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CatKnight

Disciple of Peperna
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May 20, 2004
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Prologue:

Stonehenge, near Wiltshire, England
16th January, 1946


stonehenge.txt


It was over.

Or it would be, soon enough.

Thomas Heyward stumbled between the ancient sarsen stones that made up the outer ring, towering fifty-ton monoliths erected four thousand years before anyone had heard of 'Great Wars,' 'Adolf Hitler,' or 'H-bomb.'

Heyward was dying. Or he was already dead, or he soon would be. This seemingly vital issue didn't really matter to him at this point. After all, the rest of his world was already gone.

He was a young man, well into his twenties but in no danger of thirty, lean with short black hair and grey eyes. He'd avoided the Second Great War up until now by virtue of a particularly vicious bout of pneumonia in his youth that had damaged his lungs and crippled his stamina: even the short trek up Salisbury Hill exhausted him, and he sank gratefully to the snow-covered ground between two bluestones of the inner ring. It was cold tonight, and that made it even harder to breathe as he huddled, gasping., forcing the air in and out of his throat. Only a fool or a depressive courted death like this, and only the grand master of fools risked suffocating or freezing alone in the middle of the night. That didn't really matter either…

…Jessie had been in London. 'Come to London,' she begged. 'I have a recital at seven. Then perhaps we can go to a show. It's been months since the Germans have bombed anywhere near the city, we can't hide forever! They want us to be afraid. It wasn't like they could wait for the war to end, it'd already been nine years!'

The First Great War had taken eleven years, and accomplished absolutely nothing but reminding everyone how much they loathed each other. Prime Minister Chamberlain had been so pleased when some dissident overthrew the Kaiser in apparent revenge for the millions who'd died for nothing and promised a period of reconciliation. Then the Second War began, and though the French and Ottomans had been thrown out of it early, and the Soviets were losing badly, it still showed no sign of settling anything. There'd been a few small victories, but the French resistance couldn't break out of Marseilles and the North American dominions had done little more than open a second front in Italy, advancing to Naples before stalling.

Oh, how proud Churchill had been. "We will force them to the table," he declared just before dropping an H-bomb on Paris as a warning. But the Germans hadn't trembled, hadn't blinked.

…Jessie…. If only he HAD gone home. The factory hadn't needed him that badly, he could have seen her one last time before…

Thomas looked up to the faintly glowing horizon, blotting out the nearby stars. London, reduced to a funeral pyre in less than five minutes, a flaming monument to futility.

nukewar1946.txt


He didn't know what he was doing here, whether he'd come here to die or to pray or to mourn or to see if the sun would rise again despite all doubt. Stonehenge was supposedly a place of great magic. Whether it was indeed an ancient temple, or an astronomical observatory, or a tomb to long dead kings didn't signify. If any of that magic ever did exist, it was now or never.

'Why did you do this?' he demanded of the uncaring stars. He choked. 'Please.' With the fall of London, no one would settle for anything less than complete annihilation now. His family was gone, his fiance was gone. What more could the universe do to him? Nothing. 'I only want to see her one more time. I'll do anything.' Drowsy from the cold, sick from his shortened breath, grieving for his loss, the darkness claimed him at last.

'Anything?'
 
Game Notes

First: Sorry about that, folks. The server claimed to be busy, so I thought the post didn't go through. Please ignore (and moderators please delete) the other copy of the first post.

Now then...

Hi, folks!

This is my first AAR. I've been reading HoI and EU2 AAIs for a few months now and hope to put what I've seen to good use.

'Resurrection' is based on history, as well as some HoI games - both vanilla and the Great War mod. You can probably guess the basic premise already, and if not you'll be able to very shortly. Wait 'til poor Thomas finds out.

This will be two (or rather 1.5) AARs in one. There will of course be general updates on what happens in game, but also hopefully I'll be telling Tom's story, and seeing if he can thrive one hundred thirty-nine years before he was even born.

Campaign rules:

Country: United States
Campaign: Age of Revolution (1773-1820)
EU II version: 1.08 - no mods

Normal difficulty/Normal aggressiveness. I don't consider myself a very good player (especially economically,) and will welcome any advice you have. I haven't done much (or well) on this setting.

No reloads.
No exploits I know about (merchant spamming, loans, etc,) though some knowledge of history will be used.
No loading as and making decisions for other countries because the AI is acting like a twit.
No cheats. No editing.
All presidential election events determined by random die roll (weighted based on the historical delegate count.) The price of democracy is you don't always get your way.

If I get smashed, so be it. At least you'll be able to see my mistakes and tell me what not to do next time. If I do well, even better. Either way, I don't plan on playing ahead of what I write, so you'll know almost as soon as I do.

Goals:
Primary:
* Don't get smashed

Secondary:
* Force-vassalize when down to one province (simulating tribal reserves) or force-annex all neighboring Amerindian tribes. (Iroquois, Cherokee, Shawnee, Creek)
* Control all core provinces (less the possibility of reserves) including those gained from Treaty of Paris event
* Have enough cash for the Louisiana Purchase event

Teritary:
* Get as close to the actual US borders as possible. (Florida, Dakota Indians, Texas, then into Navajo Country and up the Pacific Coast)
 
Chapter 1: Second Chances (1772)

Near Charles Town, South Carolina Province
15th September, 1772


"Sir? Are you alright, sir? Sir, you must wake up. We can't stay here!"

It was warmer than it had any right to be, and Tom's first thought was he must be numb and going into shock. So be it. Perhaps if he just went back to sleep he could…

"Sir!" The young voice - a boy's - intruded again, insistently. He felt a bitter liquid slide down his throat. He flinched, but the boy was adamant. Thomas swallowed once, twice, realized his stomach lining was about to catch on fire and sat up, spluttering.

