta would surrender the town & fortress to General Martin on May 20,1807. With de la Cuesta’s surrender there would be no other major Spanish military units east of the Mississippi outside small groups of militia scattered throughout the peninsula. However now there was a problem much worse than the militia’s for the Americans in the form of the Seminoles. To combat the Seminole & any remaining Spaniards General Harrison would be given control over all but 500 of General Martin’s cavalry bringing his force to 5500. Harrison would spend the rest of the war campaigning throughout Florida attempting to further bring it under US control. Martin on the other hand, who had originally intended to move west & take New Orleans, would instead be ordered to return to Savannah where plans for a new campaign were in the works.
General Martin & his 5000 remaining men, that had not either been killed in the Siege of St. Augustine or left as a garrison for the Castillo de San Marcos & to guard the Spanish prisoners, would arrive back in Savannah on June 20 where he would receive an additional 3500 well trained men. Upon arriving Savannah’s port would be filled with transport ships, both American & surprisingly British, that were being readied for Martin’s army while warships would be anchored right off the coast. after several days of speculation Martin & his men would receive official word that they were bound for the Caribbean where they would begin an invasion of Santo Domingo & would be reinforced by 2500 British troops that were already enroute. Though the exact time of departure had not yet been given Martin would immediately begin training his veteran troops for amphibious landings to help get them up as ready for the action as his replacement troops, which had already been trained.
Fronts Summer 1807
After nearly 2 months under siege General de la Cuesta would surrender the town & fortress to General Martin on May 20,1807. With de la Cuesta’s surrender there would be no other major Spanish military units east of the Mississippi outside small groups of militia scattered throughout the peninsula. However now there was a problem much worse than the militia’s for the Americans in the form of the Seminoles. To combat the Seminole & any remaining Spaniards General Harrison would be given control over all but 500 of General Martin’s cavalry bringing his force to 5500. Harrison would spend the rest of the war campaigning throughout Florida attempting to further bring it under US control. Martin on the other hand, who had originally intended to move west & take New Orleans, would instead be ordered to return to Savannah where plans for a new campaign were in the works.
General Martin & his 5000 remaining men, that had not either been killed in the Siege of St. Augustine or left as a garrison for the Castillo de San Marcos & to guard the Spanish prisoners, would arrive back in Savannah on June 20 where he would receive an additional 3500 well trained men. Upon arriving Savannah’s port would be filled with transport ships, both American & surprisingly British, that were being readied for Martin’s army while warships would be anchored right off the coast. after several days of speculation Martin & his men would receive official word that they were bound for the Caribbean where they would begin an invasion of Santo Domingo & would be reinforced by 2500 British troops that were already enroute. Though the exact time of departure had not yet been given Martin would immediately begin training his veteran troops for amphibious landings to help get them up as ready for the action as his replacement troops, which had already been trained.
Fronts Summer 1807
That Sinking Feeling
As Martin & the invasion force prepared to leave for Santo Domingo, elsewhere the war would continue. While aside from the occasional skirmish land warfare would mainly compose of US-Indian fighting in Florida & Indiana, at sea it would be a different story as American & British warships worked to finish clearing the routes between the US & Hispaniola. Though since the Battle of Charleston neither French nor Spanish warships had ventured out of the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean in very large fleets around Hispaniola & Cuba their navies were fighting fiercely to stop the British & Americans from gaining total naval supremacy.
Since his victories at the Battles of St. Andrews Bay & Mobile captain Kennedy had returned to commerce raiding in the Atlantic & now, with the acquisition of Mobile, Mobile. However in early June 1807 after returning to Mobile from raiding Kennedy would receive orders to take his squadron to sail for Jamaica where they would join up with Sir Winslow Shaw commanding 3 frigates & a fourth rate. Shaw & Kennedy were ordered to conduct raids on the coasts of New Spain & New Grenada in an effort to force Spain to withdraw some of its vessels from Cuban & Santo Domingo waters to help make way for the invasion force. After a quick rest & resupplying on June 11 Kennedy’s squadron would set sail for Jamaica arriving there on June 21, along with 2 more merchant vessels.
After leaving Kingston the allied fleets first stop would be Caracas on June 27 where the fleet would make quick work of the cities small garrison fleet & would bombard the town for 3 days before returning to Kingston. US & Royal navy vessels had only lost 8 people & 14 wounded to Caracas’s destruction which had left 108 dead, 500 wounded, & much of the city either destroyed or burning. From Caracas the fleet would sail to Barranquilla where it too would be virtually destroyed with very little allied casualties. Following another supply run to Kingston the fleet would strike New Spain at Veracruz, Coatzacoalcos, & Boca del Rio before, after running low on supplies, returning to Jamaica on July 18. However on July 25 off the coast of the Yucatán an unexpected problem would occur.
The Anglo-American bombardment of multiple Spanish city had achieved the response that the US & Britain had wanted & on July 20 a fleet of 1 third rate, 2 fourth rates, 4 frigates, 6 sloops, & a French third rate had set sail from Cuba following word of the Anglo-American attacks along New Spain’s coast. For 5 days the Spanish fleet raced hoping to cut of their enemy’s route to Jamaica. On the 25th Spain’s hopes would prove fruitful as its forwards ships would announce the spotting of the first Anglo-American ships on the horizon. Quickly the Spanish commander Admiral Gravina would order his ships into battle formation & begin the attack run on the enemy fleet. As the Battle of Yucatán commenced Gravina would pray that this day would see Spain have revenge for Charleston.
The first shots would be fired at 1155 as Gravina’s lead ships, the French & Spanish third rates, would fire on the schooner USS Adams, striking its magazine & causing it to explode, & the frigate HMS Irresistible which along would lose two masts & control of its rudder effectively taking it out of the fight. By 1215 nearly all ships would be engaged in battle that would last for hours. Ship after ship would either be sunk, captured, or catch fire & by 1500 Kennedy & Shaw would see that their forces were quickly beginning to lose the battle. The final large action would occur at 1540 when the French third rate would begin to board the Constellation & Kennedy, along with his crew would soon be desperately fighting hoards of French sailors on its deck. Kennedy & his men would fight fiercely however at 1555 he would be struck twice by musket fire & die on the deck. With the loss of their captain the Constellation’s crew would quickly lose the will to continue fighting & by 1600 the ship had surrendered.
