The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1855 What is lost on one front is gained on another.

"Ridiculous! I have directives from the highest authorities in London! Are you plotting treason?"

William Rodden was equally defiant, slamming his fist on the table, spilling both cups of black tea.

"London is unaware of the situation on the battlefield! I am the Supreme Commander of the North American theater! I order you to leave 20,000 men behind, and the rest of the troops to immediately reinforce Harrisburg!"

Did you hear that?

Codrington, not to be outdone, slammed his fist on the table.

"impossible!"

"Are you going to disobey orders on the battlefield?!"

The atmosphere immediately became tense after these words were spoken. Codrington's men wanted to take the opportunity to arrest someone, but William Roden's men also joined in.

The mere presence of a single spark could escalate the situation beyond repair, a fact both sides were well aware of, which is why neither dared to take the first step.

In the end, it was Codrington who spoke first.

"let's go!"

After walking a distance, Codrington stopped and spoke.

"General William Roden, I'll reiterate the order from the North American High Command one last time: transfer your troops to General Ingram."

Otherwise, you will bear the consequences!

William Rodden, of course, was not to be outdone.

“Unless ordered by London, I will not agree to change the plan without authorization! General Codrington, you will be court-martialed for this!”

Codrington paused, but did not press the matter further, and quickly got into his carriage and left the camp.

A week later, the Battle of Pittsburgh began, with Richard DeLefed leading 150,000 American troops who suddenly appeared on the outskirts of Pittsburgh and launched a fierce attack.

"As you predicted, Commander-in-Chief. The British are completely unprepared, and I believe we will achieve victory soon."

Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Delacfield nodded in satisfaction. The result today was a fitting reward for all the time and effort he had invested.

DeLefed and his hundreds of staff officers prepared for this battle for more than two months, and their efforts finally paid off.

"Tell them not to let their guard down, to fight quickly and decisively, and not to worry about casualties; time is the key to victory!"

Get the artillery as close to the city as possible; we must instill fear in the British!

More than a hundred cannons roared in unison, and the makeshift fortifications erected around Pittsburgh collapsed in an instant.

Each shell was like a heavy hammer blow to everyone's heart, and dust was constantly falling from the ceiling of the British headquarters in Pittsburgh.

"How come the Americans' cannons are so powerful?"

In fact, the British commander in the city had known about the American operation for a long time. Although he did not want to alert the enemy, he still made some arrangements.

However, these defensive facilities were torn apart by the US military in an instant, especially since the US military had so many heavy artillery pieces.

According to British intelligence, the US military should not have the capability to produce large-caliber siege artillery, and the few they did have were all deployed in ports.

But the commotion right now doesn't seem like the kind of noise that ordinary field artillery could make.

"The Americans are too close! If they keep bombarding us like this, the morale of our soldiers will collapse."

In reality, Pittsburgh was experiencing an unprecedented catastrophe, with numerous buildings collapsing under continuous heavy artillery bombardment.

Some panicked civilians tried to flee the city, but most died in the chaos. After all, the British army could not determine whether these people running around were American spies, and the most reasonable and efficient way was to kill them directly.

The cannons roared, and the river rippled. But the ripples soon became chaotic as the British troops inside the city launched a counterattack.

A large number of old-fashioned cannons fired grapeshot, which should have been fired at sea, sending baseball-sized iron balls flying toward the charging American troops.

In an instant, the sounds of flesh, bones, gun butts, and flagpoles shattering filled the air, creating a small patch of hell in a single moment.

But this was only the beginning; a deluge of artillery shells turned the battlefield into a living hell. Some tried to escape this hell, but it was all in vain.

Neither side's commandos were to be trifled with; anyone attempting to escape was immediately killed. A suffocating scene unfolded both inside and outside the city, with white smoke, a symbol of death, rising from around Pittsburgh.

Delacfield was clearly caught off guard by the British counterattack. He had always felt that once the shelling stopped, the enemy should send someone to negotiate, at which point he would righteously refute them.

But now he was met with British artillery fire, and the front line was completely shrouded in smoke. It would be difficult to determine the victor for a while.

