General Washington's Regret
- Thread starter Lyly
- Start date
France gained control of Santo Domingo under the Treaty of Basel, which ended the first war with Spain. Part of that treaty gave France control over the entirety of Hispaniola. In TTL, the war with Spain didn't happen, so there was no treaty giving France Spanish colonies. Additionally, an earlier end to slavery in France and a generally more stable French Revolution prevented a lot of the revolutionary furor that overtook Haiti and led to its independence.
But as I've hinted, the full ramifications of this will be explored in the next post.
Chapter V: The Traitor's War
Prelude: 1792-1800
The text of a proposed Second Amendment to the Constitution was released for consideration by the states on September 11, 1791. The plan was to divide the nation into many districts from which individual members would be elected to serve in the House of Representatives. These districts would be drawn over the nation at large and would cross state borders, continuing the idea that Representatives would represent the nation as a whole, not specific states. The amendment would also provide for a method of increasing the size of the House of Representatives, an improvement over the Constitution, which stated simply that there should be a representative for every 30,000 citizens. Now there would be one for every 40,000 until it reached 200 members (the House had already surpassed 100 members), then specified only that districts would represent no more than 50,000 citizens.
Supporters of the amendment pointed to this improved formula and the districting method of electing members as virtuous improvements over the previous allotment method. By January of 1792, every state but New York, Virginia, and Canada had ratified the amendment, which meant it had been approved. Over the next two months, New York and Virginia would both ratify.
Canada rejected the amendment, clearly as a political statement rather than out of actual objection to the amendment. Since the crisis of last year, Canadians had become increasingly wary of their presence in the American nation and many politicians had by now simply refused to cooperate with the Federal government. The statement they intended to send now was an objection to their very presence in the United States, or at least to their current situation. The move shocked Americans of other states and was met largely with approval in Canada itself. Though at this point there was enough support to remain a member of the United States to prevent any further anti-American movement, in time the situation would change and the next decade would see a growing movement in Canada for independence.
Before elections could take place, districts had to be drawn up first, a task that proved more politically charged than anyone could have predicted. First, a debate raged over who should map the districts. Finally, the Supreme Tribunal ruled that a select group should be assembled to divide the nation into its districts. This committee assembled in April and then set about the painfully grinding task of mapping the nation and the districts. Political squabbles and new appointments (the committee had to be enlarged to include members with knowledge of each state) and the admission of the State of Kentucky delayed the trying process but the result was produced before June. 112 districts now pockmarked the map of the United States.
The elections coincided with the second Presidential elections. George Washington had been considering retiring, but was urged to run again to provide some stability to a national government which was anything but stable. By March of 1793, George Washington had been unanimously elected President and Democratic-Republican elements had become the slight majority in the new House of Representatives. Congress reconvened in May and eagerly set about conducting the business of government again.
At the urging of now Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Congress implemented new taxes to pay off Revolutionary-era debts and signed the Pinckney Treaty, which settled disputes with Britain as well as benefitting trade between the nations. A tax in Pennsylvania was settled in 1794 after Congress permitted the gathering of state militias by the President.
The French Revolution broke out in 1795, an event which the entire world looked upon with great anxiety. The American republic heralded it as a spectacular event, the European monarchies as a disastrous one. The Canadians found themselves charged with mixed feelings. On one hand, they had supported the American Revolution against the British in the previous decade and were now accustomed to the spirit of popular sovereignty that had overtaken France, but on the other, most Canadians supported the King and Church and rumors were abound in the United States of the banishment from France of both.
With a new constitution, one that retained Louis XVI as the King of the French, Americans sighed in disappointment, Canadians breathed a sigh of relief. With the news, Canada resumed its drift from the rest of the nation and made it clear that it had little intention to submit to the Federal government by simply not sending any Delegates or Representatives. Meanwhile, communication between Canadian Patriotes and new France increased. In both Paris and Québec, the idea of a new French empire in North America had great popular support. In Canada, most felt it was only a short matter of time before the French flag replaced the American.
