Chapter seven hundred and sixty seventh reinforcements in North America
The pursuit battle that took place in the Dayton area finally ended with the victory of the Continental Army. A total of more than 2,100 British troops fled from the two British forts. However, under the pursuit of the Continental Army, there were only less than 400 British troops in the end.
Escape.
However, Washington was not satisfied with this result. In Washington's view, his side had deployed nearly 20,000 troops, but even under such circumstances, it was still not possible to completely annihilate the British army.
Fortunately, Washington also knew that the foundation of the Continental Army was too weak after all, so he did not blame the generals of the Continental Army. Instead, he reorganized the army and began to march towards Columbus, the capital of Ohio.
At this moment, outside the city of Columbus, two thousand Continental Army soldiers were constantly provoking the British soldiers guarding Columbus. However, their provocations had no effect, at least the British troops did not leave the city to fight them.
"Captain, we can't go on like this. Our supplies are about to run out, and every extra day we stay under Columbus City will increase our danger. In our opinion, we might as well withdraw our troops!"
In the Continental Army camp outside the city, a lieutenant was talking to a man with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
"Noland, the mission that the Marshal gave us was to raid Columbus. But now, although we are already under the city, we have not completed the mission after all. Under such circumstances, if we withdraw our troops, I am afraid that the Marshal will not take it lightly.
Spare us!"
"At this time, the tongue we caught has already said that the two thousand soldiers led by the British governor are stationed less than 150 miles away. Judging from the time, it may not be possible.
In two days, the British can return to Columbus with reinforcements!"
Hearing what Noland said, Smith, as the captain of the Continental Army's assault team, seemed a little upset.
When setting off, Washington gave Smith a strict order, that is, he must rush to Columbus as quickly as possible, and then if there are insufficient defenders in Columbus, he will capture it, and if the enemy force is strong, he will station himself outside the city.
Maintain a confrontational situation to hold back the enemy's main force.
But according to Smith's understanding, there are currently only more than 400 people stationed in Columbus, but even under such circumstances, more than 1,800 Continental Army soldiers still cannot capture the city.
"Smith. After all, the combat effectiveness of our army is not as good as that of the British, so I think the Marshal will definitely understand the current situation if we choose to retreat!"
Noland continued to persuade.
Noland and Smith were both old men in the Continental Army. Otherwise, Washington would not have entrusted Smith with such an important task.
After listening to Noland's words, Smith suddenly had an idea in his mind and said to Noland:
"Noland, what do you think the British governor will do when he learns that we appeared at the gates of Columbus?"
Smith's words made Noland roll his eyes.
"I mean Smith, didn't I say before that the British Governor will definitely bring the army back quickly for reinforcements!"
Who knew that Smith was not angry because of Noland's disrespect, on the contrary. A smile suddenly appeared on Smith's face.
"Noland, I think our opportunity has come! You are just as you said. After the British learned about the strength comparison between Columbus's defenders and ours, they will definitely rush back non-stop for reinforcements. After all, the importance of Columbus cannot be lost.
!
Under this situation, I think we can lead the army to set a trap on the road to Columbus. If the British don't discover it, with our strength, we can catch the British by surprise!"
After Smith finished speaking, Noland's face immediately showed a look of realization.
"Yeah, why didn't I think of it? No wonder you are the captain now, and I am just a little lieutenant now!"
Noland smiled and teased Smith.
"Okay, who doesn't know what your temperament is like, Noland? If you had the intention, you would have climbed on top of me long ago!"
After saying that, Smith smiled and said a few words to Noland, and then started to give orders with a serious look on his face.
"Noland, I want to give you a task, you must complete it for me!"
Seeing Smith's actions, Noland also saluted Smith with a serious expression and said loudly:
"Please give me your instructions, Lieutenant Colonel!"
"Noland, in order to prevent the British from learning about our plan, I decided to leave you and your squadron outside Columbus as suspects. The task I gave you is very simple, that is, after I lead the main force to leave,
, you must hold back the British troops in the city, and be sure not to let them discover our movements!"
After speaking, the expression on Smith's face softened a little. He patted Noland on the shoulder and said:
"You should be able to understand what I mean. Your task is not easy, but we must do it now. If our ambush can succeed, then the entire Ohio or Pittsburgh will be under our control, but
If we fail, the consequences will be even more serious, so I hope you can fight with all your strength!"
"I understand, Lieutenant Colonel!"
Noland solemnly paid a military salute to Smith and then left the camp resolutely.
Late that night, after careful study of the surrounding terrain, Smith finally selected a suitable location for an ambush. Then, making a prompt decision, Smith decided to rush to the ambush location overnight under the cover of darkness.
After Smith left, only Noland and the one hundred and ten soldiers he led were left in the entire Continental Army camp.
