General Jones will most certainly find himself conflicted in this. The royalists should
expect a defection
expect a defection
-
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English Patriot- Haha there is a limit indeed! One that Diego seems to have forgotten...
canonized- Well, to start off with he wasn't so bad, but events since 1836 have hit him hard...
Dr. Gonzo- Thanks!
DaveK- Well who's to say a farmer can't have a way with words! And yes, I certainly think that if the Monarchists continue to behave like that, they could run into problems sooner or later...
As for Jones- we'll just have to see!
Jimbo- Well, remember that the Americans have got their own Civil War going on just now- they're in no position to fight other people's! Also, though bringing them in might look like a nice prospect for the Yankee liberals, think about what that means for Hispanic Republicans: they're simply convinced that once the Americans have crossed the border, they'll never go back the other way...
billy bob- Hehe well far be it from me to criticise other people's Spanish....
robou- Indeed one cannot help but be repelled, particularly because Diego had no reason to take it out on this poor guy. Don't forget William Morgan, we haven't heard the last of him by any means!
alex- All those who resort to tyranny tend to be self-destructive in the long term, perhaps Romulus Jones' erstwhile allies will find that out sooner or later... I wouldn't want to give it away!
Unrepentant One- I think, though the Republic is in poor shape to do it at present, this is a battle that they certainly have to fight for themselves. Northern border remains the same at the moment- civil war leaves little time for expansionism...
Depep212- Excellent to see one Don supporter hasn't been put off by that little display! And of course, you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs...
Andreios- I think that if the Republic is to stand a chance, it has to broaden its appeal, certainly: make itself look like a viable option to people like Morgan or indeed Jones, and it will get more support from them. At the moment, as we shall soon see, it is in no position to fight properly- with or without Alejandro or the Fourth Army...
Cinéad- Very probably so...
To all- Another short(er), history-book update. Narrative pieces are coming soon though- important ones!
canonized- Well, to start off with he wasn't so bad, but events since 1836 have hit him hard...
Dr. Gonzo- Thanks
!DaveK- Well who's to say a farmer can't have a way with words! And yes, I certainly think that if the Monarchists continue to behave like that, they could run into problems sooner or later...
As for Jones- we'll just have to see!
Jimbo- Well, remember that the Americans have got their own Civil War going on just now- they're in no position to fight other people's! Also, though bringing them in might look like a nice prospect for the Yankee liberals, think about what that means for Hispanic Republicans: they're simply convinced that once the Americans have crossed the border, they'll never go back the other way...
billy bob- Hehe well far be it from me to criticise other people's Spanish....
robou- Indeed one cannot help but be repelled, particularly because Diego had no reason to take it out on this poor guy. Don't forget William Morgan, we haven't heard the last of him by any means!
alex- All those who resort to tyranny tend to be self-destructive in the long term, perhaps Romulus Jones' erstwhile allies will find that out sooner or later... I wouldn't want to give it away!
Unrepentant One- I think, though the Republic is in poor shape to do it at present, this is a battle that they certainly have to fight for themselves. Northern border remains the same at the moment- civil war leaves little time for expansionism...
Depep212- Excellent to see one Don supporter hasn't been put off by that little display! And of course, you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs...
Andreios- I think that if the Republic is to stand a chance, it has to broaden its appeal, certainly: make itself look like a viable option to people like Morgan or indeed Jones, and it will get more support from them. At the moment, as we shall soon see, it is in no position to fight properly- with or without Alejandro or the Fourth Army...
Cinéad- Very probably so...
To all- Another short(er), history-book update. Narrative pieces are coming soon though- important ones!
The Prodigal Son And The Unsung Hero
Extract from “Independence to Empire, A New History of the Californian Republic” (By Chris Carmack and Michael Connor, Berkeley University Press, published 2007)
What was it about the story of the Morgan family that was to make them heroes of the Republican cause? The torture of prisoners by some parts of the Royalist army, particularly the troops under the command of Don Diego del Serrano, was a lamentably common occurrence- there was nothing to suggest that William Morgan ought to become a (still-living) martyr to his side. Nor was it rare for news of such events to reach the ears of the Republicans: word of mouth and indeed in some cases Royalist boasting took care of that. Perhaps, however, it was the remarkably coincidental identity of the two brothers that propelled them to this unfortunate fame: the sons of a Scottish immigrant couple, one a soldier, one a rancher, both staunch supporters of the Californio Party with a perfect voting record; the young men were models of what Poll and Lindemann needed if they were to turn their desperate situation around. Unfortunately for the President and his ally, there were precious few of these men about- and of the two that the evidently had, one was in a prison camp near Los Angeles and the other was just another colonel in the wavering Fourth Army. In any case, Poll and Lindemann were about to be ruthlessly marginalized.
