The Clash of Titans: The Anglo-American War and Beyond

By Raymond Smith, published in Timstown, Jefferson

"... When Britain declared war on the United States on September 5th of 1832, the clash between the two titans was inevitable. The war caught the American government (and even the British government) by surprise, but by no means was it totally unexpected. The two sides had been competing against one another for decades and it was only a matter of time before matters escalated into war. Even so, after reviewing historical evidence, it was clear that the United States was reluctant to go to war with the world's most premier naval power, and it was hardly surprising. While the young republic had made great strides to improve its military up until the eve of the war, its navy was still sorely outnumbered by the enormous and well-trained Royal Navy. Immediately after the declaration of war, Britain committed nearly half of its total ships to defeat the United States and they were more than enough to fight the eighty-five ships that were part of the United States Navy...

King George IV was the primary driver for the war between the two Anglo nations, as evidenced by the journals and historical accounts of various members of the British Cabinet at the time (including the Duke of Wellington, who served as the Prime Minister during the time period after achieving a modicum of success during the Second Coalition War and playing an important role in the subjugation of Mysore). His insistence that the British government seized upon the public's outcry after the?Oregon Incident?eventually led to the British Cabinet capitulating to his demands and declaring war. However, before they pushed Parliament to vote on the matter, they managed to successfully convince the aging king (King George was seventy at the time) to delay the declaration of war until British forces were in position to end the war in a single, swift stroke. The Duke of Wellington and his ministers knew that it was crucial to end the war as quickly as possible, as they desired to avoid a drawn-out conflict against the United States. In their views, a long war with America would drain British finances quickly (which was finally doing well after the Despard Plot and the Second Coalition War). Not only that, but a prolonged war would open an opportunity for France to carry out her ambitions on the European Continent. While relations between Great Britain and the Second French Republic were cordial, Britain was not blind to the fact that France was now the premier continental power. If Britain turned her eyes elsewhere for some time, then it was highly likely that France would attempt to expand her influence throughout Europe (this fear was only confirmed after France's extensive involvement in the 1840s Revolutions, which saw the fall of the Spanish monarchy and the establishment of the Italian Confederation). Therefore, the Wellington government saw a quick victory with the goal being to capture Iceland, Bermuda, Singapore, and South Africa. There was a justification for each of these protectorates. Chiefly, the British government (rightfully) assumed that these protectorates were indefensible by the American military units and the Royal Navy, which significantly outnumbered the American Navy, had the ability to cut off these overseas American territories from the Continental United States (Greenland was ignored for its insignificant value and its lack of a large military presence). And Britain was not alone in their war effort against the United States...

The sun of the Spanish Empire was setting by the year 1830. They had lost their entire empire in the Americas with the exception of Cuba and a few Caribbean islands. In the views of the Spanish government, there was only one excuse for the rapid decline of Spain's position in the Americas: the United States. It was the U.S. that supplied many of the rebels in the Spanish colonies and stepped into protecting the independence of the Latin American nations. Spain believed that without America's constant interference, then it would have been able to completely quash the revolutionary sentiments of the colonies before it became widespread (there have been doubts about this theory, but America's part in the Latin American revolutions has been acknowledged by most historians). While Spain had lost the Americas, it gained several important lessons in anti-partisan activities, a sizeable army that consisted of hardened veterans and brilliant officers, and a bitter leadership that wanted to put the Americans back in their place. Therefore, it was no surprise that Great Britain approached Spain with an offer of a joint coalition against the "American threat." The Duke of Wellington played off the Spanish brilliantly, promising British aid and support for the "restoration" of the Spanish Empire in the Americas and elsewhere. In fact, under the conditions of the temporary alliance, Spain would also gain South Africa, a valuable colony that could serve as a waypoint between Spain and the Philippines. Not to mention, gold and valuable gems had been discovered in the African colony shortly before the war began, which meant that the territory offered some economic value. While Spain's finances were unstable at best, it saw a golden opportunity to not only strike back against their hated enemy but to also restore at least a few parts of their former empire. Therefore, it was hardly surprising that Spanish Prime Minister Francisco Tadeo Calomarde y Arria (who was indispensable to King Ferdinand in his efforts to destroy the Liberal Movement in Catalonia and elsewhere during the Liberal Uprising of 1809) decided to ally Spain with Britain for the war. This was with King Ferdinand's blessing, as he sought to "crush the republican upstarts" that caused him headaches during his reign...

