Didz's American game blog.
Having completed my Ottoman Campaign and dabbled in the Maratha Confederacy campaign for a while I decide to start a new game, but couldn't decide which faction to play. To be honest the European Nations all seemed a bit samey, and I knew the history too well.
I toyed with the idea of another Eastern faction but figured it would probably pose much the same challenge as the Ottoman campaign. So, in the end I opted for the 'United States' Campaign, which is unlocked once you have completed the 'Road to Independance'. I figured it would pose some unique challenges as this nation is basically starting from scratch with some pretty infriendly, if not hostile, nations blocking its path to growth.
I've been playing several turns, and so far its not been as much of a challenge as I expected, although I am aware that I only have a limited time to achieve all my goals. I spent all my initial income on revenue earning investment in the most loyal states, and happiness buildings in the least loyal. I also paid to make peace with 'The Barbary Pirates', they did not want much money and it seemed a shrewd investment at the time.
Turn 2, and I realised that I was making the same mistake as I had in my Ottoman Campaign and forgetting foriegn trade. This had left me short of trading income later in the Ottoman game as I could not secure any trade sources in the big trade zones. I kicked myself for wasting a turn already, but immediately set about building East Indiamen at every trade port and American Frigates at Yorktown for escort duty.
I've been churning out as many Indiamen as possible every turn since and sending off to secure trade.
Had great fun naming them all....the first off the slips just had to be called 'Enterprise' (corny I know but it made sense). It was followed by 'Endeavour', 'Industrious', 'Alacrity', 'Commerce', 'Free Trade', 'Adventurous', 'Independant' and 'Yankee'...anyway you get the drift.
I managed to secure two trade slots in the Ivory Coast (40 Tusks from 2 ships), three in Madagascar (60 Tusks from 3 Ships), and I am currently heading for the East Indies. At the same time I am establishing trading relations with as many other nations as possible, in some cases actually bribing them to do a deal.
I have eleven trading partners at the moment (France, Cherokee, Spain, United Provinces, Sweden, Russia, Iroquois, Maratha Confederacy, Austria, Ottoman Empire and Prussia). A few of these trade routes are blocked by European wars, but so far nobody has directly interfered with my trade specifically, although the Royal Navy is hovering about menacingly off the American Coast.
Trade Income is currently about 7,500 and Tax about 8,000 giveing me a disposable income of about 10,000 per turn at the moment. Of course this could all change in an instant if hostilities break out and so I am currently building a fleet of the large 24pdr American Frigates to protect my trade fleets, and I have just begun to build a few defensive forts along the Canadian border.
Final outcome of the race for international trade.
America managed to secure 6 trading posts.
Straits of Madagascar (3 x Trading Posts, 4 x Indiamen, 75 x Ivory Tusks per turn)
Ivory Coast (2 x Trading Posts, 2 x Indiamen, 40 x Ivory Tusks per turn)
Coast of Brazil (1 x Trading Post, 5 x Indiamen, 75 x Sugar Loaves per turn)
We were unsuccessful in securing any trade in the East Indies. However, the plan now is to maintain at least one frigate in each trade zone to protect our trade interests and also to watch for any opportunites that may arise to expand them. For example, one trading post in the Indies is held by Russia who may have trouble keeping it if Sweden or some pirates turn up.
In the meantime the intention is to expand our existing trade post utilitization to a standard of 5 ships per post, as recommended.
1792: Damnation to the French
Diplomatic relations with the French have taken a downturn recently. France are currently at war with Britain, Austria and Savoy, plus they have also managed to stir up the Iroquios enough to get them on the warpath. Their trade routes have been severed and their navy driven from the sea. As such they are a liberty as an ally, and more to the point they are desperate for money.
In a gesture of mutual benefit Congress has offered the French 15,000 for its possessions in Lower Louisiana, an offer which was turned down flat. The same offer was then repeated for Upper Louisiana which was in danger of being overrun anyway, and again for the Windward Isles which have no garrison and a port already in British hands. None of these offers would be considered by the French despite their dire situation.
Faced with such intransigence Congress had little choice but to cancel their alliance with France and terminate their pointless trading and military access treaties. A Continental Army is being raised and if the French remain intransigent then America will move to relieve France of its possessions in the America's before they fall into British hands.
