The Second American Civil War

WAR!

St. Louis. It was the 20th Century's Fort Sumter, where the forces of the Constitution first met rebellion on the field of battle.

President Garner had made his first priority upon coming to office the neutralization of the internationalist affiliated Syndicalists and began direct negotiations with Reed to end a series of crippling strikes. However as the strikes increased in their intensity and began to spill over into factory takeovers the Unionists began to demand troops be sent into the north to crush the socialist street agitators and reclaim the cities. Unwilling to bow to Unionist pressure and morever to send troops in to massacre the protesters he refused but sent aid to the state police forces. Unfortunately they proved either unwilling or incapable and before long the revolutionary protests had spiraled out of control and overwhelmed the police leaving 13 officers killed and the cities under the control of the party and their mobs.

A similar series of demonstrations began in St. Louis prompting Governor White, ostensibly a Democrat, to call upon Long and his troops to come in and restore order. The move was clearly an effort to increase Long and the Unionists legitimacy and afford them access to state military caches. President Garner federalized local loyal elements of the National Guard and dispatched another 1,400 troops from the 7th US Infantry out of Washington DC. The combined force of 2,400 men and 16 guns advanced on the city as Long and his men clashed with protesters and gunned down Red Front fighters.



General Whiting who commanded the expedition disembarked from the trains and almost immediately sent his troops into the city. Refraining from using his guns he never the less placed them in prominent positions on the northern banks of the river and fired several ranging salvos into empty fields. Unfortunately this was not enough.

Company K was the first element to come into contact with AUP paramilitaries. They had set up a Bren gun along a row of houses and were pouring belts of ammunition down the street at hunkered down socialist fighters. Major Benson of K Company led a rifle and grenade assault on the row houses, knocking out the machine gun and sending the Unionists sprawling back from their position. However as they advanced several of his men were cut down by Socialist snipers.

This pattern was repeated throughout the day as Federal troops combed the city battling Unionist militias and fending off Red partisans.



Though Longs men were driven back and the Reds pacified the cost was shocking with more than 78 soldiers killed, 111 wounded, and unknown hundreds of Socialists, Unionists, and civilians killed. It was a true battle in a major American city and for all the street violence of the preceding months it seemed as though an ominous line in the sand had been crossed.

President Garner immediately ordered the recall of the Federal troops in question, seeking to strengthen the capital defenses as AUP and Socialist militias organized to the northwest and south.

Then it happened.

Declaring that the Federal Government had failed in its duties to safeguard the country Long called upon state legislatures to dissolve their bonds to the Union and form a new American state. His call was answered by Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee and various counties in Missouri and Oklahoma who's loyalties were extremely suspect. The American Union State, a second Confederacy had been formed.

Internationally the consequences began to cascade as Cuban troops seized the undefended Naval Base of Guantanamo, and foreign trade contracts began to immediately fall apart.

Then Jack Reed made his move, the Syndicalists declared a Workers State ousting the anti-socialist Governors of Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. In New York the Mayor and his family were executed on Governors Island, and in Pittsburgh over a hundred factory managers were strung up on lamp posts. An orgy of revolutionary violence swept the Combined Syndicalists of America as they chose to call themselves, within a week more than 2,000 political enemies had been murdered.



President Garner dispatched General MacArthur to take command of the Military District of Washington and authorized martial law in all combat zones. Troops were dispatched throughout the capital as seditious members of the AUP and CAS who would lingered were arrested and thrown into prison at the Naval Yard, some 32 Congressman and 6 Senators were nabbed in the sweep. The much diminished Congress quickly authorized war powers to President Garner and special emergency powers.

New military formations had arrived in time to strengthen the Federals, with three divisions supported by two artillery brigades constituting 48,000 troops were deployed straight from their drilling grounds outside the capital. In one bit of added welcome news the Texas National Guard had declared in part for the Federal Government leaving a solid 21,000 troops in Texas and Oklahoma that were willing to join the government. Abandoning their positions in Texas with great sadness they boarded trains and traveled as rapidly as possible towards the capital. These troops were soon joined by several thousand more loyalist elements in the Midwest. Firing belts of machine gun fire from the trains, and keeping a light armored motor car screen along the tracks they managed to outpace the closing vice of Unionist and Red troops.