On 15th January 1861, Juan Bautista Alvarado sailed into San Francisco Bay. Informed in advance that their first President was on his way, a sizeable crowd of panicky San Franciscans turned out to welcome him, and must have been a little disappointed. Expecting to see their Messiah return to them at the moment of truth, in full pomp, Alvarado arrived in a rather squalid, single-masted ship, with only a hired crew who refused to go ashore with him and two manservants. He did, however, manage to muster a few words of encouragement:
It was stirring stuff, and must have seemed very fine on that pale winter’s morning, but even lacking the benefit of hindsight it is hard to see exactly what substance these words had. The Republic's prodigal son would be, in all likelihood, too late.
The Royalist armies were closing in. To the south, along the coast, Monterey had thrown open its gates to the army of Don Tibalto himself, and, amid a day-long ringing of the cathedral’s bells, the would-be King entered his capital on January 9th. By the time of Alvarado’s arrival, Tibalto was on the move again and within a week he was encamped at Santa Cruz- within striking distance of the capital- where he waited for his followers to catch up again. To the immediate east of the capital, Don Diego and General Jones had completed their slash and burn march up the Central Valley, halting on the Tuolumne River at a spot that would later become the city of Modesto. Further east, Santa Anna’s troops halted on the Nevada-California divide, preparing to cover their allies’ rear in case any remnant of the Second Army managed to reform; something which was, in reality, utterly impractical. Much of what was left of General Stone’s ill-fated army had not even bothered to heed the call to rally at San Francisco- and was now either simply returning home, or attempting to get out of mainland California and escape the Royalists.
Here, at least, there did seem to be some hope for the Republican cause. Alaska and Hawaii, both highly mercantile ventures, had always been dominated by the liberal-minded Yankees, and the Californian authorities in both now reverted automatically to the control of the legitimate government. In Spanish-speaking Central America, however, the situation was more precarious, and the stakes high. The Royalists had always hoped for (and encouraged) a pro-Don uprising in these provinces, and initially this had looked possible. In Colombia, an aristocratic faction in the Third Army broke away and attempted to sieze control of the machinery of the colonial administration in Bogota, managing to dislodge the unsuspecting Californian Governor- Don Miguel Diaz- on December 29th. The revolt’s leader- Don Ricardo Angelo de la Guterra, sensed success and eagerly sent dispatches first to Don Tibalto, placing his men at “the King’s” disposal, and second to the Spanish Governor of Cuba, requesting support from the Dons’ nominal allies. Miguel Diaz, however, was significantly more composed than his superiors in San Francisco and, marching the ousted garrison of Bogota to join up with the battered Third Army, launched a counter-attack on January 5th. Five days later, the Colombian capital was back in Republican hands, and de la Guterra fled with what remained of his force towards the Carribean coast and an escape to Cuba. With the keystone of Californian Central America secured, the rest fell into place: the single Republican division in San Salvador put down a minor revolt (involving just 80 men), and that was that.
Diaz’ achievement is usually left as a footnote- a sideshow to the main events, and arguably this is fair enough considering the small size of events: de la Guterra’s force numbered just 700 men at its largest. But the repercussions of this brief Colombian episode were to be vital in the outcome of the war. It gave Hispanic Republicans, in the eyes of the Yankees, some credibility- something to point to as evidence for their loyalty to the government’s cause. Furthermore, when the situation on the Californian mainland went from bad to immeasurably worse, it offered not only a vastly increased pool of resources to the Republicans, but somewhere for the Hispanic Republicans themselves to lick their wounds- an Alaska or Hawaii of their own. Viewing the actions of Diaz in such a light, one cannot help but consider him one of the most unsung heroes in the history of the Californian Republic.
Don Miguel Diaz, Governor of Colombia (painted 1842- before he took up this post). In all probability, this largely unremembered man's impressive efforts prevented the utter collapse of the Californian Republic in 1861.
Extract from “Independence to Empire, A New History of the Californian Republic” (By Chris Carmack and Michael Connor, Berkeley University Press, published 2007)
What was it about the story of the Morgan family that was to make them heroes of the Republican cause? The torture of prisoners by some parts of the Royalist army, particularly the troops under the command of Don Diego del Serrano, was a lamentably common occurrence- there was nothing to suggest that William Morgan ought to become a (still-living) martyr to his side. Nor was it rare for news of such events to reach the ears of the Republicans: word of mouth and indeed in some cases Royalist boasting took care of that. Perhaps, however, it was the remarkably coincidental identity of the two brothers that propelled them to this unfortunate fame: the sons of a Scottish immigrant couple, one a soldier, one a rancher, both staunch supporters of the Californio Party with a perfect voting record; the young men were models of what Poll and Lindemann needed if they were to turn their desperate situation around. Unfortunately for the President and his ally, there were precious few of these men about- and of the two that the evidently had, one was in a prison camp near Los Angeles and the other was just another colonel in the wavering Fourth Army. In any case, Poll and Lindemann were about to be ruthlessly marginalized.
