The Grey
- Thread starter herricks
- Start date
Well, the confederacy won the first round. The 1880s will probably be the last time non-armored lightning tactics would work. The US should press its advantage in Colorado and try to gin up as much insurrection from black slaves as possible. Hoping that Hiram Maxim comes up with his prototype. That could turn the tide for the US
Oh, interesting. Casualty rates will be massive.
The US should order Mauser Rifles from Germany by the bucketfull
I was going to do a paragraph on how the U.S. had starred modernizing but forgot it. Soo ill put it in the next post
With the set up here, I just dont see Britain jumping in on this war.
They have nothing to gain from a war with the USA, and its just incredibly expensive.
Economics alone would make Britain think twice about a war, given how big Canada is. Add to that the Confederates actually starting the shooting, and the growing distaste in the British public, and I just dont see the British entering the war.
Everything on both the USA and British sides militates them seeking a detente/understanding.
USA wants a one front war, and Britain wants Canada to be cheaper/no more wars in North America.
They have nothing to gain from a war with the USA, and its just incredibly expensive.
Economics alone would make Britain think twice about a war, given how big Canada is. Add to that the Confederates actually starting the shooting, and the growing distaste in the British public, and I just dont see the British entering the war.
Everything on both the USA and British sides militates them seeking a detente/understanding.
USA wants a one front war, and Britain wants Canada to be cheaper/no more wars in North America.
I wonder what the difference between immigration to the US and the CS is. Also, do immigrants in the CSA factor as a big portion of the slaveowners? The presence of slaves would likely push more of the lower-class immigrants to the USA IMO
The confederacy avd south got quite a bit more than otl but the U.S. stl got more
Any demographic differences between US immigrant populations and CS immigrant populations?
Like do the countries the majority of immigrants to the US come from differ from the countries where the majority of the CS immigrants come from
The us gets less immigration from Britain than it did. More ood that goes to the confederacy. However they do get more French. German is about even split
Won yes and no. The western states and territories have relatively few slaves and that's where many went during the booms
I wonder if any of the Mexicos will take advantage of the Confederate-American war to try and recapture the other
I focus on the pain, the only thing that's real
The United States military hadn't been sitting idly by while the Confederacy conducted its aggressive military expansion. However it didn't jump on the expansion train quite as hard or as quickly as it should have, which was a big reason for Lincoln's election in the 1892 presidential election. Upon Lincoln's inauguration the US Army had 300,000 regular soldiers in it. However they were split between the Confederate and Canadian borders and many were still equipped with older black powder rifles and had less than 100 maxim guns. This was a big reason that Lincoln secured the presidency. Just a month after his inauguration Lincoln began signing multiple bills to expand and modernize the army. By the time war had begun the army had risen to close to 500,000 regulars with around 450,000 were equipped with new bolt-action rifles with smokeless powder cartridges that were as powerful as the Confederate's however only held 5 rounds instead of 10 and had several hundred Maxim's with more under construction. The US still had the problem of having to guard two borders however and the Confederacy was using that to their advantage.
The Battle of the Susquehanna raged from northeastern Maryland into southern Pennsylvania as nearly 500,000 Confederate and American soldiers tried their damnedest to slaughter each other. Miles of once beautiful territory along the river soon resembled what most believed the landscape of hell would look like. Though the Confederates were across the river in many areas, after a month of fighting they still hadn't achieved a breakthrough. Finally on June 25 moves were made that would end the stalemate when, after finally securing the northern Chesapeake, the Confederate Navy landed a division of Marines and an army division on Maryland's eastern shore on Elk Neck. This finally began the breakthrough General Alexander had been waiting for and over the next five days the Battle of the Susquehanna came to an end as Miles withdrew further back.
As the Confederates began to close in on their intended target the front started to narrow as Alexander focused his troops on taking Philadelphia. Once past the Susquehanna General Miles had not really prepared any fortified positions between it and the de facto American capital. On July 15 Confederate forces defeated the Americans in the Battle of Wilmington which was the largest battle ever fought in Delaware with over 200,000 men engaging in it. By late July the front was only a little more than ten miles from Philadelphia and Alexander was readying for the final push to end the war. In the early morning of July 29 270,000 Confederate soldiers assaulted the de facto capital and the Battle of Philadelphia began. For the next three weeks the battle raged as Confederate forces moved slowly around, and ever so slowly through the city. Philadelphia was a bloodbath but a bloodbath that was gradually going Alexander's way. That was because while Miles still commanded the fight in Philadelphia command of the Army of Maryland as a whole had been stripped from him and given to Lieutenant General Wesley Merritt who was slowly withdrawing many troops out of the city to fight another day as the US government had already moved to New York. On August 20 after Confederate forces had finally cut off the city General Miles and only 38,000 Americans surrendered.