With the loss of six ships & over 500 men (killed, wounded, & captured) Shaw would order the remaining of his battered forces to retreat. Having only lost 2 ships & captured 3 the Battle of Yucatán would be a great victory for Spain & Gravina as both had finally got their revenge. However, though the Battle of Yucatán had shown the US & Britain that their control over the waters of the Americas were not as solid as they had once thought, the battle would also anger the two nations, more so with America who had lost one of its war heroes & the Caribbean would soon see the full might of the American & British navy come down upon it.
The Battle of Yucatán
As Martin & the invasion force prepared to leave for Santo Domingo, elsewhere the war would continue. While aside from the occasional skirmish land warfare would mainly compose of US-Indian fighting in Florida & Indiana, at sea it would be a different story as American & British warships worked to finish clearing the routes between the US & Hispaniola. Though since the Battle of Charleston neither French nor Spanish warships had ventured out of the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean in very large fleets around Hispaniola & Cuba their navies were fighting fiercely to stop the British & Americans from gaining total naval supremacy.
Since his victories at the Battles of St. Andrews Bay & Mobile captain Kennedy had returned to commerce raiding in the Atlantic & now, with the acquisition of Mobile, Mobile. However in early June 1807 after returning to Mobile from raiding Kennedy would receive orders to take his squadron to sail for Jamaica where they would join up with Sir Winslow Shaw commanding 3 frigates & a fourth rate. Shaw & Kennedy were ordered to conduct raids on the coasts of New Spain & New Grenada in an effort to force Spain to withdraw some of its vessels from Cuban & Santo Domingo waters to help make way for the invasion force. After a quick rest & resupplying on June 11 Kennedy’s squadron would set sail for Jamaica arriving there on June 21, along with 2 more merchant vessels.
After leaving Kingston the allied fleets first stop would be Caracas on June 27 where the fleet would make quick work of the cities small garrison fleet & would bombard the town for 3 days before returning to Kingston. US & Royal navy vessels had only lost 8 people & 14 wounded to Caracas’s destruction which had left 108 dead, 500 wounded, & much of the city either destroyed or burning. From Caracas the fleet would sail to Barranquilla where it too would be virtually destroyed with very little allied casualties. Following another supply run to Kingston the fleet would strike New Spain at Veracruz, Coatzacoalcos, & Boca del Rio before, after running low on supplies, returning to Jamaica on July 18. However on July 25 off the coast of the Yucatán an unexpected problem would occur.
The Anglo-American bombardment of multiple Spanish city had achieved the response that the US & Britain had wanted & on July 20 a fleet of 1 third rate, 2 fourth rates, 4 frigates, 6 sloops, & a French third rate had set sail from Cuba following word of the Anglo-American attacks along New Spain’s coast. For 5 days the Spanish fleet raced hoping to cut of their enemy’s route to Jamaica. On the 25th Spain’s hopes would prove fruitful as its forwards ships would announce the spotting of the first Anglo-American ships on the horizon. Quickly the Spanish commander Admiral Gravina would order his ships into battle formation & begin the attack run on the enemy fleet. As the Battle of Yucatán commenced Gravina would pray that this day would see Spain have revenge for Charleston.
The first shots would be fired at 1155 as Gravina’s lead ships, the French & Spanish third rates, would fire on the schooner USS Adams, striking its magazine & causing it to explode, & the frigate HMS Irresistible which along would lose two masts & control of its rudder effectively taking it out of the fight. By 1215 nearly all ships would be engaged in battle that would last for hours. Ship after ship would either be sunk, captured, or catch fire & by 1500 Kennedy & Shaw would see that their forces were quickly beginning to lose the battle. The final large action would occur at 1540 when the French third rate would begin to board the Constellation & Kennedy, along with his crew would soon be desperately fighting hoards of French sailors on its deck. Kennedy & his men would fight fiercely however at 1555 he would be struck twice by musket fire & die on the deck. With the loss of their captain the Constellation’s crew would quickly lose the will to continue fighting & by 1600 the ship had surrendered.
With the loss of six ships & over 500 men (killed, wounded, & captured) Shaw would order the remaining of his battered forces to retreat. Having only lost 2 ships & captured 3 the Battle of Yucatán would be a great victory for Spain & Gravina as both had finally got their revenge. However, though the Battle of Yucatán had shown the US & Britain that their control over the waters of the Americas were not as solid as they had once thought, the battle would also anger the two nations, more so with America who had lost one of its war heroes & the Caribbean would soon see the full might of the American & British navy come down upon it.
The Battle of Yucatán
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The Windward Winds
With news of the bloody defeat at the Battle of Yucatán quickly spreading throughout the nation & causing anti-war sentiment to rise even further those in the navy would wish to see revenge. With the invasion force set to leave Savannah on August 10,1807 an Anglo-American defending fleet of 6 frigates, 10 brigs, 4 sloops, & 8 schooners would remain behind while an allied fleet of 7 ships-of-the-line (only 1 US), 12 frigates, 18 sloops, 18 brigs, & 22 schooners under Admiral Matthew Perry would set sail on the 5th for the Windward Passage where a Franco-Spanish fleet was gathering to stop the troops. On August 9, after four days of traveling Perry’s fleet would begin rounding Cuba & entering the Passage. Within hours the first contacts would begin in the Battle of the Windward Passage.
The first shots of the Battle of the Windward Passage would occur at 1440 as the forward scouting ship the schooner USS Hudson would be engaged by two French brigs off the Haitian coast 10 miles ahead of the main warships. Though several of the British & American scouting ships that were somewhat near the Hudson would race to rescue it the Hudson would be sunk before that help would arrive. By 1515 the main portions of each fleet would receive the news from its forward ships & by 1600 the two fleets would be in sight of each other & begin moving to attack.
