After fighting hard for more than half a month under the city of Pittsburgh, the Continental Army still failed to capture Pittsburgh. More than half a month seemed to have exhausted Washington's energy. Of course, it was not just Washington, but also all the generals in the Continental Army.
Exhausted.
Fortunately, half a month of hard work was not without results. At least most of the towers that originally stood outside Pittsburgh were now in ruins.
At the beginning of the war, Washington had 15,000 troops under his command. But now, more than half a month later, despite repeated reinforcements from the Continental Congress, the Continental Army still only had 10,000 troops.
Under the city of Pittsburgh, it caused more than 10,000 casualties of the Continental Army.
"Your Excellency, Marshal, we'd better withdraw our troops. According to our intelligence, it seems that a large group of British troops have landed on the east coast. If we wait until the enemy's reinforcements arrive, we will not be able to retreat if we want to!"
"Yes, Your Majesty Marshal, after more than half a month of fighting, the food, grass, ammunition and other materials our army had accumulated have been almost consumed. If this continues, our soldiers may have to go into battle shirtless!"
In the Continental Army camp outside Pittsburgh, one after another Continental Army generals spoke to Washington, who was sitting at the top.
After hearing the words of these generals, Washington raised his eyebrows and said:
"Even if the British reinforcements have landed, it will take at least half a month for them to get to Pittsburgh. It took us half a month and huge casualties to remove all these obstacles outside the city. At this time
Wouldn't it be a failure to retreat? Moreover, the outer barrier was lost. I expected that the British army in Pittsburgh would also become a cornered beast. In half a month, we had the advantage in strength. Isn't it possible to capture an isolated city like Pittsburgh?
"
After speaking, Washington's face showed an angry look.
Seeing the angry look on Washington's face, all the Continental Army generals lowered their heads. For a moment, no one dared to look at Washington.
Seeing that he had successfully intimidated the generals in the camp, Washington felt a little more at ease, but then Washington's heart was tightened by the current unfavorable situation.
The landing of British reinforcements was not a hidden message, and Washington also knew that this reinforcement was drawn from the garrison in the West Indies. The number reached 5,000.
After the current attack by the Continental Army, in Washington, there are at most less than 4,000 troops left in Pittsburgh. Not only that, the combat effectiveness of Pittsburgh's defenders should be comparable to that of the Continental Army.
Although there were only a few soldiers with combat experience in the Continental Army before, most of the soldiers were originally ordinary civilians and black slaves.
However, after going through all the battles, especially during the more than half a month outside Pittsburgh, the Continental Army under Washington was almost completely trained. And after the brutal war, those who can survive now are called
He's a veteran.
On the other hand, among the British army, apart from the original two thousand who were established British troops, the remaining six thousand were militiamen and the like, and even temporarily recruited civilians accounted for a large number of them.
Therefore, under this situation, with the same strength of both sides, the combat effectiveness is almost the same, and at this time, the advantage of the Continental Army in strength is highlighted.
The look on Washington's face softened. Then he said:
"There is no need to be so depressed. It is true that we are in short supply of supplies now. However, Columbus has sent a letter, and the Continental Congress has raised a large amount of supplies and is urgently transferring them to us. In terms of time, it should be available in five days.
We can get here. And accompanying this transport team is a reinforcement army. Different from the previous times, this reinforcement army is the original army plus a part of the army that was just recruited, with a total strength of 7,000.
people!
Once reinforcements arrive, we will have 17,000 troops. Will we be able to do nothing to Pittsburgh, where more than 3,000 people are garrisoned?
Of course, I also considered that the soldiers were physically and mentally exhausted during this period of fighting, so let's temporarily stop the attack for the past two days and take a good rest. Anyway, we have all removed the British strongholds outside Pittsburgh.
However, there is one thing. Not only did the scout cavalry not relax, but they also expanded the scope of their investigation.
From now on, I need cavalry scouts to search the land a hundred miles east of Pittsburgh, and report any signs of trouble immediately!"
After Washington's order, the generals of the Continental Army stood up one after another in response.
While the Continental Army outside the city was exhausted from days of fighting, Stewart, who was guarding Pittsburgh, was also feeling mentally and physically exhausted.
It is true that Stewart recruited a large number of civilians before the Continental Army arrived in Pittsburgh, but this did not change the balance of power with the Continental Army.
But now, as the strongholds outside the city have been removed by the Continental Army at great cost, Pittsburgh has become an isolated city. Not only that, there are only more than 3,600 troops in the city, and these troops are not considered British troops.
of elite.
Originally there were 5,000 defenders at the gates of Pittsburgh, but after the Continental Army launched an attack on the stronghold outside Pittsburgh, the defenders in the city could not just sit back and watch the stronghold be removed, so some reinforcements were sent out one after another.