Then a series of cataclysms struck. President Garner was in the process of organizing the conveyance of troops from relatively unaffected California to the embattled Atlantic coast when he was greeted by Congressman Jim Davers from Los Angeles. Thinking this was a routine meeting the President rose and put on a warm face as he went to shake his fellow Democrats hand. But Davers only stared down at the floor, withdrawing his hand as if by a flinch. "Mr. President... Mr. President I have been sent to inform you that the State Government of California in conjunction with the State Governments of Washington, Nevada, Oregon, and New Mexico are planning to hold secret secession votes within the hour." Garner stopped and stared utterly lost for words. The Congressman continued "Mr. President... I... I do not agree with my States decision but I swore an oath to the people of California and if this is what they wish of their representatives..." The President exploded "What they wish? What they wish! This is worse than treason Mr. Davers, this is betrayal! The ship of state is besieged and you rats scurry to the exit?"

As soon as his rage lifted it fell. Depression shook him down to his bones. "Dear God Jim... you cant do this." Tears were in his eyes "You're murdering the country you know that right?" Davers shifted fitfully clenching then unclenching his fists "Mr. President I wish there was something I could do, but the people--the people have grown utterly contemptuous of the federal government, I could not make my voice heard." President Garner flashed again and pointed his finger pushing it against Davers chest "So you let them conspire, you aided their treason without giving us warning? You are a rat Jim, a remorseful rat, but a rat nonetheless."

The meeting ended in silence as the former Congressman walked out leaving his letter of resignation on the Presidents desk. The President had his secretary phone the War Department, and soldiers quickly interdicted the Congressman bringing him to the Naval Yard and a prison cell. As Davers had warned the secession votes were successful and California, Oregon, and Washington formed the Pacific Federation at midnight with several other states soon to follow.



Within days of the awful news an ultimatum was forwarded by the State Department. Fearing the defeat of the Federal Government the Canadian-British government was demanding the temporary occupation of American overseas possessions and the seizure of New England. Outraged and filled with despair he pleaded with the War Department to give him a leg to stand on, something to threaten their neighbors to the North but he came up empty. Their resources strained just to safeguard the New York-Washington corridor. And so in an instant another swathe of the country fell, this time to outside aggression.

Refugees from New England seeking to join in the war effort fled by train, boat, and foot to Federal lines north of Baltimore and Philadelphia as Canadian troops occupied the northeast. Ousted officials and some still in office clandestinely communicated their continuing support for the Federal Government, this was punctuated in Boston where a rogue sniper shot and killed a paratrooper from the 107th Royal Airborne Regiment.

Several divisions were still being organized as they trundled towards Washington so that they could be pushed north to staging areas outside Baltimore when the uprising rocked Philadelphia. The Reds had taken the gamble of heavily committing to the seizure of New York, Philadelphia, and then springboarding into Washington. The goal being either the decisive defeat of the Federal government, or the securing of a major industrial belt. Only a single Federal division, the US 11th Infantry, was stationed in the city and the western suburbs. In the face of more than 50,000 troops and militia descending on the city and launching assaults across the city they received orders to withdraw to strengthen Federal positions in Baltimore halting south of Wilmington.

General Granger however received local orders to retake the city if he deemed it 'practicable' with vagueness being the mother of military disaster he forged ahead of 18,000 regular troops believing them capable of dealing with whatever the Reds could put across their path.

As his troops approached the rocky and hilly western suburbs of the city they were greeted by rolling bombardments of light artillery from the hills. A screen of 11,000 troops had occupied positions on either side of the Schuylkill Valley and were hammering them. A hastily prepared assault up the slopes and into the hilly towns managed to drive back the rebels but at great cost. Still embattled in the hills they were subjected to a surprisingly well coordinated assault out of Manayunk the closest urban suburb of Philadelphia which managed to isolate and smash the lead brigade against the river. Put to flight they pulled out of their positions and conducted a hasty fighting retreat back to Baltimore. Within hours it was clear that nearly 4,000 Federal troops had been killed making it the bloodiest day since Gettysburg.