---------
Americans were not unaware of the rumors of French invasion and had been observing the state of affairs in France with great caution. When the state government of Canada began its hermit-like withdrawal from the rest of the union, that rest of the union jumped immediately to the conclusion that they were furtively supporting a French expedition to annex their most northerly state. In addition to repeated attempts to draw Canadians out of their shell (with some success), the United States Congress discussed the steps they would need to take to deal with France. A significant minority in the United States supported declaring war on France before they had the opportunity themselves.
The issue was one of serious contention leading up the the Presidential Election of 1800. Incumbent John Adams did not himself support going to war with France, but many prominent members of his party did and in comparison to his opponent, James Madison, who had in the past not hid his support for the French, he was the default pro-war candidate. He won handily. Americans almost universally felt war with France was now inevitable.
As it turned out, France declared war first. On May 11, the United States received the official news from France. Although the declaration had been preceded by years of diplomatic dispute and even an undeclared war at sea between French and American privateers, the United States found itself unprepared for the war when it finally came. However, they had the advantage of already controlling the territory France was after and the Atlantic would provide a useful first line of defense.
Following the Revolutionary War, the Army had been reduced to a mere 80 men and the few regiments that had been raised since then were approved by Congress mostly to serve in the West and were largely responsible for building roads and clearing forests, only occasionally taking up arms and only against Indians. The few officers remaining from the nation's first war had retired and practically all the troops were very poorly trained. Given the situation, the President and Congress considered improving their army the nation's top priority.
On May 24, President Adams approved an expansion of the army to 20,000 men. On June 1, Adams signed a bill that put state militias under command of the President during wartime and required them to serve outside of their home state. Benedict Arnold was made Senior Officer of the United States Army after Washington's death in 1799 and to the pleasant surprise of President Adams, he had already set about training and drilling as many troops as possible and he reported that he was confident that, given time, the US Army would be capable of defending the nation from the French. However he personally felt that the war would be won only with some luck.
At sea, the fighting had already begun. American merchant ships had been captured by the French navy as soon as war was declared and the still very small American Navy found its task difficult (Congress had authorized the construction of six frigates only in 1794 and by 1800, only five had been launched and only a handful of other warships under the command of the Revenue Cutter Service were present to protect American waters). The first conflict of the war occurred in the Mediterranean on May 20 when the USS Congress met and captured the French frigate Africaine. This initial victory provided some hope for the Americans, but further naval encounters proved that the US Navy was outclassed by the French and the latter would greatly constrict America's effectiveness at sea for the course of the war.
Inspired by the French declaration of war, in June many Canadians rebelled, calling themselves Patriotes. Even much of the state militia aligned itself against the United States. Though the French army remained across the Atlantic, rebelling Canadians gave the land war a head start. Militia from New York, commanded by Alexander Hamilton, were the first to face off against the Patriotes at Kingston, where they were easily defeated. American victories against Canadian rebels continued into February of the following year when Patriotes in Québec were finally suppressed. However in December, Delaware Bay was blockaded by the French, followed shortly by the estuary of the Saint Lawrence and Halifax.
French troops arrived in North America in March of 1801. They variously raided or were greeted heartily by towns along the Saint Lawrence river. The Battle of Québec expelled American troops from that city on March 30, the Battle of Ville-Marie did the same on April 5. Halifax repelled French attempts to take the city, though Halifax Bay remained blockaded.
to be continued...
Prelude: 1792-1800
The text of a proposed Second Amendment to the Constitution was released for consideration by the states on September 11, 1791. The plan was to divide the nation into many districts from which individual members would be elected to serve in the House of Representatives. These districts would be drawn over the nation at large and would cross state borders, continuing the idea that Representatives would represent the nation as a whole, not specific states. The amendment would also provide for a method of increasing the size of the House of Representatives, an improvement over the Constitution, which stated simply that there should be a representative for every 30,000 citizens. Now there would be one for every 40,000 until it reached 200 members (the House had already surpassed 100 members), then specified only that districts would represent no more than 50,000 citizens.