Fortunately, the supplies in the city of Pittsburgh are quite sufficient, and Stewart also received a fatal order from London, telling him to hold on to Pittsburgh. The city is still alive, but the city is broken and people are destroyed. This is London's highest order.
"Your Majesty the Governor, there seems to be some panic in the city, and many people are planning a breakout!"
An aide hurriedly walked to Stewart and spoke in his ear.
Hearing this sentence, Stewart was shocked, but then he quickly suppressed this feeling.
"What's going on? Pittsburgh is so impregnable right now, why would anyone want to break out?"
"It is said that Mr. Mouriot put it forward. He said that Pittsburgh is now under siege. Without the outer barrier, there is no benefit in holding on. It is better to break out!"
Damn it, Mourio Stewart cursed secretly in his heart.
This Mouriot was a Whig official in the colonial government in Pittsburgh. After Stewart's defeat in Ohio, many officials who were not optimistic about Stewart's future turned to Mouriot, making Mouriot a prominent figure in the colonial government.
The right to speak has greatly increased.
After thinking for a while, Stewart made up his mind with a ferocious expression.
"Immediately convey my order and ask Anthony to bring a team of troops to put Murio under house arrest. Let the public know that the government has obtained evidence of the rebellious collusion between Murio and the Continental Army!"
"But, Your Majesty the Governor, Murio's status is different after all. He is from London after all!"
Although the aide didn't make it clear, Stewart could understand what he meant.
However, the Whigs are now in power in Britain, and as a member of the Whig Party, Mouriot also has many connections with the top Whig Party leaders in London. Under such circumstances, Stewart rashly placed Mouriot under house arrest.
.It will definitely attract revenge from the top leaders of the Whig Party in the future.
"When has this happened? Is it useful to say this? Doesn't Mouriot know that London has issued a strict order to me? If I break out at this time, I am afraid I will die without a burial place immediately! Don't worry about other things for me, immediately
Go and give the order!"
But after Stewart said these words, the staff beside him did not act but hesitated.
This situation made Stewart's pupils shrink slightly. Of course he knew why this staff member hesitated.
Mouriot has become the number two figure in the colonial government, and Stewart's position as governor will definitely not be retained. This is the same regardless of whether Pittsburgh can hold it, and the reason why Stewart insists on holding on to Pittsburgh is nothing more than wanting to
To save one's own life.
At this time, in order to keep Pittsburgh, Stewart can go his own way, but people like this staff have to consider the consequences of continuing to follow Stewart's path to darkness. Otherwise, Stewart will step down sadly in the future. If Mouriot comes to power,
Where can these people get good food?
"Don't worry, I am very cautious about this matter. I guarantee that when the Continental Army outside Pittsburgh is defeated, then Murio will definitely not see the sun again. Then you have nothing to worry about!"
Stewart knew that he must not be forced at this time, so he patiently persuaded him.
After hearing what Stewart said, the aide felt relieved a little and then left the governor's office to deliver the order.
Although the North American colonies to which Prussia belongs have not yet been involved in the war, the atmosphere in the colonies is already chilling. Although some colonial government officials were punished because of Georg's time, Bruneck personally came forward
After people's hearts were calmed, the government's work was not affected.
A month has passed since the Georg incident, and during this month, the Prussian Colony's 3rd and 4th Divisions organized a total of 17,000 soldiers.
All these soldiers were gathered at the border with the Continental Congress and the British colonies.
According to the battle plan discussed by Bruneck and Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst would personally lead the 1st and 3rd Colonial Divisions to be stationed in Nashville, Tennessee, while the 4th Colonial Division was deployed in
The Greensboro area of North Carolina.
Going north from Nashville can directly threaten Indiana, which has become a state under the Continental Congress, and Greensboro is adjacent to Virginia, the richest state in the British colony.
It can be said that the Prussian colonial government has made all preparations for war. The only thing that needs to wait for now is an opportunity to send troops. Once the opportunity comes, the 30,000 Prussian troops will become the decisive force in determining the future of the North American continent!
Five thousand British troops have landed in Philadelphia, New Jersey. They will rest here for a week and wait for supplies, and then march westward from Philadelphia directly to Pittsburgh.
But what troubled the British generals was that, contrary to their expectations, after they landed in Philadelphia, what they saw was a noisy city. It seemed that everyone knew that Pittsburgh had been besieged.
The streets of Philadelphia are crowded with refugees.
And because most of the troops or militiamen who maintained order in Philadelphia were transferred to Pittsburgh, coupled with these refugees who were having a hard time, the security in Philadelphia directly dropped to the lowest point in history.
Countless refugees and thugs dared to commit crimes on the streets in broad daylight, smashing shops, and robbing became commonplace. For Philadelphia, which had less than 200 militiamen left, the lack of military strength made it impossible for the government to respond to this situation.