A warm autumn breeze sighed through the trees overhead and the sun shone brightly through the green-leafed canopy to the forest floor. The boy stared at him with wide eyes.

"Who are you?" Tom asked groggily.

"John." When this triggered no response, he added: "Johnny Preston! Did you hit your head sir? Do we need to turn back?"

A very good question. Certainly his head was throbbing. It was the middle of winter, where was the snow? And his companion looked like something out of the seventeenth, eighteenth century? Hallucinating, that was all it was. Heyward had heard of people growing delirious from cold, or fever even. He struggled to rise.

Abruptly the boy grabbed him by his neck cloth … neck cloth!? … and thrust him back to his knees. "I beg your pardon, sir," he whispered. "Listen."

Heyward closed his eyes and commanded his brain to concentrate. The whispering sigh continued, and nearby two squirrels chased each other in a spiral up an ancient oak. Then he heard it; two people in low, terse conversation. From their accents they were Englishmen, like the child, and they were saying:

"….around here somewhere."

"Keep looking. They could not have gone far. The governor wants a few words with him."

"And Preston's boy?"

"The boy is not my concern. Send him to his father."

"Yes, sir."

Slowly opening his eyes, Heyward saw Johnny staring ahead, his expression grim, crouched and wound like a spring. He couldn't have been more than…thirteen, his brown hair tied in a queue. Following his gaze, Thomas saw a flash of red, heard a soft clink of metal, and then two more apparitions from the eighteenth century appeared. Soldiers; black hat, white breeches, silver/white waistcoats … and scarlet coats with gold lapels. One headed away from them, deeper into the brush. The apparent leader looked around, and for a heart-wrenching second Tom would have sworn their eyes met. Then he retreated the way he came, off to the right.

After another minute or so, the boy finally turned. "Are you well enough to go on?" he asked softly.

"Where am I?" It seemed a reasonable question. From the frown he received, Johnny disagreed.

"I will try to find the horses, sir. Stay down. I will return as soon as I can."

Thomas nodded and watched the boy vanish into the trees. A dream. This had to be a dream, there was no other reasonable explanation. Well, since it was a dream there was no reason not to play along, maybe it'd make whatever was really happening less disagreeable. Maybe Jessie would be waiting when it was over?

He shifted and heard a soft crinkle from his bosom. Reaching in, he pulled out two envelopes. The first was unmarked and held an impressive amount of notes drawn on the Bank of England. The second bore a wax seal he didn't recognize, broken. He pulled out the carefully written papers in long, flowing script and read:

To Thms. Heyward
at Charles Town, South Carolina

Sir:

By authority of the Assembly of the Province of South Carolina, convened in special session on 13th September, you are hereby requested and directed to proceed to Philadelphia forthwith, there to take on the duties and privileges of representative (1) to the Intercolonial Assembly convening to address punitive acts taken by His Majesty against Massachusetts that may constitute an affront to our rights and privileges as loyal subjects of His Majesty. (2)

You are requested and directed to protect the interests and maintain the integrity of the province you represent. Specifically, we continue to be concerned with Georgia concerning navigation of the Savannah River, and require guarantees of South Carolina's continued access to the western lands currently set aside by His Majesty as an Indian Reserve. (3)

For this and any actions necessary to protect this province's people and well-being, this shall be your warrant.

Signed, Wm. Preston, Speaker of the Assembly
at Charles Town, South Carolina,
14th September, 1772.


"Sir? I found our horses, and the soldiers seem to be gone. You look quite pale, sir. Are you sure we shouldn't find a doctor?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:

(1) Thomas Heyward is a historical figure. He was one of the signatories to the Declaration of Independence.

(2) For any historians out there: The Intolerable (or Coercive) Acts were actually passed in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party of 1773. However, historically fighting didn't break out until April 1775, whereas EU2 assumes a state of war/rebellion as of January '73. Several of the early events have been/will be pushed up to compensate.

(3) Part of the Coercive Acts set aside all land north of the Ohio River (the modern states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan) as part of Quebec province. The Indian Territories consisted of what's now Kentucky, Tennessee, and about half of Mississippi and Alabama. Of course, having the Iroquois, Cherokee, Shawnee and Creek as active nations in EU2 stirs this up a bit. Both the cession to Quebec and setting aside Indian lands were contested by the thirteen American colonies as it would stunt their growth.
 
Chapter 2: A long, slippery descent

23rd October, 1772
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Province


"Doctor Hall, we are so happy you could come." John Hancock, president of the Second Intercolonial Assembly, stood. "The matters before us are grave and we welcome Georgia's assistance on the matter."

Georgia had been the last holdout, though there were some ominous rumblings from Trenton about whether New Jersey should stay or not. Everyone turned to regard a short, stout man in his thirties.

"Thank you, mister president," he replied somewhat formally. "Though I must make it clear that I am here in an advisory role, and any decisions must be brought to the Georgia Assembly before we can concur?"

"Oh hell."

"Mind your tongue, Mister Adams," Hancock warned.

"I do apologize," John Adams answered, rising. He didn't sound very sorry. "But if we are all constantly riding up and down the continent how will we ever get anything done!? Do I have to remind everyone that General Gage has *seized* Boston!??"

"Which is very sad," Edward Rutledge answered politely. Rutledge was the head of the South Carolina delegation, a lawyer on the English bar. "But we have already done everything we can. We've even agreed with your bellicose plan to send General Washington there with what army he could raise as a warning to the general. What precisely do you propose?"

