Lateran War, Colonial Theater (1711 - 1713)

[TLS]

Combatants

Bourbon Empire
-France
-Naples
-French East India Company
-England

Lateran Coalition
-Austria
-Spain

Late Spring, 1711

After a tumultuous 1710, the French have established a firmer, though still somewhat tenuous, hold on their claimed territory in the Natal. However, the French governor in the colony has messaged the King in Versailles of the repeated ways in which the Dutch have made life more difficult in their slice of Africa. Supply lines from Brazil and Yemen, the nearest friendly ports, are tenuous, and the cost of maintaining the large French force in Natal is drastically higher than the French expected. Meanwhile, the nearby Dutch Cape Colony refuses to engage with extensive trade with the French colony. Though the Dutch governor professes inability, due to the coming winter in the Southern Hemisphere and his colony's poor harvests, his claims are interpreted by the French as idle. Whether or not they are an accurate reflection of his colony's poor economy, the French believe the Dutch are engaging in the old strategy of "ignore your rivals and hope they starve and go away" so often employed by European colonists in this period. The French governor also believes that the Dutch are involved in trading and arming the local tribes of the Natal with an eye against his endeavor.

The Governor's message arrives by early Spring, and the French palace of Versailles is abuzz with deliberation. The young King is determined that his venture in Africa succeeds, cognizant of the loss of face which would accompany any indication of a failed colonial expedition after the fanfare with which it set out, and makes his anger towards Dutch obstinacy known. Meanwhile, the Dutch receive word from their own governor in the Cape slightly earlier (established packet lines are useful in this regard) and have set into motion their own shadow war of diplomacy.

[Galveston Bay]

Summer of 1711
King Phillip VIII, well aware of the effort by his father to obtain Dutch held Mauritius in 1701 by trade and negotiation, and the disgust his father and he both felt over the Dutch refusal to even offer support to the Protestant Germans in the Great Northern War that probably led to Prussian disaster and Anglo-Danish frustration. That Dutch failure to act led in the Crowns view to the Austrian/Spanish dominance of Germany, something that the 30 Years War was waged to prevent.

Now this. More Dutch stubbornnes and ingratitude for French efforts to prevent English conquest of it a generation ago.

Enough is enough.

A stiff note was sent to the Dutch Government as well as to the Dutch East India Company and to the governor of Capetown. Refusal to sell food to fellow Christian Europeans in South Africa is considered a hostile act, and unless repudiated and remedied, France considers that the Dutch East India Company is continuing to act in a hostile manner.

The response was more of the same from 1701

The Dutch Governor blames shareholders and the weather, the Dutch in Netherlands make no response except to blame distance and there is no indication that the Dutch are willing to change policies.

A final ultimatum is sent. The Netherlands will surrender Mauritius and its colony at Capetown to the French East India Company as recompense for the lives lost to Dutch callousness and unwillingness to share a territory that has not previously been exploited. In addition the Dutch East India Company will return West Timor to Portugal, allow all European trading ships to make calls on its ports in the Dutch East Indies and finally pay an indemnity of 10 points to France for the lives lost due to Dutch callous indifference.

The Dutch will also remove all of its ships of the line from Asian, Pacific and Indian Ocean waters.

Failure to agree to these terms means war as of June 22, 1711

[TLS]

Summer, 1711

The Dutch Estates are hurriedly convened in early June in response to the French ultimatum, but the mood is highly inimical to submission to the French. The French conveniently ignore their own history with starving out, attacking, and otherwise undermining Dutch and other colonial holdings. Though the behavior of the VOC with relation to the French colony at Natal was not in keeping with Christian values, the French King made no effort to ensure a peaceful entente in the colony, and believed that the Cape Colony could somehow supply sufficient resources to a French army that was half the size of the population of the entire colony! The French King's hubris clearly knows no bounds.

The Dutch Estates, under the guidance of the Stadtholder, thus declare that they will not accept the French terms. There has been no attempt at negotiation directly with the government of the Netherlands, only baseless accusations and threat of conflict. The honor of the United Netherlands are at stake, and the French government clearly intends to dismember the Netherlands and her Empire--adding the untold wealth of the Indies and the New Netherlands to her already monstrous possessions. The Dutch response to the King of France is an emotionally laden paraphrase of the Reformation's hero (and dutifully spread throughout the Empire and the Commonwealth by sympathetic coreligionists):

"Hier stonden we, we kunnen het niet helpen" - "Here we stand, we can do no other."

[Galveston Bay]

The French Ambassador, as he provides his credentials and is about to leave the country, sends an open letter to members of the Estates General reminding them that the French demands did not include the New Netherlands or even the Dutch East or West Indies, aside from Timor.

An attempt was made to discuss the matter with the Dutch government. It was ignored and there was no response.