General MacArthur took the defeat in stride as he saw new units added to his OrBat board and planned his moves for the coming campaign. This would not be the end.

I apologize I should have made my title reflect that this is a Kaiserreich AAR, if a Mod can change that please feel free.

Thank you for the kind words! I hope to have another update later this evening which should bring some significant progress and reports on the war effort.

Operation Gettysburg

General MacArthur chewed on a cigar as aides and generals rapidly colored in the massive battle map of the United States. It pained him to see how the blue had been broken up by so many colors like a disease attacking a healthy host. His attention zeroed in on the blown up map that occupied most of the rooms frenetic energy. It was a regional display of the Baltimore-New York axis and new bright blue markers were being put onto the board outside of Baltimore.

Grunting he stood up and pointed at the map "How much more time do we need?" A young captain turned from the map "General Marshall has received the last troops that arrived from the Idaho and Colorado National Guard, they are forming a reserve division which his last wire says will remain at Baltimore. He has occupied Harrisburg as per your orders sir, he reports he is in position and ready to proceed once the supply train arrives. General MacArthur nodded "Good" before turning to head toward the exit of battle room "General Eisenhower you have command here." The General nodded with a knowing look that said he knew where the head of the War Department was going.

Over the past week thousands of troops had poured in from loyal states and from training grounds where recruits had been drilling before the outbreak of hostilities. The infusion of troops gave them more then enough to shield Washington and carry the offensive north, or at least that is what he promised to the President. While others had advocated taking time to prepare their position and marshal their resources MacArthur knew the only way to halt the cascade terrible fortune and restore the credibility of the US government was a major offensive operation. Without it the US government cozy behind its trenches in the east would begin to wither on the vine.

Sending two national guard divisions north to help garrison Baltimore and root out what remained of Unionist and Red sentiment, he had proceeded to give General Marshall instructions to push and secure Harrisburg before the Reds could seize the state capital and strike yet another blow to Federal credibility.



With incredible luck Marshall arrived with his 12,000 strong column just ahead of Syndicalist probes and was able to reassure the state government that they would not fall into Red hands only narrowly averting the morale deflating flight of the Pennsylvania delegation. MacArthur soon poured more troops into Harrisburg after making sure that Baltimore was properly fortified and within a matter of days Marshall had received a further five divisions with supporting artillery and engineering brigades for a cohesive professional force of a little over 92,000 men.



Syndicalist troops had heavily fortified Philadelphia believing it to be their lynchpin against a Federal counter-attack, and after the disastrous offensive the week before felt confident in this position. MacArthur however had set his sights on more ambitious goals.

Operation Gettysburg was nothing less than a dramatic one-two punch against CSA forces in the north-east. It would begin with a massive overland move through the Pennsylvania foothills and river valleys until they breached the New Jersey border in an effort to isolate the Red garrison in Philadelphia. Once this army was isolated more troops could be stripped from the capital defenses and brought north to fortify Harrisburg allowing for a pinning attack on the city while Federal troops attacked into New York City and northern Pennsylvania. If the operation was successful it would destroy a major chunk of the Red military apparatus and regain two of the most important cities in the country for the Federal government.

Believing this to be his master stroke MacArthur himself went forward to take command of the assembled troops on April 19th, and launched the operation on the 20th. Crossing the Delaware Valley by that evening they encountered their first Red skirmish lines outside of Easton in north-central New Jersey. For the first time the USAAF went into action with nearly 600 aircraft swarming the battlefield sowing death and destruction among Red troops who held their positions and putting them to flight inside of an hour. A little over 300 Syndicalists had been killed or captured for only a few dozen Federal casualties, and more importantly the bridge into New Jersey had been secured.