1792: Spain declares war of Britain
On a more positive note Spain has declared war on Britain. At present our traders are reporting that the Spanish Navy has the upper hand, driving off the British commerce raiders and blockading outlying British ports. Whether this trend will continue is unlikely but as both Britain and Spain occupy territory which is needed to win the campaign I consider the war to be a win:win event for the American's.
1793: Iroquios accept the hand of friendship
The Iroquios nation responded positively to approaches on behalf of the Unites States, and whilst they will not formally allow American troops to pass through their lands Congress has agree that such permission must be implied if we are to aid them in their war against France. The Continental Army is preparing to march and secure Upper Louisiana.
In the meantime, Spain seems to be doing remarkably well in freeing the sea lanes of the British. It is just a shame that the British did not have any Trade Ports in their possession.
1794: Greene's Army marches.
General Nathan Greene has marched from Philedelphia with a Continental Army of 7,800 foot, 1,200 Dragoons and 25 guns bound for Fort Pontchartrain in Michigan Territory. There was a slight delay as last minute bargaining took place with the Iroqoius but eventually they agreed to allow the army to cross their land in return for payment of 1,000 gold per session.
1795: Greene makes slow progress
Dragging 25 heavy guns through the wilderness is no easy task and Greene's main army makes slow progress finally reaching Fort Pontchartrain in the winter of 1795. An advanced guard commanded by General Gallatin and consisting of a regiment of mounted dragoons and a detachment of long riflemen made much better time managing to keep pace with an Iroquios warband of about 6,000 braves guided by the scout Peter Jervis. However, there was no sign of the French, although a small British force was spotted camped in the area.
Trade development along the Ivory Coast was now maxed with 2 x Trading Ports supporting 10 x East Indiamen and producing 144 x Ivory Tusks per turn.
1796: Where are the French?
It soon became apparent to Greene that something was not quite right. The absence of French troops in their outlying forts could be explained by their decision to concentrate for a decisive battle, the lack of movement on the roads was understandable if they were expecting an attack. But when Peter Jarvis reported that Fort de Chartres (The Regional Capital) had been razed and was in Iroquios hands Greene knew he had been had, and he was furious.
It appears that the savages led by their chief Buckongahelas had preempted Greene's every move and whilst happily leading him by the nose through the wilderness, in return for gold and gifts, had actually already seized the territory for themselves. When Greene confronted Buckingahelas about this he mergely shrugged 'You wanted them gone, they are gone. Now the lands is ours.' Infuriated, by the savages smug attitude Greene at first tried to reason with the Buckongahelas, explaining how important it was that his chief owned the land, and offering over 8,000 in gold for it. However, the Iroguios were unwilling to part with it, and when Greene threatened them with the anger of the United States the natives just found the idea that this slow lumbering army of men thought they could even catch an Iroquios warrior let alone defeat one in battle amusing.
So, with only two options a) ignominious retreat, or b) marching onward to Lower Louisiana, Greene opted to continue onward.
1796 Summer: Confrontation on the Mississippi
If Greene had thought that his problems with Buckonghelas were over then he was sadly mistaken. Peter Jervis was first to report that the Iroquois chief and his warriors had beaten the American advance guard to the Mississippi River and were camped at the only local crossing point. A few days later Gallatin arrived with his Advance Guard and confirmed Jervis report.
It seems that. at best, the natives were determined to beat Greene's army to New Orleans, and at worse they were planning to prevent it crossing the Mississippi River at all and force it retrace its steps all the way back to Pennsylvania. To add to the tension the time that Greene had said he needed before he would be off Iroquios land was about to expire, as Greene had not expected to have to march through the entire of Louisiana before he was out of their territory. What would happen when the time expired was anybodies guess but Greene was determined he was not about to be turned back from his goal.
In fact, Greene found he had no choice, the Iroquios flatly refused to discuss an extension of the time he was allowed to travel through their lands (in fact the diplomatic menu won't even allow you to ask) and so Greene found that he either had to declare war on the Iroquios or be forced back to Pennsylvania. So, it must be war. The problem being that the Iroquios were not only allied to America, but also to the British and it was just the excuse the British were waiting for to re-open hostilities. America's only hope now is that France and Spain can keep the British fleet busy enough that it does not interfere with American trade.
The American Navy was put on a war footing and isolated patrols were recalled to Virginia to concentrate the fleet. Meanwhile, in Maine, on the border with the British held territories the militia were deployed to the border forts and the Continential Army commanded by General Scarisbrook was mobilised and marched to Falmouth.