In mid-June 1794, Smith successfully ambushed the British army led by Stewart, but at the last minute he allowed Stewart to escape.
But no matter what you say, this is an extremely brilliant victory.
Subsequently, Smith led the army and escorted the captured British soldiers to the gates of Columbus and asked the British defenders to surrender. Considering that foreign aid had been cut off, the helpless Columbus defenders finally agreed to Smith's request to surrender.
.
This battle that took place in Columbus became the most important battle after the Continental Congress resurrected. Although the number of troops participating in the battle on both sides was not comparable to that of the Battle of Dayton, it was extremely important to the Continental Army.
As Stewart led the remaining troops to flee to Pittsburgh, it meant that there was no longer a British force in Ohio that could stop the Continental Army.
In late June 1794, Washington led the Continental Army to Columbus.
In Columbus, Washington held a meeting of Continental Army generals to re-divide the Continental Army's combat tasks for the next phase. This meeting was undoubtedly recorded in history.
Because after this meeting, the Continental Army began to tighten its requirements for recruitment, and at the same time changed its previous high-pressure policy, and began to soften its treatment of those who surrendered.
In addition, the large amount of military supplies stored in Columbus have become the best supplies for the Continental Army. To some extent, these supplies have greatly alleviated the pressure on the Continental Army's weapons and equipment, and at the same time, it has also allowed the Continental Army to begin to move towards regularization.
.
Not only that, after Washington decided to detach part of his army to occupy the entire Ohio, he decided to lead the main force to attack Pittsburgh!
The upheaval in Ohio triggered unrest across North America.
On July 3, 1794, intelligence from the North American colonies was immediately sent to the desk of Regent Augustus.
"It's simply absurd. Stuart deserves to die. The rebellion that had been wiped out by the empire has resurrected under his rule. And it has grown to such an extent. It is simply a shame to the kingdom!"
At Buckingham Palace, there was no doubt that His Royal Highness the Regent immediately became furious after learning the news.
Although Augustus behaved very gaffefully, at this moment, none of the British ministers in the palace dared to accuse His Highness the Regent of his gaffe.
"Your Highness, we can talk about Stewart's dereliction of duty later, but the top priority is to send troops to North America as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the situation deteriorates, there is no guarantee that the situation of more than ten years ago will not occur!"
After a while, British Prime Minister Fox took the lead in saying.
It's not that Fox meant to excuse Stewart. Even in Fox's heart, he still wished that Stewart would be severely punished for this. However, the situation in North America is already in danger of being corrupted. At this time, it is obviously better to stabilize people's hearts first.
Things have priorities, and the top priority right now is obviously to send troops to North America.
In fact, two months ago, the British government began to mobilize troops to reinforce North America. However, because the situation was not eroded at that time, the British government believed that the Continental Congress was suffering from a scabies disease, so it did not seriously respond to it. It just started from the West Indies.
More than 1,500 troops were mobilized to rush for reinforcements.
But now, it is obvious that the situation has changed beyond everyone's expectation. In Stewart's battle report, he did not blame the failure on his own rashness, but highlighted the Black Slavery Act passed by the Continental Congress, which attracted a large number of people to him.
The British army was defeated because of the disparity in military strength.
"Your Highness, the rebel group in the Continental Congress currently has more than 20,000 troops. Although in my opinion, the combat effectiveness of these soldiers is very questionable, it is undeniable that under their aggressive recruitment, their ambitions are not small.
Therefore, I believe that the government should immediately dispatch no less than 20,000 troops to North America to wipe out all these rebellions with thunderous force!"
After Fox finished speaking, British Secretary of War Abbot spoke.
"Does the Department of the Army have plans for this?"
After Abbot finished speaking, Augustus, who was sitting at the top, asked anxiously.
After hearing the question from His Highness the Regent, Abt said:
"The War Office plans to draw 5,000 men from the Rouen area, 3,000 from Gibraltar, 5,000 from London, plus 5,000 from the West Indies, which makes 18,000
people, plus the original military strength of the Governor's District of Pittsburgh, this will exceed 20,000 people!"
"What about the generals?"
"The War Department is preparing to appoint Sir Warton Hall, the garrison general in the Rouen area, as commander, responsible for the annihilation of the Continental Army!"
Augustus still knew about Wodenhall. During the Anglo-Prussian coalition's battle against France, this general cooperated with William III of the Netherlands to launch an attack on northern France. Although his ability was not top-notch.
However, given the current shortage of senior generals, Walton Howe is a helpless choice.
Augustus nodded in agreement, and at this moment, Fox also spoke:
"In addition, according to the opinions of the cabinet, Stewart is no longer suitable to serve as the Governor of the Pittsburgh Governor's District. Therefore, after discussion, the government decided to recommend Duke Andrew as the new Governor of the Pittsburgh Governor's District!"
