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The Fox of France - Chapter 445
🕑 Added 2024-03-31 00:02:46 +0000 UTCChapter 445: Marching Towards Washington
Just when the American forces faced setbacks both at sea and on land, good news finally arrived from the ocean. After searching the seas for over half a month, the cruisers "Free Trade" and "Common Market" finally located a British squadron and engaged it in battle. They dealt a significant blow to the British—sinking two of their old-style battleships. However, under their cover, the remaining ships managed to escape, albeit with varying degrees of damage. It's estimated they won't be combat-ready for some time.
This battle highlighted that old wooden warships converted into steamships stood no chance against true ironclads. In the fight, the American (should be French, in context) 120mm caliber naval guns fired high-explosive shells that easily tore through the wooden hulls of the British ships, causing death with astonishing efficiency.
On the other hand, the British, despite upgrading their ships with steel rifled cannons, were limited by the original build of their old wooden vessels—not worth the investment to fully upgrade. They simply replaced the old iron cannons with steel ones, which were generally smaller and of limited firepower, unable to penetrate the armor of the "Free Trade" and "Common Market."
Additionally, the difference in speed meant the entire battle was akin to two French warships thrashing a retirement home—utterly one-sided.
Of course, the French sailors aboard the "Free Trade" and "Common Market" didn't see it that way. They were quite pleased with themselves since, according to the contract they signed with the Americans, they would receive a substantial combat bonus for every ton of British warships or vessels they sank or captured—a sum at least ten times what their American counterparts received. More importantly, the Americans promised to pay their wages in gold coins. Although in theory, a dollar bill is equivalent to a gold dollar, in times of American military setbacks, the bright yellow gold was far more appealing than the greenback.
Regrettably, after spending a long time at sea hunting enemy ships, the "Free Trade" and "Common Market" nearly depleted their supplies, making it impossible for them to intercept the fleeing British warships. They knew the British vessels were damaged and had to return to Halifax Harbor immediately. If only they had enough fresh water and coal, they could have taken advantage of their speed to beat the British to Halifax and block them. But now, they had no choice but to give up on this opportunity and head back to resupply and collect their rewards.
However, the French victory at sea wasn't enough to turn the tide of the war. On land, they were still outclassed by the tactically superior British forces. After burning Detroit, the British forces continued south. Near Cleveland, over ten thousand hastily assembled American soldiers faced off against General Isaac Brock's seven thousand British forces (mainly Canadian militia) in a pitched battle. The British taught the Americans a lesson in tactics, introducing them to skirmish tactics and the coordination of infantry and artillery. With minimal losses, the British routed the American forces and advanced towards Cleveland.
Fearing a fate similar to Detroit, the American forces didn't even attempt to defend Cleveland and retreated from the city. The British, upon entering Cleveland, captured several American-made river gunboats in the shipyards—the Americans had retreated too hastily to destroy these vessels.
The British paused in Cleveland for a while because they had expended a great deal of supplies in the previous battles. They needed to stop to regroup and wait for more supplies and reinforcements to arrive via Lake Erie.
Meanwhile, the Americans hurriedly gathered troops from other areas in an attempt to drive the British out of Cleveland.
During this time, the United States and the Republic of Saint-Domingue reached a leasing agreement, adding two cruisers to their fleet alongside the "Free Trade" and "Common Market," returning to Halifax Harbor. However, this fleet, flying the American flag but almost entirely manned by Frenchmen, didn't find any British ships at Halifax—seemingly, the British knew Halifax was too risky and had retreated into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence instead.
The Gulf of Saint Lawrence, with its shallow waters and numerous reefs, was a region the French dared not enter. So, they instead blockaded the Cabot Strait and Belle Isle Strait to prevent British vessels from entering Canada.
But by then, the British had already received news of America's declaration of war, making foolishly loaded British ships a rarity without escorts. This was a disappointment for the French naval officers and sailors who had dreamed of striking it rich.
On another front, while General Isaac Brock awaited supplies in Cleveland, the Americans began amassing more troops around Pittsburgh, about two hundred kilometers from Cleveland. Smuggling ships, boldly flying the French flag, continuously entered New York, unloading various smuggled civilian weapons and ammunition. These supplies were quickly loaded onto trains and sent to Pittsburgh, preparing to counter the British forces that could leave Cleveland at any moment to march south towards Washington.
Additionally, a group of
"French advisors" was temporarily hired at a high price to assist the American forces. Officially, the French government did not acknowledge the presence of these advisors among the American forces; they were merely "volunteers" willing to help the Americans.
The inclusion of these French "volunteers" and the information they provided was an eye-opener for the American officers. However, it also made them increasingly concerned about the prospects of the war. They realized the vast gap between the American military and the armies of the European continent. There simply wasn't enough time to train the soldiers, let alone the officers, in new tactics.
General Isaac Brock soon received the reinforcements he had been waiting for. His forces now numbered twenty-five thousand, with both artillery and cavalry units strengthened. His superiors hoped he would march towards Washington to force the American forces into a decisive battle. Given the difficulty of mobilizing large numbers of troops domestically due to French interference, a prolonged war would likely exhaust the less populous and industrially weaker Canada first. Therefore, General Brock was urged to quickly defeat the American forces and force the United States into seeking peace.
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