While the leaders wrangled, Heyward sat back and listened. His 'dream' showed no sign of fading. Was it possible he was really here? And just where, precisely, was here supposed to be? He knew where Philadelphia was. He knew there'd been a failed rebellion just before the French Revolution, was that what this was all about?

A man sat next to him with a thump, and Tom looked over.

"Lyman Hall. A pleasure, sir." he said a little apologetically, offering his hand.

"Thomas Leyward."

"Do you have any idea what they are arguing about? News is slow to reach Savannah I'm afraid."

"Please come with me." Tom led him to a hastily drawn map, and pointed.

na1772.txt


"Boston port is blockaded until such time as they pay for the tea they dumped in the harbor."

"Harsh," Hall tilted his head, "but one can see their point."

Heyward nodded. "The Massachusetts royal charter's been changed, limiting their freedom and authority. Troops are being quartered in homes now, at the owner's expense - hence Mister Adam's claim that the city's been seized. Lastly, they told the Quebecois they could keep their language and their religion."

"And French speaking papists are so very evil?"

Tom smirked. "No, but he also expanded Quebec's border, here. By giving the Canadians what they want, and cutting us off from landward expansion, some people believe our king is trying to isolate us. And there's the argument that if Massachusetts can be treated like this, what's stopping Parliament from doing it to one of us?"

"I see. So, they believe that England, starting with the Stamp Acts, has turned against our interests. I see… What do you think?"

What could he think? Tom had been born in London itself in 1921. How could he possibly condone a rebellion? It couldn't be why he was here … if he was here at all, which he still found unlikely. "I think…"

A messenger ran in, stilling the debate. He trotted to the secretary's desk and handed over a parchment. He unwrapped it, and read aloud:

"From Geo. Washington
In command, New England/New York Militia
at Boston, Massachusetts

Sirs:

I have the honor and privilege to inform you that on 30th September Thomas Gage, in command of the city and governor of Massachusetts, dispersed his troops in an effort to seize munitions dumps at Lexington, Concord, Worcester and Providence. Given mandate by your offices, I engaged at Worcester and destroyed that force. We then looped into Boston, cutting off the Providence contingent in the meantime and giving battle. English headquarters was happily taken on 2nd October, and it is believed General Gates and the remnants of his army are in retreat, possibly heading for Acadia.

washington1772.txt


I must report, however, that papers found at Governor Gage's residence leads me to believe the English have signed a military alliance with the Shawnee, guaranteeing their current borders and inviting them to invade Pennsylvania and Virginia, taking what they can. Further, we have reason to believe the English have amassed some 37,000 men on our northern borders under the general command of Baron, Sir Jeffrey Amherst, with another 6,500 in Florida and 5,000 (plus 15,000 braves) in Shawnee territory. Against this, I have 15,000 militia in Boston, and General Gates has 15,000 in New York raised from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia.

We will, of course, do what we can but I now predict a spring, if not winter invasion of the United Colonies by overwhelming force.

I am, your obedient, humble servant."

"Gentlemen," John Hancock said gravely. "I believe we have a war on our hands."
 
An excellent and intriguing introduction! It only added to the intrigue that it appeared to have been started twice (was one a resurrection of the other, I wondered?) and then both appeared to have been posted in the wrong forum, since there was an HoI screenshot in the first post... But no! We're back in EU2 and off to a great start - I'll be following!
 
Interlude 1: MOMMEEE!!!!! (1773)

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! - Patrick Henry


Countdown

It was a dark autumn for the Second Intercolonial Assembly, hastily renamed the Second Continental Congress. (1) Some thought Washington's reports were alarmist at best, but scouts in the Appalachians of western Virginia confirmed the Shawnee, at least, were preparing for something big.

Alarmist or not, Washington's repeated and stringent warnings were all that saved the rebellion before it even started. The governors of the thirteen colonies had in secret agreed to arrest the colonial assemblies on 1 November. Word spread too late to save South Carolina and Georgia, and the North Carolina legislature escaped by a matter of hours, but everyone else escaped and prepared for a fight no one wanted.

Then, on 13 December came the ultimatum from Guy Carleton, Governor-General of Canada. Disband the militias and surrender the so-called Continental Congress, or it would be war.

The Congress bickered and wrangled. Most people still believed some reconciliation with England was possible, with Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island disagreeing vehemently. Whatever hope they had was shattered when Carleton ordered Baron Amherst to advance.

intro0173.txt


A series of laws and ordinances flowed out of the Congress, charging the colonial assemblies to follow their direction (2) and reassure the populace. (3) In an attempt to win Canadians over, and perhaps improve relations in Europe, they passed their own version of the Edict of Tolerance, promising Catholics had nothing to fear from the United Colonies. Of course the same couldn't be said for Muslims or Orthodox Christians, but they weren't here. (4)

General Washington was charged with defending the north against all comers, while General Gates swung west towards the Virginia border. Militias were hastily thrown together in Baltimore and Williamsburg, Virginia. (5)

Oddly perhaps, it wasn't the Canada army that would strike the first blow however, but a squadron of three frigates from Halifax. They blockaded New Haven, Connecticut and New York. Losing New York seemed to anger the London merchants though, who despite refusing American trade had no qualms whatsoever of selling the colonials what THEY needed, and so the squadron soon moved to close off Chesapeake Bay (Baltimore) and the Hampton Roadstead (Norfolk, Virginia.)

On 21 January 5,000 English soldiers attacked upstate New York, soon followed by 9,000 slipping past Niagara Falls and into western New York. The Shawnee meanwhile swarmed into Virginia with 9,000 braves, seizing the passes through the Appalachians.