Supporters of the amendment pointed to this improved formula and the districting method of electing members as virtuous improvements over the previous allotment method. By January of 1792, every state but New York, Virginia, and Canada had ratified the amendment, which meant it had been approved. Over the next two months, New York and Virginia would both ratify.
Canada rejected the amendment, clearly as a political statement rather than out of actual objection to the amendment. Since the crisis of last year, Canadians had become increasingly wary of their presence in the American nation and many politicians had by now simply refused to cooperate with the Federal government. The statement they intended to send now was an objection to their very presence in the United States, or at least to their current situation. The move shocked Americans of other states and was met largely with approval in Canada itself. Though at this point there was enough support to remain a member of the United States to prevent any further anti-American movement, in time the situation would change and the next decade would see a growing movement in Canada for independence.
Before elections could take place, districts had to be drawn up first, a task that proved more politically charged than anyone could have predicted. First, a debate raged over who should map the districts. Finally, the Supreme Tribunal ruled that a select group should be assembled to divide the nation into its districts. This committee assembled in April and then set about the painfully grinding task of mapping the nation and the districts. Political squabbles and new appointments (the committee had to be enlarged to include members with knowledge of each state) and the admission of the State of Kentucky delayed the trying process but the result was produced before June. 112 districts now pockmarked the map of the United States.
The elections coincided with the second Presidential elections. George Washington had been considering retiring, but was urged to run again to provide some stability to a national government which was anything but stable. By March of 1793, George Washington had been unanimously elected President and Democratic-Republican elements had become the slight majority in the new House of Representatives. Congress reconvened in May and eagerly set about conducting the business of government again.
At the urging of now Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Congress implemented new taxes to pay off Revolutionary-era debts and signed the Pinckney Treaty, which settled disputes with Britain as well as benefitting trade between the nations. A tax in Pennsylvania was settled in 1794 after Congress permitted the gathering of state militias by the President.
The French Revolution broke out in 1795, an event which the entire world looked upon with great anxiety. The American republic heralded it as a spectacular event, the European monarchies as a disastrous one. The Canadians found themselves charged with mixed feelings. On one hand, they had supported the American Revolution against the British in the previous decade and were now accustomed to the spirit of popular sovereignty that had overtaken France, but on the other, most Canadians supported the King and Church and rumors were abound in the United States of the banishment from France of both.
With a new constitution, one that retained Louis XVI as the King of the French, Americans sighed in disappointment, Canadians breathed a sigh of relief. With the news, Canada resumed its drift from the rest of the nation and made it clear that it had little intention to submit to the Federal government by simply not sending any Delegates or Representatives. Meanwhile, communication between Canadian Patriotes and new France increased. In both Paris and Québec, the idea of a new French empire in North America had great popular support. In Canada, most felt it was only a short matter of time before the French flag replaced the American.
---------
Americans were not unaware of the rumors of French invasion and had been observing the state of affairs in France with great caution. When the state government of Canada began its hermit-like withdrawal from the rest of the union, that rest of the union jumped immediately to the conclusion that they were furtively supporting a French expedition to annex their most northerly state. In addition to repeated attempts to draw Canadians out of their shell (with some success), the United States Congress discussed the steps they would need to take to deal with France. A significant minority in the United States supported declaring war on France before they had the opportunity themselves.
The issue was one of serious contention leading up the the Presidential Election of 1800. Incumbent John Adams did not himself support going to war with France, but many prominent members of his party did and in comparison to his opponent, James Madison, who had in the past not hid his support for the French, he was the default pro-war candidate. He won handily. Americans almost universally felt war with France was now inevitable.
