Don't You Know That Cotton's King!: Redux TL

[herricks]

Yapping

On August 26 the Confederate invasion force protected by Admiral Wood's fleet arrived off of the coastal city of Matanzas with the warships beginning to bombard the town at nightfall. The next morning waves of soldiers of the First Confederate Expeditionary force commanded by full General Joseph Wheeler began landing in the near deserted town. For the next three days Wheeler's army along with its supplies and equipment were offloaded with transports sailing as quickly as possible back to the safety of the Confederacy. Before the entire army had even been disembarked the first battle of the war occurred near the Canimar river on August 28.

The Battle of Canimar began when forward units of the Northern Virginia Corps, who was commanded by Lieutenant General Fitzhugh Lee, first division made contact with Spanish skirmishers. Within an hour most of the division had moved forward and began engaging the Spaniards who were bringing up reinforcements of their own. Off an on throughout the day fierce and sporadic fighting would break out from anything from a few seconds to over an hour between Confederate and Spanish units. As night fell the Battle of Canimar came to an end with Spain withdrawing. This was the first time Confederate blood had been shed during the war with over 450 casualties to Spain's around 300. On September 9 the Confederate Expeditionary Force was ready to move out and go on the offensive. The Spanish in Havana however didn't want the Confederacy to break out and had assembled an army of over 60,000 to stop them and drive the Confederate back to the sea and were moving on their own.

Guam's capture by the Confederacy was learned in Manila on August 9 and Spanish authorities guessed that they would be next to be attacked. The Spanish Squadron in the Philippines was largely inferior to Admiral Bulloch's three main cruisers with only the new armored cruiser Vizcaya having the armament to compete with the Confederates and Bulloch knew it. What Bulloch didn't know however was that the Spanish battleship Pelayo had arrived in late June with the squadrons new commander Rear Admiral Manuel de la Cámara. Admiral Cámara would prefer to fight the Confederates outside of Manila Bay. On August 12 the Spanish fleet set sail for the Confederate fleets predicted route of travel. Five days later on August 17 the two fleets caught sight of one another near Yap Island.

The Battle of Yap was the largest solely naval engagement in its history. For ten hours the two sides unleashed hell as salvo after salvo was fired at one another. Hitting a moving target while you yourself was moving ws no easy task however and the vast majority of shells fired by both sides were misses. That didn't mean no hits occurred with both sides taking casualties. Spain would lose two gunboats and three unprotected cruisers in the fight along with the Pelayo suffering three major hits causing over 400 casualties. The Confederacy lost five ships to gunfire and fire but most importantly the CSS Robert Lee was sunk after being truck by three torpedoes causing over 500 casualties most of which were from the Robert Lee. As night fell Admiral Bulloch had ordered his fleet to withdraw from the battlefield. In the new Confederate Navy's first battle the had suffered a costly defeat and for the time Manila was safe.

 

[herricks]

Norte

The Spanish victory at the Battle of Yap was a Pyrrhic one at best as the damage sustained in the fight wouldn't permit them from pursuing the Confederates who were sailing for Sydney for repairs nor allowed them to move to retake the Marianas Islands. That was neither here nor there for the soldiers fighting in Cuba however who were about to be in a major fight. On September 16 the Confederate Expeditionary force numbering around 69,000 fit for duty soldiers met the Spanish Army of 63,000 near Santa Cruz del Norte.

The Battle of Santa Cruz del Norte was the first time the two sides full armies engaged one another. General-in-Chief Patrick Cleburne had arrived in Cuba not even two weeks before to assume direct command of the Confederate forces for the offensive on Havana. Cleburne and the Confederates however were still using tactics from the War of Mexican Succession where as the Spaniards were using more modern tactics learned from years of fighting Cubans. Three times the Confederates tried to outflank the Spaniards and each time would eventually be driven back. Not that Spanish counterattacks did any better however as hundreds would be mowed down by Confederate machine guns. Six hours into the fight however tragedy struck the Confederates when during a Spanish counterattack an artillery shell landed near General Cleburne destroying much of his body with shrapnel and concussion. Following Cleburnes death General Wheeler tried to get a hold of the situation but it was to late and the Confederates began to withdraw back to their lines around Matanzas.