On 15th January 1861, Juan Bautista Alvarado sailed into San Francisco Bay. Informed in advance that their first President was on his way, a sizeable crowd of panicky San Franciscans turned out to welcome him, and must have been a little disappointed. Expecting to see their Messiah return to them at the moment of truth, in full pomp, Alvarado arrived in a rather squalid, single-masted ship, with only a hired crew who refused to go ashore with him and two manservants. He did, however, manage to muster a few words of encouragement:
“You have the faces of people who have cowed and broken, and I have heard of the woes you have faced. I tell you now, take heart! This is the turn of the tide!”
It was stirring stuff, and must have seemed very fine on that pale winter’s morning, but even lacking the benefit of hindsight it is hard to see exactly what substance these words had. The Republic's prodigal son would be, in all likelihood, too late.
The Royalist armies were closing in. To the south, along the coast, Monterey had thrown open its gates to the army of Don Tibalto himself, and, amid a day-long ringing of the cathedral’s bells, the would-be King entered his capital on January 9th. By the time of Alvarado’s arrival, Tibalto was on the move again and within a week he was encamped at Santa Cruz- within striking distance of the capital- where he waited for his followers to catch up again. To the immediate east of the capital, Don Diego and General Jones had completed their slash and burn march up the Central Valley, halting on the Tuolumne River at a spot that would later become the city of Modesto. Further east, Santa Anna’s troops halted on the Nevada-California divide, preparing to cover their allies’ rear in case any remnant of the Second Army managed to reform; something which was, in reality, utterly impractical. Much of what was left of General Stone’s ill-fated army had not even bothered to heed the call to rally at San Francisco- and was now either simply returning home, or attempting to get out of mainland California and escape the Royalists.
Here, at least, there did seem to be some hope for the Republican cause. Alaska and Hawaii, both highly mercantile ventures, had always been dominated by the liberal-minded Yankees, and the Californian authorities in both now reverted automatically to the control of the legitimate government. In Spanish-speaking Central America, however, the situation was more precarious, and the stakes high. The Royalists had always hoped for (and encouraged) a pro-Don uprising in these provinces, and initially this had looked possible. In Colombia, an aristocratic faction in the Third Army broke away and attempted to sieze control of the machinery of the colonial administration in Bogota, managing to dislodge the unsuspecting Californian Governor- Don Miguel Diaz- on December 29th. The revolt’s leader- Don Ricardo Angelo de la Guterra, sensed success and eagerly sent dispatches first to Don Tibalto, placing his men at “the King’s” disposal, and second to the Spanish Governor of Cuba, requesting support from the Dons’ nominal allies. Miguel Diaz, however, was significantly more composed than his superiors in San Francisco and, marching the ousted garrison of Bogota to join up with the battered Third Army, launched a counter-attack on January 5th. Five days later, the Colombian capital was back in Republican hands, and de la Guterra fled with what remained of his force towards the Carribean coast and an escape to Cuba. With the keystone of Californian Central America secured, the rest fell into place: the single Republican division in San Salvador put down a minor revolt (involving just 80 men), and that was that.
Diaz’ achievement is usually left as a footnote- a sideshow to the main events, and arguably this is fair enough considering the small size of events: de la Guterra’s force numbered just 700 men at its largest. But the repercussions of this brief Colombian episode were to be vital in the outcome of the war. It gave Hispanic Republicans, in the eyes of the Yankees, some credibility- something to point to as evidence for their loyalty to the government’s cause. Furthermore, when the situation on the Californian mainland went from bad to immeasurably worse, it offered not only a vastly increased pool of resources to the Republicans, but somewhere for the Hispanic Republicans themselves to lick their wounds- an Alaska or Hawaii of their own. Viewing the actions of Diaz in such a light, one cannot help but consider him one of the most unsung heroes in the history of the Californian Republic.
Don Miguel Diaz, Governor of Colombia (painted 1842- before he took up this post). In all probability, this largely unremembered man's impressive efforts prevented the utter collapse of the Californian Republic in 1861.
Yes! It's back! Looks like the Greater Californian colonial empire is holding up, at least.
Hmm , perhaps this might mean an independent Californian colony if the Monarchists gain control of the mainland .
Aww man, and I was really hoping the Monarchists would be able to pull off a hammer blow, but this will mean a likely extension of the war, and thus a greater degree of destruction..
Not good for the economy old boy
Not good for the economy old boy
Yay for Governor Diaz
So with a republican government in the colonies and a monarchical government in California proper, what's going to happen? The emergence of an independent Alaska, Colombia, El Salvador?
So with a republican government in the colonies and a monarchical government in California proper, what's going to happen? The emergence of an independent Alaska, Colombia, El Salvador?
Don Miguel Diaz? Hah, it seems to me all the people of consequence on both sides are all aristocrats
Damn Diaz, but perhaps, such an obvious talent might see that with the Republic Collapsing on the mainland, he could form a kind of USCA again. Im sure he would be a competent ruler. But at least San Fran is close to falling, they would need a miracle to halt the Royalists now.
