Wrapped in Flames: The Great American War and Beyond

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EnglishCanuck

EnglishCanuck

MonarchistCanuck said:
Finally got caught up again. I was wondering if Chivington and Sand Creek would get mentioned, glad to see he got what he deserved.
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Thank you! I have been gunning for Chivington ever since I read about the Sand Creek Massacre, so it was just a nice side effect of TTL to send him out in a really macabre fashion!

Kicks off some post war conflicts too!

MonarchistCanuck said:
And a McClellan victory! How delicious, this is going to be fun to watch. I know most people here are now predicting a Confederate victory, but we have yet to see how the blockade and Grant in the West will pan out, so I'm withholding judgement personally until EC covers how those theatres pan out. Pretty sure though the East will not be the deciding theatre in 1865+, but we'll see.
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We also have to watch to see whether McClellan can run a negotiation. The wildcard currently is how much influence he can have over the process versus the various state actors.
 

MonarchistCanuck

EnglishCanuck said:
Thank you! I have been gunning for Chivington ever since I read about the Sand Creek Massacre, so it was just a nice side effect of TTL to send him out in a really macabre fashion!

Kicks off some post war conflicts too!



We also have to watch to see whether McClellan can run a negotiation. The wildcard currently is how much influence he can have over the process versus the various state actors.
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I suspect the Lincoln Cabal (formerly Cabinet) will be giving McClellan some headaches...😉
 
EnglishCanuck

EnglishCanuck

MonarchistCanuck said:
I suspect the Lincoln Cabal (formerly Cabinet) will be giving McClellan some headaches...😉
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Oh many people from Lincolns cabinet will still be involved in post war politics. Many still in the Republican camp, and Lincoln himself will have more to do. He will have a lot of unfinished business from the war indeed...
 

naraht

MonarchistCanuck said:
Entirely coincidental, and I've seen other *Canuck usernames other than me and EC. Lots of Canadians on this forum, can't possibly be because we're drawn to the idea of being dealt a better hand than OTL...🤔
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No offense, but of the 200 or so countries in the world, the number that have been dealt a better hand over the last 150 years is probably less than a dozen.
 

SenatorChickpea

naraht said:
No offense, but of the 200 or so countries in the world, the number that have been dealt a better hand over the last 150 years is probably less than a dozen.
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True, but look at the bizarre number of American timelines on this forum that are unapologetic wanks because if there's one thing that stands out about the USA it's the poor run it's had in the past two hundred years.
 

General JH

I literally made an account to comment in this, so

This has been a fantastic work! As a Latin American, though I don't understand many of the politics or recognize any names (besides the most famous ones) this as nevertheless been a really enjoyable story thus far! I look foward to see how this will develop
 
EnglishCanuck

EnglishCanuck

SenatorChickpea said:
True, but look at the bizarre number of American timelines on this forum that are unapologetic wanks because if there's one thing that stands out about the USA it's the poor run it's had in the past two hundred years.
Click to expand...

Well far be it from me to postulate one way or the other...

General JH said:
I literally made an account to comment in this, so

This has been a fantastic work! As a Latin American, though I don't understand many of the politics or recognize any names (besides the most famous ones) this as nevertheless been a really enjoyable story thus far! I look foward to see how this will develop
Click to expand...

Many thanks indeed! I'm glad you're enjoying the story enough to come to the board! Hope you enjoy it as we go forward! I aim to entertain!
 
Chapter 103: 1864 A Year in Review Part 1
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    • EnglishCanuck

    EnglishCanuck

    Chapter 103: 1864 A Year in Review Part 1​

    Europe:

    “The outbreak of the Second Schleswig War had its precedents in conflicts dating back centuries. The first war had been fought by revolutionary minded German nationalists in 1848, which had seen no satisfactory conclusion. This war was begun as a response to the November Constitution of 1863 which, against agreements which had ended the war of 1848, tried to proclaim “Denmark to the Eider” as the Danish nationalists demanded. The mixed population of the two duchies complicated that dream, and left a stinging hole in the hearts of German nationalists who desired a unified Germany…

    In December, Saxon and Hannoverian troops, acting on behalf of the German Confederation, marched in to take control of the duchy, prompting the Danes to raise soldiers to contest the matter. As the new year dawned, the situation remained tense, but there was as yet no fighting…

    There was hope in Denmark that the other European powers would come to their aid as they had in 1848. However, the diplomatic situation was drastically different from that period.