As it turned out, France declared war first. On May 11, the United States received the official news from France. Although the declaration had been preceded by years of diplomatic dispute and even an undeclared war at sea between French and American privateers, the United States found itself unprepared for the war when it finally came. However, they had the advantage of already controlling the territory France was after and the Atlantic would provide a useful first line of defense.
Following the Revolutionary War, the Army had been reduced to a mere 80 men and the few regiments that had been raised since then were approved by Congress mostly to serve in the West and were largely responsible for building roads and clearing forests, only occasionally taking up arms and only against Indians. The few officers remaining from the nation's first war had retired and practically all the troops were very poorly trained. Given the situation, the President and Congress considered improving their army the nation's top priority.
On May 24, President Adams approved an expansion of the army to 20,000 men. On June 1, Adams signed a bill that put state militias under command of the President during wartime and required them to serve outside of their home state. Benedict Arnold was made Senior Officer of the United States Army after Washington's death in 1799 and to the pleasant surprise of President Adams, he had already set about training and drilling as many troops as possible and he reported that he was confident that, given time, the US Army would be capable of defending the nation from the French. However he personally felt that the war would be won only with some luck.
At sea, the fighting had already begun. American merchant ships had been captured by the French navy as soon as war was declared and the still very small American Navy found its task difficult (Congress had authorized the construction of six frigates only in 1794 and by 1800, only five had been launched and only a handful of other warships under the command of the Revenue Cutter Service were present to protect American waters). The first conflict of the war occurred in the Mediterranean on May 20 when the USS Congress met and captured the French frigate Africaine. This initial victory provided some hope for the Americans, but further naval encounters proved that the US Navy was outclassed by the French and the latter would greatly constrict America's effectiveness at sea for the course of the war.
Inspired by the French declaration of war, in June many Canadians rebelled, calling themselves Patriotes. Even much of the state militia aligned itself against the United States. Though the French army remained across the Atlantic, rebelling Canadians gave the land war a head start. Militia from New York, commanded by Alexander Hamilton, were the first to face off against the Patriotes at Kingston, where they were easily defeated. American victories against Canadian rebels continued into February of the following year when Patriotes in Québec were finally suppressed. However in December, Delaware Bay was blockaded by the French, followed shortly by the estuary of the Saint Lawrence and Halifax.
French troops arrived in North America in March of 1801. They variously raided or were greeted heartily by towns along the Saint Lawrence river. The Battle of Québec expelled American troops from that city on March 30, the Battle of Ville-Marie did the same on April 5. Halifax repelled French attempts to take the city, though Halifax Bay remained blockaded.
to be continued...
Last edited:
So hey, sorry for not updating this as much as I meant. I've never been good at starting wars, or continuing wars, or ending wars. I'm just not good at wars, so bear with me as a bash this thing out. Hopefully this update will keep the ball rolling enough to be interesting. It's not as much as I would have liked to update, but it took me about four hours of straight writing to get this, so there ya go!
Chapter V: The Traitor's War
continued
Following what was effectively the loss of Canada, Americans suddenly began seeing the war in more sober terms. The French were no longer a far away threat with a distant pining for revenge. They were on America's doorstep. Or more accurately, they had their foot firmly in the door and threatened to swing it wide open.
Following his losses at Québec and Ville-Marie, Hamilton turned south to prepare the defense of New York. The failure to take Halifax moved French motivations south as well, toward Columbia, the enemy's capital. Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, who had served on the side of the Americans in the Revolutionary War, was now the man responsible for the southern invasion of the United States. His force proceeded from Halifax to Delaware Bay.
Jourdan met a combined Marylander-Pennsylvanian militia at Dover on August 2. Defeating them, most of his force proceeded to Salisbury, where he had heard rumors American forces were gathering. Salisbury was surrendered, but a flanking force was prevented from landing at Slave Landing a few miles downstream from Salisbury. Jourdan met a larger American force than he had estimated at Noxcontown and his advance by land was routed on August 10. His remaining force had been ordered to proceed upstream to meet at Newcastle or Newport and continue to Columbia.