For the rest of the day the two sides navies would fight fiercely all across the Passage with several ships from both sides being either sunk, captured, or damaged enough that they had to leave the battle & attempt to reach safe harbor. As day turned to night the fighting would die down a bit though, never fully disappearing as flashes of cannon fire could be seen throughout the night as the ships nervous crews fired at ships & shadows, friends & foes. With first light the battle would erupt once more as a second day of bloody naval warfare would begin.
Fighting on the second day would continue until mid afternoon when by around 1600 with both sides utterly exhausted the two fleets would begin to gradually separate with the last shots being fired around 1800. With nearly 120 ships engaged in the battle the Battle of the Windward Passage dwarfed the Battle of Charleston taking the top spot as the new largest naval battle in the Americas. However despite being the largest the outcome was more or less a draw with neither side totally achieving its goals with the US & Britain unable to completely destroy France & Spain’s American naval capacity & France & Spain, while making the Anglo-American fleet wait in the safety of the Bahamas for the transport fleet to arrive, were unable to close the Windward passage & keep the invasion from happening. In terms of ships & casualties the four navies had lost 27 ships by sinking or being captured & more than twice that with enough damage to be forced to return to port (slightly more belonging to the Anglo-American fleet) & over 3000 casualties. However with Britain could easily replace the losses & the US was beginning to more easily replace them with war raging on two continents France & Spain would simply be unable to continue & compete with its enemies everywhere & on August 15 the invasion fleet would pass through the Windward Passage & by the 18th the shores of Santo Domingo would be in chaos as deadly fire would reign down upon them & the sea would be covered with anxious & ready British & American troops.
With news of the bloody defeat at the Battle of Yucatán quickly spreading throughout the nation & causing anti-war sentiment to rise even further those in the navy would wish to see revenge. With the invasion force set to leave Savannah on August 10,1807 an Anglo-American defending fleet of 6 frigates, 10 brigs, 4 sloops, & 8 schooners would remain behind while an allied fleet of 7 ships-of-the-line (only 1 US), 12 frigates, 18 sloops, 18 brigs, & 22 schooners under Admiral Matthew Perry would set sail on the 5th for the Windward Passage where a Franco-Spanish fleet was gathering to stop the troops. On August 9, after four days of traveling Perry’s fleet would begin rounding Cuba & entering the Passage. Within hours the first contacts would begin in the Battle of the Windward Passage.
The first shots of the Battle of the Windward Passage would occur at 1440 as the forward scouting ship the schooner USS Hudson would be engaged by two French brigs off the Haitian coast 10 miles ahead of the main warships. Though several of the British & American scouting ships that were somewhat near the Hudson would race to rescue it the Hudson would be sunk before that help would arrive. By 1515 the main portions of each fleet would receive the news from its forward ships & by 1600 the two fleets would be in sight of each other & begin moving to attack.
For the rest of the day the two sides navies would fight fiercely all across the Passage with several ships from both sides being either sunk, captured, or damaged enough that they had to leave the battle & attempt to reach safe harbor. As day turned to night the fighting would die down a bit though, never fully disappearing as flashes of cannon fire could be seen throughout the night as the ships nervous crews fired at ships & shadows, friends & foes. With first light the battle would erupt once more as a second day of bloody naval warfare would begin.
Fighting on the second day would continue until mid afternoon when by around 1600 with both sides utterly exhausted the two fleets would begin to gradually separate with the last shots being fired around 1800. With nearly 120 ships engaged in the battle the Battle of the Windward Passage dwarfed the Battle of Charleston taking the top spot as the new largest naval battle in the Americas. However despite being the largest the outcome was more or less a draw with neither side totally achieving its goals with the US & Britain unable to completely destroy France & Spain’s American naval capacity & France & Spain, while making the Anglo-American fleet wait in the safety of the Bahamas for the transport fleet to arrive, were unable to close the Windward passage & keep the invasion from happening. In terms of ships & casualties the four navies had lost 27 ships by sinking or being captured & more than twice that with enough damage to be forced to return to port (slightly more belonging to the Anglo-American fleet) & over 3000 casualties. However with Britain could easily replace the losses & the US was beginning to more easily replace them with war raging on two continents France & Spain would simply be unable to continue & compete with its enemies everywhere & on August 15 the invasion fleet would pass through the Windward Passage & by the 18th the shores of Santo Domingo would be in chaos as deadly fire would reign down upon them & the sea would be covered with anxious & ready British & American troops.
I am trying to figure out how the French and Spanish are staying even with the British here. Post Trafalgar, the RN pretty much ran the table on them. Better crews meant the British tended to win handily whenever they fought at near even odds. Things seem a bit more balanced ITTL and i wonder why.
well most of the royal navy is concentrated in Europe so when these engagements occur & its both US & Britain most of the ships smaller than ship of the lines belong to the US. also unless i'm mistaking Spain at least, built a lot of ships out of Ciba
Campaigns of the Caribbean
Despite word of an imminent invasion coming, Santo Domingo’s military garrisons commander General Alfonso Diaz had let many opportunities to further build up his defenses slip through his fingers. Though Diaz had emplaced shore batteries in & around the city of Santo Domingo & move much of his army into the city the British troops, who were for the most part leading the invasions first wave, & Americans would begin landing east of the capital with relatively few amounts of combat casualties. As British & American units moved inland to establish a secure beachhead, over the next week boats would continue to offload the remaining forces & supplies. By September 1 over 8000 US troops under General Martin & nearly 2500 British troops under General Winston Stephens would be ashore & ready to move on the islands capital city of Santo Domingo.