The defeats at Yap and Santa Cruz del Norte were blows that kind of knocked the Confederate view off balance and there was a fear that the Expeditionary Force could be overran. These fears wouldn't come however as to gain their victory Spain had suffered over 17,000 casualties during the battle and was in no shape to pursue. Back in Richmond candidates for a new General-in-Chief were proposed to President Forrest. The most popular was the recently retired General JEB Stuart however Stuart was suffering from numerous health problems and arthritis from his years in the army and declined. On September 30 Robert E. Lee's eldest son George Washington Custis Lee was offered the position of General-in-Chief of the Confederate Army and accepting the next day.

 

[herricks]

Rough Water

By October over 100,000 new troops were either trained or nearing the completion of their training. The plan was to use these new soldiers to build a massive force to march on Havana. However General Lee had a different idea in mind. Despite fighting Cuban rebels everywhere there was a fear in Richmond that the large Spanish Army near Santiago could march north and overwhelm the Confederates. General Lee wanted to open a second front against Spain by invading southern Cuba. First however the threat of the Spanish fleet had to be dealt with.

Hurricane season was nearing its end which meant that it was safer to send the main fleet into Cuban waters now and away from port. Aside from escorting the invasion force the Confederate Navy had done little in the Caribbean. Transport and supply ships in route to Matanzas were being guarded by an ever increasing number of auxiliary cruisers made of bought, leased, or lended civilian vessels that had been given small guns and occasionally light armor. Despite the risk of Spanish attacks on Confederate shipping thus far none had occurred however. On October 13 Admiral Wood set sail from Key West to attack the Spanish fleet while from Savannah a second Confederate Expeditionary Force numbering 65,000 under full General Robert E. Lee Jr was sent to invade southern Cuba.

On October 25 as Wood prepared to round the tip of Cuba Confederate lookouts spotted ships on the horizon. Upon learning of the Confederate Navy's movement Spanish Admiral Pascual Cervera readied his fleet. Cervera had heard of his countrymens victory over the Confederates at the Battle of Yap showed him that the Confederacy didn't have the naval strength that Spain initially feared but still didn't want to risk fighting in Santiago and determined that fighting at sea was the best move ordering his fleet to sail a day before. With the Confederates in sight the Spaniards prepared for battle. Minutes later the Battle of Baracoa began.

The Battle of Baracoa was the largest naval battle of the war yet and the largest fought by the Confederate Navy since it formed. With his Virginia-class cruisers at the front, Wood's fleet was lined biggest to smallest. As in the Pacific the vast majority of shells fired missed their intended targets but enough rounds were flying that both sides were scoring their share of hits. The Virginia-class CSS Arizona was the first ship to be lost when a shell from the cruiser the Almirante Oquendo hit its magazine causing an explosion that sink it in minutes with all but 31 of its crew. The next three ships however that were sent to the bottom belonged to Spain and the tide began to turn. Just before sunset Admiral Cervera's flagship the Spanish cruiser Infanta Maria Teresa took a direct hit to the citadel by a 12 inch shell from the CSS Chesapeake, the last round fired in fact as the Chesapeake would succumb to fire soon after and be abandoned, killing most of the officers including Cervera. With Cervera dead and his flagship quickly surrendered the remaining three Spanish ships still afloat and under their own power fled under the cover of darkness.