Viva la Republic, Diaz for President...I think a strong showing at San Francisco is desperately needed, or perhaps a surprise attack ont he divided royalists..?
Ahh! Nice to see some of the action from the other theatres of the Civil War. Hopefully Diaz's efforts will not all be for nothing in the next few, hard years to come.
Maybe the Third Army can be transported to mainland California using the NAVY which is hopefully still in Republican hands
Maybe the Third Army can be transported to mainland California using the NAVY which is hopefully still in Republican hands
wah, much has happened in my absence...
Wow, viva La Republic!
I really hope that the Monarchy won't win, I'm for a totally new system!
hope it's not a French one, we don't want 5 Republics and 2 monarchies in just a hundred years...
Wow, viva La Republic!
I really hope that the Monarchy won't win, I'm for a totally new system!
hope it's not a French one, we don't want 5 Republics and 2 monarchies in just a hundred years...
Strategos' Risk- Indeed, the colonies are doing an awful lot better than the homeland- though at least that makes a revival more possible...
canonized- Well, yeah, if the Royalists keep winning at home the Republicans may have no choice other than to abscond to the colonies. The question is whether they could come back from there!
billy bob- Haha I admire your enthusiasm, I have to say! And yup, that's looking more and more likely by the minute.
English Patriot- Well, the hammer blow hasn't fallen yet, but it's not as if the Republicans have saved the situation: there's still the actual Royalist army to contend with, which might be a more tricky proposition than a few over-excited Dons in the colonies...
And the effect of the Civil War on the economy will be rather important- we'll talk about that later, though...
Cinéad- Well for the colonies to break away there'd have to be a very weak Republican presence in them, and, as more and more of them flee California proper, that gets less and less likely. A split between Royalists in the homeland and Republicans in the colonies could well happen, though...
alex- Yup, there are, and that will come to have important significance so don't lose sight of it! Of course, it's fairly unavoidable because so many of Californians of any consequence are Dons- not all are nutcases like Tibalto and Diego!
robou- Well it'll certainly take a miracle larger than Diaz has provided to save San Francisco, we'll just have to see if they can produce it in time!
Jimbo- Well we're just about to explore both those possibilities- so watch this space!
Andreios- Ah, the good old navy... They're still around and will be important in the not-too-distant future. Which side they'll join is a very good question... However, I think things are just too disorganised on the Republican side just now to allow for any coordination of that kind! Each bit of Californian territory is just looking out for itself!
Depep- We'll have to see!
billy bob- Thanks- we'll have to see if we can work it out!
gis- At this point, to be honest, it's looking as though the Royalists are likely to win at least in the short term! And as for the French system- we've already had a "First Republic", so we'll have to see!
To all- And here's an update! Not entirely sure how far it advances the plot- but it does set up certain points which are important to understand why certain people are such idiots- as it were...
canonized- Well, yeah, if the Royalists keep winning at home the Republicans may have no choice other than to abscond to the colonies. The question is whether they could come back from there!
billy bob- Haha I admire your enthusiasm, I have to say! And yup, that's looking more and more likely by the minute.
English Patriot- Well, the hammer blow hasn't fallen yet, but it's not as if the Republicans have saved the situation: there's still the actual Royalist army to contend with, which might be a more tricky proposition than a few over-excited Dons in the colonies...
And the effect of the Civil War on the economy will be rather important- we'll talk about that later, though...
Cinéad- Well for the colonies to break away there'd have to be a very weak Republican presence in them, and, as more and more of them flee California proper, that gets less and less likely. A split between Royalists in the homeland and Republicans in the colonies could well happen, though...
alex- Yup, there are, and that will come to have important significance so don't lose sight of it! Of course, it's fairly unavoidable because so many of Californians of any consequence are Dons- not all are nutcases like Tibalto and Diego!
robou- Well it'll certainly take a miracle larger than Diaz has provided to save San Francisco, we'll just have to see if they can produce it in time!
Jimbo- Well we're just about to explore both those possibilities- so watch this space!
Andreios- Ah, the good old navy... They're still around and will be important in the not-too-distant future. Which side they'll join is a very good question... However, I think things are just too disorganised on the Republican side just now to allow for any coordination of that kind! Each bit of Californian territory is just looking out for itself!
Depep- We'll have to see!
billy bob- Thanks- we'll have to see if we can work it out
!gis- At this point, to be honest, it's looking as though the Royalists are likely to win at least in the short term! And as for the French system- we've already had a "First Republic", so we'll have to see!
To all- And here's an update! Not entirely sure how far it advances the plot- but it does set up certain points which are important to understand why certain people are such idiots- as it were...