Barges had been positioned at strategic locations along the Delaware to harass the French naval force. Two sets of these barges, numbering 22 total were sunk near the locations of Port Penn and Hamburg Cove. American forces which had gathered at Newcastle and were joined by men from Virginia on August 11. Meanwhile, Columbia was evacuated in expectation of the coming French troops, an act which proved unnecessary as Jourdan's forces were defeated again as they attempted to take Newcastle on August 23. Columbia was saved.
The victories in Delaware greatly boosted American morale, particularly given mixed success in halting the French in New York. French forces, under the command of François Christophe de Kellermann made famous even in America for his service in the French Revolutionary War, marched south from Ville-Marie in pursuit of Alexander Hamilton. France had expected to procure supplies easily from the French Canadians, but Kellermann found himself in a peculiar situation occasionally trading with English-speaking Americans, more and more often the closer he came to New York. As a result, food and clothing were increasingly difficult to obtain. Kellermann crossed into New York along the shore of Lake Champlain.
Kellermann entered Plattsburgh on May 21 and was met with limited resistance. Hamilton's troops had moved on ahead of the French and only local militia defended the town, which was surrendered after 20 minutes. Hearing that Hamilton had moved west into Macomb's Purchase, Kellermann wasted little time and resumed the pursuit. Hamilton simultaneously received the news from Plattsburgh and prepared his defenses in Massena, a community on the New York side of the Saint Lawrence and New Johnston, an American community on the Canada side.
Planning to resist the French in Massena and retreat into New Johnston if necessary, Hamilton had several barges and boats prepared and cannon was set up across the river. During his retreat through upper New York, Hamilton's forces had increased considerably as he was joined by troops from New York. He had also received correspondence from George Rogers Clark, famed Revolutionary War veteran who had organized militia from throughout Kentucky and the Northwest and Ohio territories and was now marching north to join Hamilton.
The Battle of Massena began on June 10 and lasted four days. Kellermann was surprised at the American resistance and preparedness. On the night of June 14, Hamilton began his movement across the Saint Lawrence. While the battle was a loss, The organized retreat conserved loss of troops and since cannon was already placed across the river, he was able to sustain fire against the French into the morning when removed themselves from range. Now Hamilton tracked Kellermann's force to Frontenac, another largely American community on the Canadian side of the Saint Lawrence. Hamilton relayed messages to the city to prepare its defenses and arrived several days ahead of Kellermann. The resulting battle (July 9-10) was the first American victory on the northern theater as he prevented Kellermann from even crossing the river. However Hamilton would also be prevented from pursuing Kellermann for several days.
Chapter V: The Traitor's War
continued
Following what was effectively the loss of Canada, Americans suddenly began seeing the war in more sober terms. The French were no longer a far away threat with a distant pining for revenge. They were on America's doorstep. Or more accurately, they had their foot firmly in the door and threatened to swing it wide open.
Following his losses at Québec and Ville-Marie, Hamilton turned south to prepare the defense of New York. The failure to take Halifax moved French motivations south as well, toward Columbia, the enemy's capital. Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, who had served on the side of the Americans in the Revolutionary War, was now the man responsible for the southern invasion of the United States. His force proceeded from Halifax to Delaware Bay.
Jourdan met a combined Marylander-Pennsylvanian militia at Dover on August 2. Defeating them, most of his force proceeded to Salisbury, where he had heard rumors American forces were gathering. Salisbury was surrendered, but a flanking force was prevented from landing at Slave Landing a few miles downstream from Salisbury. Jourdan met a larger American force than he had estimated at Noxcontown and his advance by land was routed on August 10. His remaining force had been ordered to proceed upstream to meet at Newcastle or Newport and continue to Columbia.