"Tell the second team to prepare to attack. Today we will decide the victor!"

Delafield roared, and the generals and staff on horseback burst into applause, clearly encouraged.

However, the soldiers on the front lines were dying numbly, and whether they were British or American, junior officers or soldiers, they were all equal at this time.

The shadow of death loomed over the battlefield, and the massive scythe was rapidly reaping lives.

However, the American troops attacking the city suffered greater losses, and their tactics were more primitive. Their once invincible formations now seemed somewhat foolish.

On the battlefield, stupidity and arrogance come at a price, and at this time, the American casualties were far greater than those of the British.

DeLefed and the generals' confidence did not extend to the ordinary American soldiers. The most rigorously trained soldiers at the front could hold out for a while, but the new recruits behind them could not withstand the pressure.

The retreating troops were growing larger and larger, and the supervising teams were overwhelmed. Just then, the British used their long-prepared Congreve rockets, and the scattering rockets created utter chaos on the battlefield.

This also shattered the remaining courage of the US military, and DeLefed slammed the binoculars to the ground.

"Useless! A bunch of cowards! Tell them to get back!"

"Commander, let's hold off for a bit. It's getting dark, and we've suffered heavy casualties."

"How stupid! If we don't take it now, the casualties will be even greater tomorrow!"

Delacfield was right, but this wasn't a classroom, and his words were meaningless. Collapsed morale couldn't be restored by Delacfield's few words, especially since he might not even have the courage to go to the front lines.

The British troops inside the city were also in a bad situation. These Congreve rockets were originally intended for use in the final counterattack, but the first few waves of American offensives were too fierce, and the front-line commanders directly took out their most treasured weapons.

The difference between frontline commanders and those in rear command is stark. Officers in command might complain about dust on their coffee or cakes, but frontline commanders truly feel the earth trembling, their blood boiling, the deafening roar of artillery, and the shockwaves that seem to tear the air apart.

"I don't care what your reasons are! These rockets are needed for the counterattack! I won't allow you to waste them!"

The next day, as always, the fighting between the two sides almost stained the river red. The battlefield was filled with smoke, and the uncollected corpses had begun to stink.

On the fourth day, De Lafield looked very bad, because time was ticking away and the efficiency of the attack was declining. There was progress, but not much.

He knew he couldn't keep dragging this on.

"Go all out on the reserves today! We must take Pittsburgh today!"

On the other hand, William Rodden wiped the dust off his face. He had to admit that the American troops in Washington were a tough nut to crack, but if he had just a few more days, he was sure he could take the city.

Inside the White House, Franklin Pierce was like a cat on a hot tin roof, vowing to one day cover the entire United States with telegraphs and hide the telegraph lines underground.

At this time, Washington, who was under siege by the British army, had completely lost contact with the outside world, and he did not even know how many British troops there were.

At this point, President Pierce only knew that he had more than 30,000 troops at his disposal and enough food to last for two years. In theory, holding out was not a problem, and there was even a possibility of another Harrisburg victory.

The problem is that people in the city are in a state of panic, and many within the government want to surrender.

The reason is simple: the British army had already reached Washington, so the front line must have fallen, and perhaps more than a million American troops had been wiped out.

Most politicians in Washington don't understand military affairs, and many are opportunists who would love to surrender immediately to secure a good position in the new government.

However, Lincoln's arch-enemy, Jefferson Hamilton Davis, was a military man, and he was certain that the British army in front of him was an isolated force that would be wiped out as soon as reinforcements arrived.

The claim that the US military has suffered a complete defeat is utter nonsense; even if the British army had more than a million pigs, they couldn't have eaten them all in a month or two.

"Mr. President, Delafield is launching an attack on the British forces, which are very likely a lone force sent by the British in retaliation."

"We just need to wait for reinforcements to arrive, and with a coordinated attack from within and without, we can easily take them down."

Davis offered his assessment, but Franklin Pierce seemed somewhat shaken.

"But when will our reinforcements arrive? And how can we be sure they're all safe? The telegrams have been cut off, and we can't contact anyone right now."

"If we haven't received any news, then everything is fine. Reinforcements should be on their way. We should get news in a few days."