Friends And Foes
San Francisco, California, January 20th 1861
San Francisco had never been a well-fortified city. The approaches to the Californian capital had been designed for beauty, and for ease of access, but not to arrest the approach of an army. Its defences now were nothing more than hastily-constructed wooden barricades dotted about the roads heading into the Bay, with soldiers whose faces betrayed the reality that was hidden within each: not a shot had been heard, and yet already they were beaten men.
Towards one such stockade, the solitary figure of a weary horseman slowly trotted at an exhausted stagger. The face of the rider was dirtied, haggard and grim- but it at least did not seem so devoid of hope as those it approached.
A shout, audibly lacking in conviction, rang out from the soldiers. “¡Parada!” It echoed back from its target to the barricade, but the horse did not obey. It kept coming. “Señor! You are advancing on the positions of the Fourth Army of the Republic of California! Declare yourself, señor!” The horseman kept coming. “¿ Amigo o enemigo, señor?” They could see his face, his features clearly. He was staring at them blankly, almost disbelieving. “¡Parada!”
Another voice overruled the first. “General?” At last the horseman responded, his head turning sharply in the direction of the call. The voice called again, its owner running out in front of the barricade, his face disbelieving. “General del Serrano?”
“Colonel Hamann?” Came the reply at last, the dishevelled rider finally breaking his silence. He turned in the saddle and slid down off the horse, offering the man who had addressed him a hand which the other took and shook warmly. “Colonel Christian Hamann!” Said Don Alejandro, smiling for the first time in weeks.
Hamann turned to his comrades, waving a hand for them to lower their rifles, still held apprehensively high in the direction of the newcomer. “Enough, boys!” He barked. “Don Alejandro del Serrano,” he indicated the aristocrat with his thumb, “commander of the First Army, Hero of the Republic and a heap of other nonsense like that.” His men, nervous, exchanged quick glances in the hope of reassurance. “Oh, cheer up!” Continued Hamann. “This here’s what we call a real soldier!”
Don Alejandro laughed, but it didn’t last long as guilt at his moment of ease and memory of sorrow overwhelmed him. Moving to drown out his thoughts, he spoke. “So what in God’s name are you doing manning this…” he struggled for a word, considering the fortification with a wave of the hand, “this fence!”
Hamann laughed heartily. “Well, if only I knew…” He cast an eye warily back to his men, as though not sure whether they could cope with such damning testimony of their task. “The point of our mission,” he began again, putting on a show of confidence, “is to defend this road against the approach of the rebel army.”
“Rebel?” Inquired Alejandro with a frown.
“We’ve been led to believe, Your Excellency, that Don Tibalto Barja’s army will be prancing down towards us from thereabouts,” he pointed eastwards, inland, “any day now.”
“And this is going to stop them?” Don Alejandro cast an uncertain eye over the rickety wooden defences before him.
“This,” replied Hamann, with a sardonic grin that suggested he couldn’t quite believe what he himself was saying, “is just a precautionary measure. See, it is the view of the Emergency Government that the rebels are about to burn themselves out.” Alejandro gazed at him disbelievingly, but the colonel confirmed his fears. “Yes, altogether too much easy victory and lack of resistance- it can’t last, can it?”
“I don’t believe they think that.” Replied Alejandro darkly. “What idiot could seriously believe something like that?”
Juan Bautista Alvarado waved an imperious hand, commanding the other occupants of the room to silence. It was, quite consciously, the gesture of a great statesman at the peak of his powers. “Don Alejandro, I do not see quite where you have garnered the authority to speak like this- you just come galloping out of the mist and declare that we need to alter our plans.” There was a coldness in his voice when addressing Alejandro that the Don remembered from their last meetings. “There are reasons why we are acting as we are.”
“What reasons?” Demanded Alejandro. “What possible reasons?”
“Don Alejandro,” began Alvarado- his voice rising as though he knew that the moment for a great piece of oratory had come, “you have obviously failed to understand the nature of the threat we are facing. This is a very ferocious rebellion, one that manifests itself through energetic action and gestures of cruelty of which we have heard so much.” Here Alvarado’s gaze lingered on a thick-set soldier standing back from the table, before he continued. “However, it is also not a rebellion that can survive for long. The people’s inherent desire for liberty will shine through, and this rebellion will fail. Tyranny cannot be perpetuated, and it shall not be in this case. You accuse us of doing nothing, yet this is not the case. We are waiting, true, but this is not the same as idleness. Because what we are waiting for will be the decisive moment in the conclusion of this conflict: once the natural instinct of the people to struggle against tyranny is activated, once they learn that they have everything to lose in the event of a rebel victory, the situation for our enemies will become untenable. This is what we are waiting for: a simultaneous popular backlash against what it taking place in our country. A spontaneous manifestation of the will of the people.”
“Do you think that is likely?” Alejandro struggled to ask.
“It is not likely, Don Alejandro, it is a social and a moral certainty. It cannot be avoided.”