By 26 February, most of Virginia and New York lay under English occupation. Interestingly, Baron Amherst had yet to assault New England, but that would soon change. More interesting by far was: Where were Washington and Gates?

Northern Front:

When war broke out, General Washington decided he could afford to lose the Maine territory of Massachusetts, but New York must be held at all costs. He marched south along the Boston Post Road, entering Hartford, Connecticut on 27 January. There he waited, for he had intelligence that 5,000 soldiers advancing from Albany planned to seize the province. He was wrong. (6)

Finally learning the English planned to seize White Plains (7) and perhaps move in on New York City itself, he finally ordered a march to relieve the city. He arrived on 1 April - an unlucky day for the English at least, after a fierce battle, routed the invaders. He then turned north towards the Canadian border.

On 12 April, Baron Amherst finally ordered an advance into Maine, and the militia put together at Baltimore under Colonel Surrey, having been moved into New York for defense, turned east to defend Boston.

Western Front:

General Gates meanwhile had worked his way westward through New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He soon found himself behind enemy lines, having retaken the Shenandoah Valley. Gates had a choice: West and counterinvade the Shawnee, or play defense.

Alas, now was the time for discretion, and he retreated to Raleigh, North Carolina where 4,000 Shawnee cavalry threatened to overwhelm the city. They were annihilated by 3 April, and Gates moved into the Appalachians to carry the fight to the enemy.

Southern Front:

English garrisons from St Augustine, East Florida advanced into Georgia, seizing Savannah on 10 March, and Charles Town on 6 April. Colonel Newcastle, in charge of the 7,000 militia raised in Williamsburg, charged south to meet the 6,000 invaders.

Home Front:

American life went on, as best it could with thousands of soldiers charging up and down the continent. Rival trading companies from Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Charles Town began to appear. New York's trade, alas, was crippled by the brief blockade and so these mercantile guilds were forced to look elsewhere - to Catalan Spain, and Paris. (8)

End Game:

There was some wrangling over who to send to make peace with the British, and ultimately the decision was delayed as the three key battles of the war were fought in rapid succession.

General Gates attacked the Shawnee forward encampment at a pass in the Appalachains on 2 May. 7,000 Shawnee stood against the vengeful colonial army, but were quickly annihilated.

Colonel Newcastle stood at the border between North and South Carolina, determined to hold Wilmington at all costs. He had the numbers: 7000 - 5600. He had the cavalry: 2000 - 812, not that it really signified in the swamps around the colonial town. What he didn't have was experience, and by 19 May he was in full retreat.

General Washington triumphantly entered Albany, New York on 11 May and promptly engaged the English forces there. He would almost certainly have won, having outnumbered the English 14,000 to 3,700 at the onset of the battle, but reinforcements arrived on 25 May with the promise of more Brits to come. It was time to ask for terms.

north0573.txt


south0573.txt


A Bitter Peace:

Under a flag of truce, the fastest revenue cutter in Philadelphia's arsenal streaked up the Atlantic Coast with a representative to Sir Carleton in Halifax, Nova Scotia to arrange a treaty at almost all costs.

Guy Carleton had no intention of making it easy…(9)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:

(1) Dip 3 / Economy 5 / Military 4. Works for me!
(2) Centralization +1 (January 1773).
(3) Budget to mostly stability. Trade and Infrastructure are at 9, and it would take a very long time to get them up - now at least. My priorities will be stability and land tech. Given my goals, I'm not worried much about the sea.
(4) Religious bars: Very high tolerance to Reformed (of course), Catholics and Protestants in that order. No tolerance for anyone else.
(5) Roanoke province
(6) I figured they were advancing from Adriondack to Connecticut. Instead they went to Catskill.
(7) Catskill province
(8) My God, I can't believe I forgot MY OWN COT!!!!
(9) The only war that matters is the last one, you bloody AI….

Some Lessons Learned:

(A) Using my 10 manpower to build two units of unequal strength (7K and 3K) probably wasn't the smartest idea. Of course, it turned out the 7K force (Newcastle) needed all the help he could get. If I had that 10K force in the south, and another 15 in the north to bail Washington out, maybe….?

(B) I should have followed my first instinct and asked for peace on 1 May. It was only -20% warscore then vs. -28. I figured if I won those last three battles I might come out better - and I did retake Appalachia. But lost Bangor. Eh.

I know the Continental Army event is coming up, and anyway if I hadn't offered peace the AI would have eventually - and probably on kinder terms despite a higher warscore - but that felt a little like an exploit to me, and I didn't really want to spend the next few years chasing English around. And anyway it doesn't signify. Give me five years to put my house in order. This isn't over by a long shot!

(C) I still can't believe I forgot MY OWN COT!!! :eek:
 
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An excellent and intriguing introduction! It only added to the intrigue that it appeared to have been started twice (was one a resurrection of the other, I wondered?) and then both appeared to have been posted in the wrong forum, since there was an HoI screenshot in the first post... But no! We're back in EU2 and off to a great start - I'll be following!

Thanks Farq! I have to say the double post was a bit embarassing, and I'll have to be more wary of HoI screenshots in the future - but yep, we should be okay now. I'm a big fan of your AARs, your support means a lot!


This AAR is off to an incredibly promising start! It's even brought me out of my habitual lurkerdom, and that takes some doing.

Well then, my work is done. :D Welcome!


A nuke on London - thats bad.
An American AAR - thats good!

Hi von Bek!

I greatly enjoyed your Inca AAR! It kept me up several nights plowing through it. Yep, let's see if we can do somethng about the nuke.

As for busting heads... Hmm, maybe!