The Opening Shots
The first shots of the war were fired on the Mississippi at Fort de Chartres. Henry Gallatin's Advance Guard demanded that Buckonghelas order his warriors to step aside and allow his men passage to the river and the Chief flatly refused to move. When the Continental Dragoons began to push their way through the natives, things became more aggressive and eventually Gallantin ordered his men to fall back and regroup.
However, far from ending the confrontation the sudden rearward movement of the dragoons merely agitated the Iroquios warriors still further and they began to pursue the retreating dragoons chasing them out of the settlement and across the open grassland beyond. Gallatin was able to restore order and brought his men to a halt ordering the scouts to fire into the pursuing natives. The long riflemen did so and then made themselves scarce slipping off into the nearest cover. The losses inflicted by the scouts merely made the Iroquios more hostile and they now surged forward. Gallatin ordered the Dragoons to charge and the horsemen ploughed into the warriors hacking right and left. Gallatin himself joined in the fray, but the sheer weight of numbers swamped the cavalrymen and eventually Gallatin was cut down along with most of his cavalry. Only 80 men from the 2nd Dragoons escaped to rejoin the scouts.
Buckonghelas' Warband lost 2,680 warriors out of the 8,025 that were involved. Galatin's force of 1,620 lost 1,210 men.
The battle itself had lasted several hours and had drawn most of Buckonghelas' braves miles away from their camp at the river. Many of them now spent even longer chasing down the loose horses of the fallen Dragoons which were worth far more to them than anything the corpses of the American soldiers might have on them. Therefore, in his defeat Gallatin actually achieved his goal and got Buckonghelas to move his warriors away from the river.
When Greene arrived at Fort de Chartres the next morning, there was no sign of Buckonghelas or his men, and only a much small warband under Passaconay consisting mainly of young warriors and the old and sick were guarding the camp. Greene wasted no time, despite the snow storm that had begun in the night and now engulfed both armies, he deployed his men and began to advance on the settlement.
Passaconay, attempted to send some of his best horsemen around the right flank of Greene's army to attack them from behind, but a sharp eyed scout saw the movement through the blizzard and a gave a warning that enabled the artillery to be unlimbered and a bombardment of shrapnell shells quickly scattered the enemy warriors.
Greene then began to advance again and this time Passaconay sent his full force of warriors at the American's. The Continental Infantry merely halted and met them with a whithering hail of musketry which stopped most of them in their tracks. Only only small warparty managed to reach the American lines and after a brief skirmish they too decided to make themselves scarce.
Passaconay, himself with a few suriviving braves made a last defiant stand just beyond the settlement. In fact, he had laid a careful ambush hiding a fresh warband of 600 hundred warriors in the long grass just in front of his position. Greene had detached two regiments of infantry to deal with the minor chieftain and as the 3rd and 11th Regiment came within range, the Iroquios warriors suddenly rose up out of the grass and charged at them. The two regiments calmly halted and meet the rush with concentrated musketry causing the warriors to vere away and try to attack them from the flank. The 3rd was forced to change face to meet the new threat whilst the 11th kept the warriors at bay with a few well aimed volleys. Unable to avoid the enemy fire and with almost half their warriors dead the warparty tried to move even farther to right to outflank the 3rd again. However, this time they came within range of the American artillery and began to suffer further casualties shells exploding amongst them. Caught between a rock and a hard place the surviving Iroquios made one last desperate charge at the 3rd, managed to reach them and strike a few blows and then fled.
The 3rd and 11th gathered their wits and reformed. Then advanced once more on Passaconays position. The chief was out of options and merely watched them come. A couple of volley's from the American's ended his life and killed most of his surviving retinue the rest fled effectively bringing the battle to a close. Although the killing wasn't over for the American's entered the camp and killed everyone they could catch.
Heroic Victory for Greene.
Greene Force lost 115 men out of a force of 8,070. Although almost half of those were lost from friendly fire and stray shrapnell, the indian's only managed to kill 60 men.
Passaconay lost 2,475 warriors and the American's slaughtered a further 1,630 women and children in the camp after the battle.
Britain declares war.
When news of 'The Fort Chartres Massacre' reached the British they immediately declared war despite all their other military commitments and so things are about to get interesting.
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Originally Posted by Zerg
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