Just can't do anything.
After all, Philadelphia's entrances and exits and various important facilities involve a large number of militiamen. As a result, the number of militiamen used for daily patrols is basically only a few dozen. After the influx of refugees, the population of Philadelphia has jumped to more than 100,000.
Said, this militia is simply not enough.
After five thousand British troops landed in Philadelphia, local government officials immediately asked to see the army generals. They hoped that the army could help them punish the mob. They also hoped that the army could leave two hundred soldiers to help the local government maintain law and order.
However, the latter request was rejected by the British generals.
Of course, after Philadelphia officials donated tens of thousands of pounds of property, these British generals rested for a week and saw that the soldiers had sufficient energy and supplies, so they decided to stay in Philadelphia for another two days.
These two days helped the Philadelphia government eliminate unrest.
Then, 5,000 British soldiers were divided into dozens of squads and patrolled the streets of Philadelphia. At this time, it became clear what it meant to use heavy codes in troubled times.
As long as they are caught by these soldiers, robbing, smashing, etc., they will be shot to death regardless of the reason or the severity.
In just one day, one hundred and three refugees and thugs died under the gunfire of the British army.
But man is not a simple creature, not to mention that the chaos behind the scenes in Philadelphia is not that simple. Therefore, on the next day, countless refugees, including some local residents, took to the streets to protest against the brutal killings of the British army without regard to severity.
Behavior.
Many of the people who participated in the protest were black, and quite a few of them fled to Philadelphia with their masters. Then their masters left, and these black slaves stayed in Philadelphia and became ownerless, and the public security in Philadelphia was so bad.
.These black slaves who were abandoned by their masters played a role in adding fuel to the fire.
However, these protesters underestimated the determination of the British army, and soon after repeated attempts by the British army to dissuade them failed. On the streets of Philadelphia, the British army carried out a clearing operation.
During the clearing process, the British army also treated them differently. The recalcitrant white people were often tied up and thrown aside by the British army. However, they were not polite to the black people. In the eyes of the British army, they were as humble as slaves.
Black people dare to go against the majestic army of the Kingdom of Great Britain. They are simply seeking death!
"Those British guys are going to kill us, don't be afraid, the worst is to fight them!"
"Yes, let's fight and kill all these British guys!"
.................................................
Therefore, when faced with black people who did not listen to advice and even dared to resist openly, the British army often shot them to death.
As a result, Philadelphia suddenly fell into chaos. The black slaves who were unwilling to be killed by the British army rose up in rebellion one after another. Coupled with the push of people with ulterior motives behind the scenes, the city of Philadelphia was filled with chaotic scenes.
"It has turned upside down. I am announcing to everyone that those black slaves and thugs are all rebels of the Continental Congress. Their actions at the moment are subverting the rule of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Therefore, I ordered the army to wipe out all these disrespectful things.
!”
The commander of the five thousand British troops, Major General of the British Army Garrison in the West Indies, said this.
But to everyone's expectation, in the face of such a powerful extermination operation by five thousand British troops, those thugs and black slaves were still able to fight back. I don't know how they did it, but they actually conjured up a lot of monsters in the blink of an eye.
arms.
After mastering the weapons, these people's resistance to the British army immediately caused a lot of casualties to the British army.
When the number of casualties was reported to Alberta, the Major General's eyes were red.
"Whether it's mentally or physically, I want all these guys to go to hell!"
Just when the Alberta Thunder was furious, in a remote neighborhood of Philadelphia, in an inconspicuous two-story building, five people were gathered together to discuss.
"Very well, Wells, now that Philadelphia is in chaos, I must ask the Marshal for credit for you!"
A middle-aged fat man who seemed to have the highest status said to a tall and thin young man sitting next to him.
If no one was deliberately instigating it behind the scenes, it would obviously be impossible for Philadelphia to cause such a big disturbance in two days. And as Alberta had previously announced, the people behind these black people and thugs causing trouble were the people of the Continental Congress.
Adding fuel to the fire from behind.
After hearing what this middle-aged fat man said, the tall and lanky man named Wells immediately said humbly:
"This is also a last resort. It is also the only way to prevent the great Continental Congress and the people of North America from being enslaved by the British!"
Philadelphia was one of the most important cities in the North American colonies. After the Continental Congress resurrected, Washington quickly sent intelligence agents to infiltrate it.
"After this chaos, these British troops will have to stay in Philadelphia for at least a few more days. Everyone, please remember that for every extra day we delay the British troops here, the pressure on our troops will be relieved in Pittsburgh.
one day!
For the sake of freedom and liberation for the people of all North America, I ask you to continue your efforts in the coming time!"
After the fat middle-aged man finished speaking, the other four people nodded in agreement. (To be continued...)