---------
Incidentally, I expected to lose that first war, fairly badly. Indeed, the successful stand in Appalachia and stalemate in Adriondack is as good as I've ever done with the US in the 1773 war. (The -28 warscore hurt!)

As far as game play goes, I plan to take out the Iroquois for maneuvering room, form an alliance with France and Spain, and start building up both my economy and my army. The English, Shawnee and I have a date in five years.

Any advice, besides putting merchants IN MY OWN COT? :eek:
 
From the opening premise to the footnoted comments, this AAR is quite fine. I especially enjoy your weaving HoI into the mix - two games, if I understand the intro correctly.

The writing is high quality, the maps and graphics are clean and helpful, and I plan to follow this one closely.

:) What a treat!
 
Chapter 3: A Bitter Peace

18th May, 1773
at Halifax, Nova Scotia Province


The governor's residence in Halifax: A three-story brick building, sitting like a castle in miniature on a hill overlooking the port city. A bustling port city, with merchantmen and sloops of war swarming the harbor and soldiers in red mounting cannon in a new fort.

novascotia.txt


The tall ships were something to behold. Tom had seen Victory once in Portsmouth - was she out there, somewhere, sailing even now? - and wondered how she must have looked with the wind in her sails, majestically cruising across the ocean. The pictures didn't do them justice and he simply stared, awestruck from his balcony.

"Governor Carleton will see you now," an aide in powder blue told him politely.

"Has my…my servant been seen to?" he asked tentatively. With the capture of the South Carolina assembly and fall of Charles Town, Johnny Preston had no home to go to. Honor apparently dictated (or so he was assured) that this made the boy his responsibility as patron, and so Johnny followed him everywhere now, lost without his family or friends.

"Yes, sir. He is in the kitchen eating now."

"Good." Heyward fiddled with his neckcloth - how the devil did anyone in this era get dressed? And followed the man out. He knew nothing about this governor, except he was one of the major proponents of the hated Quebec Act. They were both Englishmen though, Heyward more so than his companions realized, and he was certain this could be dealt with reasonably. It wasn't like the Continental Congress was a pack of Nazis, after all.

Tom still couldn't believe he was here, trying to forge a fragile peace. "You may go," one of the representatives from Pennsylvania… Ben Franklin… had said. "You haven't angered them nearly as much as most of us have, and you're more sympathetic to their views. Plus, your home town has been occupied."

Says you…

"I certainly can't be spared," Rutledge had added. "I have to stay here to continue working with these good gentlemen to determine how much autonomy we should ask for."

"Plus, he's expendable," Phillip Livingston, from New York, added with a smirk. Tom scowled.

Much to his credit Baron, Sir Guy Carleton, General-Governor of Canada was indeed a reasonable man. It was Parliament, repeatedly frustrated by America's response to the Stamp Acts and the Townshend Acts that was furious. Since 1760 they had paid for the civil list - office salaries, budgets and the like - directly, and since George III lacked the political savvy to make his will prevail, they were in position to make their displeasure with him abundantly clear. It didn't help that while a southern bravo had seized Georgia and South Carolina, his own advance was stalled, nor that Baron Amherst was of the increasingly vocal opinion that going to war with his own countrymen was ridiculous. He would have to make an example of these colonials to save face all around.

"Mister Heyward?" A stout man in his late forties, wearing a blue coat and breeches as well as a formal wig shook his hand firmly, quite unlike any nobleman Thomas had ever read about. He indicated a seat by the fire. "We might as well be comfortable. I was sorry to hear you took ill upon arriving." The winter had lingered in Nova Scotia, and though he'd otherwise healed quite miraculously his lungs still couldn't bear the chill.

"Quite better, I thank you."

"I read Mister..." He glanced at Congress' letterl, holding a pair of spectacles far almost to the paper and staring through the lens, "...Hancock's proposal. Do you know what it entails?"

Tom nodded. It suggested a truce in place while the matter was brought before the king himself.

"Then you know why I cannot accept it."

"But the king…."

"…would hang me if I allowed your little rebellion to continue unchallenged. And anyway, do not think that by circumventing Parliament you would fare better. The king is as opposed to your independence as Lord North."

"We aren't asking for independence." How absurd. "We're asking to be treated like Englishmen!"

"Then act like Englishmen, and not spoilt children!"

Thus ended the first meeting. The second meeting fared little better. Baron Carleton was a proud man, who genuinely loved his country. He also loved Canada, and a potentially hostile nation on his southern border was not his idea of fun.

The third meeting took place on the 25th. This time he was better armed.

"My lord, I understand you need to take a victory home to Parliament. I, however, need to bring something home to my people as well. Your armies can probably run us over, we know that. However, in so doing you would lose more people, and our king's colonies would inevitably suffer further damage, breeding still more contempt and anger. I need time to build a coalition that can…still the radical element, as you so… wittily put it. In exchange, I can ensure that it is Canada that wins this peace, not any southern…bravos."

Carleton listened to his offer closely. "I do not think your New York delegates would care for that," he commented.

Tom thought of Livingston, and smiled. "I didn't ask."

na1773.txt
 
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The writing is high quality, the maps and graphics are clean and helpful, and I plan to follow this one closely.

Thanks, Director! I read through your Wallachia AAR, your descriptions are just stunning.

As for two HoI games...hmm, 1 1/2. HoI itself deals with World War II, however there's a mod that introduces World War I. For some reason in several games the American AI decided it didn't want to be part of either, thus giving me ideas. (The H-bomb on Paris was the first I'd seen though. Eep!)

Very nice! I was wondering where Tom Heyward had got to - should've seen it coming!