    Britain, seen as the guarantor of the London Convention, was deeply engaged in North America and Asia at this time, and so had no infantry or naval forces to spare with which to weigh in on the conflict. While they would extend diplomatic messages of support to Denmark, there was no concrete limits they could impose. Palmerston would say “I am satisfied with all reasonable men in Europe, including those in France and Russia, in desiring that the independence, the integrity and rights of Denmark may be maintained. We are convinced-I am convinced at least-that if any violent attempt were made to overthrow those rights and interfere with that independence, those who made the attempt, would in the result, that it would not be Denmark alone with they would have to contend with.” This gave some hope that Britain might, at least partially, intervene on the side of Denmark.

    Such intervention was, of course, not going to happen. Still deeply involved in North America, Britain would only be able to commit a small number of ships and soldiers to any European project. More importantly, they were tied up in negotiations with the United States, and still moving men and material to the Canadian fronts. Only diplomatic noise could be made on Denmark's behalf. However, such language also gave hope to Sweden that their intervention would not be challenged, and perhaps even supported by the Royal Navy. Such would never materialize, and it would cause something of a headache for Palmerston after the war.

    Russia was more firmly in the Prussian camp thanks to the Crimean War, and with the help of crushing the Poles they had agreed to back Prussia against any effort by France to intervene on the behalf of the Danes. However, the Tsar had also sent messages to Sweden which, though not known until nearly a century later, had sent mixed messages between Stockholm and Copenhagen. The Danes believed it meant Russia might support them diplomatically, while the Swedes believed it meant they would not oppose Swedish intervention on the Danes side. This mixed messaging meant that when King Charles XV of Sweden declared his support for the Danes, Russia offered no formal protest and made no maneuvers to intervene, which technically satisfied all parties.

    France, perhaps the only nation which might have mediated for either side, was also deeply involved in North America. Though less so than Britain, men and ships were busily engaged in putting the Hapsburg Maximillian on the Mexican throne. Napoleon III was chimerical in his dealings with the Danes. On one hand, he had no vested interest in the agreements of 1815 and 1848 which bound the borders the Prussians and German states now objected to, but on the other, he believed he could become the man who helped dictate peace in Europe. As such, he did not promote the Danes maximal stance, but neither did he make any moves to fight Prussia or Austria on their displeasure over the 1863 constitution. He would stand by and watch as events unfolded.

    Sweden was then the only power which stood by Denmark. King Charles XV had dreams of the Scandinavian states being united under his household, but would not make them explicit. He viewed the territorial integrity of Denmark as part of the path to a proper Scandinavian power in Europe, but his ministers opposed a “reckless campaign” which might open up Sweden to a general European war. Charles had originally proposed supporting the Danes in a meeting at Skodsborg 22nd of July 1863. Prime Minister Louis de Greer had initially balked from the King’s assurances, but when the Selo Letter was produced[1], these objections were muted.

    Charles reassured Frederick that Sweden supported him in September, and then when Christian IX inherited the throne stood by him in December as well…

    …with any threat of Russian intervention out of the way, Sweden would inform the German Diet that it unequivocally opposed any attack on Denmark, and would take military action to uphold Denmark’s territorial integrity…

    Using the adoption of the November 1863 constitution as a pretext, Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck demanded in January of 1864 that the constitution be abolished in twenty-four hours, a political impossibility for the Danes. He set this deadline knowing so, and brusquely brushed off the Swede’s own diplomatic warning that enforcing such a deadline would mean war with the almost laconic response of “Good, it’s war then!”