By the time the declaration of war was delivered to the White House by the British ambassador (who promptly returned to Britain after the message was delivered), the British and Spanish were already on the move. On September 15th of 1832, a flotilla consisting of thirty ships of the Royal Navy struck Iceland with the Royal Marines. While Iceland usually lacked a large naval presence, an American fleet (consisting of fourteen ships) was around Iceland for a standard patrol at the time. On the island itself was a garrison of a thousand Marines (which was part of the Second Marine Division, a garrison division that was spread out across the American protectorates throughout the world). When the British struck, they had the element of surprise and numbers on their side. The declaration of war had not yet been sent to Iceland (with the British promptly blocking any ships from sending a warning to the island protectorate) and when the attack came, they were caught completely off guard. While the American ships boasted a fairly significant number of technology improvements (rifled cannons, durable hulls made with white oak, and a few ships outfitted with steam engines), they were vastly overshadowed by the experience and training of the Royal Navy. The British lacked some of the technologies that the Americans enjoyed, but they were seasoned and held a naval tradition that spanned centuries. Additionally, the American fleet was outnumbered 2:1, which led to expectant results. The American fleet put up a valiant defense against a superior foe but was ultimately defeated in a span of several hours. By the end of the Battle of Heimaey, the United States lost nine ships, with an additional two ships captured. The remaining three, suffering from varying amounts of damage, limped back to the United States using another ship as a decoy (which was one of the captured ships). On one of the remaining three ships was Admiral Reynold John Jones, who would go onto become one of the most decorated American naval officers. On the flip side, the British had lost merely three ships and were nearly at full-strength when they descended upon Iceland. The local garrison, knowing that the local population would be reluctant to fight a superior force and wanting to avoid a destructive battle on the island, chose to quietly surrender after the Royal Navy started shelling Reykjavik (it is important to note that a few refused to surrender and decided to resist in the countryside, gathering information whenever they could and sabotaging British efforts on Iceland to no avail). In one move, the British had crippled nearly a tenth of the United States Navy, captured nearly a thousand Marines, and seized one of their objectives.

Once people in Britain received the news, the public was overjoyed. They had finally given the "bloody Yankees" a black eye and they hungered for more.?The Times?captured the British sentiment perfectly as they reported on the Battle of Heimaey and the fall of Iceland on September 27th, "the Yankees are nothing but a pack of weak, mad dogs barking into oblivion. Soon, we shall put them in their place." Indeed, the British populace was convinced that the war would be over before they knew it, and the United States would be forced to retreat back to the North American continent. As the successes began to pile up in the early days of the war, this "victory fever" became even more evident, especially after Portugual joined in on the war (after pressure from London) and invaded America's ally Argentina with Brazil and the Federal League...

On September 30th, the United States finally received the news about the declaration of war and shortly afterward, the disaster at Iceland. This sparked an outcry from the American people for varying reasons. Some were enraged at the fact that the British attacked the United States with little warning and captured Iceland before the declaration of war was even delivered. Others were reluctant to enter a war with Great Britain and saw the war as a mess created by the Peters administration, as the administration "failed" to engage in diplomacy with the British and prevent the war. In fact, many wanted to negotiate a settled peace with Great Britain almost immediately, as they were aware that the United States would be unable to challenge Britain at sea, which would only lead to America losing all her territories elsewhere. This view was only reinforced after Spain entered the fray, prompting many to believe that the war was?already?lost. While the public was confident in America's power at home, they were not blind to the fact that the British and Spanish navies outnumbered the American Navy significantly. Not only that, but America had no ways to "win" the war, as Europe was now out of America's reach due to the capture of Iceland and the Caribbean was soon to be swarming with hostile ships. Unsurprisingly, the coastal areas were especially against the war, as they knew that they were the most vulnerable (as the British promptly displayed during the Revolutionary War). President Peters promptly went to the public and informed the public that he had made every attempt to reach a peaceful resolution to the Oregon Incident, but the British refused and declared war instead (this much was true, as President Peters was just as confused at the sudden declaration of war like the rest of his Cabinet and the American public). In a speech to the American people, he asked for the United States to stand together against its efforts against the European powers and to prosecute the war until an "honorable peace" could be achieved. He also reassured the nation that ARPA and the United States Military would do everything they could to "protect the United States and all her citizens with new weapons and defenses." Ultimately, Congress declared war on Great Britain and Spain. The House voted in favor of the war by a vote of 167-77-5, while the Senate did as well (56-9-1). Immediately after war was declared by Congress, it passed the Military Reinforcement Act of 1832, which called for an expansion of the United States Military in total. The standing army of the United States at the time was 80,000 (totaling at five divisions), while the Marines numbered at 30,000. The Act called for the Army to double in size (to 160,000) and for the Marines to add another division to its ranks (to 45,000). The United States Navy (which numbered at seventy-one ships after the Battle of Heimaey, along with three heavily damaged ships) was to be expanded upon as much as possible, with no set limit to the number of ships to be built. Additionally, the Act called for America's industrial centers to be moved inland to avoid bombardment by enemy fleets and for Quebec to expand its dockyards and ports to pump-out ships for the Navy...