Barges had been positioned at strategic locations along the Delaware to harass the French naval force. Two sets of these barges, numbering 22 total were sunk near the locations of Port Penn and Hamburg Cove. American forces which had gathered at Newcastle and were joined by men from Virginia on August 11. Meanwhile, Columbia was evacuated in expectation of the coming French troops, an act which proved unnecessary as Jourdan's forces were defeated again as they attempted to take Newcastle on August 23. Columbia was saved.
The victories in Delaware greatly boosted American morale, particularly given mixed success in halting the French in New York. French forces, under the command of François Christophe de Kellermann made famous even in America for his service in the French Revolutionary War, marched south from Ville-Marie in pursuit of Alexander Hamilton. France had expected to procure supplies easily from the French Canadians, but Kellermann found himself in a peculiar situation occasionally trading with English-speaking Americans, more and more often the closer he came to New York. As a result, food and clothing were increasingly difficult to obtain. Kellermann crossed into New York along the shore of Lake Champlain.
Kellermann entered Plattsburgh on May 21 and was met with limited resistance. Hamilton's troops had moved on ahead of the French and only local militia defended the town, which was surrendered after 20 minutes. Hearing that Hamilton had moved west into Macomb's Purchase, Kellermann wasted little time and resumed the pursuit. Hamilton simultaneously received the news from Plattsburgh and prepared his defenses in Massena, a community on the New York side of the Saint Lawrence and New Johnston, an American community on the Canada side.
Planning to resist the French in Massena and retreat into New Johnston if necessary, Hamilton had several barges and boats prepared and cannon was set up across the river. During his retreat through upper New York, Hamilton's forces had increased considerably as he was joined by troops from New York. He had also received correspondence from George Rogers Clark, famed Revolutionary War veteran who had organized militia from throughout Kentucky and the Northwest and Ohio territories and was now marching north to join Hamilton.
The Battle of Massena began on June 10 and lasted four days. Kellermann was surprised at the American resistance and preparedness. On the night of June 14, Hamilton began his movement across the Saint Lawrence. While the battle was a loss, The organized retreat conserved loss of troops and since cannon was already placed across the river, he was able to sustain fire against the French into the morning when removed themselves from range. Now Hamilton tracked Kellermann's force to Frontenac, another largely American community on the Canadian side of the Saint Lawrence. Hamilton relayed messages to the city to prepare its defenses and arrived several days ahead of Kellermann. The resulting battle (July 9-10) was the first American victory on the northern theater as he prevented Kellermann from even crossing the river. However Hamilton would also be prevented from pursuing Kellermann for several days.
Chapter V: The Traitor's War
continued
While the French had failed to take major targets such as Halifax or the capital, Columbia, the nevertheless controlled the seas and by mid-summer, the entire coast of America was under a state of blockade. With control of much of Canada, the French were in a position to decide where the war would be fought.
American commanders were still scrambling at this stage to erect defenses and train troops. A significant number of Revolutionary veterans had returned to service, but their prime was decades past and so the majority were recruited for training the younger generation, the sons of the original Patriots.
With their grasp tightening on New York, American leaders predicted that New York City would be the French's next target. François Christophe de Kellermann was loose in upper New York with Alexander Hamilton in pursuit but with limited ability to stop his march. French troops under the command of Jean-Baptiste Jourdan withdrew from the Delaware River and set out for the Hudson Bay.
Jourdan arrived in New York Harbor's Lower Bay on August 31st and began landing near the town of Gravesend. Cannon fire from a hill on the site of modern day Fort Hamilton (OTL Dyker Heights) interrupted the landing temporarily. The mostly symbolic resistance there was suppressed and landing resumed on October 2nd. The towns of Gravesend and New Utrecht were occupied by the French and the former would serve as their base of operations for the siege of New York, which would linger into the winter.
