Hot Water Rising
President Forrest was livid with rage over the Blockade of Cuba. While General Gordon had stockpiles of supplies with his army in Cuba at 60,000 troops, 50,000 more than usual, these wouldn't last long. For three weeks the Allies blockade kept nobody from entering or leaving Cuba except for Red Cross vessels coming from one of the Allied nations. The Allies, mainly Britain, continued talks with Richmond to agree to turn over control of Cuba to the Allies who would grant it independence. Forrest refused and demanded that the “hostile” acts against the Confederacy to end immediately. On August 5 after yet another futile attempt by allied diplomats that turned exceptionally heated, President Forrest in his rage threw the delegations from the US, Britain, France, Germany, and Italy out of the Confederacy and ordered the Confederate delegations in said countries to return home immediately.
The next day Forrest telegraphed Vice Admiral August Monroe commanding the Confederate Fleet based in Santiago to set sail and break the blockade of Cuba. Upon getting these orders Admiral Monroe refused the suicidal order. General Gordon had also gotten instructions from Forrest and unlike Monroe would follow through with the orders. On the night of August 20 two Confederate torpedo boats silently sailed out of Havana harbor to attack the blockading allied warships the Confederate targets being the largest the German battleship SMS Wörth and the British battleship HMS Royal Sovereign. Around 500AM these torpedo boats released six torpedoes, three each, at the two battleships. Of those aimed at the Royal Sovereign two would miss their targets while the third failed to detonate. The SMS Wörth however wasn't so lucky, while the first torpedo missed the next two struck home and detonated. The Wörth would sink in just 25 minutes and take 209 German sailors down with it. Within minutes of the attack Allied warships off Havana opened up on the vessels and city. For the next nineteen hours Allied warships pounded anything looking military in and around Havana to dust killing and wounding hundreds.
Following the sinking of the Wörth the Allies reevaluated their goals against the Confederacy. Over the next month and a half the Allies greatly increased the forces that they were bringing to the table against the Confederacy. The US was bringing by far the largest as its navy and 600,000 regular and reserve soldiers mobilized and sent to areas along the border. Britain came in second with its naval presence increasing to over 50 vessels and 50,000 British and colonial, mostly Canadian, were moved to the West Indies in preparation for actions against the Confederacy. In third Germany sent 20,000 troops, split between going to Maryland and Jamacia, and up'ed its naval force to 24. France had 17,000 troops sent to Mexico, adding to 35,000 Mexican troops who had became an unofficial member, and 20 ships. And finally Italy sent 7500 troops to the British West Indies and up'ed its navy to 14.
On November 21 a blockade of the Confederate mainland was declared and allied warships moved to blockade the Confederacy. So far besides the action off of Havana no hostile actions between the Confederacy and the Allies had occurred, despite Forrest's continued threats, however the genocide in Cuba continued. On December 1 an army made up of 10,000 American, 20,000 British, 10,000 German, and 5000 Italian troops landed in southern Cuba unopposed. Cuban insurgents had Confederate soldiers tied down across much of the islands and so the only major force in southern Cuba able to defend against the Allies was Admiral Monroe's fleet. Monroe was unwilling to risk his men or his fleet in a futile attempt to stop the Allies. Ten days after they landed Admiral Monroe surrendered Santiago to the Allies with him and his men and ships interned by the British.
President Forrest was furious on hearing of Monroe's surrender and ordered General Gordon to immediately move to retake Santiago and his navy. On December 20 General Gordon assembled 25,000 men at Camagüey and began marching south quickly. Twelve days later on January 1,1898 Gordon attacked an allied force of 5000 American, 3000 German, 2000 British, and 7500 Cuban insurgents commanded by Field Marshall Alfred von Waldersee, commanding all allied forces in Cuba, near Bayamo. The Battle of Bayamo saw Gordon use his numbers to attempt and overrun the allies. The allies weren't Spanish conscripts however and, armed with a number of Maxim Guns, would mow down mounds of Confederates. After thirteen hours of battle General Gordon ordered his force to withdraw. The route of retreat however was blocked by the arrival of an additional 2000 American and 4500 Cubans who had managed to get behind the Confederates. The Battle of Bayamo would be extended for another seven hours before General Gordon would surrender.
During the battle the Confederacy had suffered over 10,000 casualties not including those surrendered while the allies and Cubans nearly 6000. For commanding over the Confederates conducted the genocide in Cuba General Gordon and a number of his subordinates would be arrested and sent to London to be tried for these crimes. With Gordon gone General Robert E. Lee Jr was the next senior not captured, on January 12 after meeting with Waldersee Lee would surrender control of Cuba to the allies after assurances that the his men would be treated fairly. By the end of the month all of Cuba was under Allied control.
The loss of Cuba, along with a bloodless expedition of Puerto Rico by 5000 Americans under Major General Nelson Miles on January 25, was to much for President Forrest. On the morning of February 20 President Forrest called General-in-Chief George Washington Custis Lee to the Grey House. Forrest told Lee that the Confederate Army was to attack the US and capture Washington, Columbus, and Los Angeles in a punch to quickly knock out the US. Forrest was sure that after the US was subdued that the Five-Nation Alliance would quickly crumble.
The invasion was set to begin at 6:00AM on February 22. At 6:00 AM on the day of the invasion President Forrest had already been up and awaiting word on the progress of the invasion. Gunfire was suddenly heard outside the Grey House which the began within the building itself. Armed Confederate soldiers would burst into President Forrest's room followed quickly by General Lee. Lee informed the President that he was no longer in power and wouldn't destroy the nation in a suicidal attempt to stop the inevitable change. Now ex-President Forrest was placed under house arrest with a battalion of Confederate soldiers set up around the Grey House to guard. For the moment anyway General Lee would head a committee of like minded officers in the Army and Navy that was now in control of the Confederacy. The next day a special Confederate envoy was sent to Washington to talk about ending the current crisis.