[color="Red"][SIZE="6"]October 1814[/size][/color]
[color="red"][SIZE="4"]Niagara and Detroit[/size][/color]
Chris seems to have spotted my boarding of troops in Lake Toronto, and is heading to Detroit with Harrison’s army. I hope I can block Lake Saint Clair with my fleet, so he is trapped in Canada, but I will probably have to defeat the US fleet anchored at Port Talbot first. But if everything goes well, I should be able to take Detroit before winter sets in, and can then prepare a journey south to Vincennes from there.
There’s a grand battle in wait at Ft. Niagara
I have given all my irregular units to Tecumseh and Brant, and will use them to soften up Hulls army, before Brock sets in with a sustained attack. I don’t know if this is a good idea, but an irregular army is able to reach Ft. Niagara in just 7 days, while Brock with all his artillery will use 17 days. That will greatly decrease the battle efficiency of my troops, so sending the irregular in front at least seems like a good idea
My armies and their posture are shown below:
This is what I am up against:
I will have a good advantage from my generals, as both Brock and Tecumseh has 5 in offensive skills, while Hull has 2 in defensive. My generals also have the charismatic trait giving all my units +5 maximum cohesion.
I should also have a more experienced army, as I don’t remember having fought Hull before, while many of my troops gained good experience from the Battle of Buffalo:
They have the advantage of being entrenched in a forest, while I also have to cross the Niagara Falls. But I still think I have a good chance to win this battle.
More troops are sent from Kingston to Ft. Eire, so I have some reserves if the attack should fail.
[color="red"][SIZE="4"]Albany[/size][/color]
This is going to be a really bloody month! I have lined up all my three armies, and the destiny of Albany is finally to be decided.
My great armies are shown below:
And here is the wall I have to get through:
As you can see the US army is not in their best shape! They have suffered from poor sanitation, and this is really going to be in my favour
I had feared one of my armies would suffer from the same event, but God must be on my side
All my troops are fresh and ready for glory
I will set all armies on “all out attack” as I really need to decide this now. Drummond should arrive one day before Prevost and Douglass, so hopefully he can stand his ground and not run away before reinforcement arrives.
The US army is commanded by J. Wilkinson. Last time I met him was at Mobile, and then he was a 4-2-2 General. Not that impressive, so I hope he will stay in command of the entire US army. But Chris might split his troops into smaller forces, so he can gain advantage of his more superior commanders like Zebulon Pike.
As mentioned in my earlier post, Douglass artillerist ability will be of great benefit in this battle. The terrain is clear, so I can use them for max efficiency, and the defenders get no defensive bonus from this terrain. They are entrenched though, and both Douglass and Prevost will have to cross minor straits, so they receive some bonuses here.
Overall I think it is going to be a very even battle. The poor sanitation event for the US army should put the odds in my favour. But I won’t be too optimistic, as that has disappointed me before
But it is sure going to be interesting!
The troops from Halifax will be unloaded at Kingston. This should leave Wilkinson with only the mountains to the southwest to retreat to if he is defeated.
Thank goodness we don't understand the language of ravens, jackdaws, crickets, frogs, and pigs. Otherwise we'd probably worry about what they think too. Yet how many people seem more brainless than the frogs and jackdaws? Does that make any difference to us? No. We let what they say upset us and render our lives utterly miserable.
Dio Chrysostom