    …At the outbreak of hostilities the Danish army consisted of 38,000 men in four divisions. Most were immediately transferred to the line of the Dannervike, putting 36,000 men to face the Austro-Prussian invasion. These forces were intended to hold as long as possible under Christian Julius de Meza until they could be reinforced by forces from Sweden. The Swedes for their part had promised an initial 20,000 men with naval support. The expeditionary force was being rapidly gathered in Sweden under the command of Major General Magnus Björnstjerna, who had fought in Denmark during the 1848 war, and was considered useful for the role. His only disappointment would be that his force was meant to be a separate corps under Danish command. When the war broke out in February, this expeditionary force was still fitting out and needed to be sailed to Denmark, putting a ticking clock on its intervention.

    The combined Austro-Prussian army consisted of roughly 60,000 men and 158 guns. The Prussian army had 37 battalions, 29 squadrons and 110 guns, with 38,800 men. The Austrian army had 20 battalions, 10 squadrons and 48 guns, with 23,000 men. The Prussian forces were commanded by Field Marshal Friedrich Graf von Wrangel. The Austrians were led by General Ludwig von Gablenz. The two generals only semi-coordinated their maneuvers, with Wrangel assuming his men were far superior to both the Danish and the Austrians. Each realized that there might be trouble from the Swedish intervention, and it was communicated that the war was to be won quickly.

    …Hostilities were initiated when the combined army crossed the border into Denmark proper on February 1st. The initial Austrian movements were repulsed, but the ground around the Dannervike had frozen solid, and follow up Prussian assaults across the marshes compelled the Danish withdrawal to Flensburg.

    1024px-R%C3%BCckzug_aus_dem_Danewerk_5-6._Februar_1864.jpg

    The evacuation of the Dannervike fortifications were a blow to Danish morale only mitigated by the arrival of Swedish forces.    ​

    …this rapid withdrawal not only cost de Meza his command, it shocked the advancing Swedish forces who had been only a day away from reaching the Dannervike line. Björnstjerna was incredulous with news of the retreat, and his messages to Copenhagen relayed that. However, he accepted being placed under the command of Georg Gerlach, the new commander of the force. He now combined 32,000 demoralized Danish troops with 20,000 fresh Swedish troops for the defence of Flensburg and Naibol.

    …Weather and logistics hampered the initial attempt to attack the Scandinavian defences, but on the 14th of April, the Austro-Prussian armies launched a joint, if uncoordinated, attack at Flensburg. Here the poor nature of the Danish leaders showed, but the talent of Björnstjerna at the tactical level shone through. His Swedish troops, operating in conjunction with the Danish right, were ordered to hold off the Austrian attack. Thanks to Austrian mismanagement, the attack faltered, but a charge by Austrian hussars nearly undid the line, only for the appearance of the Swedish cavalry to turn back this assault and hold the line one day more for the Scandinavians…

    The tactical utility of the Swedish fleet allowed the Danes to both blockade the North German ports, while also moving a joint force of 10,000 Swedes and a brigade of Danish troops to the rear of the Austro-Prussian forces... This attack on the Prussian supply depot at Schleswig was deeply embarrassing, as it delayed any ability for a renewed assault on the Scandinavian defences. It provided a significant boost to Scandinavian morale, while also showcasing the inability of the Prussian fleet to halt the flow of men and supplies from Sweden, on which Austria would have to take the lead…

    In late April, as it became clear 5,000 fresh troops and new supplies would be arriving in Denmark, the Austrian naval flotilla at last arrived in the North Sea over the objections of Great Britain. Under the command of Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, the Austro-Prussian flotilla, consisting of the Austrian screw frigates Schwarzenburg and Radetzsky alongside three Prussian gunboats. A second, larger squadron was following, but these were the first ships available, and he was under pressure to attack. The Scandinavian flotilla under Eduoard Suenson had the Danish steam frigates Niels Juel, Jylland and the corvette Hejmdal. Though the main Swedish fleet was engaged in ferrying men and supplies, they had contributed to the Danish North Sea Squadron the steam corvettes Gefle and Valkyrian.