Though informal allies & supposedly to be conducting this campaign together Martin & Stephens would soon find themselves in disagreement. Stephens would call for a campaign through the island wreaking havoc & forcing General Diaz to come out Santo Domingo & face the allies in open battle where, despite troops numbers being nearly the same, Stephens would be sure that the better equipped & experienced American & British troops could easily win the day. Martin on the other hand called for the immediate move on Santo Domingo & place the city under siege, where there troops combined with the navy offshore he was certain that the city would soon fall, & the allies rear guards could keep the remaining regulars & irregulars remaining in the countryside at bay. As the two generals resolved their attack plans, several miles inland an advanced unit of 400 British soldiers would come under attack on September 2 by 1200 irregulars outside Guerra in the first “major” land engagement of the campaign.
The attack would come at mid morning when the Santo Domingan’s, armed with 2 cannon, would begin firing on the British positions while their troops advanced. Though outnumbered 3-1 the British troops, better trained, equipped, & fighting from a fortified position, would begin to respond with their own 3 cannon firing first standard rounds & then canister shot into the oncoming troops. The untrained & untested irregulars would have no chance & within an hour after sustaining 485 killed, wounded, & captured to Britain’s 97 killed & wounded the Santo Domingan’s would retreat ending the Battle of Guerra. The British victory at Guerra would further cement Stephens opinion that forcing Diaz into an open battle would be the way to go & on September 5 would begin moving his force deeper inland while Martin would move his troops towards Santo Domingo staying close to the coast & under naval protection. Though the two forces had parted ways Stephens agreed that if Diaz hadn’t left the city to attack either force he would circle around & attack Santo Domingo from the west & contribute his troops to the siege.
As Martin would begin slowly moving towards the capital Stephens army would begin cutting a path through the island heading northwest. Aside from small one sided battles against irregulars at Yamasa & Peralvillo though Stephens force would move freely without any significant confrontation as Diaz would continue to keep his army stationed in Santo Domingo to defend the capital. By September 20 Martins force would be nearing the capital & Stephens, whose plan had only succeeded in using up supplies & costing him several hundred casualties, mainly to disease from the harsh climate, would finally & reluctantly turn his army towards Santo Domingo.
Despite Stephens hopes of his troops fighting the first large battle against Diaz on September 23 it would actually be Martin & his Americans who would get that honor when Diaz & 4000 of his 11,000 or so troops would engage Martin just a few miles from Santo Domingo. The Battle of Arismar would begin around 1015 when the two opposing cannon batteries would begin dueling one another & bombarding each others troops. At 1030 the first small arms engagements would occur as each sides units would begin probing each others lines looking for weak spots to push through. However by noon all this probing had done was given each side several casualties & each side would begin to dig in. Though near the coast by 1300 the Americans had yet to receive naval support in dislodging the Spaniards. Unknown to Martin this was due to his armies movement into territory that Spain’s shore batteries covered & the Anglo-American fleet off shore was having a tough time silencing those guns. Despite the allied fleet grossly outnumbering the number of shore batteries it would be most of the day, actions by Royal & US Marines, & cost two ships before enough guns could be silenced that the ships could begin attacking Diaz.
As the Battle of Arismar raged General Stephens would be crossing the Rio Isabella in his movement to encircle Santo Domingo. As his army was still crossing they would be attacked bay 2200 regular & irregular troops & 6 cannon under Colonel Francisco de la Fuentes. The attack would catch the British off guard & Stephens force would suffer several casualties before he would be able to form up his units to defend the still crossing troops. The Battle of Rio Isabella would last only 50 minutes before Stephens, whose force had suffered over 300 total casualties, would be force to withdraw back across the river & retreat. Stephens would retreat several miles before stopping that night & digging in prepared for a secondary attack that he thought would be emanate. However by the next day he would discover that that would not be so as Colonel de la Fuentes had withdrew back into the capital. Though Stephens would not know why, on the 26th he would cautiously begin moving once more to encircle Santo Domingo. It would only be later that Stephens would learn the reason for de la Fuentes’s retreat had occur several miles to the southeast where the Americans had been battling at the Battle of Arismar.
After silencing the shore batteries, the Anglo-American fleet had began bombarding Diaz’s position during the night, causing a significant damage & casualties. Before dawn Martin would order his men forward in a daring night attack on the Spanish lines hoping to catch the Spaniards tired & off guard. The plan worked & before Diaz could effectively move his troops to defend against the oncoming Americans, Martin’s troops were already through Diaz’s front lines & were rapidly advancing on his reserves. By 0730 with much of his force overrun Diaz would retreat back into Santo Domingo defeated. The Battle of Arismar was a decisive victory for the US as they had inflicted 1400 dead & wounded casualties on Diaz & nearly 1600 others were either captured or missing.
With a large portion of his regular troops now destroyed hope for counter attacks to save Santo Domingo from siege looked grim & aside from skirmishes & delaying actions Diaz would never again engage the Americans in open battle. On October 3 the Siege of Santo Domingo would begin as Martin’s & Stephens forces began to dig in around the city. One by one American & British troops & Marines would silence the shore batteries & by the 7th British & US warships would begin bombarding the city. Despite the siege & bombardments Diaz & Santo Domingo would manage to hold out for over three months before on January 9,1808 with his army & Santo Domingo’s populace starving, sick, & dying General Diaz would surrender to Stephens & Martin ending the Siege of Santo Domingo.
Warfront Fall 1807
Despite word of an imminent invasion coming, Santo Domingo’s military garrisons commander General Alfonso Diaz had let many opportunities to further build up his defenses slip through his fingers. Though Diaz had emplaced shore batteries in & around the city of Santo Domingo & move much of his army into the city the British troops, who were for the most part leading the invasions first wave, & Americans would begin landing east of the capital with relatively few amounts of combat casualties. As British & American units moved inland to establish a secure beachhead, over the next week boats would continue to offload the remaining forces & supplies. By September 1 over 8000 US troops under General Martin & nearly 2500 British troops under General Winston Stephens would be ashore & ready to move on the islands capital city of Santo Domingo.
