Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 324

Chapter 324: Chapter 11, Short of Troops and Generals (6-1/5)

The backlash from suppression was something that Lincoln no longer had the energy to attend to. Not resorting to a massacre meant that there was still room for maneuver, the future could wait until after the Southern rebellion was suppressed; then it would be time to think of ways to ease relations.

The worst-case scenario was nothing more than losing the electoral votes of one state. If he lost this war and the United States were divided in two, no matter how well he managed the relationships, he would still be out.

Having just returned to Washington, President Lincoln received some bad news: neighboring Delaware still showed no sign of movement.

“What’s going on, why hasn’t Delaware been resolved yet?”

It was no wonder Lincoln was angry; Delaware was only nominally a Slave State, where slavery was effectively a thing of the past.

The entire state had just over 20,000 black people, of whom fewer than 1,800 were slaves.

The most prosperous area of Wilmington and its surroundings had already become economically integrated with Pennsylvania. The state was very small in size, only a little over 6,000 square kilometers, so the influence of the plantation owners was naturally not significant.

The Secretary of State, with a very ashen face, was in charge of coordinating with Delaware. The difficult Maryland had been settled by the President, and Delaware, thought to be the easiest to persuade, remained unresolved.

“Delaware has always been loyal to the Federation, and in the state congressional vote in January, we had the absolute majority.

However, the intervention of the four countries including the UK, France, Austria, and Spain has complicated things. The suppressed southern faction has become active again with their support.

They cannot let Delaware lean towards the South, but they have brought the state’s war preparations to a halt.

Under the pretext of opposing civil war, they organized protests and demanded the state government’s neutrality. Not long ago, they gathered 20,000 people and temporarily occupied the State Congress.”

Frowning, Lincoln asked, “Why not suppress it? I remember the Governor of Delaware is loyal to the Federal government, isn’t he?”

“Journalists from several European countries have appeared in Delaware, and the envoys of the four western countries, including the UK, France, Austria, and Spain, have issued a note to the state government expressing close concern.

The Delaware state government is worried that military suppression might cause unpredictable consequences and provoke intervention from the powers,” replied the Secretary of State with a very ashen face.

This was not the first time that the four countries interfered in the internal affairs of the United States. Without the intervention of the European powers, the Southern Government could not have persuaded so many states to secede.

Especially the two populous states of Kentucky and Missouri in the West, which history had tied to the Northern government, now had shifted towards the Southern government.

To know that among the fourteen states of the Southern Confederation Government, Missouri had the highest number of white people, and Kentucky was third.

The number of white people in these two states was greater than the combined populations of the six states with the smallest populations in the United States, and their joining undoubtedly strengthened the Southern Government substantially.

In history, even though these two states had joined the Northern Government, still 40,000 men had joined the Southern Army. But now that they had joined the Southern Government, fewer than a thousand were willing to fight for the North.

The reason was very pragmatic; the plantation owners were unwilling to see their interests damaged and fought for their own gains.

For the capitalists, it did not work out the same way; lured to the Southern Government, they contentedly blended in with the Confederation.

It’s all trouble stirred up by interests; the plantation-based economy of the South impeded the development of a capitalist economy but not the opportunities for capitalists to make a fortune.

With cheap industrial raw materials and a market of more than ten million people, a quarter of whom had reached the middle-class income threshold, it was undeniably a premium market.

This market had very few local capitalists, far less competitive than within the big family of the Federal government. For capitalists without massive power, it was exceedingly attractive.

Where it was easier to make money, that’s the side they supported; in the face of interests, the capitalists felt no guilt.

Public opinion reversed, and the Southern government extensively promoted the idea that the North wanted to turn the South into an economic colony, and the blindly following masses naturally supported the South.

With the addition of three more states, the Southern government’s population increased by over three million, while the Northern government decreased by the same amount. This increase and decrease altered the balance of strength between the two sides.

Lincoln, naturally, was unaware of these changes, and he still held full confidence in defeating the South. However, potential interference from the various European countries was a headache for him.

It had not been long since the British had burned down the White House, and Lincoln, who had lived through that era, now faced the addition of France, Austria, and Spain. How could he not feel any fear?

Lincoln asked with concern, “All right, let’s put aside the issue with Delaware for the moment. What about the Russians? Are they willing to support us?”

It would be very unwise to confront the four countries, including the UK, France, Austria, and Spain, directly. Before a world war erupted in Europe, the United States could not afford to disregard the joint intervention of the European nations.

Were it not for the ocean barrier, with the strength of the United States, anyone of these four countries could pin it down and give it a beating.

This was already proven when the British Army burnt down the White House. With just a few tens of thousands of British soldiers, the US lost its capital, and the confidence in the Federal army was certainly not reassuring.

Secretary of State Saffar replied, “The Tsarist Government is willing to support our war of unification, but only diplomatically. They have limited strength in the American region and cannot offer us substantial support.”

What good is verbal support when the four countries, including the UK, France, Austria, and Spain, are nearly on the brink of coming down to help in person? Seeking assistance from the Tsarist Government naturally meant hoping the Russians could cause some distractions, tying up one or two great powers.

Now, with England, France, and Austria all bordering Russia, restraining any one of them would be a diplomatic triumph for the Federation.

Lincoln said with dissatisfaction, “Are we to believe that supporting their expansion in the Far East only brought us a verbal promise of support?”

Seeking to curry favor with the Tsarist Government now, the Federation had too few chips to play. Besides mutual support in diplomatic spheres, the real help that the US government could offer the Tsarist Government was very limited.

What the Russians most lacked now was money. If the Federal government had the funds, throwing a few hundred million British Pounds could ensure the Russians made big headlines, all the while distracting the efforts of England, France, and Austria.