Oh, he'll be in and out. He has to go bust heads to make von Bek happy!

This is a very impressive start to an AAR.

Two thumbs up!

Thanks, Stroph!


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In other news, you may or may not (I hope) have noticed that I'm starting to have trouble with the images. Apparently my site has very interesting views on how much bandwidth I'm entitled to.

Anyone know of a good image storage site I can quietly move into?

Thanks!
 
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jwolf said:
And an A-bomb wasn't good enough? You had to use H-bombs? :eek::eek:

Well, I can uhm...explain that..you see...er...as everyone knows, an H-bomb has an A-bomb as it's core...and it just so happened that Britain and Germany just happened to have a supply of lithium deuteride on..uhm..hand for... :cough: research, and after that it was easy to find a tamper or outer shell of .. well, fissionables of course, and... :rolleyes:


jwolf said:
This will be a pleasure, all the more so if your next war goes better. :) I do have to question Heyward's loyalties, though.

Funny you should mention that.... :p
 
Chapter 4: The Price of Betrayal

7th June, 1773
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania province
(Colonial occupied)



"You bloody traitor!"

Eighteenth century ethics required an immediate, and personal response to such an outrage. Calling another man of roughly equal rank a liar, slandering them, striking them, or openly accusing them of such a major breach of honor absolutely demanded a duel.

Perhaps it was just as well that Thomas Heyward knew this only as a historical anecdote, so he gave the New Hampshire representative nothing more than an angry glare.

"Leave him be!" called Rutledge, waving Tom over.

"It is due to him there are English on New Hampshire's border, ours, sir! Not three leagues from my farm. And he gave them Georgia!?"

"I have no problem with that. Georgia was always meant as a buffer zone for Carolina's interests. Isn't that so, Mister Hewes?" Hewes was one of the North Carolina delegates, and had no wish to get in the middle of this discussion. He stood up, smiled and bowed to the room and departed.

A somewhat diminished room. Word had reached Philadelphia of the disastrous Truce of Halifax only hours earlier, and people weren't taking it well. The president's gaze burned into him from the dais.

"Mister Heyward, were you planning to explain yourself?" he asked darkly.

"What the devil are you about….?" Tom began. He was growing angrier. They'd appointed him, and he'd done the best he could. Now they could live with it. 'What the devil…' seemed a common enough catch phrase for this strange version of purgatory, and it matched how he felt nicely. "…asking me to explain myself. Have you lost your bloody mind!?"

Several people turned to look. "I think we have the right to an accounting, sir, of just how you answer for losing half of Massachusetts, and all of Georgia and New York!"

"I had to give him some….no, sir!" He shook his head. "Not all of New York, not even half. The trading centres near the Great Lakes."

"All of it, sir. Do you see the New York delegation here?" He pointed at the room with his gavel. "Mister Morris and his companions left as soon as word arrived. They said that New York would see to her own matters in the future. That way, they would at least know the enemy was in front of them and not about to stab them in the back!"

"Just what are you accusing me of?" Heyward demanded. "I'm not the one who was running amok through North Carolina, nor am I the Shawnee who were heading for Maryland. I'm not even the Englishmen who were about to surround General Washington. We were losing! We were losing, and I bought us the best peace I could, not to mention time! Now if you think you can do better, then the port master is that way!"

"If your word didn't bind all of us, I would," Hancock growled. "As it is, my hands are tied. My only question, sir, is who's side are you on? You have been rather lukewarm about this all along. Fair enough, I fault no man for following his conscience, but for the love of God raise your colors so we know who to count you as!"

"You may count him, sir, as a good boy of South Carolina!" Rutledge called, disentangling himself from his 'intense discussion' and walking to the floor in front of the secretary's desk. "Three colonies suffer - two not nearly so badly as you all claim and the third hardly signifies - so the other ten may endure. Now if Mister Heyward is saying that's the best he could manage, then I, for one, believe him and on behalf of the Carolina Assembly that appointed him I do have to resent this badgering!"

"I don't need you to defend me," Tom muttered.

"Oh, yes sir, you certainly do."

"I do not believe anyone here can justly question Mister Heyward's character, sir, but his loyalties," a new voice interjected calmly. One of the Virginia delegates. "Not to the Crown, sir. Indeed, we are all sworn to the Crown if my colleagues in the north will remember, but to the United Colonies. As you say, sir: three bear the suffering for all of us. He sacrificed Georgia entirely. Now, this makes perfect sense for South Carolina, but as a brother to his fellow delegates…."

The evening air at least had the whisper of a breeze. Someone was smoking meat nearby, mixing curiously with the fresh salt breeze and peculiar stink of dead fish. Tom didn't know where he was going, and didn't really care. He hadn't asked for any of this, wasn't used to being judged, and had no idea what he was even doing here. It couldn't be a dream, not after so very long, so what was this: a punishment? To watch things people care for get destroyed for all eternity? Was he damned?

Not that he really cared for these colonials. Oh, some of them were more pleasant than others. His gaze fell on Johnny, walking some girl - he seemed to have picked up quite a coterie - home from the marketplace. They weren't his family though. Or friends. Or Jessie. Indeed, they weren't even of his time, and he not of theirs.

"Quite an interesting rebuttal, Mister Heyward. I don't believe I've ever seen you angry."

Thomas looked over at his new companion, a tall man in his forties - a Rhode Islander. "I'm sorry, I forget your name."

"Ellery, sir. William Ellery. I ran a small fleet of fishing ships out of Newport before things got … stormy, as they say?" He nodded. "Stormy today, eh?"

"Eh." Tom wasn't looking for company. Ellery didn't take the hint.