“But…” Alejandro stuttered. “But if we marched the Fourth Army out to fight a proper campaign, all military advantage would be on our side. We would prevent the enemy armies from uniting, so that we could destroy them individually, we would restore the confidence of parts of the army that have already lost faith, and we would eliminate the currently considerable risk of becoming trapped in San Francisco. We have everything to gain! And furthermore, I don’t see what we have to lose!”
“Then you are a fool!” Snapped Alvarado. “We cannot fight a war against these people- they are not a sovereign entity! This is a conflict that must be resolved by popular uprising: only then will it be the inclination of the people that has decided the outcome, and only then will they be galvanised in support of the Republic. We must not have a repeat of the last decade of our history- where the forces of tyranny have been allowed to gain ground so easily. We must demonstrate to the people that the result of making deals with these odious characters is always suffering and oppression, which is why it must be popular action that brings about the defeat of these rebels.”
“I think it would be wise to stop calling them ‘rebels’,” retorted Alejandro, “as they are already in possession of more of the country than the government holds.” He turned to the rest of the Emergency Cabinet, gathered around the table in the office that had once been, and was now again, Alvarado’s. “Caballeros, I assure you, I was at Santa Maria and I have seen the Royalist army- they must be confronted with military action, and it must be now!”
“Well, how predictable.” Snarled Alvarado. “Don Alejandro del Serrano advocates the swashbuckling solution- didn’t de la Vega’s demise teach you anything? These disputes, if resolved by one elite fighting against another, will cause only more disputes: there must be a popular movement, or the same corruption of the state that occurred after 1850 will occur again.”
“So that is it?” Retorted Alejandro. “You only desire the Republic’s survival if it is a Republic that will always elect you?”
“How dare you!” Growled Alvarado, his eyes narrowing. “I am trying to do what is best for this country!” Again, he drew himself up- self-consciously the great orator. “It is not I but you and your ilk who have brought the Republic to this disaster, I have merely been called to save it. You may accuse me of cowardice or of self-interest, but of the two of us, I am not the one who has helped to instigate a civil war! Just because I do not favour your opinion does not mean I am engaged in some kind of conspiracy! Has it ever occurred to you, Don Alejandro, that you might just be wrong? There are other men here who have agreed with my course of action- soldiers, and men who have suffered at the hands of your friends and relatives! Perhaps you would care to speak to them? Perhaps you would care to ask General Morgan what he thinks?”
The thick-set man who Alvarado had considered earlier looked up as Alejandro turned to stare at him. “General Morgan?” The Don repeated. “I beg your pardon, but when I heard that rumour you were only a colonel…”
“I was promoted.” Replied General Henry Morgan shortly, and without humour. His voice was low, his manner course and his expression aggressive. “And what President Alvarado says is right- I agreed with him. We can easily hold the capital from the south, and they cannot approach from the north and east because our guns can cover Oakland and Sausalito- they’ll never get close. Furthermore, I think there’s a grave risk involved in marching out to fight the rebels on open ground- particularly before our other forces have re-grouped. And, if I may say so, I don’t think having a Don encourage us to attack will sway the minds of many.”
“Excuse me, General?”
“I’ll say it in plain English, Don Alejandro: there’s no reason for us to trust you or anyone like you.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re a Don. By rights you should be on their side, and God knows why you’re not. Perhaps you are, who knows?”
Alejandro’s expression darkened. “General Morgan,” he replied quietly, “I understand the misfortune that has befallen you, and so I hope I know the origin of that remark. But let me assure you that you have no idea what you are talking about- and cannot begin to understand the matter which you are attempting to discuss.” His tone was so bitter that for a moment it seemed as if he might elicit a reaction- an apology even- from Henry Morgan, but instead the man finally shrugged.
“I have faith in President Alvarado’s abilities, Don Alejandro.” He said simply.
“Then-” Alejandro started, but Alvarado cut him off.
“Don Alejandro! If you wish to aid the Republic, then you will do as you are asked. The First Division of cavalry is your command, as befits your rank- though given your actions and your origins it is more than you deserve. Will you accept the commission?”
Alejandro’s head dropped, his desire to argue his case seemingly exhausted at last. “Si.”
“Bueno. Then we shall have no more arguing our course of action. We will hold the capital, and await the spontaneous manifestation of the people’s desire for liberty. Holding the city will be the beacon around which they may rally.”
“One more question?” Asked Alejandro, his tone utterly defeated. Alvarado waved a magnanimous hand, inviting him to speak. “What will we do if there is no spontaneous manifestation?”
“Don Alejandro, if the people are unwilling to stand up and claim their liberty, then they do not deserve to have it.” There was a pause. Henry Morgan nodded grimly. Alvarado finally spoke again: “Meeting adjourned, caballeros.”
San Francisco, California, January 20th 1861
San Francisco had never been a well-fortified city. The approaches to the Californian capital had been designed for beauty, and for ease of access, but not to arrest the approach of an army. Its defences now were nothing more than hastily-constructed wooden barricades dotted about the roads heading into the Bay, with soldiers whose faces betrayed the reality that was hidden within each: not a shot had been heard, and yet already they were beaten men.