Uncertain of how precisely to react to this sudden offensive the Red's dispatched division by rail to the central Red position outside of New Brunswick, concentrating there ahead of the expected Federal assault. Nearly 22,000 Reds dug in holding positions on either side of the Raritan river with artillery emplacements amateurishly placed on the crest of the rearward hills. Lead elements of the 107th and 23rd US Infantry divisions made contact with their defensive breastworks early on the morning on April 28th. The fighting was initially very heavy as Federal troops had to fight their way forward through the suburbs until they found suitable positions to fix the Reds in place. After about an hour the USAAF made its first major attack runs flinging their bombs into the hills behind Brunswick crumpling artillery emplacements and setting off secondary explosions from ill-disguised ammunition parks.

As this was going on MacArthur began to send his pincers to the north and south of the city rushing forward as quickly as possible despite the danger of the uncoordinated movement. Realizing the trap that was being laid for his command General Travis began to pull out of New Brunswick swinging north over the Raritan and coincidentally smashing into the 4th and 7th Regiment of the US IV Brigade. The result was bloody as US troops wilted in the face of heavy Red fire, several hastily prepared strongpoints in the suburban environment set aflame by retreating Red troops as the Federal soldiers burned alive. Of the 1,573 US casualties taken in the battle, some 430 came from this disastrous side engagement.

Never the less the first battle of the operation had been won, and MacArthur had ample reason to believe he had inflicted greater losses on the enemy than he had sustained. Advancing quickly to Middletown he sliced the state in half and had the Red garrison in Philadelphia completely isolated.



Resting his column only for an hour he immediately sent four divisions south to press in on Trenton and then as far south toward Camden and the Philadelphia water front as resistance allowed. At the same time General Marshall began his movements with the three divisions under his direct command out of Harrisburg supported by two more in Baltimore.

By the time both wings came together they had pressed a ring of more than 120,000 Federal troops and thousands of pieces of artillery around the city. MacArthur held Camden after a brief fight when Red troops fled across the bridges to avoid being churned up and isolated on the New Jersey side, while Marshall took advantage of the Red preoccupation with the northern assault and their troop redeployment to hastily occupy the western suburbs of the city. The vice was thus in place as the US Atlantic Fleet under Admiral Nimitz sailed out to the Delaware Bay to prevent any escape or supply runs.

MacArthur however did not have time for a siege, these troops were desperately needed elsewhere and the only way to release them was to reduce the city and force the Syndicalist capitulation.

The attack began with rolling bombardments from both the west and the east, shells crashing all across the city as the initial bombardment was meant to sow panic. Buildings crashed into the streets, Red guns sought to answer their opponents but were quickly identified and silenced. The USAAF 4th Strike Wing swung out of airfields in Baltimore running sortie after sortie over the city, sticks of bombs plowing into Market Street destroying AA emplacements and sending men scurrying. Civilians were not spared the onslaught as shellfire streaked into apartment blocks, houses, stores, hotels, schools---it was indiscriminate.

After the initial bombardment the artillery became more focused and began hurling rounds into Red positions along the Western, Northwestern, and Southern defensive lines. Two divisions from the Camden front had slipped across the river and joined in a four division assault from the North avoiding a peninsular landing. The 3rd and 9th Proletarian Front and their 19,000 men were dug in there, and met the Federal assault viciously. Artillery had been wheeled up and collapsed into buildings so that they could provide devastating supporting fire over open sights, machine gun fire chattered from every window and broken wall, and bayonet counter-charges met the Federal attacks at every step.

Still it was not enough.

The weight of numbers and firepower put the Reds at an enormous disadvantage once they became unglued from their prepared positions. Caught while in movement artillery and air-power tore ragged bloody holes into their formations as a series of pinning assaults began from the south, west, and eventually across the river in the east. By then it was only a matter of time as Red troops began to retreat from their defensive positions across the city. By late the next morning Syndicalists held only a smattering of positions in South Philly and around the Naval Yard. After a massive repeat bombardment from the day before, and the realization that reinforcement, extraction, and resupply were impossible---the Reds surrendered.