    Though outnumbered and outgunned, Tegetthoff did his duty… the Battle of Heligoland was an embarrassment for both Prussia and Austria, with Tegetthoff having to hide his ships in British controlled Heligoland waters, before sailing for safety at Cuxhaven awaiting reinforcements…

    800px-Josef_Carl_P%C3%BCttner_Seegefecht_bei_Helgoland_1864.jpg

    Battle of Heligoland    ​

    With a stalemate in the field, and naval supremacy at sea allowing for a mobile campaign in the Austro-German rear, the two sides declared an armistice in mid-May, looking for a way to end the conflict. Initially the Scandinavians pressed for a border at the Eider, which both Austria and Prussia refused.

    Napoleon III intervened, attempting mediation for both parties, suggesting a border much further north, which was refused by the Scandinavians… These talks broke down on June 24th, and hostilities resumed…

    Reinforced by 5,000 Austrians and 20,000 Prussian troops, the 33,000 Danish and 24,000 Swedish troops were now severely outnumbered… This led to the decision to make a stand at both Niebul and Flensburg, while the mobile division would harass the besiegers, not unlike the way the war had been fought in 1848, with the strategic plan to, at the very least, compel the border at the Eider.

    On the seas, Tegetthoff had been reinforced by the Austrian ship-of-the-line Kaiser, the armored frigates Don Juan d'Austria and Kaiser Max, the sidewheel gunboats Kaiserin Elizabeth and Lucia, and the gunboats Seehund and Wall, adding to his existing fleet. The Scandinavian fleet, now consisting of the Danish ironclad Rolf Krake, Swedish ship of the line Stockholm and steam frigate Vanadis was, if not a match, at least as capable as the Austro-Prussian force.

    Tegetthoff would lead his forces against the Scandinavians again at the Battle of the Wadden Sea on July 6th 1864… maneuvering into the fight, he led his larger ships to engage the Stockholm, angling to cross her T while his smaller frigates tried to cut up their Scandinavian counterparts… Kaiser’s victory over Stockholm ended the battle, with the Scandinavian fleet battered, and forced to withdraw northwards to safe harbor.

    The battle ended the threat to the German ports on the North Sea, but more importantly, disrupted the planned attack by the Scandinavian forces into the rear of the besieging forces at Niebul…

    Compelled at last to the table, the Scandinavians officially conceded the Duchy of Holstein in its entirety. However, they would not concede all of Schleswig. This was, originally, where the negotiations had collapsed previously. Now in August however, the Danes were more malleable as the cost of the war began to wear on the nation. The embarrassing failure to defend the Dannervike meant that both Sweden and Denmark knew they could not compel the Eider border, but their successful blunting of the Austro-Prussian advance further north into Jutland also meant that, unless Austria and Prussia wished to continue the war, they could not force all of Schleswig from the Danes.

    Though Bismarck wished to continue the war, the Austrians were less enthusiastic. Though they had won a great victory at the Wadden Sea, it had come at a heavy cost in lives and the repair times would be long. They still had to contend with the growing Italian threat in the Adriatic, and were eager to return their ships to the Mediterranean. Prussia could not continue the war without the Austrian naval forces, and Bismarck grudgingly had to accede to Austrian demands for peace…

    The Treaty of London ended the war in September, with the Danes making concessions for a new border along the Treene River, leading north to just east of Flensburg, with the furthest north in the west centered on Husum…

    Though not the total victory many Danes had hoped for, the solid support of Sweden prompted victory parades in Copenhagen and Stockholm nonetheless. Danish anger was, primarily, centered on the person of King Christian IX. He was, rather unjustly, blamed for many military failures, and the politicians who had forced the original constitution on him largely escaped the public rage. Many ended up fanning the flames against the king, hoping for leniency for themselves.