Clark's Kentucky forces arrive in New York in the early weeks of August and Hamilton hoped to stall Kellerman far enough away from New York to make good use of Clark's troops. Following a week of particularly aggressive encounters by Hamilton, Clark announced he was in position to engage on August 21st. Hamilton and Clark met Kellerman north of the town of Lumberland (near OTL Liberty, NY) on the 23rd.
Kellerman began the battle in a poor position with Hamilton firing down from a series of hills overlooking the French forces. Though outnumbered, Hamilton's better positioning allowed for better use of his artillery and even the capture of French artillery early in the battle. Kellerman made slight gains along the American flanks, driving Hamilton's men up the hill throughout the afternoon. Clark's forces did not arrive on the field until the evening, but the sight of reinforcements closing on his rear forced Kellerman to retreat.
While Hamilton's more professional New York and New England forces had been fighting all year and training for months before, the men from Kentucky had little to no training and had fought only Native Americans prior to the battle. Their inexperience showed the following day as great losses accompanied limited advancements against the French. As the battlefield moved, Hamilton's artillery positions became less and less advantageous and the French's superior skill began to shine through, inflicting great damage to the Americans over the course of the week-long battle. By the 28th, the Battle of Lumberland was a clear French victory, despite the early gains by the Americans. It was a huge loss, as Hamilton's forces had been the main army in the North outside of New York City itself and its numbers now dwindled. The loss at Lumberland preceded the beginning of the Siege of New York and Kellerman's forces would now have little opposition in their march southward.
Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary War hero, former Secretary of War and former Senior Officer of the Army, had been placed in command of the defense of New York. His challenge was great. The United States had very little naval power to oppose the French entry to the harbor and they were now well positioned to advance on the Heights of Guan. Arnold focused much of his energy on blocking the passes through these wooded hills which had last seen battle in 1776. Militia and professional troops from the surrounding states as far as Maryland had gathered in New York to give Arnold a sizable force. Nevertheless, by Arnold's calculations (and in reality), the French would heavily outnumber him.
The French found the initial occupation of Long Island's two southernmost towns simple, and a naval blockade of Manhattan and the surrounding countryside towns was quickly implemented, but acquiring food became a major problem. In Canada, French forces had been able to buy food at reasonable prices. In northern New York, it was more difficult, but plausible. Benedict Arnold had ordered no one to sell to the French on any condition and so Jourdan was forced to obtain food by force, which (logically) contributed to Arnold's growing militia from the cities and towns around New York.
to be continued...
continued
While the French had failed to take major targets such as Halifax or the capital, Columbia, the nevertheless controlled the seas and by mid-summer, the entire coast of America was under a state of blockade. With control of much of Canada, the French were in a position to decide where the war would be fought.
American commanders were still scrambling at this stage to erect defenses and train troops. A significant number of Revolutionary veterans had returned to service, but their prime was decades past and so the majority were recruited for training the younger generation, the sons of the original Patriots.
With their grasp tightening on New York, American leaders predicted that New York City would be the French's next target. François Christophe de Kellermann was loose in upper New York with Alexander Hamilton in pursuit but with limited ability to stop his march. French troops under the command of Jean-Baptiste Jourdan withdrew from the Delaware River and set out for the Hudson Bay.
Jourdan arrived in New York Harbor's Lower Bay on August 31st and began landing near the town of Gravesend. Cannon fire from a hill on the site of modern day Fort Hamilton (OTL Dyker Heights) interrupted the landing temporarily. The mostly symbolic resistance there was suppressed and landing resumed on October 2nd. The towns of Gravesend and New Utrecht were occupied by the French and the former would serve as their base of operations for the siege of New York, which would linger into the winter.
Clark's Kentucky forces arrive in New York in the early weeks of August and Hamilton hoped to stall Kellerman far enough away from New York to make good use of Clark's troops. Following a week of particularly aggressive encounters by Hamilton, Clark announced he was in position to engage on August 21st. Hamilton and Clark met Kellerman north of the town of Lumberland (near OTL Liberty, NY) on the 23rd.