More than 4,000 Federal troops and 7,800 Reds were killed in the two day engagement, along with 1,178 civilians. Never the less the city had fallen.

Then to the joy of loyal Americans everywhere the next step came with surprising ease. Leaving behind a division with an engineering brigade to facilitate the repair of the city (after press ganging Red prisoners as forced labor battalions for reconstruction) MacArthur pushed up to New York city sending reconnaissance battalions across the river in boats to make a foothold on Staten Island. They were extremely surprised to find that there was only a scanty presence and Federal troops rapidly moved forward to seize the heights on Staten Island for their artillery emplacements and sent three brigades to occupy Jersey City. Again only light opposition was encountered. Soon a loyalist refugee explained the Syndicalist predicament.

Though marginally reinforced by the tattered Red command from New Brunswick the bulk of the troops had not been issued the ammunition or weapons they needed. Most of the New York arsenal had been evacuated to Washington ahead of the rebellion, and the Directorate in Chicago had not seen the need to send precious material when Philadelphia and its abundant stocks were in their hands. That material had been in the process of moving by rail and sea when the Federal offensive bisected the railway, and the blockade prevented the ships from departing. So the troops in New York were hoping the fear of fighting in the urban jungle there would hold the Federals back until ammunition could be procured from elsewhere (such as smuggling through New England).

MacArthur afforded them no such opportunity and with a rapid movement across the bridges and by boat, supported by the US Atlantic Fleet and its terrifying gun batteries he surged into the city. To his enduring relief Red defenses collapsed within the hour as the few equipped Syndicalist troops were bypassed.

Still they were forced to fight some nasty firefights such as the brutal little fight in Brooklyn where 700 foreign fighters had just arrived from France and England. The International Battalion as it was called was fully equipped and fanatical. Digging in along the waterfront and across from the bridges they put up fierce resistance sinking several approaching boats with light artillery and machine gunning the survivors as they desperately swam toward the shore. Flying squads of riflemen zigzagged through the dense urban jungle ambushing advancing Federal columns crossing from Manhattan and descending from Long Island. In one instance the Red light infantrymen emerged from a crawlspace with grenades disabling an advancing truck in a column and pouring a withering fire into the wounded men before being suppressed.

Incidents like this continued sporadically for a few weeks after the city fell---but fell it had. At the loss of only 950 Federal troops.



The news spread like a wave of euphoria, the country was not yet dead! MacArthur, Marshall, Bradley these had become the household names in loyalist America almost overnight. MacArthur in particular was hailed as a second coming of Grant and Lee in one body, praise which he drank up. Already new assaults on Scranton, into West Virginia, and across Central Pennsylvania were being considered.

Still nearly 50,000 Americans, including some 8,000 Federals had been killed in the short campaign. In a little over two weeks the war had become the second bloodiest in American history with more than 33,000 Federal troops and civilians killed on all fronts. The shock of what Civil War actually meant was just beginning to sink in.

germanpeon said:

Well well, the Unionists sure are aggressive aren't they, racing north as quickly as the appear to have. I'm sure some easy encirclements are in their northernmost formations' futures.

You seem to be doing very well so far, but I wonder what your eastern focus has cost the federalist cause in the west. It can't have been to much thus far given your still significant industrial power, though I imagine the PSA, AUS, and CSA are rapidly filling the void, as they appear to be doing in the east.

Click to expand...

They are indeed, it's surprising how successful they were in this scenario. As for the West I've completely stripped it of military equipment and personal, everything has been deployed to the East in order to facilitate the reconquest of the key industrial zones in the Northeast, the Steel Belt, and eventually into the trans-Mississippi. Then I'll build up and plan on dealing with the PSA. I may limit my IC to increase the severity a bit, but at the moment my IC has dropped to around 60ish.

The War Grows Hot

After the fall of New York City there was celebration in the capital. President Garner declared a national day of celebration, eager to capitalize in the first ray of good news in more than a year. With the 1st USAAF Capital Defense Wing flying CAP over the capital and northern Virginia they held a heavily guarded public celebration on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with crowds stretching back along the reflecting pool.