Towards one such stockade, the solitary figure of a weary horseman slowly trotted at an exhausted stagger. The face of the rider was dirtied, haggard and grim- but it at least did not seem so devoid of hope as those it approached.
A shout, audibly lacking in conviction, rang out from the soldiers. “¡Parada!” It echoed back from its target to the barricade, but the horse did not obey. It kept coming. “Señor! You are advancing on the positions of the Fourth Army of the Republic of California! Declare yourself, señor!” The horseman kept coming. “¿ Amigo o enemigo, señor?” They could see his face, his features clearly. He was staring at them blankly, almost disbelieving. “¡Parada!”
Another voice overruled the first. “General?” At last the horseman responded, his head turning sharply in the direction of the call. The voice called again, its owner running out in front of the barricade, his face disbelieving. “General del Serrano?”
“Colonel Hamann?” Came the reply at last, the dishevelled rider finally breaking his silence. He turned in the saddle and slid down off the horse, offering the man who had addressed him a hand which the other took and shook warmly. “Colonel Christian Hamann!” Said Don Alejandro, smiling for the first time in weeks.
Hamann turned to his comrades, waving a hand for them to lower their rifles, still held apprehensively high in the direction of the newcomer. “Enough, boys!” He barked. “Don Alejandro del Serrano,” he indicated the aristocrat with his thumb, “commander of the First Army, Hero of the Republic and a heap of other nonsense like that.” His men, nervous, exchanged quick glances in the hope of reassurance. “Oh, cheer up!” Continued Hamann. “This here’s what we call a real soldier!”
Don Alejandro laughed, but it didn’t last long as guilt at his moment of ease and memory of sorrow overwhelmed him. Moving to drown out his thoughts, he spoke. “So what in God’s name are you doing manning this…” he struggled for a word, considering the fortification with a wave of the hand, “this fence!”
Hamann laughed heartily. “Well, if only I knew…” He cast an eye warily back to his men, as though not sure whether they could cope with such damning testimony of their task. “The point of our mission,” he began again, putting on a show of confidence, “is to defend this road against the approach of the rebel army.”
“Rebel?” Inquired Alejandro with a frown.
“We’ve been led to believe, Your Excellency, that Don Tibalto Barja’s army will be prancing down towards us from thereabouts,” he pointed eastwards, inland, “any day now.”
“And this is going to stop them?” Don Alejandro cast an uncertain eye over the rickety wooden defences before him.
“This,” replied Hamann, with a sardonic grin that suggested he couldn’t quite believe what he himself was saying, “is just a precautionary measure. See, it is the view of the Emergency Government that the rebels are about to burn themselves out.” Alejandro gazed at him disbelievingly, but the colonel confirmed his fears. “Yes, altogether too much easy victory and lack of resistance- it can’t last, can it?”
“I don’t believe they think that.” Replied Alejandro darkly. “What idiot could seriously believe something like that?”
***************
Juan Bautista Alvarado waved an imperious hand, commanding the other occupants of the room to silence. It was, quite consciously, the gesture of a great statesman at the peak of his powers. “Don Alejandro, I do not see quite where you have garnered the authority to speak like this- you just come galloping out of the mist and declare that we need to alter our plans.” There was a coldness in his voice when addressing Alejandro that the Don remembered from their last meetings. “There are reasons why we are acting as we are.”
“What reasons?” Demanded Alejandro. “What possible reasons?”
“Don Alejandro,” began Alvarado- his voice rising as though he knew that the moment for a great piece of oratory had come, “you have obviously failed to understand the nature of the threat we are facing. This is a very ferocious rebellion, one that manifests itself through energetic action and gestures of cruelty of which we have heard so much.” Here Alvarado’s gaze lingered on a thick-set soldier standing back from the table, before he continued. “However, it is also not a rebellion that can survive for long. The people’s inherent desire for liberty will shine through, and this rebellion will fail. Tyranny cannot be perpetuated, and it shall not be in this case. You accuse us of doing nothing, yet this is not the case. We are waiting, true, but this is not the same as idleness. Because what we are waiting for will be the decisive moment in the conclusion of this conflict: once the natural instinct of the people to struggle against tyranny is activated, once they learn that they have everything to lose in the event of a rebel victory, the situation for our enemies will become untenable. This is what we are waiting for: a simultaneous popular backlash against what it taking place in our country. A spontaneous manifestation of the will of the people.”
“Do you think that is likely?” Alejandro struggled to ask.
“It is not likely, Don Alejandro, it is a social and a moral certainty. It cannot be avoided.”
“But…” Alejandro stuttered. “But if we marched the Fourth Army out to fight a proper campaign, all military advantage would be on our side. We would prevent the enemy armies from uniting, so that we could destroy them individually, we would restore the confidence of parts of the army that have already lost faith, and we would eliminate the currently considerable risk of becoming trapped in San Francisco. We have everything to gain! And furthermore, I don’t see what we have to lose!”