Though informal allies & supposedly to be conducting this campaign together Martin & Stephens would soon find themselves in disagreement. Stephens would call for a campaign through the island wreaking havoc & forcing General Diaz to come out Santo Domingo & face the allies in open battle where, despite troops numbers being nearly the same, Stephens would be sure that the better equipped & experienced American & British troops could easily win the day. Martin on the other hand called for the immediate move on Santo Domingo & place the city under siege, where there troops combined with the navy offshore he was certain that the city would soon fall, & the allies rear guards could keep the remaining regulars & irregulars remaining in the countryside at bay. As the two generals resolved their attack plans, several miles inland an advanced unit of 400 British soldiers would come under attack on September 2 by 1200 irregulars outside Guerra in the first “major” land engagement of the campaign.
The attack would come at mid morning when the Santo Domingan’s, armed with 2 cannon, would begin firing on the British positions while their troops advanced. Though outnumbered 3-1 the British troops, better trained, equipped, & fighting from a fortified position, would begin to respond with their own 3 cannon firing first standard rounds & then canister shot into the oncoming troops. The untrained & untested irregulars would have no chance & within an hour after sustaining 485 killed, wounded, & captured to Britain’s 97 killed & wounded the Santo Domingan’s would retreat ending the Battle of Guerra. The British victory at Guerra would further cement Stephens opinion that forcing Diaz into an open battle would be the way to go & on September 5 would begin moving his force deeper inland while Martin would move his troops towards Santo Domingo staying close to the coast & under naval protection. Though the two forces had parted ways Stephens agreed that if Diaz hadn’t left the city to attack either force he would circle around & attack Santo Domingo from the west & contribute his troops to the siege.
As Martin would begin slowly moving towards the capital Stephens army would begin cutting a path through the island heading northwest. Aside from small one sided battles against irregulars at Yamasa & Peralvillo though Stephens force would move freely without any significant confrontation as Diaz would continue to keep his army stationed in Santo Domingo to defend the capital. By September 20 Martins force would be nearing the capital & Stephens, whose plan had only succeeded in using up supplies & costing him several hundred casualties, mainly to disease from the harsh climate, would finally & reluctantly turn his army towards Santo Domingo.
Despite Stephens hopes of his troops fighting the first large battle against Diaz on September 23 it would actually be Martin & his Americans who would get that honor when Diaz & 4000 of his 11,000 or so troops would engage Martin just a few miles from Santo Domingo. The Battle of Arismar would begin around 1015 when the two opposing cannon batteries would begin dueling one another & bombarding each others troops. At 1030 the first small arms engagements would occur as each sides units would begin probing each others lines looking for weak spots to push through. However by noon all this probing had done was given each side several casualties & each side would begin to dig in. Though near the coast by 1300 the Americans had yet to receive naval support in dislodging the Spaniards. Unknown to Martin this was due to his armies movement into territory that Spain’s shore batteries covered & the Anglo-American fleet off shore was having a tough time silencing those guns. Despite the allied fleet grossly outnumbering the number of shore batteries it would be most of the day, actions by Royal & US Marines, & cost two ships before enough guns could be silenced that the ships could begin attacking Diaz.
As the Battle of Arismar raged General Stephens would be crossing the Rio Isabella in his movement to encircle Santo Domingo. As his army was still crossing they would be attacked bay 2200 regular & irregular troops & 6 cannon under Colonel Francisco de la Fuentes. The attack would catch the British off guard & Stephens force would suffer several casualties before he would be able to form up his units to defend the still crossing troops. The Battle of Rio Isabella would last only 50 minutes before Stephens, whose force had suffered over 300 total casualties, would be force to withdraw back across the river & retreat. Stephens would retreat several miles before stopping that night & digging in prepared for a secondary attack that he thought would be emanate. However by the next day he would discover that that would not be so as Colonel de la Fuentes had withdrew back into the capital. Though Stephens would not know why, on the 26th he would cautiously begin moving once more to encircle Santo Domingo. It would only be later that Stephens would learn the reason for de la Fuentes’s retreat had occur several miles to the southeast where the Americans had been battling at the Battle of Arismar.
After silencing the shore batteries, the Anglo-American fleet had began bombarding Diaz’s position during the night, causing a significant damage & casualties. Before dawn Martin would order his men forward in a daring night attack on the Spanish lines hoping to catch the Spaniards tired & off guard. The plan worked & before Diaz could effectively move his troops to defend against the oncoming Americans, Martin’s troops were already through Diaz’s front lines & were rapidly advancing on his reserves. By 0730 with much of his force overrun Diaz would retreat back into Santo Domingo defeated. The Battle of Arismar was a decisive victory for the US as they had inflicted 1400 dead & wounded casualties on Diaz & nearly 1600 others were either captured or missing.
With a large portion of his regular troops now destroyed hope for counter attacks to save Santo Domingo from siege looked grim & aside from skirmishes & delaying actions Diaz would never again engage the Americans in open battle. On October 3 the Siege of Santo Domingo would begin as Martin’s & Stephens forces began to dig in around the city. One by one American & British troops & Marines would silence the shore batteries & by the 7th British & US warships would begin bombarding the city. Despite the siege & bombardments Diaz & Santo Domingo would manage to hold out for over three months before on January 9,1808 with his army & Santo Domingo’s populace starving, sick, & dying General Diaz would surrender to Stephens & Martin ending the Siege of Santo Domingo.
Warfront Fall 1807
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You're doing fine except for one thing.
Stop using WOULD all the time!
Just use ordinary current and past tense. Reserve "would" for references to events in the future.
Example:
should be
Sorry, but you've got a very bad case of this grammatical tic, and it makes reading your stuff difficult. This is an interesting TL, and I want to follow it.
The Last Chance
As winter approached North America major fighting began to slow down. General Jackson would continue to campaign in Indiana against the Indians that were rapidly losing the will to continue fighting & in Florida General Harrison continued in his bloody campaign against the Seminole that was causing many casualties on both sides. However it would be events off the battlefield that would see dramatic changed to the US’s part in the war.