Unfortunately, the United States was not yet the financially powerful American Empire; it simply couldn’t come up with such a large sum of money.

The Tsarist Government is also one to not release the hawk until they’ve seen the hare; without sufficient benefits, why would they help the United States and attract enmity?

Secretary of State Saffar defended, “Mr. President, this discussion is pointless. The Russians are in the midst of reforms, and they need a stable international environment now. They simply cannot take such great risks for us.”

It wasn’t that he wasn’t trying, but the treasury was just too lean. To get the Russians’ verbal support, he had racked his brain.

The conversation ended there; continuing it was pointless as it wouldn’t solve any problems.

War Department Secretary Simon Cameron hurried in, urgently saying, “Mr. President, there is an emergency telegram from the front lines.”

President Lincoln calmly responded, “Let’s hear it. What bad news is it this time? I can take it.”

Just one glance at Simon Cameron’s expression told him it must be news of another defeat. It seemed that the northern troops hadn’t won a battle since the outbreak of the war.

War Department Secretary Simon Cameron grimly reported, “On May 1, 1861, the rebel army launched an attack on Cincinnati. Our forces fought desperately for three days and nights, but ultimately were defeated by the overwhelming enemy numbers. Ohio is in crisis.”

Lincoln immediately stood up, snatched the battle report, and read it carefully. Ignoring the embellishments, the summary was:

An army of fifty thousand from the Southern Army attacked Cincinnati, and the Federal Government sent an infantry division of 12,000 men, along with 32,000 militia from Ohio and 21,000 from Indiana to defend it, but they were ultimately defeated.

It was indeed a situation of being outnumbered. Disregarding the militia of the two states, the Federal Government had only one infantry division, just a quarter of the enemy force; it was quite an achievement to hold out for three days.

Lincoln was not interested in the details of the battle; he only knew that less than one-third of the Federal Government’s dispatched infantry division remained, with many either dead or captured. The militias from the two states also suffered heavy losses, with specific figures unknown.

“Ohio lies just above the Great Lakes; if the rebel army occupies it, then the Federal Government will be split in two on land.

No matter what, the War Department must find a way to hold this state. We may endure military losses, but politically we cannot afford to lose a state.”

Based on his half-baked military knowledge, Lincoln quickly made judgments.

War Department Secretary Simon Cameron replied with a bitter face, “Yes, Mr. President. However, we need more reinforcements now. Our original plans are no longer appropriate.”

This battle made the War Department realize that the enemy wasn’t just a rabble. The original plan was: a ring of militia from surrounding states, supplemented by 75,000 militia and regular troops drafted by the government, would crush the enemy.

Now that the ring has been broken, once Ohio falls, neighboring Pennsylvania will become a battlefield, and America’s steel heartland, Pittsburgh, will be exposed to the Southern forces.

Even if the Southern Government lacks the strength for a long-term occupation, a single major act of destruction could wipe out much of the Northern government’s industrial advantage.

There’s no choice; the Great Lakes region is America’s core industrial area, an invaluable loss. Just having Ohio turn into a battlefield has already led to heavy losses.

Without hesitation, Lincoln responded, “I will issue another national conscription order, calling up 300,000 militia from the states to serve. But this will take time, and in the short term, you still need to come up with a solution.”

The consequences of inadequate preparation were now evident; the Federal Government lacked sufficient troops whenever any front faltered.

Population and industrial advantages are only potential in war; they must be transformed into military strength, or else potential will always remain as just potential.

War Department Secretary Simon Cameron demanded, “The Federal Government’s troop numbers are limited, and there are too many places to defend; we can only order the militia from neighboring states to provide immediate reinforcement.

Considering the possibility that the enemy could strike from all sides and disrupt our troop deployments, we need at least a seven hundred thousand-strong mobile force to quell this uprising.”

The initial plan was that an army of a hundred thousand would be sufficient to suppress the rebellion. However, after one battle, Simon Cameron became more cautious.

Lincoln asked in surprise, “Do we need that many troops?”

War Department Secretary Simon Cameron explained, “Mr. President, based on the deployment of the enemy’s forces, it won’t be long before Maryland, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and other areas become battlefields.

The political trouble brought on by the fall of a state is immeasurable. Without enough troops, it’s hard to counterattack while on full defense.”

Unlike other countries, the Federal Government of the United States could not afford to abandon any state; if they dared, they would be in big trouble. It’s quite possible that under the fear of shared doom, those state governments might surrender directly to the South.

Lincoln resignedly said, “Alright, you are the expert in this area. If there are any other issues that need solving, please bring them up all at once.”

War Department Secretary Simon Cameron awkwardly said, “We’re running short on officer reserves, and we must call back retired officers to serve again.

I know we’ve already done a draft call, but it’s still not enough. What I mean is that we need to draft veterans to become junior officers, and we can extend the age limit to 55 years old.”

Indeed, they were talking about drafting veterans; in an era where average life expectancy was below 55, calling up soldiers of this age bracket showed Simon Cameron’s desperation.

High-level officers could be promoted from within; after all, their numbers were small, and careful selection from the Federal Army would suffice.

For the much-needed company and platoon-level officers, there was no other option. The U.S. Army was small to begin with, and many senior officers from the south had departed with the outbreak of the war.

Now, with the army expanded by more than tenfold all at once, not even promoting every active veteran to officer rank would be enough for Cameron to meet the demand.

He had no choice but to fall back on the older, retired officers.

Lincoln suggested, “Has the situation grown thất dire? We can have the military academy students graduate early and enter service.”

War Department Secretary Simon Cameron reminded him, “Mr. President, the military academy cadets of first year and above have already been called to serve. As for the new cadets, they’ve only just started and haven’t learned much yet.”