Anti-aircraft guns had been pulled back from the coast and along the railroad to provide added protection for the event. Military advisers had strongly opposed the withdrawal of the guns, but President Garner silenced them. He knew it was potentially foolhardy, but he believed the country required a sign that the Government would prevail. Politics sometimes trumped military considerations.

So nearly 50,000 residents of Washington along with 20,000 refugees crowded the space before the monument.

President Garner took to the podium:

My fellow Americans... we endure! *cheers* Even now our brave soldiers, victors over the traitors in Philadelphia and New York are advancing on the enemy. The banner of the Republic still flies proudly, and we will not stop until that flag once again flutters over every square inch of this country! *cheers*

But I will not deceive you, nor would you believe my deception if I promised you a quick and easy battle. Already the martyrs of this rebellion are being conveyed to the cemeteries and resting places of our country. We have very far to go and many more sons, fathers, and brothers will be called to give the last full measure of devotion before this is done.

Yet we shall prevail, the Constitution shall prevail, the Flag shall prevail, the Republic will prevail. A little over 70 years ago Abraham Lincoln gave a speech at Gettysburg. He declared "It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth"

We face the same enemy that Lincoln did, it wears a different face but it is there all the same. In these troubled times we will hearken to his words and make sure that his declaration is not turned into a lie. From the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the North to the South, we shall prevail.

The speeches and speakers continued for a while after he was done, and to his enduring relief the flak guns never barked. Newspapers and radio was already hailing it as a momentous event for the country, and Reed and Long devoted considerable time to disparaging the celebration in the midst of the tumult.

That it was a success however was self-evident.



On the military front General MacArthur had already pushed his troops across the breadth of central and northern Pennsylvania putting them in striking distance of Pittsburgh and Erie which would regain a key industrial node and reconnect the Federal Government to the great lakes system.

The military situation for the CSA had changed dramatically after the crushing defeat in the east and the loss of eight major combat formations (two more had capitulated when cut off in Scranton) and had been forced to withdraw westward to defend Detroit and Chicago from Unionist aggression.

Taking advantage of the temporary weakness along the lines as new Unionist garrisons began to arrive MacArthur planned a broad front advance designed to push the boundaries of Federal control all along the frontline. With 13 divisions, a little over 172,000 men he would attempt to wrest control of the rest of Pennsylvania, and the bulk of West Virginia.



Supported by the USAAF the first column reached Erie almost unopposed while MacArthur advanced carefully on the wooded and river strewn outskirts of Pittsburgh pushing back against Unionist pickets and bringing his artillery closer to the city he began to flay their positions on Squirrel Hill and Wilkensburg to the east of the city, as if daring them to expose their artillery emplacements to counter battery fire.

As troops began to redeploy from Erie to assist in the assault on the city word came of a disastrous repulse in the Pennsylvania town of Warren where the lead element of the Colorado National Guard was ambushed by hidden Unionists. Machine gun emplacements and camouflaged mortars tore into the exhausted troops who had just completed a 70 mile advance. The shock and disorder of the attack sent them sprawling back and away leaving more than 650 soldiers killed or wounded.

However it was only a mild respite for the Unionists. MacArthur soon formed a tight vise around the north, east, and south of the city. The Unionists had dug in along the river and in the downturn urban districts and would be difficult to dig out.

On September 13th, several months after Operation Gettysburg he began the assault on the city sending forward five divisions under the command of General Marshall with orders to seize crossing points over the river and establish breaching positions east of the downtown districts.

Heavy artillery fire supported by the 7th USAAF Strike Wing pounded the city and its suburbs the *whoomp* *whoomp* of guns shaking the ground and air could be heard for miles around.

Company D of the 11th Infantry were the first troops across the Monongahela taking 42% casualties as the rest of their brigade followed behind them. An attempted Unionist local counter attack which had been building around Mt. Oliver was spotted by reconnaissance planes and immediately targeted by a heavy bombardment.



