Chapter 451: , 2 light

After the British fleet set up its position, it first attacked the American fort near Savannah.
The Americans built a fort near Savannah, but this fort is quite old, and the artillery on it is not up to date. The 76mm front-mounted rifled gun is still used on it. Of course, this is not mainly due to the rapid development of artillery over the years. You know, just a few years ago, these artillery pieces were already very advanced weapons.
The soldiers of the British Army landed on a beach near the fort, and then began to attack the fort. At the same time, the navy's warships began to shell the battery to cover the army's offensive operations.
Most of the state soldiers in Georgia were transferred to the north to fight the Canadians, and the number of troops on the fort was seriously insufficient. In fact, not only was the number of people insufficient, but even when the number of guns was not enough, the state soldiers of Georgia dragged away some of the smaller artillery from the battery.
In addition, today was originally a weekend, and many soldiers and officers were not on the fort. So the British took the fort with little effort. Then the British ship followed the channel and sailed directly into the port.
The British transport ship docked directly at the port pier, and then British Army soldiers armed with bayonets boarded the pier.
Among them, a few Georgian soldiers tried to resist, but the British warships immediately fired their guns at close range, which really shattered their resistance.
The brigade of British troops landed ashore and quickly rushed along the street into the city. There were some gunshots in the city from time to time, and it quickly subsided. By about three o'clock in the afternoon, the British army had taken control of the entire city with a successful raid.
The British then naturally adopted a "grab all policy". The British seized all the warehouses in the city and searched the various items in them. Everything that is useful is loaded on the ship. As for those merchant ships in the port, they are directly "requisitioned" if they are in good condition. As for the undesirable, it will not be wasted. The British took advantage of their temporary expropriation of American labor to demolish many buildings in the city. Then put the dismantled bricks and everything on these ships.
The Brits stayed in Savannah for three days and roughly grabbed everything they could grab. At this time, more than 10,000 state soldiers temporarily recruited by Georgia began to gradually approach Savannah.
General Arthur Wellesley used these days to prepare a simple version of Joseph's defense outside the city. Then the Americans slammed their heads up and battered their heads.
So Georgia issued a general mobilization order, ordering all men over the age of fifteen and under sixty in the state to carry their own weapons and report to the country to prepare to fight the British aggression.
Neither General Nelson nor General Arthur Wellesley actually went hundreds of kilometers inland to burn Atlanta. This city, if possible, is better left to the Americans to burn themselves. However, considering that in this world line, the development direction of the United States has been completely different from the original history. It is estimated that Atlanta has mostly escaped the devastating fire.
Four days later, the British basically completed the plunder of Savannah. So they drove all the Americans out of the city, and began the second step of the plan to "burn out." After driving out all the residents of the city, the British lit up dozens of fire spots in the city in one breath, and the whole city quickly burned.
At this time, most of the British ships, including the ships they confiscated, also left the port. The cavalry who set fire got on the last few transport ships, and then the transport ships also left the port. When the last transport ships left the port, the British People then drove those that were filled with bricks and stones and were not in good condition to some important positions in the port, then anchored them, and then used a small time bomb to blast through the bottom of the ship and let these ships sink in the channel. In the most critical position, it has become an artificial reef.
After these ships sank, the British sent out small boats, dropped some mines in the harbor and the channel, and then left the burning Savannah contentedly.
No, the British are not completely satisfied. Because the French have been watching nearby, they have to be more disciplined when doing things. For example, they first expelled the citizens from the city, and then set fire to the city. According to the original plan, in short, the "three-lights policy" has become a "two-lights policy", which is one-third less, which is really uncomfortable.
The news that the British captured Savannah quickly spread throughout the United States through the cable telegraph system. This news of course also reached the front lines in Cleveland. So the U.S. forces surrounding Cleveland suddenly panicked.