Being fully aware that invading the Caribbean was potential suicide (indeed, evacuation efforts began as quickly as possible, but the British and Spanish were ready to intercept such an effort), the top brass of the American military decided to look westward and expand into the territory that started this war in the first place. Indeed, this turned out to be the correct call for the short term as the United States Navy was soundly defeated in the Battle of the Cayman Islands and the Battle of Crown Haven (losing a total of twenty-one ships in the process). Ultimately, the evacuation of the Caribbean failed and nearly five thousand Marines (spread out between Jamaica and Haiti) were cut off from any form of aid and supplies. This only continued elsewhere, such as Singapore (which contained a single Marine regiment) and South Africa (which held five thousand Army soldiers, along with a thousand Marines). While the military personnel in all these places resisted initial invasion attempts (except for the Marines in Singapore, who evacuated to Lanfang and managed to smuggle themselves into Mexico), most of them eventually fell within a year. The only places that managed to resist in some way or form were the military units in South Africa (which evacuated to the interior with the help of the Zulus and Xhosas after holding Fort Hope against a Spanish invasion for nearly two months) and Jamaica (like the Fete Maroons, the Marines on Jamaica evacuated into the northwestern counties of Jamaica and fought against the British occupiers from there, along with hundreds of the local population). Haiti was not attacked until December 9th of 1832, but it was only able to resist for a month before surrendering due to British/Spanish bombardments and the French Empire(which allied itself with Britain in early November and promptly carried out an invasion of America's ally in the Caribbean)...

Out in the west, the war slowed to a slow slog between the two sides after a brief surge of American victories near the Californian-Oregon border. America enjoyed a numerical advantage in the area, despite the fact that half of its Army and Marines were busy training new recruits and shaping up the American Military. Nearly forty thousand American soldiers and five thousand militiamen, along with five thousand soldiers from allied nations (every single member of the League of American Nations promptly followed through with a declaration of war after America was attacked, as they feared that they were next if America lost) fought in the "Western Front" by the end of 1832. However, they were unable to make a decisive push into British North America for several reasons. The terrain in the area was heavily forested and mountainous, which made offensives incredibly difficult. Not only that, but the British managed to reinforce the Oregon Territory with several thousand Australian units, along with numerous Hawaiian warriors (that were effectively bribed and coerced to participate in the war, after Britain's political takeover of Hawaii in 1819). Both the Australians and the Hawaiians were well-versed in fighting in rough terrain and were fierce fighters, which caused the American push into the territory to stall. In addition to all this, several Native American tribes sided with Britain, and several more that were thought to be friendly to the United States revolted in western Lakota and elsewhere. Within months, the fight in Oregon devolved into a complicated mess that prevented the United States from utilizing its superior weaponry to its full advantage. There were no "big, decisive battles" in the region. Instead, with both nations at the end of their supply lanes, the Western Front devolved into a game of skirmishes, ambushes, and traps...

When 1832 ended, America was on the retreat. Iceland had fallen. Jamaica and Haiti were under occupation. The coastal areas of South Africa were under attack by fierce Spanish and British assaults. Singapore was next on the chopping block. The American Navy was in full retreat, protected only by naval mines that were churned out by ARPA just before the beginning of the war. Bermuda was under siege. And the Oregon Territory was turning into a bloody mess for both sides.

However, the United States was not out of the fight, or at least, President Peters was insistent that America remained in the fight. The war was far from over, and the first African American president was motivated to prevent a complete American defeat. Any attempts made by the British to open up diplomatic dialogue were outright ignored by the American government. He, along with Congress, funneled money into ARPA to develop new technologies to turn the tide of the war and ARPA obliged by beginning the construction of a game-changing weapon that would change the fate of naval warfare forever...

It was unfortunate that this project, dubbed "Project Monitor," was discovered by the British government through a traitor in America's midst..."