“Then you are a fool!” Snapped Alvarado. “We cannot fight a war against these people- they are not a sovereign entity! This is a conflict that must be resolved by popular uprising: only then will it be the inclination of the people that has decided the outcome, and only then will they be galvanised in support of the Republic. We must not have a repeat of the last decade of our history- where the forces of tyranny have been allowed to gain ground so easily. We must demonstrate to the people that the result of making deals with these odious characters is always suffering and oppression, which is why it must be popular action that brings about the defeat of these rebels.”
“I think it would be wise to stop calling them ‘rebels’,” retorted Alejandro, “as they are already in possession of more of the country than the government holds.” He turned to the rest of the Emergency Cabinet, gathered around the table in the office that had once been, and was now again, Alvarado’s. “Caballeros, I assure you, I was at Santa Maria and I have seen the Royalist army- they must be confronted with military action, and it must be now!”
“Well, how predictable.” Snarled Alvarado. “Don Alejandro del Serrano advocates the swashbuckling solution- didn’t de la Vega’s demise teach you anything? These disputes, if resolved by one elite fighting against another, will cause only more disputes: there must be a popular movement, or the same corruption of the state that occurred after 1850 will occur again.”
“So that is it?” Retorted Alejandro. “You only desire the Republic’s survival if it is a Republic that will always elect you?”
“How dare you!” Growled Alvarado, his eyes narrowing. “I am trying to do what is best for this country!” Again, he drew himself up- self-consciously the great orator. “It is not I but you and your ilk who have brought the Republic to this disaster, I have merely been called to save it. You may accuse me of cowardice or of self-interest, but of the two of us, I am not the one who has helped to instigate a civil war! Just because I do not favour your opinion does not mean I am engaged in some kind of conspiracy! Has it ever occurred to you, Don Alejandro, that you might just be wrong? There are other men here who have agreed with my course of action- soldiers, and men who have suffered at the hands of your friends and relatives! Perhaps you would care to speak to them? Perhaps you would care to ask General Morgan what he thinks?”
The thick-set man who Alvarado had considered earlier looked up as Alejandro turned to stare at him. “General Morgan?” The Don repeated. “I beg your pardon, but when I heard that rumour you were only a colonel…”
“I was promoted.” Replied General Henry Morgan shortly, and without humour. His voice was low, his manner course and his expression aggressive. “And what President Alvarado says is right- I agreed with him. We can easily hold the capital from the south, and they cannot approach from the north and east because our guns can cover Oakland and Sausalito- they’ll never get close. Furthermore, I think there’s a grave risk involved in marching out to fight the rebels on open ground- particularly before our other forces have re-grouped. And, if I may say so, I don’t think having a Don encourage us to attack will sway the minds of many.”
“Excuse me, General?”
“I’ll say it in plain English, Don Alejandro: there’s no reason for us to trust you or anyone like you.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re a Don. By rights you should be on their side, and God knows why you’re not. Perhaps you are, who knows?”
Alejandro’s expression darkened. “General Morgan,” he replied quietly, “I understand the misfortune that has befallen you, and so I hope I know the origin of that remark. But let me assure you that you have no idea what you are talking about- and cannot begin to understand the matter which you are attempting to discuss.” His tone was so bitter that for a moment it seemed as if he might elicit a reaction- an apology even- from Henry Morgan, but instead the man finally shrugged.
“I have faith in President Alvarado’s abilities, Don Alejandro.” He said simply.
“Then-” Alejandro started, but Alvarado cut him off.
“Don Alejandro! If you wish to aid the Republic, then you will do as you are asked. The First Division of cavalry is your command, as befits your rank- though given your actions and your origins it is more than you deserve. Will you accept the commission?”
Alejandro’s head dropped, his desire to argue his case seemingly exhausted at last. “Si.”
“Bueno. Then we shall have no more arguing our course of action. We will hold the capital, and await the spontaneous manifestation of the people’s desire for liberty. Holding the city will be the beacon around which they may rally.”
“One more question?” Asked Alejandro, his tone utterly defeated. Alvarado waved a magnanimous hand, inviting him to speak. “What will we do if there is no spontaneous manifestation?”
“Don Alejandro, if the people are unwilling to stand up and claim their liberty, then they do not deserve to have it.” There was a pause. Henry Morgan nodded grimly. Alvarado finally spoke again: “Meeting adjourned, caballeros.”
An excellent update! I do feel quite sorry for Don Alejandro, he seems now to be out of place, in a conflict which is rapidly going against him, what seems worse is that the war seems to be divided by racial lines, Anglo's on one side, Don's on the other, Alejandro's position is turning out to be a real disadvantage, if the Republicans are going to pull something off (I hope they don't ) They'll need a united front..
) They'll need a united front..