    A renewed sense of Scandinavian unity was the result of the war. Ironically, the Treaty of London would sow the seeds for discords which would bring about German disunity…” - The Second Schleswig War, Hermann von Adler, Stockholm, 2002

    June 1864 - The Polish Uprising ends. Russian troops restore control over all of Poland and Lithuania. In the aftermath, over 10,000 Poles are exiled to Siberia and an estimated 50,000 will go into exile abroad under continued persecution from the Russian authorities. The Tsar establishes effective autocratic control over all of Poland, stripping the Polish landowners of their rights.

    August 22nd - The First Geneva Convention is signed. Observers had gone to Denmark to observe the conflict and began discussing the implications of the impact on soldiers and prisoners of war. The testimony of British officers regarding conditions in American prison camps will be taken into account, though the British will notably be reticent on their own lackluster efforts to properly support prisoners.

    September 28th - The International Workingman’s Association, or the First International, a collaborative of leftist, socialist, communist and anarchist activists meets. Major groups include Owenists, followers of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and Louis Auguste Blanqui, Irish, Polish and Mexican nationalists, Italian and Spanish republicans, and German socialist refugees from the 1848 rebellions. Included is a somewhat obscure 46-year-old émigré journalist Karl Marx. The first meeting is held at St. Martin’s Hall in London. The initial meeting lays bare many different personalities, not all of whom like one another, creating a witches brew of personalities.


    North America:

    “The occupation of Mexico City, and the resulting establishment of the Empire through the invitation of Maximillian to take the Mexican throne saw the war against the French invasion escalate in intensity in 1864…

    …north and westward thrusts of the French forces soon delivered results. French forces, cooperating with local imperialistas, soon drove the republican government from its temporary capital at San Luis Potosi, forcing Juarez north again to Monterey. On the Pacific coast Maztalan fell to a French squadron and a local imperialista revolt forced the republican government out…

    In August of 1864, Tomas Meija led his own forces, a mixture of French and Imperial troops to attack Monterery. Juarez was again forced to abandon his temporary capital and flee with the rest of his government, some of the treasury and roughly five thousand threadbare soldiers towards Chihuahua. It was now a movement that fought “with only our patriotism to sustain us.” Juarez would write “It is true that the situation is unfavorable for us now, but making war against the enemy is the only means of salvation.”

    However, Juarez flight from three capitals in barely two years marked a steep decline in republican morale. With much of central Mexico in the hands of the imperials, many began to regard the empire as an inevitable end to the civil war. The French backed regime controlled the major cities, two thirds of the population, and major centers of trade and industry. Juarez now badly separated forces controlled the highlands and borderlands, with Juarez himself being closer to the American border than Mexico City. Losing Mazatlan removed a not inconsiderable amount of income from his revenue streams, and forced him to rely even more on patriotism to sustain his cause.

    Quarrels over strategy, finance, and personal rivalries also interrupted the republican command. José López Uraga became disillusioned with the republican cause and deserted to the empire. Simultaneously, Juan Cortina and Santiago Vidaurri, both caudillos of considerable power and influence along the Rio Grande also deserted Juarez’s cause, leaving the whole Gulf now in the hands of forces friendly to the Imperial cause.

    The fate of republican government in Mexico seemed to be slipping away…” – The Mexican Adventure, Marc Braudel, 1986

    “Upon arriving in Veracruz, Maximilian and Carlota were impressed by the sheer beauty of the country, but distinctly less so by the port of Veracruz. Having arrived in the heat of the malarial season, the imperial couple were forced to spend an uncomfortable night aboard the Novara before being whisked swiftly inland past sullen crowds at Veracruz…

    …the arrival of the imperial couple in Mexico City itself was far more to their liking. Having been feted and celebrated in Puebla and Orizaba, the imperial couple moved swiftly to be crowned in the great Cathedral of Mexico City on June 11th. In pomp and circumstance it reflected strength and splendor giving a Bonapartist image to the new regime. Power and pageantry would be the key influence of the early Mexican Empire, one which the imperial couple could utilize quite skillfully.