Support for the war had been shaky from the start &, despite its armies on the offensive almost everywhere, with the mounting casualties & expenses of war support for the war & President Pinckney were dwindling. With approval for the Federalists down the Democratic-Republicans would see this as an opportunity to finally take the White House from their rival party & their candidate, James Madison began campaigning with a vow to end the war & bring the nation to peace. Popularity for Madison quickly grew & in November hew would be elected the nations 4th president in a landslide victory. However despite being elected Madison & the rest of the nation knew with almost certainty that the nation still had at least five more months of war ahead before he could take office.
Having lost the election President Pinckney new that time to succeed in decisively defeating the Franco-Spanish Army in New Orleans, now at nearly 10,000 men & 30 cannon, was quickly running out & Pinckney feared that with no significant Louisiana territory captured & New Orleans still in French hands that in the imminent peace that Madison will make upon entering office could very well leave out that vast amount of territory. With that in mind plans that had originally called for a final large assault on the town the next spring were moved up drastically. Pinckney would send word to several of the units in West & East Florida that were doing little more than moving from settlement to settlement informing them that they were now under US occupation to head towards Baton Rouge & General Wilcox’s position. Over the next three weeks this would bolster Wilcox’s army by nearly 1500.
Pinckney would call for Tennessee to send forces to Wilcox as well though here he faced some difficulty as most Tennesseans had been going north to join General Jackson. However finally by the end of November Pinckney would get Tennessee’s governor to agree to send 2500 men south. As these forces moved to Baton Rouge ships would leave Savannah transporting 20 cannon & their crew to Mobile where they would then travel to Baton Rouge ever increasing Wilcox’s strength. Troops would continue to arrive throughout the rest of the year & by January 1,1808 Wilcox’s army would reach a strength of 9000 regular & 1200 militia troops. On January 8,1808 General Wilcox ordered his army out of Baton Rouge. After months of preparation the Third New Orleans Campaign would begin vying for victory where so many others failed.
As winter approached North America major fighting began to slow down. General Jackson would continue to campaign in Indiana against the Indians that were rapidly losing the will to continue fighting & in Florida General Harrison continued in his bloody campaign against the Seminole that was causing many casualties on both sides. However it would be events off the battlefield that would see dramatic changed to the US’s part in the war.
Support for the war had been shaky from the start &, despite its armies on the offensive almost everywhere, with the mounting casualties & expenses of war support for the war & President Pinckney were dwindling. With approval for the Federalists down the Democratic-Republicans would see this as an opportunity to finally take the White House from their rival party & their candidate, James Madison began campaigning with a vow to end the war & bring the nation to peace. Popularity for Madison quickly grew & in November hew would be elected the nations 4th president in a landslide victory. However despite being elected Madison & the rest of the nation knew with almost certainty that the nation still had at least five more months of war ahead before he could take office.
Having lost the election President Pinckney new that time to succeed in decisively defeating the Franco-Spanish Army in New Orleans, now at nearly 10,000 men & 30 cannon, was quickly running out & Pinckney feared that with no significant Louisiana territory captured & New Orleans still in French hands that in the imminent peace that Madison will make upon entering office could very well leave out that vast amount of territory. With that in mind plans that had originally called for a final large assault on the town the next spring were moved up drastically. Pinckney would send word to several of the units in West & East Florida that were doing little more than moving from settlement to settlement informing them that they were now under US occupation to head towards Baton Rouge & General Wilcox’s position. Over the next three weeks this would bolster Wilcox’s army by nearly 1500.
Pinckney would call for Tennessee to send forces to Wilcox as well though here he faced some difficulty as most Tennesseans had been going north to join General Jackson. However finally by the end of November Pinckney would get Tennessee’s governor to agree to send 2500 men south. As these forces moved to Baton Rouge ships would leave Savannah transporting 20 cannon & their crew to Mobile where they would then travel to Baton Rouge ever increasing Wilcox’s strength. Troops would continue to arrive throughout the rest of the year & by January 1,1808 Wilcox’s army would reach a strength of 9000 regular & 1200 militia troops. On January 8,1808 General Wilcox ordered his army out of Baton Rouge. After months of preparation the Third New Orleans Campaign would begin vying for victory where so many others failed.
Born on the Bayou
As Wilcox began moving his army towards New Orleans the squadron of 3 frigates & 6 sloops that had escorted the artillery transports to Mobile would be on the move too. On January 10 Commander Luke Martel, the squadrons commanding officer, began sailing his squadron towards the mouth of the Mississippi. Upon reaching it they were to supposedly rendezvous with a similar sized squadron of British vessels carrying 500 Royal Marines. Britain’s Marines together with the 250 US Marines Martel had were to capture &/or destroy the Franco-Spanish shore batteries along the river up to New Orleans before the Marines were set to join up with Wilcox’s men & the ships were to bombard the city wreaking havoc on its inhabitants & defenders. On January 14 the British vessels would finally arrive & the two squadrons would begin their run up the Mississippi.
Over the next three days these ships & Marines slowly moved about the Mississippi capturing &/or destroying batteries, depots, gunboats, & even a French frigate while only gaining les than 120 casualties total. However by January 18 Wilcox was nearing New Orleans & Martel was forced to decide whether or not to risk running the gauntlet through New Orleans, where plenty of batteries were still under enemy control. Martel’s decision would soon be made for him though when the next day French General Duvall, hoping to spare New Orleans as much of the destruction of battle as possible, would march 10,000 troops out of the town to meet Wilcox. At 0852 on January 19,1808 opposing artillery would begin firing, thus beginning the Battle of New Orleans.
Though Duvall’s movement out of the relative safety of New Orleans was somewhat unexpected Wilcox, not wanting to be caught off guard like at Laplace a second time, had instructed his troops to establish defenses the day before & as a result the American forward line had constructed several shallow trenches along a fence line helping protect them from the hail of Franco-Spanish bullets. Fierce fighting occurred throughout the day as the two opposing armies pounded one another. Several times Duvall’s forces would drive the Americans back however, thanks to reserves, they simply withdrew to newly constructed defensive lines that, while they could occasionally breach, the Franco-Spanish troops would always be forced to withdraw taking large casualties. Despite both armies being exhausted by nightfall it was clear to them that neither were leaving & that this battle had only begun.
