BURNISHED ROWS OF STEEL: The Great North American War, 1861-

The British war planners, according to KD Bourne in British Preparations for War with the North planned fro Dunlop's RN force in the West Indies to operate from Havana against the US naval forces and enclaves on the Gulf Coast in the event of war. It would not be a permanent base, but a forward concentration point.

Jamaica would be the "base" but it was too far south to sustain operations in any sort of a timely fashion.

In BROS, the rebel "maritime" focus is on their riverine forces and whatever deep water trade they can justify diverting manpower and shipping to, one the RN forces the USN to withdraw from the Gulf and southeastern coasts.

Best,

Presumably they would use Havana as a coaling station and forward assembly point; here's the quote from Bourne:

The squadron which had been assembling at Havanah under his commodore, Dunlop, for the Mexican expedition was to deal with the Pensacola Bay force and the commander-in-chief's own squadron at Bermuda with the North Carolina and Virginia force.

and the footnote:


3 Milne expected by the end of December to have at Havanah a force of one battle- ship, two or three frigates, two corvettes, three sloops and two gun-vessels and at Bermuda three Battleships, two frigates, two sloops and two gun-vessels and possibly another frigate and three sloops which were engaged in carrying despatches (Milne to Somerset, private, 20 Dec. and to Grey, private, 25 Dec., Milne papers I07/I and 2).

Looks like they were just going to tell the Spanish to suck it up.

Best,

Yep,power politics tends to lead to norms being observed in the breech...

Best,

Remember, the British, French, and Spanish had actually allied against Mexico in the 1861 Convention of London, and the Spanish put more troops ashore initially at Veracruz than the French. They pulled out when it became obvious what the French were up to, but it speaks to the realities of the willingness of the European powers to intervene against Latin American republics when they wished to ... The Spanish winked at the British and French adventures in return for the British and French winking at their Spanish in the DR in 1861-66 and against the Chileans and Peruvians in 1866-67.

They all failed, of course, but the historical record is such that the Europeans were all trying to take advantage of the US being at war.

Best,

Yep.

Update - Have now posted Part 2 of Chapter 8, set in August, 1862. A British attempt at the Presumpscot is met by the Home Guard and Berry's brigade, then Hamilton's division, thanks to a former railroad executive responsible for financing the Grand Trunk; two generals and a president meet at Wilmer McClean's farm; and President Lincoln proclaims something significant....



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Enjoy.



Best,

Well, the paradox is the US is (largely) on the defensive in Virginia in 1862, unlike historically; the rebels are the ones who are fighting the equivalent of the Peninsula and 2nd Manassas nd Antietam on the offensive, and the US forces - under McClellan - re on the defensive. He was not exactly lightning on the offensive, but he was capable of digging in and holding a position, and he has been facing JE Johnston, not Lee.

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