The Cleveland Offensive began on July 7 as Rosser's army moved out in two groups to make a pincer move around Cleveland. The two forces moved quickly before Crook could maneuver his troops to successfully halt either of these. On July 19 the western arm became the first to cut the nation in two when it reached Lake Erie at Loraine. Late in the evening on the next day the eastern arm reached the lake as well at Eucid. On July 28 the Battle of Cleveland began with Rosser trying to crush Crook's army and eliminate major resistance in the area. For two weeks the battle raged as Crook slowly lost ground to the Confederates. On August 13 however Crook's army was saved when Rosser made a mistake that opened up a gap in his lines in which they escaped. Though Cleveland would fall two days later Rosser had failed in his objective in destroying an American army. Soon the Confederacy would hold Cleveland in name only as guns from the US's Great Lakes fleet kept them from keeping a large force entrench, despite heavy artillery managing to damage a number of them and sink a cruiser. For the rest of the month and into September Rosser's tactics turned to raiding as units moved deep into Ohio and Pennsylvania destroying anything of military or economic use in upwards of fifty miles either way.
After Topeka the war in the midwest returned to raiding parties fighting across Kansas. However the two American offensives here continued. In early July US forces moved out of Confederate Colorado and into New Mexico. On July 27 they would secure the territorial capital at the Battle of Santa Fe. However just two weeks later the American army was forced to retreat into northern New Mexico after they were decisively defeated at the Battle of Albuquerque by Texas Ranger and Texas State Militia Brigadier General John Barclay Armstrong along with nearly 30,000 Texan, New Mexican, and Chihuahuan volunteers and militiamen. In Arkansas American forces advanced as well. Though they knew Memphis was a fortress that wouldn't be cracked by a measly 35,000 troops they could continue south deeper into Arkansas with the intent on reaching Louisiana on June 29. Rapidly the Americans moved south brushing aside the smaller Confederate units up against it. After three weeks of relentless campaigning American forces would capture the state capital after the three day Battle of Little Rock. Though the capture of Little Rock was a great morale victory for the Americans it wasn't to last. On August 14 the Americans were forced to withdraw fro Little Rock. This wasn't due to any Confederate army forcing them out but due to happening son other fronts forcing the Americans to divert these troops elsewhere.
As actions were occurring in New Mexico and Arizona General Wheeler was building up for another invasion of the midwest. On August 3 Wheeler launched a second invasion of Kansas with 40,000 men crossing into the state at Dodge City. Wheeler's invasion force, like before, moved rapidly across the state. This time however, Wheeler's offensive wasn't aimed at Topeka and Kansas City, but instead the Trans-Continental railways deeper in Nebraska. Moving faster than an American army could be mustered and moved to counter them in just eighteen days Wheeler's men reached the Nebraska border. Confederate forces would reach the Platte River on September 1 and turned their invasion east. Since the offensive began there had only been skirmishes and small scale battles. On September 11 though the two armies came fully to a head when Custer attacked with army at the state capital in the Battle of Lincoln. With over 90,000 men engaged the Battle of Lincoln was the largest engagement ever fought in the state. For two days the two sides battled one another ferociously. Thousands fell to each sides machine guns and artillery. Though the Confederate's would fight valiantly they were at the end of a long supply line and in the end Wheeler was forced to withdraw. Throughout the remainder of September Wheeler withdrew back to Confederate territory along much of the same path he had during the first invasion crossing into Oklahoma at Newkirk on October 1. This was the second and last major offensive Wheeler would launch into the northern midwest as he didn't have the means or men to continue major offensive operations.