While the largest fighting occurred against Wilcox’s army the remaining 650 US & Royal Marines wouldn’t be left out. By 1230 the Marines, accompanied by 100 sailors, & protected by the naval guns would begin assaulting the city. Though the garrison Duvall had left in New Orleans consisted mostly of militia, the city’s defenders used the city to their advantage & force the Marines to fight through the city while its batteries pounded away at the fleet. This stage of the battle would be slow & bloody as the Marines were forced to fight house to house causing multiple casualties. By dark several ships had been damaged & one sloop had been sunk while several Marines had been killed or wounded for only a few of the batteries taken out. Despite the heavy losses the Marines would continue to fight not willing to let the city stay in French hands. Throughout the battle the Marines would slowly but steadily eat away at the city’s defenders but, if Wilcox’s army was unable to hold out, all the fighting would be for nothing.
Back on the main front of the Battle of New Orleans the fight would once again be at full steam by 0800 as the second day of this bloody battle began. As with the first day the lines of battle would move back & forth for hours as the two armies slugged it out but unable to make the other withdraw much. By 1400 the battle was once again in a stalemate but, just as Wilcox thought that this day would end without victory too, a massive stroke of luck would come the Americans way.
After nearly 24 hours of almost continuously heavy fighting the Marines & warships had finally managed to silence most of the shore batteries allowing three warships, 2 British & 1 US, to sail on & reach the battlefield. At 1450 Duvall would be surprised by the vessels bombarding of his artillery & reserve causing mass panic in his lines. Which chaos ensuing behind the main Franco-Spanish lines Wilcox ordered his troops to charge the main line, bayonets fixed. The resulting hand to hand fighting would be some of the most brutal & quick seen as hundreds of soldiers from both sides fell dead or injured. However now with naval support the Battle of New Orleans turned to America’s favor & fearing encirclement & being trapped Duvall would order his forces to retreat, which they would & wouldn’t stop until the reached the Sabine River.
The Battle of New Orleans would go down as one of the most deadly of the war with more than 6000 combined casualties including 1900 dead. However the battle had finally given the US control over its main objective, New Orleans & on February 22,1808 representatives from the US, France, & Spain would meet in Cherbourg to discuss an end to the war.
The Battle of New Orleans
As Wilcox began moving his army towards New Orleans the squadron of 3 frigates & 6 sloops that had escorted the artillery transports to Mobile would be on the move too. On January 10 Commander Luke Martel, the squadrons commanding officer, began sailing his squadron towards the mouth of the Mississippi. Upon reaching it they were to supposedly rendezvous with a similar sized squadron of British vessels carrying 500 Royal Marines. Britain’s Marines together with the 250 US Marines Martel had were to capture &/or destroy the Franco-Spanish shore batteries along the river up to New Orleans before the Marines were set to join up with Wilcox’s men & the ships were to bombard the city wreaking havoc on its inhabitants & defenders. On January 14 the British vessels would finally arrive & the two squadrons would begin their run up the Mississippi.
Over the next three days these ships & Marines slowly moved about the Mississippi capturing &/or destroying batteries, depots, gunboats, & even a French frigate while only gaining les than 120 casualties total. However by January 18 Wilcox was nearing New Orleans & Martel was forced to decide whether or not to risk running the gauntlet through New Orleans, where plenty of batteries were still under enemy control. Martel’s decision would soon be made for him though when the next day French General Duvall, hoping to spare New Orleans as much of the destruction of battle as possible, would march 10,000 troops out of the town to meet Wilcox. At 0852 on January 19,1808 opposing artillery would begin firing, thus beginning the Battle of New Orleans.
Though Duvall’s movement out of the relative safety of New Orleans was somewhat unexpected Wilcox, not wanting to be caught off guard like at Laplace a second time, had instructed his troops to establish defenses the day before & as a result the American forward line had constructed several shallow trenches along a fence line helping protect them from the hail of Franco-Spanish bullets. Fierce fighting occurred throughout the day as the two opposing armies pounded one another. Several times Duvall’s forces would drive the Americans back however, thanks to reserves, they simply withdrew to newly constructed defensive lines that, while they could occasionally breach, the Franco-Spanish troops would always be forced to withdraw taking large casualties. Despite both armies being exhausted by nightfall it was clear to them that neither were leaving & that this battle had only begun.
While the largest fighting occurred against Wilcox’s army the remaining 650 US & Royal Marines wouldn’t be left out. By 1230 the Marines, accompanied by 100 sailors, & protected by the naval guns would begin assaulting the city. Though the garrison Duvall had left in New Orleans consisted mostly of militia, the city’s defenders used the city to their advantage & force the Marines to fight through the city while its batteries pounded away at the fleet. This stage of the battle would be slow & bloody as the Marines were forced to fight house to house causing multiple casualties. By dark several ships had been damaged & one sloop had been sunk while several Marines had been killed or wounded for only a few of the batteries taken out. Despite the heavy losses the Marines would continue to fight not willing to let the city stay in French hands. Throughout the battle the Marines would slowly but steadily eat away at the city’s defenders but, if Wilcox’s army was unable to hold out, all the fighting would be for nothing.
Back on the main front of the Battle of New Orleans the fight would once again be at full steam by 0800 as the second day of this bloody battle began. As with the first day the lines of battle would move back & forth for hours as the two armies slugged it out but unable to make the other withdraw much. By 1400 the battle was once again in a stalemate but, just as Wilcox thought that this day would end without victory too, a massive stroke of luck would come the Americans way.
After nearly 24 hours of almost continuously heavy fighting the Marines & warships had finally managed to silence most of the shore batteries allowing three warships, 2 British & 1 US, to sail on & reach the battlefield. At 1450 Duvall would be surprised by the vessels bombarding of his artillery & reserve causing mass panic in his lines. Which chaos ensuing behind the main Franco-Spanish lines Wilcox ordered his troops to charge the main line, bayonets fixed. The resulting hand to hand fighting would be some of the most brutal & quick seen as hundreds of soldiers from both sides fell dead or injured. However now with naval support the Battle of New Orleans turned to America’s favor & fearing encirclement & being trapped Duvall would order his forces to retreat, which they would & wouldn’t stop until the reached the Sabine River.
