The War in Africa and Asia, 1876-1877
Recall, if you will, that I’m posting these updates geographically, so we step back from the last update, which ended in 1877, to the initiation of hostilities against British troops in Africa, beginning in April 1876.
Some of the conscripts drawn from the general population had been sent straight to the major port cities, to be transported overseas. Many of them never expected to be sent all the way to Africa. But on 25 April 1876 the first landings were made in Guinea, and the troops began to spread out.
It was discovered there were not very many British troops here to oppose. By the end of August, the entire colony was subdued and occupied.
By September, American troops were marching overland to dislodge the small garrison at the former Liberian province of Freetown, which had been taken over by the British (while the rest of former Liberia had been seized by Spain).
Weirdly, even as the United States Army defeated the Redcoats at Freetown, British colonies which had been developing for some years began establishing themselves as colonies. Thus, the British were able to retreat to Bopolu in October, when it had not even been a colony in September!
No matter, US troops began to occupy the province before the retreating British could arrive (a favorite technique of mine, if you haven’t noticed – here’s the strategy element: US troops in this game are faster than the British (not sure how typical that is) and so I routinely complete a battle and leap ahead of the retreat, forcing them to attack my dug-in troops).
Across the seas, in Oceania, America’s Japanese allies have done good work in capturing British New Guinea.
But the British still will not come to the table. Even with an offer less than half of what’s been earned.
Alas, the next card must be turned.
In January of 1877 US troops land in Capetown South Africa.
Now, unlike the previous efforts in Africa, this is NOT to be an unopposed or lightly opposed landing. We’ve chosen a province that’s mountainous, and which is covered by other mountainous territories so we might expand before we meet the enemy in combat. Scouts had determined that, while we don’t know for sure there aren’t redcoats hiding out in Calvinia, they’re most likely in eastern South Africa, and will take some time to get to us. Time enough to dig in.
We had expanded perhaps further than originally intended when the British appeared, sure enough. Were we ready for 42,000 troops against our 6,000, albeit dug in and with artillery support?
Battle was joined in February 1877, with intense fighting. More American troops were brought up in nearby Beaufort (another mountainous province) behind them to ensure a proper route of retreat, and to form the second line of defense.
The soldiers in Port Elizabeth fought a dogged battle, and enemy casualties were thought to have been almost 3 times American. It demonstrated the strength of a small, dug-in force with the rules of engagement (maneuver allows only cavalry to attack more than one square from their position in the ranks, so only 7 of the 11 British brigades in front line combat could engage – the others had to wait. (Also note the -3 to attack the British suffer because of our dug-in positions and the hilly terrain).
What happens in those cases, by the way, is that the organization of those units in combat suffers, on both sides. Eventually the most wounded units retreat and fresh units take their place. Fortunately, the British have committed all the troops they have in South Africa to this battle, whereas the United States was drawing new fleets of transports closer to the Cape of Good Hope every day. If we continued to replace our casualties, eventually we would prevail.
But it would not be at Port Elizabeth.
A surprise flanking movement caught the American defenders in a bad situation and a strategic withdrawal was necessary. The Americans retreated toward Beaufort, but the British advanced instead toward Mossel Bay, which was fine so far as we were concerned. It would result in another battle with conditions similar to the previous, but it would involve a larger front and not so imbalanced forces.
The British had lost 2,000 soldiers, and the Americans about 500 at Port Elizabeth. Moreover, the defending troops in Beaufort, finding that they would not be attacked, moved forward to Port Elizabeth to fill in behind the British and cut off their supply lines once they had engaged at Mossel Bay.
By the time the Battle of Port Elizabeth had been resolved, US troops had arrived overland from Sierra Leone and begun to occupy British-held Nigeria. Meanwhile, across the oceans again, US troops were landing in the New Hebrides islands, finding that the Japanese had already occupied New Britain.
And when the Battle of Mossel Bay commenced in mid-March 1877 the British had a -6 to their die rolls due to the lack of a commander and the terrain and dig-in bonuses of the United States in the hills around the bay (a -4 overall benefit to the USA). By the first of April, the Americans were severely punishing the British for having made such a rash move.
By the beginning of May, a victory for the USA was assured by the arrival of Gen. Don Jonhson and enough troops to match the British, with higher organization. The beleaguered British finally surrendered on May 17, 1877 – the loss of their entire S. African command. They lost approximately 16,000 casualties (vs. about 5,000 for the US) and the other 22,000 laid down their arms.
By July 4, 1877, American troops were either in control of or besieging the remaining British defenders throughout all of South Africa. At the same time, US troops were also moving into the last of British Nigeria, such that those provinces would also soon be occupied and their bases denied the Royal Navy. The islands of the Atlantic, similarly.
Finding nothing more to do in South Africa, Gen. Randolph Brown’s troops landed instead in Mauritius, north of Madagascar, and in early August the British garrison there surrendered.
The United Kingdom continues to deny any reasonable offers of peace at the negotiation tables, so fighting continues…
In the Pacific Ocean, though British ship losses had certainly mounted, and their lack of bases was telling in other theatres, in the regions of Oceania the British remained preeminent around Australia and New Zealand while Japan and the United States held their own in the latitudes of New Guinea and nearby. Increasing numbers of US ironclads, based out of Lae, began challenging British squadrons off the coast of Australia. But that would be hard fought.
Sailing ships of the United States Navy, having sailed all the way from California, managed to blockade some of the British ports in Australia, and unfortunately discovered some very strong British troop strengths therein.
By the very end of 1877, though, it was thought that US transport steamships could deposit troops in Auckland New Zealand, while blockade ships could keep the defenders on the northern island from crossing. This gambit was proved overly confident as the HMS Black Prince (ironclad) and company found the steamers after they dropped off their cargo.
While the Lincoln and Grant were able to escape, and other ships managed to maintain a sufficient blockade, naval combat in this theatre remained dicey.
Besides the Maldives, where US troops landed at the end of the year, any victory against Britain would have to be determined elsewhere…
Did I lay it on a little thick?