The III and VI Unionist Brigades which had been held in reserve were ripped by the sudden carnage. Shells exploded around the densely packed formations, sheering away flesh and bone as bombers rushed down to drop their deadly payloads sticks of explosives driving home and removing clumps of men from the earth.

As Federal troops began to build across the river and poised themselves for the planned thrust north to cut off the southern bridges they found themselves under bombardment. The Unionists had finally revealed their artillery emplacements, panicked by the possibility of being cut off they flung death into Federal troops still organizing on the other side of the river.



A field hospital near Blair Street Park was struck by two dozen shells killing more than 143 patients, doctors, nurses, and soldiers in a few minutes.

Rapidly US sorties and counter-battery fire suppressed the Unionist guns and allowed Federal troops to move off their objective and further north into the suburban sprawl. By the time they reached the bridges it was clear the Unionists were pulling back using the time to escape out of the city.

MacArthur entered the city a little after dusk with his staff. The damage was not as severe as in Philadelphia as most of the fighting took place to the south of the city, still it was unnerving to see American buildings pockmarked by shellfire and bodies being carted out of the streets.

Nearly 3,000 Federal troops had died in the week long advance and seizure of the city, another sign of just how terrible this war could become.



Facing stiff opposition in the West Virginia foothills the US offensive had ground down to a halt with more than 6,000 casualties taken. Soldiers reported horror stories of comrades being torn to pieces by flying splinters as Unionist guns shattered the trees around them.

The US 3rd Cavalry in particular had been hard hit as was trapped by terribly effective Unionist enfilading entrenchments in the Shenandoah Valley, nearly 300 horsemen had been killed in a single firefight at Yellow Tavern when several Unionist armored cars supported by a light infantry force bounded forward and assaulted their reconnaissance patrol.

Still the capture of Pittsburgh outweighed those defeats in both the public consciousness and on a strategic level. Engineers had been dispatched with an eye towards getting its factories humming again as soon as humanely possible.

The War Department completed it's own strategic assessment and battle map for the country for the President's review shortly after the operations conclusion:

The Reds had seized most of the northern mid-west, and still held the key states of Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin. The loss of any one of them was likely to be a decisive blow against them. The Unionists were another matter. Taking advantage of the withdrawal of Federal men and material they had metastasized across the country and were driving hard against the Reds. The lack of Unionist pressure against Federal positions reflected the broader front they faced with the CSA, and the belief that overwhelming Federal defensive positions was a luxury they did not have at the moment. However they labored under the mistaken assumption that Federal troops would not be able to mount offensive operations until Winter. This assumption was rapidly being reevaluated.

Thanks Mkoll! One of the things I love about the Second Civil War scenario is that with the casualty counters it really brings home how awful the notion of fighting an industrial war is. I mean having Philadelphia bombed and shelled? Yeah in KR terms I took light casualties retaking the Northeast, but for the people of this reality 30,000 people died in two weeks! You've already begun to put the Civil War to shame.

Breakout

With the fall of Pittsburgh the country was more willing than ever to send forth its sons to serve in the great cause and several more divisions which had been in the process of organizing received a surge of much needed recruits. By October these divisions were beginning to file out of the Washington entrenchments and make their way to positions along the Virginia front in expectation of a planned Winter offensive.

President Garner meanwhile had authorized a series of rapid offensive actions in Ohio. The Syndicalists had been bolstered by an influx of foreign fighters and a few victories in the midwest against the Unionists. As a result they had swung three divisions back towards Cleveland with the goal of seizing the lightly protected city before Unionist or Federal troops could intervene.

Under the direction of General MacArthur timetables were thrown out the window and General Marshall was sent rushing from Pittsburgh towards the Great Lakes with the objective of seizing Cleveland and opening up operations in southern Ohio.



Taking advantage of superior equipment, namely a functioning motor pool, Marshall managed to reach the city ahead of the Reds and was able to send some salutary shellfire towards the advancing columns and feinted with a menacing move out from the city. After inflicting a few hundred casualties in the western suburbs of the city the Reds beat a hasty retreat.