The Legion from Georgia strongly demanded that they either immediately launch a general offensive against Cleveland and retake Cleveland quickly and decisively, and then go back to defend their hometown immediately; or simply stop the siege of Cleveland and ask them to rush back to defend Georgia. The occupation of Cleveland by the Canadians is certainly infuriating, but for the Georgian Army, Savannah is a hundred times more important than Cleveland, just as Georgia is a hundred times more important than Ohio.
Not only Georgia, the state soldiers of all the coastal states are panicked. Since the British fleet can attack Georgia, they can also attack South Carolina, then North Carolina, then Virginia, then Maryland and Delaware, and then ...Everyone could be attacked all the way to Massachusetts.
A few days later, when the British burned Savannah and continued northward, the American troops besieging Cleveland became more and more panicked. Everyone is saying that the British slaughtered in Savannah. They killed all the people in the city like Genghis Khan. Then they set fire to the entire city. It is said that the fire has not burned for several days. Disappeared, and the entire Savannah could not find a house that could continue to stand.
The news not only caused a stir among the soldiers in Georgia, but also the soldiers in South Carolina and North Carolina panicked because they were in the north of Georgia. And now the British fleet has begun to go north, and their city is the next goal of the British.
Therefore, the requirements of the Georgian Army are the requirements of all state soldiers. And such a request, even President Jefferson cannot ignore it. To be honest, the American president of this era has a much lower domestic political status than later generations. In future generations, even if you know the king, there are a thousand ways to get those governors to obediently send money to his son-in-law. But in this era, he can do nothing about the state soldiers and the governors of the states. If a Georgian shouted "Georgia first" and then left with the army, he would have no way.
So President Jefferson personally rushed to the front in Cleveland to talk to the commander of the U.S. Army outside Cleveland and also the commander of the Tennessee State Army General Andrew Jackson, and Colonel Seville, the general counsel of the French advisory group, to listen to their opinions.
"In today's situation, we have lost the sea dominance of the coast, and we can only switch to a comprehensive defense." Colonel Sevigz said, "Unfortunately, the United States could not build a railroad along the coast. The defense of the sea is much more convenient.
As for the president, you asked me if I could retake Cleveland with a general offense. Mr. President, I have to say that this is impossible. It is beyond the capabilities of our military. Mr. President, the British defense in Cleveland is a typical ‘Joseph’s defense’. To quickly break through such a defense, even the French team would have to pay a surprisingly huge price. I don't mean to look down on the US Army here, but the training and equipment level of the French Army exceeds that of the US Army. If Mr. President must want to solve Cleveland’s problem quickly, then after solving this problem, you will never have enough troops to strengthen coastal defenses. "
"Then General Jackson, what do you think of this question?" President Jefferson asked again.
"Direct attack is impossible," General Andrew Jackson replied. Although his character is brave and brave, after these days of fighting, he also understands that if he rushes to "Joseph's defense", it is simply seeking death.
"But Mr. President~EbookFREE.me~ We would also be very dangerous to retreat. If the enemy takes advantage of the counterattack, our army’s retreat will also be very troublesome. But this is also an opportunity. In fact, we can use this opportunity. Make a retreat, then set a trap, and then the British who come out to chase suffer a loss. Then we can retreat safely." General Andrew Jackson added.
"But it also takes time. In fact, it takes time for the soldiers to rush back. The damage to our coastal cities is probably inevitable. In addition, President, I suggest that you should order as quickly as possible. Some mines are used for port defense. Maybe the cities in the south are too late, but some ports in the north, especially those inside the Chesapeake Bay, if we move fast enough and rely on mines, we can protect them." Colonel Severe also suggested.
The Chesapeake Bay is a bay where the Atlantic Ocean extends into the American continent from south to north. The bay is 311 kilometers (193 miles) long and 5-40 kilometers (3-25 miles) wide, making it the largest bay in the United States. Many important cities in the United States, such as the capital Washington, and important port Baltimore, are here. The entrance of the bay is less than 20 kilometers wide, and the narrowest section in the middle is only about six kilometers. Among them, the waterways that can be used for shipping are even narrower. As long as there are enough mines, it is entirely possible to block the British fleet and prevent them from entering the Chesapeake Bay.