The Spanish Caribbean Squadron had been decimated with over 1000 casualties and only five ships floating after the battle of which two were now captured. The three that had fled retreated to neutral British ports where they were interned for the remainder of the war. The Confederates had suffered as well. Of the fourteen ships Admiral Wood had taken into battle only two hadn't been hit at least once and three had been sunk with nearly 700 casualties. The Battle of Baracoa however had cleared the sea of the Spanish naval threat and General Lee's invasion force could land relatively unopposed at Guantanamo Bay on October 31. However as the second invasion force was in route, Spanish forces were pushing to destroy Wheeler's army at Matanzas.

 

[herricks]

What a Day

Since the defeat at Santa Cruz del Norte the Confederates had been digging in around Matanzas day and night in preparation for the Spanish counterattack. For three weeks both sides tried to rebuild their forces gaining all the reinforcements they could. Madrid was growing anxious however and wanted the war with the Confederacy to end soon and so ordered Cuban Governor General Arsenio Martínez-Campos y Antón to crush the Confederate threat to Havana. On October 25 with nearly 85,000 troops Spain would attack General Wheeler's expeditionary force of around 50,000 fit to fight in attempt to end the war in northern Cuba.

The Battle of Matanzas began with the sound of Spanish artillery being fired. Waves of Spanish infantry assaulted the Confederate lines in attempt to force an opening. After three hours lines would finally be breached near the coast and the Spaniards began swarming in despite being heavily raked by machine gun fire and began pushing towards the town. Fifteen Confederate auxiliary cruisers guarding two dozen transports however had been closing in on Matanzas as the fighting began. Upon seeing the smoke from the battle rising above their destination the convoy had halted and ten of the more heavily armed cruisers moved in to add their armament to the fight. At this time the Confederate army had been split in half and Spanish forces had reached the town. While they saw victory within their grasp explosions suddenly erupted all around them as the cruisers guns opened up. The arrival of the navy breathed new life into the army and Wheeler would order a counterattack. Now the Spaniards found themselves on the defensive and in just over an hour began to retreat. The Battle of Matanzas would continue into the night until just before dawn an eiry quiet came over the battlefield. The Spanish Army had failed suffering over 30,000 casualties including 15,000 captured with the remaining falling back towards Havana.

Spain was back on the defensive in Cuba. While the Confederates had been badly mauled at Matanzas, finally in Cuba the Confederates had, at least a slight numerical superiority.

 

[Admiral Halsey]

Where in the bloody hell is the US in all this? It's been almost 30 years since the Civil War ended and be now the Revanchist's should be in power. No way would they allow the CSA to expand anymore then they already have. You're seriously glossing over this Herrick's and quite badly as well. Given what happened in the Civil War you should see a US armed to the damn teeth with a navy equal to any in the world by now. Meanwhile Russia who allied the US should be a lot more stable and industrialized compared to OTL since the US government would likely encourage people like J.P. Morgan and Rockefeller to help them out.

 

[Darth_Kiryan]

Where in the bloody hell is the US in all this? It's been almost 30 years since the Civil War ended and be now the Revanchist's should be in power. No way would they allow the CSA to expand anymore then they already have. You're seriously glossing over this Herrick's and quite badly as well. Given what happened in the Civil War you should see a US armed to the damn teeth with a navy equal to any in the world by now. Meanwhile Russia who allied the US should be a lot more stable and industrialized compared to OTL since the US government would likely encourage people like J.P. Morgan and Rockefeller to help them out.

Five Words for you Halsey: Confederate wank, therefore, US screw-dumbingdown

 

[Admiral Halsey]

Five Words for you Halsey: Confederate wank, therefore, US screw-dumbingdown

Except you only need the CSA to win the war for it to be a wank. Even then you can wank the CSA and not screw the US. Think of TL-191 after the first Great War, it was still a CSA wank but it also went from US Screw to US Wank as well. Still though this TL is beginning to move onto the implausible side of the spectrum of things. If it continues at this rate it should probably be moved to the writers forum.