    …this pageantry was one of the few means to assert imperial authority in the early days. Maximillian’s government at Chapultepec was at first propped up only on French bayonets and the promises of the Conservative Party in Mexico. At first they were wooed by imperial royalty, practically tripping over one another to imitate the imperial styles, adopt French fashions, and gain the favor of the imperial couple. The most important social events were balls held by the Empress on Mondays, allowing her to enjoy ceremony, but also to gather the pulse of the nation, which would become a regular ritual in later years. Easily bored at social events, and a nervous public speaker, Maximilian relied on Carlota for these engagements, something she relished…

    To the consternation of his French backers, Maximilian first embarked on a tour of central Mexico in August of 1864, leaving Carlota to act as his Regent. Dressed in traditional Mexican attire, trousers with silver buttons down each side, a white vest and jacket offset with a red vest and sombrero, charro saddle, and a lariat he did not know how to use. However, he could speak some Spanish, and was determined to meet his people to address their needs.

    Whether intentional or not, Maximilian also used the trip to wade into a long debate. Stopping in Hidalgo he used his time there to celebrate the Cry of Dolores on September 10th, which marked the liberal interpretation of Mexican independence. Conservatives instead marked September 27th when the first Mexican Emperor, Agustin de Iturbide, had proclaimed Mexican independence in 1821. Maximilian’s speech was used to burnish his liberal credentials and declare himself as a new monarch for the New World.

    Maximilian wished to reign as a liberal monarch. His first proclamation to the nation had declared his intention of amnesty for all, and a desire for peace with Juarez and his republicans. While such proclamations - backed by military success - did succeed in bringing many moderate liberals, and even some notable caudillos, over to the emperor’s side, it alienated many conservative supporters. Most believed that the only way to deal with Juarez and his supporters was to “hunt, kill, and exterminate” every trace of the old republic and then offer amnesty to the survivors. Maximilian’s tolerant attitudes appalled many.

    800px-X-Large_Portrait_of_Maximiliano.jpg

    Emperor Maximilian, or as his subjects called him, Maximiliano, Chapultepec, 1864​

    What was worse was his clash with the one institution which, in theory, was supposed to be the bulwark of the empire’s support, the Catholic Church.

    Maximilian upheld the sale of Church lands to the public, a policy of Juarez’s which had helped drive the Reform War. This made an instant enemy of the Archbishop Labastida who raged against the evils of “progress, liberalism and modern civilization[2]” and declared that they were embodied in Maximillian’s government.

    When the papal nuncio, Franceso Meglia, arrived, Maximilian implored him to allow the papacy to allow the sale of church lands, and thus end decades of bitter religious war. Meglia refused point blank and declared that Church land must be restored, Catholicism must be the state religion to the exclusion of all others, and Juarez’s reform laws must be revoked. In short, Maximilian was expected to transform the Mexican state into a theocracy. Furious, Maximilian sent Carlota to deliver an ultimatum on December 23rd 1864.

    When she was also refused, Maximilian decreed freedom of worship, affirmed the sale of church property and accepted most, but not all, of Juarez’s reforms. Labastida was enraged and threatened to withdraw all clerical support from the empire, which Maximlian dared him to do. Carlota wrote infuriated to Empress Eugenie that Labastida threatened the whole empire, and his pronunciations against the government might encourage revolt.

    This very fear led some influential conservative generals to be sent abroad, but a few trusted soldiers were kept to help organize Mexican forces, under watchful French eyes. However, Maximilian now engaged in a breach with the church and it left him to govern as the benevolent liberal monarch he thought himself to be.

    Creating a new council of state he sought to surround himself with liberal allies, to temper the radical conservatism of the Mexican party. The President of the Council, and later Chancellor, was José María Lacunza, a former leading light in Mexican politics. The Minister of Financial Affairs was Santiago Vidaurri while former Liberal Jose Fernando Ramirez was granted the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Military matters were, for now, dominated by Bazaine. However, in a touch which showed Maximilian did care about his new nation, he selected his Nahuatl translator, the indigenous lawyer, professor and administrator, Faustino Galicia as his Minister of the Interior, while holding a dual position in establishing an office of culture.