After Los Angeles the California Theater would stay mostly quiet for well over a month. On July 19 however Stuart was finally ready to move out once more. MacArthur had been rebuilding as well and was ready to counter Stuart's move and on July 30 the two clashed again at the Battle of Santa Barbara. However despite superior numbers Stuart was still proving his superior skill as a military tactician and after a day and a half the Americans withdrew. More and more American troops were arriving though while less and less Confederates were. Just two weeks after Santa Barbara MacArthur and Stuart clashed again at the Battle of Santa Maria and after an intense nineteen hours Stuart was finally forced back and withdrew back to Los Angeles. How long he could keep Los Angeles was up in the air however as now the Americans outnumbered the Confederate's more than 2-1 and that gap growing.
President Gordon and the Confederate War Department were positive that the loss of both the de jure and de facto capitals of the US and the country cut in half that the US was sure to sue for peace. On September 5 Gordon sent President Lincoln a “generous” peace offer. The demilitarization of the American side of the Ohio River border states, reparations of $100 million, and the only territorial change being Maryland's Eastern Shore south of Delaware which would give the Confederacy stronger control over the Chesapeake. Two days later Lincoln responded to the proposal with an outright refusal stating that as long as he remained in office the US would continue to resist Confederate aggression. With the US unwilling to capitulate Gordon ordered the war department to prepare for immediate further offensives to drive home the fact to the US that they had lost the war.
The United States military hadn't been sitting idly by while the Confederacy conducted its aggressive military expansion. However it didn't jump on the expansion train quite as hard or as quickly as it should have, which was a big reason for Lincoln's election in the 1892 presidential election. Upon Lincoln's inauguration the US Army had 300,000 regular soldiers in it. However they were split between the Confederate and Canadian borders and many were still equipped with older black powder rifles and had less than 100 maxim guns. This was a big reason that Lincoln secured the presidency. Just a month after his inauguration Lincoln began signing multiple bills to expand and modernize the army. By the time war had begun the army had risen to close to 500,000 regulars with around 450,000 were equipped with new bolt-action rifles with smokeless powder cartridges that were as powerful as the Confederate's however only held 5 rounds instead of 10 and had several hundred Maxim's with more under construction. The US still had the problem of having to guard two borders however and the Confederacy was using that to their advantage.
The Battle of the Susquehanna raged from northeastern Maryland into southern Pennsylvania as nearly 500,000 Confederate and American soldiers tried their damnedest to slaughter each other. Miles of once beautiful territory along the river soon resembled what most believed the landscape of hell would look like. Though the Confederates were across the river in many areas, after a month of fighting they still hadn't achieved a breakthrough. Finally on June 25 moves were made that would end the stalemate when, after finally securing the northern Chesapeake, the Confederate Navy landed a division of Marines and an army division on Maryland's eastern shore on Elk Neck. This finally began the breakthrough General Alexander had been waiting for and over the next five days the Battle of the Susquehanna came to an end as Miles withdrew further back.
As the Confederates began to close in on their intended target the front started to narrow as Alexander focused his troops on taking Philadelphia. Once past the Susquehanna General Miles had not really prepared any fortified positions between it and the de facto American capital. On July 15 Confederate forces defeated the Americans in the Battle of Wilmington which was the largest battle ever fought in Delaware with over 200,000 men engaging in it. By late July the front was only a little more than ten miles from Philadelphia and Alexander was readying for the final push to end the war. In the early morning of July 29 270,000 Confederate soldiers assaulted the de facto capital and the Battle of Philadelphia began. For the next three weeks the battle raged as Confederate forces moved slowly around, and ever so slowly through the city. Philadelphia was a bloodbath but a bloodbath that was gradually going Alexander's way. That was because while Miles still commanded the fight in Philadelphia command of the Army of Maryland as a whole had been stripped from him and given to Lieutenant General Wesley Merritt who was slowly withdrawing many troops out of the city to fight another day as the US government had already moved to New York. On August 20 after Confederate forces had finally cut off the city General Miles and only 38,000 Americans surrendered.
The Cleveland Offensive began on July 7 as Rosser's army moved out in two groups to make a pincer move around Cleveland. The two forces moved quickly before Crook could maneuver his troops to successfully halt either of these. On July 19 the western arm became the first to cut the nation in two when it reached Lake Erie at Loraine. Late in the evening on the next day the eastern arm reached the lake as well at Eucid. On July 28 the Battle of Cleveland began with Rosser trying to crush Crook's army and eliminate major resistance in the area. For two weeks the battle raged as Crook slowly lost ground to the Confederates. On August 13 however Crook's army was saved when Rosser made a mistake that opened up a gap in his lines in which they escaped. Though Cleveland would fall two days later Rosser had failed in his objective in destroying an American army. Soon the Confederacy would hold Cleveland in name only as guns from the US's Great Lakes fleet kept them from keeping a large force entrench, despite heavy artillery managing to damage a number of them and sink a cruiser. For the rest of the month and into September Rosser's tactics turned to raiding as units moved deep into Ohio and Pennsylvania destroying anything of military or economic use in upwards of fifty miles either way.