 

[herricks]

Except you only need the CSA to win the war for it to be a wank. Even then you can wank the CSA and not screw the US. Think of TL-191 after the first Great War, it was still a CSA wank but it also went from US Screw to US Wank as well. Still though this TL is beginning to move onto the implausible side of the spectrum of things. If it continues at this rate it should probably be moved to the writers forum.

Keep reading a few more years. Seeing how you've done throughout this TL you you'll still probably complain about what I have in mind but just maybe you might like it

 

[Admiral Halsey]

Keep reading a few more years. Seeing how you've done throughout this TL you you'll still probably complain about what I have in mind but just maybe you might like it

Hmmm.... Hinting at WW1 i'm guessing? Fair enough especially if the US and CSA are fighting on opposite sides though before you start the war could you do a couple of US updates so we can learn some of what happened in the US after the Civil War? Also even if the US isn't deciding to fight the CSA over what they're doing with Spain the US has to be helping Spain every way it can.

 

[herricks]

Hmmm.... Hinting at WW1 i'm guessing? Fair enough especially if the US and CSA are fighting on opposite sides though before you start the war could you do a couple of US updates so we can learn some of what happened in the US after the Civil War? Also even if the US isn't deciding to fight the CSA over what they're doing with Spain the US has to be helping Spain every way it can.

Well IF that's what's going to happen it would technically be ww2.

Sure if I can think something up I will.

Remember that while this war is entirely the Confederate presidents fault, the way it worked out it looks like Spain from the aurora incident

 

[Admiral Halsey]

Remember that while this war is entirely the Confederate presidents fault, the way it worked out it looks like Spain from the aurora incident

True but here's the thing. This is the era of yellow journalism you're writing about right now AND the US should be A: Revanchist and B: Chomping at the bit to get back at the CSA so even if they aren't currently in a position to actually fight the CSA they'd still be helping Spain unless news of Spanish soldiers raping and killing children came out.*





*Please don't actually write this in an update to justify not having the US help Spain.

 

[herricks]

Fuego

The Spanish Army in southern Cuba numbered over 75,000 compared to the Confederates nearly 65,000. However over 20,000 Cuban insurgents were in the area surrounding Santiago almost constantly attacking Spanish patrols and columns. This would tie down much of the Spaniards actually giving General Lee superior numbers to the Spanish he was facing. By mid November the II Confederate Expeditionary Force hadn't fought a significant engagement against the Spanish and in fact were suffering more casualties due to fever than combat. On November 17 General Lee got word that portions of Admiral Wood's fleet was moving on Santiago and prepared his army to move out. Two days later the Santiago Campaign began.

The first day of Lee's move on Santiago saw few engagements between patrols but little else. A Spanish Army of over 50,000 however was also moving out to confront the Confederates in hopes to defeat them before they reached the city. On November 21 the two armies met outside of Santiago beginning the Battle of Las Guasimas. The Battle of Las Guasimas lasted for nearly 36 hours in the Cuban jungles. Lee would use the aggressive tactics of his father during the fight that while resulting in significant Confederate casualties forced the Spaniards back several times.

As night fell and the battle entered a lull both sides attempted to strengthen their positions before the next round of fighting was upon them. The Confederates rushed to move their more heavy field guns into position to pound the Spaniards managing to get ten ready before dawn. The Spanish, commanded by General José Toral y Vásquez, went to bring up additional reinforcements from Santiago. Nearly 5000 men moved out from Santiago just before nightfall to reinforce Vásquez. These men however would come under continuous and brutal assaults by Cuban insurgents. At 3AM and less than 2/3's the way from their destination the column turned back to Santiago sustaining over 50% casualties before making it back to the city.

The next morning Confederate artillery opened up at dawn with all it had. Two hours later the Confederate infantry would advance in force to finally drive away the Spanish. The rest of the morning saw bitter bloody fighting between the two sides as the Confederates began to make holes in the Spanish lines. Just after noon General Vásquez ordered the retreat and withdrew back to Santiago down the Cuban infested trails.