    Into the breach, Maximilian brought his new empire into 1865[3]…” - Maximilian and Carolta: A New World Dynasty, Margaret Amberson, 2014

    South America:

    April 14th - In response to the Talambo Incident of 1863 as the Peruvian government refuses to pay compensation for the death of a Spaniard and the wounding of three others, the Spanish government orders the occupation of the Chincha Islands. The guano rich islands are a major source for North and South America, as well as a significant source of revenue for Peru. Hoping to swiftly bring Peru to the negotiating table, the Spanish also order the blockade of major Peruvian ports. This increases animus towards Spain from all the former colonies of the Spanish Empire, and despite negotiations ongoing, tensions rise off the western coast of South America.

    Marinos_hispanos_ocupan_las_islas_chinchas_en_1864.jpg

    Spanish marines occupying the Chincha Islands    ​

    August 10th - Tensions rise between Paraguay and the Empire of Brazil as Brazil intervenes in the ongoing Uraguayan conflict, with the Brazilian fleet arriving to enforce payment of compensation for damages done on claimed Brazilian territory by border skirmishes. The ruling Blanco Party rebuffs this attempt, and Paraguay begins mustering troops along the Paraguay River.

    November 12 - Paraguayan forces seize the the Brazilian ship Marquês de Olinda, in the Paraguay River, taking the governor of Mato Grosso hostage. This causes outrage in Brazil and demands are sent back and forth across the border for arbitration. President Lopez declares “If we don't have a war now with Brazil, we shall have one at a less convenient time for ourselves"

    In response, he orders Paraguayan forces to invade the Brazilian province of Mato Grosso on December 14th. In response, Brazil declares war on Paraguay, in a war which will ultimately drag nearly the entire region into conflict.

    ----

    1] See 1862 the Year in Review

    2] Word for word what Pius IX denounced in 1864 OTL.

    3] All of this, save for some of the timing of Liberal defections and some cabinet minister appointments, is pretty much as Maximilian did OTL. Roughly 1864-66 was the apogee of the Mexican Empire historically. So it remains to be seen whether than momentum can continue.
     
    Last edited:
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    • Kurd Gossemer

    Kurd Gossemer

    Hopefully Maximilian will have a better Fate here than OTL. Also, goodbye Paraguay, you just signed your own death sentence and given that the US will be too exhausted here to mediate a peace treaty, so Brazil and Argentina will go over blows once they carve up Paraguay amongst themselves... And Brazil will most likely decimate the Argentinians and take more of their lands
     
    galileo-034

    galileo-034

    EnglishCanuck said:
    Compelled at last to the table, the Scandinavians officially conceded the Duchy of Schleswig in its entirety. However, they would not concede all of Holstein. This was, originally, where the negotiations had collapsed previously. Now in August however, the Danes were more malleable as the cost of the war began to wear on the nation. The embarrassing failure to defend the Dannervike meant that both Sweden and Denmark knew they could not compel the Eider border, but their successful blunting of the Austro-Prussian advance further north into Jutland also meant that, unless Austria and Prussia wished to continue the war, they could not force all of Holstein from the Danes.
    Click to expand...
    I think you interverted the two. Holstein was the one further south and ethnically german, and Schleswig the one north and part Dane.
     
    galileo-034

    galileo-034

    EnglishCanuck said:
    South America:

    August 10th - Tensions rise between Paraguay and the Empire of Brazil as Brazil intervenes in the ongoing Paraguayan conflict, with the Brazilian fleet arriving to enforce payment of compensation for damages done on claimed Brazilian territory by border skirmishes. The ruling Blanco Party rebuffs this attempt, and Paraguay begins mustering troops along the Paraguay River.
    Click to expand...
    You mean the Uruguayan civil war, right?
     

    MonarchistCanuck

    Really hoping Maximilian's fate is better, even if the Mexican Empire still collapses (though with an intact Confederacy so far, it's chances are significantly better since the US isn't able to prop up the Juaristas)
     
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