"Usually you seem a bit detached in there, like you're mind's elsewhere. People sense that y'know."

"Listen, friend." He turned. "I didn't ask to be here."

Ellery shrugged. "None of us did. I'd rather be in Newport myself. Family? Friends? Comforts of home?"

"Comforts…" Tom gritted his teeth.

"Sore spot? Mm, I apologize then. Every man 'as the right to bear their wounds. No, all I say is no one asks for what they're given. God doesn't usually ask our permission before He acts. Most of the men in there with us, they'd rather be home. That peacock who told you what for in there? Like he says, he has a farm by the new English border. He's scared. Hell and death, we're all scared."

"Then don't take it out on me." Heyward started walking again.

William Ellery followed. "Tell me, what do you think this is all about? Why are we all meeting like this? It's certainly not our warmth and companionship."

Tom snorted. "For you northerners? Liberty."

"Oh, bugger liberty. It's a word, nothing more."

"Tell me then."

"For our people, of course. for our children and their children and everything that follows. Maybe even so we can look ourselves in the eye every day. In fifty years you and I will be dead, and in seventy or eighty we won't even be a memory. But while we're here, we have to see to their needs, to make a difference. And to do that, we need each other Tom. One man can't change anything, that's just life. Two men…maybe. Three? Four? Get enough people together and you have a community. You have a chance."

"You're a bit philosophical for a fisherman."

Ellery ignored the jab. "Nice thing 'bout the sea is you get plenty of time to think, even while your hands are busy doing something important your mind can run free. Look. All those people back there? They're part of your community now. Maybe we can still reconcile with old George, I don't know, but we're all trying to do what's best for our people and our future, and we're counting on everyone else to help us get there. That's the bad news, that you have a responsibility now you didn't ask for. The good news is if someone tries to take you down? They have to take us all down."

"I did the best I could."

"No doubt. But Mister Rutledge is wrong about Georgia. Hall was one of us, I think we could've tried to save him."

A cold chill passed over Heyward. "I didn't see him back there. Where is he?"

"On his way home. Going to turn himself in to the Brits and hope they're feeling lenient."

"Why!? Because of me?"

Ellery stopped, turned, and touched Tom's arm. "No, because his family's there. He has to try and help them and do what he can for Georgia. We can't do that for him anymore. "

"So…. you think I did betray him?"

"No, not betray…..but I think we all let him down." He let this sink in. "Actually, I was a little surprised you didn't go home when Charles Town was sacked. Rutledge did."

"I have no one there," Tom muttered.

"So I've gathered. Tell me though, is it true you have no one worth fighting for?"

-----------------------

"You can go right up, sir."

Tom slowly climbed the steps, glancing at the patrons in the sitting area below. Madame Forrest's boarding house was for the elite - nothing less than formal dress would do for the sitting or dining areas, and any sort of 'nonsense' - herein defined as fighting, swearing, blasphemy, or inviting ladies upstairs - was strictly prohibited by a large woman who could have probably repulsed the assault on Wilmington by herself if everyone agreed to use rolling pins.

The door opened before Tom reached it, and John Hancock studied him. "Sir, I didn't expect to see you before morning at the earliest."

"I am…sorry for my outburst earlier."

Hancock waved him in. "We were all excited." They shook hands. "Drink?"

Tom shook his head, and didn't sit. "No, thank you. I'll make this brief. I have to go away for a time."

The president of the Continental Congress suddenly looked that much older. "No, don't say that. These difficulties will work themselves out, they always do. Massachusetts is vexed now, but John Adams is a fanatic, he won't keep away…and we can work on New York."

"No…no, I'm not resigning. And, as you know, there's no provincial assembly to recall me at the moment. No, I just have some personal business I need to take care of."

"In Charles Town?" Hancock arched his eyebrow, he too had noticed Tom didn't seem to care when it fell. Perhaps he was wrong. "Well, of course. Of course. I'll inform Ed in the morning. Take as long as you need."

"And if you'll permit me, sir, I think I know how we can win New York back to our side…"
 
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This is pretty good stuff. Reminds me of Turtledove's writings. Keep up the good work! :)
 
Interlude 2: Better Portents (1773-1774)

Freedom!

The truce at Halifax was the low point for the audacious American colonies, at least for awhile. Though it seemed like a serious blow, the fact that Sir Carleton negotiated at all gave the French envoy in Halifax the excuse he needed. Within days a sleek sloop was on its way across the ocean to Brest, and from there horsemen brought a copy of the truce to Paris.

Excuses. Reminding their English brothers that one didn't negotiate with rebels, they immediately recognized America as a separate and sovereign nation. (1) Ambassadors from Spain, Helvetia and the Palitinat, always happy to embarrass the English or win approval from the French, agreed on the spot. Copies of the now infamous truce raced across Europe. Austria, seeking to improve relations with the west, concurred. Under increasing political pressure, the Crown was forced to concede the point on 15 July 1773. America was free!

Parliament recalled Carleton from his post immediately.

Paying for Freedom

While the Continental Congress slapped each other on the back and worked on a sufficiently impressive document to introduce themselves to the world, the New York portmaster reopened. Ships from the Americas and Europe swarmed into port, eager to trade with the new nation on the outer rim of the world. Colonials - er - Americans, eager for a piece of this newfound wealth, started their own shipping companies and quickly reinforced their network of roads to the major ports.