After Fox finished speaking, Augustus immediately agreed without any hesitation. Obviously, in Augustus's heart, he also hated the governor.
At this moment, Abt from the War Department looked a little nervous and said to Augustus:
"The only thing that worries me is that our country has only 23,000 troops deployed in the provinces of Rouen, Amiens, and Calais. So 5,000 troops were transferred all at once. Will it be harmful to our country?
The influence of his rule!"
After France surrendered, northern France was brought under the rule of the British, and the British divided the captured northern French territory into the three provinces of Rouen, Amin, and Calais.
Among them, the British garrisoned 8,000 troops in Rouen, 10,000 troops in Calais, and 5,000 troops in Amiens.
Originally, Amian should be the place with the most troops stationed. After all, it is closest to the center of French rule. However, considering that France is already extremely weak, under such circumstances, the Bourbon dynasty does not have the strength to start a war with Britain. Therefore,
Only then would the British be assured that they only deployed 5,000 troops in Amian.
As for Calais, although it was the first area occupied by the British, because the territory of the Calais province borders the Netherlands and Prussia. In particular, Prussia deployed a division of troops in the Prussian Netherlands, so in Calais
Only the British would deploy an army of 10,000 people.
In this way, only the garrison in Rouen can be used unless absolutely necessary, and there is no need to think about the garrison in the other two provinces.
The size of the British Army has not yet exceeded 100,000. Among them, more than 10,000 troops are stationed in various colonies in North America, 15,000 troops are stationed in the West Indies, and 10,000 troops are stationed in Asian colonies including India.
, eight thousand were stationed in Gibraltar, and thousands more in Africa.
If calculated piecemeal, there are more than 50,000 troops stationed overseas, and 23,000 troops are stationed in the three provinces in northern France. In this way, the British army actually only has 20,000 troops.
troops.
"Well, the Army Department's arrangements are very good, but there is one thing. When will these troops arrive in North America at the earliest?"
"Your Majesty the Regent, if we take the lead, we can directly mobilize from the West Indies first. In this case, the West Indies will be able to set foot on the North American continent as soon as ten days after receiving the order, and the rest of the army will have to pass from the European continent. In this way,
Once it comes, it will take more than a month at the earliest!"
As he spoke, Abt had a look of helplessness on his face.
To be honest, there are too many variables in more than a month, especially now that the Continental Army has gained an advantage.
As for the West Indies, it would take a week to send orders from the British mainland to the West Indies by speedboat. This meant that it would take half a month for the latest reinforcements of 5,000 soldiers to arrive in North America.
Half a month is enough time to march from Columbus to Pittsburgh.
However, there was no other way at the moment, so Augustus left the palace with a sad face after agreeing to the government's proposal.
After Augustus left, Abt approached Fox and said;
"Actually, Your Excellency Prime Minister, there is another way at the moment. It's just that His Highness the Regent was here just now, so I don't feel comfortable mentioning it. Why don't you go talk to His Highness the Regent?"
Before Fox could speak, Abbot said:
"As far as I know, the Prussians have deployed nearly 30,000 troops in their colonies. If the Prussian government can agree to help us, then the situation in North America will definitely change!"
After hearing Abbot's suggestion, Fox immediately reprimanded:
"You don't have to worry about the Prussians. It would be great if they don't add insult to injury. In my opinion, the Prussians will definitely add insult to injury. Don't forget, the Prussians have never stopped colonial expansion in North America in recent years. Maybe this
This time was a godsend for them.
You have to say hello to Sir Wodenhall and ask him to be wary of the Prussians in North America. I always feel that the Prussians will intervene in this incident!"
Hearing what Fox said, Abbot had to give up his thoughts.
In mid-July 1794, the Continental Congress moved from the French colony to Columbus and officially unveiled the name Continental Congress.
Just after the Continental Congress was re-established, Washington, who had led his troops to the border city of Wheeling, Ohio, immediately swore to send troops.
It only takes more than a week to travel from Wheeling to Pittsburgh, the capital of the Governor's District of Pittsburgh.
At this time, the city of Pittsburgh was already in chaos. Six thousand British troops recruited from various colonies by the Governor-General of Pittsburgh were stationed in the city. However, these British troops did not bring any sense of security to the residents of Pittsburgh.
After the news of Washington's oath to send troops in Wheeling came, residents in and around Pittsburgh began to flee with their families, making the entire Pittsburgh as noisy as a vegetable market.
Standing by the window of the Government House Building, Stewart's face looked very ugly.
The defeat of Ohio put a huge burden on him, and even many people in the governor's government jumped out to accuse Stewart of being incompetent. (To be continued...)