After Topeka the war in the midwest returned to raiding parties fighting across Kansas. However the two American offensives here continued. In early July US forces moved out of Confederate Colorado and into New Mexico. On July 27 they would secure the territorial capital at the Battle of Santa Fe. However just two weeks later the American army was forced to retreat into northern New Mexico after they were decisively defeated at the Battle of Albuquerque by Texas Ranger and Texas State Militia Brigadier General John Barclay Armstrong along with nearly 30,000 Texan, New Mexican, and Chihuahuan volunteers and militiamen. In Arkansas American forces advanced as well. Though they knew Memphis was a fortress that wouldn't be cracked by a measly 35,000 troops they could continue south deeper into Arkansas with the intent on reaching Louisiana on June 29. Rapidly the Americans moved south brushing aside the smaller Confederate units up against it. After three weeks of relentless campaigning American forces would capture the state capital after the three day Battle of Little Rock. Though the capture of Little Rock was a great morale victory for the Americans it wasn't to last. On August 14 the Americans were forced to withdraw fro Little Rock. This wasn't due to any Confederate army forcing them out but due to happening son other fronts forcing the Americans to divert these troops elsewhere.
As actions were occurring in New Mexico and Arizona General Wheeler was building up for another invasion of the midwest. On August 3 Wheeler launched a second invasion of Kansas with 40,000 men crossing into the state at Dodge City. Wheeler's invasion force, like before, moved rapidly across the state. This time however, Wheeler's offensive wasn't aimed at Topeka and Kansas City, but instead the Trans-Continental railways deeper in Nebraska. Moving faster than an American army could be mustered and moved to counter them in just eighteen days Wheeler's men reached the Nebraska border. Confederate forces would reach the Platte River on September 1 and turned their invasion east. Since the offensive began there had only been skirmishes and small scale battles. On September 11 though the two armies came fully to a head when Custer attacked with army at the state capital in the Battle of Lincoln. With over 90,000 men engaged the Battle of Lincoln was the largest engagement ever fought in the state. For two days the two sides battled one another ferociously. Thousands fell to each sides machine guns and artillery. Though the Confederate's would fight valiantly they were at the end of a long supply line and in the end Wheeler was forced to withdraw. Throughout the remainder of September Wheeler withdrew back to Confederate territory along much of the same path he had during the first invasion crossing into Oklahoma at Newkirk on October 1. This was the second and last major offensive Wheeler would launch into the northern midwest as he didn't have the means or men to continue major offensive operations.
After Los Angeles the California Theater would stay mostly quiet for well over a month. On July 19 however Stuart was finally ready to move out once more. MacArthur had been rebuilding as well and was ready to counter Stuart's move and on July 30 the two clashed again at the Battle of Santa Barbara. However despite superior numbers Stuart was still proving his superior skill as a military tactician and after a day and a half the Americans withdrew. More and more American troops were arriving though while less and less Confederates were. Just two weeks after Santa Barbara MacArthur and Stuart clashed again at the Battle of Santa Maria and after an intense nineteen hours Stuart was finally forced back and withdrew back to Los Angeles. How long he could keep Los Angeles was up in the air however as now the Americans outnumbered the Confederate's more than 2-1 and that gap growing.
President Gordon and the Confederate War Department were positive that the loss of both the de jure and de facto capitals of the US and the country cut in half that the US was sure to sue for peace. On September 5 Gordon sent President Lincoln a “generous” peace offer. The demilitarization of the American side of the Ohio River border states, reparations of $100 million, and the only territorial change being Maryland's Eastern Shore south of Delaware which would give the Confederacy stronger control over the Chesapeake. Two days later Lincoln responded to the proposal with an outright refusal stating that as long as he remained in office the US would continue to resist Confederate aggression. With the US unwilling to capitulate Gordon ordered the war department to prepare for immediate further offensives to drive home the fact to the US that they had lost the war.