Perhaps the only ones unhappy with this were the London companies, who demanded England do something to help them retain control. England had no formal trade agreements however, (2) and could only stand by as the Americans ruthlessly stripped them of their monopoly, then continued pushing to drive them out entirely. (3)

In less joyous news, at least for the farmers and merchants, the Congress immediately commissioned censuses so as to properly tax their citizens. (4) It was a bit of a blow to people so used to crying 'No taxation without representation,' but continued efforts by the fledgling government stilled their fears. (5) At least until the Continental Army was established, (6) which only raised deep concerns about just what this Congress, which hadn't been elected but appointed, planned to do with so much power. Had they simply traded one tyrant for another?

Thankfully, people seemed willing to wait and find out, which prevented Colonel Elsmere and his men from learning their craft the hard way. They marched to New York, reassuring the locals that if the English tried anything again they'd be dealt with. Harshly.

New York

Hearing of French recognition of their independence, New York was prepared to return to the Congress anyway. This new found 'patriotism' only increased when Hancock and others exposed their not so cunning plan. The Iroquois, it seemed, claimed plenty of land that New York and Pennsylvania long coveted. It was time to take it from them.

The timing wasn't bad anyway. The great Iroquois chief Pontiac, hating these new Americans just as much as he despised their English masters, married his daughter to the son of a Shawnee chief in September 1773. This warming of relations raised the potential for alliance, and even an Indian alliance could do considerable damage to the western states. Chief Pontiac, then leading the Ottawa, had terrorized Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia for years before finally coming to terms in 1766. What could he do with two powerful nations at his back?

The United States of North America decided not to find out. General Washington absorbed nearby militias from his new base in White Plains, as General Gates merged with Newcastle's forces south of Fort Pitt. The attack was delayed due to an extremely bitter winter that ravaged New York and the Iroquois, which was just as well as it gave diplomats time to join the French/Spanish alliance. (7)

On 1 May, 1774, nearly a year after the end of the English war, Gates and Washington crossed the 'border' with 29,000 infantry and 9,000 cavalry.

Direct, Simple, To the Point
iroquois0574.txt


Against this force stood 4,000 Iroquois, and those badly scattered. Pontiac had expected another year, more even, to firm up his alliance and then deal with the white men. On 19 May, General Washington struck their eastern settlements. Reinforcements filtered in from elsewhere in Iroquois territory, (8) but it only delayed the inevitable and the last village fell on 5 June.

General Gates, meanwhile, struck westward and found the villages abandoned. (9) This caught him somewhat off guard, but trusting to dispatches that said Washington was more than holding his own, he advanced north. Somewhere up there was Pontiac, and Gates intended to deal with him once and for all.

There are some who question America's policy at this early stage. Were people dying just to appease New York? Was the country founded on freedom and brotherhood about to revert to imperialism and terror? Did natives even count in such a calculation?

Philadelphia newspaper, 12 June 1774
Unknowingly setting a trend in video games 210 years in the future.

editcartoon74.txt


The debate flowed in torrents from dozens of printing presses from Boston to Charleston. In the end the hawks won the debate, and of course the war was a foregone conclusion.

On 23 June, Gates and Pontiac began a series of raids and counter raids, testing each other's strength. The wily chief thought to hide his men in the hills and trees, sniping at the American soldiers as they milled about aimlessly. Indeed, in several well concerted ambushes he inflicted serious losses on Gates' men.

He hadn't counted on the man's experience with the Shawnee though. After the 1773 war, he knew how Indians fought. Finally, with Washington's men arriving on 1 July and making themselves the unwitting decoy, Gates slammed into their rear as they tried to harass the new troops.

By 3 July it was over. The Iroquois were done as a nation, though they would be allowed to continue as a reserve (10).

Europe

Europe was its usual, frankly insane, dance of alliances and war. The English led an alliance consisting of themselves, the Shawnee of course, Hessen, Denmark and Prussia. Revenge might have to wait until the alliance collapsed or was in a major war.

Facing this superpower was the French, with Spain, the Palatinat and Helvetia in tow.

Or, if you prefer there was the Austrians. After they and Russia abandoned the Prussians on 23 June, the Austrians formed an alliance with Naples, Cologne, the Netherlands and Wurzburg - and made their preference for friends clear by signing trade agreements with the French and Spaniards.

Elsewhere, Russia defeated the Crimea and Ottomans in separate wars. Naples and Tuscany fought inconclusively with the papacy. Sweden and Denmark skirmished. The massive Austrian alliance chose to test their ability to coordinate by attacking Bavaria.

Figured you might be getting curious:
eur0774.txt


After the Iroqouis War
na1774.txt



In the meantime, it'd been over a year since anyone in Philadelphia had seen Thomas Heyward…

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(1) Treaty of Paris event fired just as I restarted the game. I'd saved before it could trigger last time. Guess Tom didn't blow it after all!
(2) England still had me under a trade embargo. Revenge is sweet.
(3) Up until now England had a monopoly in Manhattan. That was stripped and seized for myself. (January 1774.) Then I realized I could make more money by continuing to push England out, and therefore getting credit for the vacant merchant holdings.
(4) Tax collectors: Adriondak, Shenandoah, Powhatan, Catawba
(5) Stability +1 (back to +3). (April 1774) Adjusted budget to Land Tech
(6) Continental Army event - Professional Army. Quality 2, Offense +1, Stability -1, 35,000 troops and 50 guns in Delaware. Budget back to Stability. (May 1774)
(7) Finally, some friends! (Fra/Spa/Palatinate/Helvetia) (November 1773)
(8) 1K from Irondekoit, 1K (but not Pontiac with 1K more) from Mohawk.
(9) Irodekoit was undefended at this point.
(10) I haven't played that far yet, but I expect to strip them of all but their capital province and force-vassalize the last to simulate an Indian reserve.
 
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