The Battle of New Orleans would go down as one of the most deadly of the war with more than 6000 combined casualties including 1900 dead. However the battle had finally given the US control over its main objective, New Orleans & on February 22,1808 representatives from the US, France, & Spain would meet in Cherbourg to discuss an end to the war.
The Battle of New Orleans
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New Beginnings
Peace talks continued for weeks as the two sides went back & forth over what could be an honorable for all involved. As the talks went on March 4 President Pinckney would leave office as the first US president not to serve two terms after the inauguration of James Madison as the nations 4th president. Having promised in his campaign Madison would hope that the peace delegation would succeed in ending the war however, as an added incentive to France & Spain Madison authorized two more offensives.
Out on the frontier was where the first of these final offensives would occur where Indian fighter General Jackson, after defeating the hostile tribes throughout the Indiana Territory would set his eyes on St.Louis & with his 2500 troops began moving on the town on March 10. The town of St. Louis, with a population barely at 2000, had been largely unnoticed by the war. However when Jackson had moved into the Indiana Territory a year earlier France, fearing that he could move on the town, sent 1500 troops & 2 4-gunned gunboats for defense. On March 15, after crossing the Mississippi 2 days earlier these two forces would come head to head & they would see who would control St. Louis.
The Battle of St. Louis began at 0930 when Jackson’s 2nd battalion under Colonel Winfield Scott began assaulting the French forces southern flank under cover from their 8 cannon. While causing many casualties for the French this attack was unable to break through, which Jackson had feared, though the attack did manage to eat up some of the French’s few reserves which they would desperately need later on. As Scott began to withdraw his forces the artillery fire would immediately switch to the center of the enemy’s lines where Colonel John Coffee would begin assaulting the lines. However on this attack, unlike the previous, Jackson would send in his 500 reserves 20 minutes into the fight drastically tipping the numbers towards the US. As Coffee continuously attacked the French center, cannon would shift to the flanks where Scotts battalion & Colonel Richard Humphrey’s battalion would begin engaging them keeping the French from moving forces to help repel Coffee’s troops that were beginning to break through. At 1115 Jackson forces would break through France’s lines & forcing them to withdraw into the town. Fighting in town would continue throughout the day as the guns from the French gunboats kept Jackson’s troops back. However during the night Jackson maneuvered his cannon to begin firing upon the 2 gunboats setting fire to one & forcing the other to sail to safety down river. With their naval support gone French moral would deteriorate even further & at 2130 the town would surrender to General Jackson.
News of the capture of St Louis quickly spread . In New Orleans the news was met with cheers as its capture had left the whole Mississippi more or less under US control. For General Wilcox, who had been planning his own new offensive towards Texas, Jackson’s victory meant that this campaign might surely be the last of the war. Wilcox had the army section tasked with the offensive continue preparing, as April 1, the date for departure drew near. As the due date drew near however on March 29 the schooner USS Camden sailed into New Orleans with news from Washington. As on 1200 non on March 16,1808, the US had been victorious, war was over.
Peace talks continued for weeks as the two sides went back & forth over what could be an honorable for all involved. As the talks went on March 4 President Pinckney would leave office as the first US president not to serve two terms after the inauguration of James Madison as the nations 4th president. Having promised in his campaign Madison would hope that the peace delegation would succeed in ending the war however, as an added incentive to France & Spain Madison authorized two more offensives.
Out on the frontier was where the first of these final offensives would occur where Indian fighter General Jackson, after defeating the hostile tribes throughout the Indiana Territory would set his eyes on St.Louis & with his 2500 troops began moving on the town on March 10. The town of St. Louis, with a population barely at 2000, had been largely unnoticed by the war. However when Jackson had moved into the Indiana Territory a year earlier France, fearing that he could move on the town, sent 1500 troops & 2 4-gunned gunboats for defense. On March 15, after crossing the Mississippi 2 days earlier these two forces would come head to head & they would see who would control St. Louis.
The Battle of St. Louis began at 0930 when Jackson’s 2nd battalion under Colonel Winfield Scott began assaulting the French forces southern flank under cover from their 8 cannon. While causing many casualties for the French this attack was unable to break through, which Jackson had feared, though the attack did manage to eat up some of the French’s few reserves which they would desperately need later on. As Scott began to withdraw his forces the artillery fire would immediately switch to the center of the enemy’s lines where Colonel John Coffee would begin assaulting the lines. However on this attack, unlike the previous, Jackson would send in his 500 reserves 20 minutes into the fight drastically tipping the numbers towards the US. As Coffee continuously attacked the French center, cannon would shift to the flanks where Scotts battalion & Colonel Richard Humphrey’s battalion would begin engaging them keeping the French from moving forces to help repel Coffee’s troops that were beginning to break through. At 1115 Jackson forces would break through France’s lines & forcing them to withdraw into the town. Fighting in town would continue throughout the day as the guns from the French gunboats kept Jackson’s troops back. However during the night Jackson maneuvered his cannon to begin firing upon the 2 gunboats setting fire to one & forcing the other to sail to safety down river. With their naval support gone French moral would deteriorate even further & at 2130 the town would surrender to General Jackson.
News of the capture of St Louis quickly spread . In New Orleans the news was met with cheers as its capture had left the whole Mississippi more or less under US control. For General Wilcox, who had been planning his own new offensive towards Texas, Jackson’s victory meant that this campaign might surely be the last of the war. Wilcox had the army section tasked with the offensive continue preparing, as April 1, the date for departure drew near. As the due date drew near however on March 29 the schooner USS Camden sailed into New Orleans with news from Washington. As on 1200 non on March 16,1808, the US had been victorious, war was over.