Capitalizing on the advancing Federal frontline General MacArthur launched a sudden assault on Columbus drawing reinforcements from Marshall and managed to hammer the Unionists out of the city after a heavy bombardment and rapid movement that indicated an encirclement. Again only scant fighting occurred as the anemic Unionist division withdrew quickly.



Within a week MacArthur was able to inform Washington that Ohio had nearly been reclaimed for the Union to the relief of a weary Congress.

Private War Department intelligence briefings earlier that week had indicated to a much diminished US House Select Committee that the situation outside Federal lines was dire. The remaining Federal jurisdictions were collapsing in the face of a rapid PSA advance with only light police action and partisan activity (of which they only had scattered reports). The Reds far from being near collapse appeared to have redoubled their efforts and had driven down the Mississippi and had created an extra buffer in front of Chicago. The Unionists were gobbling up land in the West and bringing troops eastward to defend against the Federal advance.

Worse of all were the reports of killings, executions, and atrocities. The Syndicalists supported by international advisers had set up roving peoples battalions and were hunting down and killing perceived and actual loyalists to the Federal government as class enemies. The preceding week in Chicago had seen more than 270 people 'tried' and executed including two former Congressman.

In the land under Unionist control the situation wasn't much better. Fascistic militias had sprouted across the country and were meting out unrestricted street justice. Attacks on transplant communities, black neighborhoods, and in recently occupied territory were sky high. Of particular note were reports in North Carolina of the execution of 24 sailors from a US commercial vessel flying the 'federal' flag.

But the Generals promised, the fight would go on.



In Virginia the Federal command under General Craig tried once again to break into the foothills of western Virginia with a major assault on Roanoke consisting of nearly 130,000 men either directly engage or supporting the attack. Spearheaded by the 1st Texan Calvary they were given the support of the USAAF which inaugerated the offensive with a series of interdiction sorties.

General Joe Stillwell, who had resisted the allure of California secession, commanded the rugged Texans and led his men forward with great skill. Dismounting ahead of the first waves of the Shenandoah foothills he organized his men into a series of regimental sized combat groups to compensate for the broken terrain they'd be fighting in.

Pushing forward with support from advancing Federal pinning columns to the north and south who's heavy gun parks were flinging thousands of shells into the Unionist positions.

The first major obstacle was a bloody one as the Texans were forced to fight their way up the rocky and wooded slopes while constantly moving Unionist light batteries were evading suppressing fire and hurling their explosive payloads into the woods. One hardluck company, B Company of the II Regiment, II Brigade, was so torn apart by unexpected enfilading machine gun fire and 'lucky' artillery blasts that it was rendered combat ineffective in less than twenty minute.

Unionist troops dug into deep trenches in the hard ground furiously fired and counter-attacked the oncoming Texan troops.

Slowly, very slowly, they were pushed back to fallback entrenchments, knocked through the wooded hamlets and towns that dotted the eastern slopes of the Shenandoah until finally the weary Texans had crested the foothills and could direct artillery fire into the valley below and on Buena Vista.

Troops advancing from Charlottesville could now swing down the southern road around the mountains and pushed on Lynchburg. With the loss of the Shenandoah heights the Unionists began to crumble as heavier and more accurate fire was brought to bear and their front grew wider and wider. Eventually seeking to salvage their force as a combat effective formation rather than mount a last ditch defense they withdrew completely from Roanoke.

The battle had been terrifyingly bloody, a modern day Antietam. In the space of half a day nearly 2,586 Federal troops had been killed. The Texans had suffered a particularly heavy blow with nearly 2,000 of these casualties coming from their ranks. Another 3,120 Unionists had been killed in turn. Gettysburg had nearly been equaled in a single day.



Mournful though their losses were the offensive tenor had to continue. Marshall launched an expected assault on Toledo with a Red militia division crumpling swiftly after a heavy bombardment that left around 200 of their number killed or wounded. Once Federal columns were sighted within 5km of the city the Reds began to pull back.



For several months after these attacks the lines feel relatively silent. The winter storms had been brutal, but as the snows thawed MacArthur was determined to make the growing Federal strength known to all.