Davis noticed Pierce's unease and immediately came up with a solution.

"Mr. President, there are actually safe passageways within the city that lead directly out of the city. If an accident does occur, I will arrange for someone to escort you and other high-ranking government officials out of Washington."

You can then go to Richmond to continue commanding the overall situation.

Upon hearing Davis's words, Pierce immediately relaxed and a smile returned to his face.

"That's good! America will not yield!"

Lincoln and the others felt their faces burning, but they couldn't say anything, since at least the other side hadn't chosen to surrender.

But the cost of losing the capital again seems too heavy, and shouldn't this be Richard Delafield's attacking turn?

How did the British manage to reach Washington first?

Davis didn't have many thoughts on this. There were hundreds of thousands of American troops around Washington, and this British force most likely slipped in during the lull in the Battle of Pittsburgh.

Even if the British army had planned this all along, it still had to withstand pressure from the American forces on multiple fronts, and its rearguard might have already been wiped out by then.

Once the main force surrounds them, this British army will be completely wiped out.

The most pressing issue now is to appease the speculators and cowards in the city.

"Mr. President, in order to stabilize the situation, I propose that those pro-British elements and traitors who are spreading rumors and undermining morale be arrested immediately."

Davis's suggestion was somewhat of an attempt to eliminate dissidents, but Franklin Pierce knew that now was not the time to dwell on that.

If the British were to invade, he, as president, would not even have a chance to live a decent life.

"General Davis, the safety of Washington is in your hands."

Davis himself had limited military skills, but the generals he relied on, especially Brixton Bragg, were also typical examples of incompetent generals.

While Bricston Prague lacked the ability to coordinate the overall situation, he was still competent as a garrison commander for a single city or region.

Brixton Bragg was an artillery expert, known for his extremely low emotional intelligence. But such a person would be extremely difficult to deal with as a garrison commander, because his rigid and methodical style makes it hard to find a good breakthrough.

William Rodden was extremely frustrated at this point. He really didn't know where the Americans had found so many generals who only knew how to hold their ground.

Brixton Bragg is not difficult to deal with, but it is unlikely that this cowardly creature can be taken down in a short time.

Furthermore, Davis's prediction was quite accurate: William Rodden's rearguard was under heavy attack from the American forces.

Robert E. Lee immediately organized an attack on William Rhoden, which resulted in the reduction of Rhoden's raiding force by half.

Even so, the British rearguard could not hold out for long, because Codrington did not launch a feint attack on Harrisburg, so the American forces could concentrate their forces to eliminate William Roden's rearguard.

In reality, due to Codrington's large-scale mobilization, the British army could only adopt a defensive posture. William Rodden could mobilize more than 60,000 troops, while he had to face a full-scale attack from nearly 500,000 American troops along the Philadelphia-Harrisburg line and around Washington.

At the Pittsburgh battlefield, Codrington also tightened his defenses, as nearly 200,000 British troops came from both sides to encircle him.

When the mournful sound of Scottish bagpipes filled the air, it was too late for Delafield to retreat.

To be honest, he didn't expect the main British force to appear in Pittsburgh. In his mind, the British should have dealt with Robert E. Lee, who was in Harrisburg, first.

DeLefed specifically reinforced Harrisburg and gave Robert E. Lee a feint attack order before he dared to concentrate his forces to attack Pittsburgh.

But it now appears that the British troops were completely unaffected by his smoke bombs, and without much thought, Delacfield chose to flee.

More than a hundred regiments of American troops were leaderless. They didn't know what to do next. All they knew was that there were enemy troops everywhere and their own people everywhere.

As a result, the more than one hundred American regiments fought independently. Some chose to break out, some chose to continue the attack, some chose to flee in disarray, and some chose to wait for death on the spot.

But it seems that no matter what he does, there is always a reason, and yet no matter what he does, it is all meaningless.

The Stars and Stripes fell to the ground, was trampled upon, stained with blood, then picked up again, only to be discarded once more.
On the other hand, William Roden, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of American troops, ordered his soldiers to surrender to the Americans, then shot himself, his blood staining the flag of the British Empire.
(End of this chapter)