The Confederates had suffered 7000 casualties to Spain's 5000 in the Battle of Las Guasimas. General Lee wouldn't rest his men long however. The next day the Confederates reached Santiago which was already blockaded by the navy. For the next three weeks the Siege of Santiago commenced. On December 15 General Vásquez would surrender the city and his 36,000 remaining men to Lee ending the main portion of the war in southern Cuba.

 

[Indicus]

snip

unless news of Spanish soldiers raping and killing children came out.*





*Please don't actually write this in an update to justify not having the US help Spain.

Even if that happened, the US would bring up an instance of Confederate tyranny and fight as a co-belligerent with, if not an ally of Spain.

 

[Admiral Halsey]

Even if that happened, the US would bring up an instance of Confederate tyranny and fight as a co-belligerent with, if not an ally of Spain.

Yeah i'm just hopping Herricks has something planned for the Great War. Russia should be a lot better off even with the land it lost thanks to American help and they've got to be revanchist as all hell themselves. Meanwhile since IIRC Germany never actually declared war on the US old Bismark might have tried wooing the US like in TL-191 after things calmed down. Bismark certainly would've seen that this would only be a set back for the US and would also know Britain would never let Germany become the master of Europe that it so wants to be. Personally I see the Great War being Germany, Russia, USA and whatever's left of Austria-Hungary(if anything's left that is) VS Britain, France and the CSA. I don't know about you guys but i'd put all my money of the first group winning.

 

[herricks]

Semper

Following the victory at the Battle of Matanzas General Wheeler allowed his force five days rest while the convoy's ships were offloaded of supplies and a fresh division of troops and reloaded with wounded stable enough to make the trip back to the Confederacy. The Spanish army had retreated to Havana and both General Wheeler, and his “ally” Generalissimo Máximo Gómez, were readying for the assault on the Cuban capital. On November 4 the Confederate army numbering 55,000 and the Cuban army of 15,000 moved out on the week long trek to take Havana.

On November 12 what ended up being called the Siege of Havana began when the Battle of San José de las Lajas when the Expeditionary Force's Tennessee Corps under Lieutenant General Edward Porter Alexander battled 14,000 Spaniards. The Battle of San José de las Lajas ended in a Spanish withdrawal however, this withdrawal was only to the line of trenches that were dug around Havana. Over the next 19 days four more battles were fought in the area surrounding Havana. The Battle of Jaruco (November 17, the Battle of Quivicán (November 19-20), the Battle of Bejucal (November 23), the Battle of San Antonio de los Baños (November 28-29), and the Battle of Bauta (November 30-December 2) were fought between Spanish and Confederate &/or Cuban forces with the allies unable to breach the Spanish lines. So the two sides settled into an actual siege with the armies digging in. The remainder of the year would see only smaller engagements occur as General Wheeler planned for ways to take the city and his artillery rained hell down on the residents heads.

So far in the war Puerto Rico had seen no real action. The Confederates however had desired the island for further expansion and now with the Spanish fleet destroyed could act. On November 26 brevet Captain August Monroe led a fleet of 12 auxiliary cruisers and 5 obsolete cruisers and frigates from aboard the only modern warship in the squadron the Chesapeake-class monitor CSS Currituck Sound sailed for Puerto Rico. A convoy carrying 8000 Confederate soldiers were following the fleet and with the fleet itself there were 2500 Marines, 1/6 of the entire Confederate Marine Corps. Command of the marine invasion force was given to brevet Colonel John A. Lejeune while total command was given to Lieutenant General John Gordon.