Kellerman began the battle in a poor position with Hamilton firing down from a series of hills overlooking the French forces. Though outnumbered, Hamilton's better positioning allowed for better use of his artillery and even the capture of French artillery early in the battle. Kellerman made slight gains along the American flanks, driving Hamilton's men up the hill throughout the afternoon. Clark's forces did not arrive on the field until the evening, but the sight of reinforcements closing on his rear forced Kellerman to retreat.
While Hamilton's more professional New York and New England forces had been fighting all year and training for months before, the men from Kentucky had little to no training and had fought only Native Americans prior to the battle. Their inexperience showed the following day as great losses accompanied limited advancements against the French. As the battlefield moved, Hamilton's artillery positions became less and less advantageous and the French's superior skill began to shine through, inflicting great damage to the Americans over the course of the week-long battle. By the 28th, the Battle of Lumberland was a clear French victory, despite the early gains by the Americans. It was a huge loss, as Hamilton's forces had been the main army in the North outside of New York City itself and its numbers now dwindled. The loss at Lumberland preceded the beginning of the Siege of New York and Kellerman's forces would now have little opposition in their march southward.
Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary War hero, former Secretary of War and former Senior Officer of the Army, had been placed in command of the defense of New York. His challenge was great. The United States had very little naval power to oppose the French entry to the harbor and they were now well positioned to advance on the Heights of Guan. Arnold focused much of his energy on blocking the passes through these wooded hills which had last seen battle in 1776. Militia and professional troops from the surrounding states as far as Maryland had gathered in New York to give Arnold a sizable force. Nevertheless, by Arnold's calculations (and in reality), the French would heavily outnumber him.
The French found the initial occupation of Long Island's two southernmost towns simple, and a naval blockade of Manhattan and the surrounding countryside towns was quickly implemented, but acquiring food became a major problem. In Canada, French forces had been able to buy food at reasonable prices. In northern New York, it was more difficult, but plausible. Benedict Arnold had ordered no one to sell to the French on any condition and so Jourdan was forced to obtain food by force, which (logically) contributed to Arnold's growing militia from the cities and towns around New York.
to be continued...
You'd think that for the amount of hate I have for writing about wars and battles would reflect in my timelines and I would then have very little violence. But no, instead, I have to spend ages working my way through drawn out wars that I constantly fear will be called out for being grossly unrealistic, while my real love of the contemporary politics gets nudged off to the side. Oh well, I hope even a small update like this is entertaining.
Very entertaining. I am following this with interest! And if you don't like writing about wars, why don't you just butterfly them all away!
I have a question. Isn't Britain at war with France right now as well? How did French troops manage to cross the ocean?
No, Britain did not go to war with France. France is only at war with the United States right now.
But-mightn't this be a good time for Britain to suddenly be at war with France?
If they can cut the French expedition off from the sea, they can probably kill two birds with one stone--cut the French fleet down and cost France the army sent to America, and get concessions from the Americans. Like:
"If you're not using Canada, we'll just take it off your hands then!"
Oh, I've returned to reading this, and I'm interested again.
A Revolutionary France that kept the Bourbons, if in a much weakened role? And Poland-Lithuania not being eaten up entirely?
And the XYZ Affair from OTL escalating into a War of 1812 analogue?
Keep it up.
A Revolutionary France that kept the Bourbons, if in a much weakened role? And Poland-Lithuania not being eaten up entirely?
And the XYZ Affair from OTL escalating into a War of 1812 analogue?
Keep it up.
JJohnson
Banned
If the Canadians were concerned about federal intervention in their state affairs, then why is there a power to veto state decisions by the House of Delegates? Wouldn't this power by the HoD mean they would not join or be very very wary of joining?
I just read through this TL...wow! Im very impressed, especially with the altered Constitution, very original. Concerning the legislature, I wonder how the changes, especially in the House of Representatives, will affect political science and representation in the future.