The Puerto Rican Campaign began on November 30 with Lejeune's Marines moving ashore at Guanica. Few Spanish soldiers were near the landing sight meaning that the landing occurred unopposed. In fact most of Spain's forces had been withdrawn to San Juan leaving much of the island to the Confederates. While there would be several skirmishes during the trek across the island the Spaniards at San Juan were preparing their defenses instead of trying the Confederates in open battle. On December 21 General Gordon from land and Captain Monroe from the sea converged on the Spanish starting the Battle of San Juan. For ten hours the Battle of San Juan would rage between the two sides. The Castillo San Felipe del Morro would keep the navy at bay for the first five and a half hours of the battle sinking a frigate and auxiliary cruiser before the fleet's guns combined with an assault by the Marines would finally silence the fort. Now the navy could focus on the army defending the city. With nowhere to go and casualties mounting the Spaniards would surrender to General Gordon just after sunset and bringing about an ent to the Puerto Rican Campaign.

 

[herricks]

What a Lovely Day

By January 1895 the Siege of Havana ad been going on for three months. Food stocks were almost completely depleted and still living animals were nonexistent. The almost daily Confederate bombardment steadily increased the numbers of casualties using the dwindling medical supplies. On January 16 Admiral Wood arrived off Havana with his fleet and began to bombard Morro Castle and Castillo San Salvador de la Punta. This began the final stages in the battle for Havana.

Ten hours into the bombardment nearly a thousand Marines moved on the forts using the night and gunfire to mask their movement. Castillo San Salvador de la Punta fell relatively quickly with the Marines suffering only eleven casualties however Morro Castle put up a stiffer defense. It would take three hours and cost the Marines 47 casualties before they finally gained control over the castle. With the entrance into the harbor secure Admiral Wood sailed into Havana harbor where his ships began to rain hell down on the city.

As the navy assaulted the harbor, General Wheeler ordered the army to attack. Almost at once almost 75,000 Confederate and Cuban troops charge the Spanish lines quickly breaking through. The next several hours Havana was in chaos. Hundreds of Spanish soldiers simply threw down their arms and surrendered to the attacking Confederates, however they weren't stupid enough to surrender to the Cubans and would fight hard. Shortly before dawn Confederate the Spaniards had had enough. At 630AM General Valeriano Weyler ordered the the remainder of his army to lay down their arms and surrender. The Siege of Havana had came to an end and with it the war in Cuba.

On February 7,1895 the Confederates received word from their Ambassador to Portugal Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry that Madrid was requesting an armistice which President Forrest accepted. Five days later on February 12,1895 the Treaty of Lisbon was signed ending the Hispanio-Confederate War. Per the treaty's terms Spain had to:

Cede Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Spainsh Virgin Islands in the Caribbean to the Confederacy
Cede the Marshall Islands, Caroline Islands, and Marianas Islands in the Pacific to the Confederacy

The war was finally over and President Forrest had given his country an empire. Now he just had to keep it.

Infobox

 

[Admiral Halsey]

So the CSA gets Islands it should have no ability to project power in a war it should've got fucking hammered in and with no real Pacific port? I see absolutely no problem with this!

 

[173rd LRRP]

Many of the insurgents in Cuba were black. Why would they support an invasion of slavers?

 

[herricks]

So the CSA gets Islands it should have no ability to project power in a war it should've got fucking hammered in and with no real Pacific port? I see absolutely no problem with this!

Why do I get the feeling that if I said the confederacy invaded El Salvador and conquered it you would go ape shit and say that El Salvador should've kicked the confederacys ass

 

[Admiral Halsey]

Why do I get the feeling that if I said the confederacy invaded El Salvador and conquered it you would go ape shit and say that El Salvador should've kicked the confederacys ass

Actually I could believe that the CSA would win that. However its a matter as to why the CSA would want El Salvador. Also 173rd LRRP brings up a good point why in the hell would the insurgents support the CSA which would be worse then the Spanish all things considered? Also you didn't address the CSA has no real Pacific port and no way of actually projecting itself into the Pacific. I mean it was just ten years since it even had gotten to the Pacific thanks to the land it took intervening in the Mexican Civil War but yet it had a fleet big enough to already attack Manila(though you did have it basically wiped out at least) when there's no Panama Canal and the only way to either coast via ship is going around Cape Horn?