"It is sad that it has come to this tragic misunderstanding. But now it is war and God will judge."

[TLS]

European Naval Campaign

Summer, 1711

The French and Dutch have been preparing for the eventuality of war for some time; since the first reports of Dutch non-assistance in Africa have trickled back to each capital, their respective military planners have set into motion their plans for combat. Both countries face a daunting task: a global colonial conflict pitting fleets and armies (some more befitting the names than others) squaring off in every ocean of the world and on every continent. As soon as the declaration of war is made, courier ships speed off across the world in a desperate race to be the first to inform their colonial garrisons of the conflict ahead.

The North American colonies are the first to learn, a few weeks before the end of the season, and the French and Dutch colonial governments begin mustering their militia for war and courting their native allies, while the news reaches the Caribbean right with the onset of Hurricane season, putting a damper on movement in that theater. Orders are even more delayed reaching the further reaches of the conflict, with news not expecting to reach Southern Africa until early fall (the region’s spring) while orders are unlikely to reach the Orient until the very end of 1711 or early 1712.

The Austrian Netherlands lay between the Dutch and French, and while the Austrians have heavily implied that they will enter the war on the behalf of the Dutch no declaration has yet been made—the cautious Archduke Joseph appears to be hedging his bets, after his father’s last continental foray resulted indirectly in the loss of his crown. This means that while the French and Dutch have begun mobilizations in anticipation of invasion by the other (or some other party) neither is able to strike out at the other by land.

The sea, however, is another matter.

The Battle of Brest, July 5th

The Dutch realize that they are at a distinct disadvantage in a lengthy war against the much larger Bourbon Realms, particularly in the event no other power comes to their aid. Thus they view the key to be putting the French on the backfoot early by denying them their major port on the Atlantic Coast and working to undermine supply lines from Europe to the New World. The Dutch have much of their fleet primed and ready as soon as the war begins, and sets the bulk of it on a dash to deny Brest to the French, accompanied by the VOCs European squadron en route to relieve their outposts in the orient.

Dutch Fleet (Under the command of Gerard Callenburgh)
1 Heavy BatRon
3 BatRons (VOC)
3 CruRons
2 PatRons

French Fleet (Under the command of Admiral du Casse)
1 Fortress
2 BatRon
4 CruRon
2 PatRon

The Dutch sail down the Channel to remarkably little resistance and soon discover the reason: the French have amassed their fleet at Brest, apparently to embark an army. The fleet is nearly prepared to depart, and has arranged itself to guard the approaches to the harbor under the watchful eye of the fortress. The Dutch Admiral doubles down on his plan, recognizing that an opening blow against the French Navy could buy vital time for the colonial enterprises to secure themselves, and decides to engage the French, and Admiral du Casse (warned of the Dutch approach by coastal stations on the Channel Coast of Brittany) elects to meet him outside the mouth of the Bay.

The Dutch are confident of victory as they line up for battle, as not only do they outnumber the French 2-1 in capital ships but they have heavier weapons as well: De Zeven Provinciën, the flagship, boasts an impressive 92 cannons, at the head of a mighty squadron. The French benefit from not only a larger number of Cruisers but also the mighty guns of the fortress guarding the mouth of the Bay. The French strategy is simple: focus fire on the heaviest ships of the Dutch fleet before turning to the smaller, while the Dutch seek to engage in more one-on-one combat where applicable.

The Dutch Heavy BatRon finds itself under withering fire and surprisingly ineffectual as the battle gets underway. Before the battle is even halfway through Callenburgh is forced to abandon his mighty vessel and transfer his flag to one of the BatRons due to the singular focus of du Casse on his strongest asset [in first 2 turns Dutch HBR only landed 2 hits, suffered 7]. The French advantage in CruRons also is to their benefit, as the Dutch attempt to fight one-on-one in a 3-4 fight soon results in them losing a CruRon and furthering their deficit.

The singular French focus on the Heavy BatRon meant that the Dutch BatRons were able to slowly add damage to the French ships of the line, and by the time the French decided to turn towards the smaller ship the BatRon Normand was in poor shape [sub 50% health, reduced attack] and was soon pummeled into the sea by a concentration of Dutch guns [suffered more hits than necessary to reduce to 0, catastrophic loss, kaboom] while the guns from the fortress continued to inflict slow but steady damage on the French capital ships [by turn 4, 1 Dutch BatRon reduced to sub 50%].

Callenburgh focuses his fire again on the remaining capital ships, while du Casse benefits from knocking out yet another CruRon—though at the loss of one of his, with the ratio of 1-3, though the Dutch CruRon is weakened. As they head towards a crescendo, du Casse in turn focuses his fire on the Dutch BatRons and manages to catastrophically sink a Dutch BatRon as well as disable a Dutch CruRon. However, in the exchange his own BatRon Invincible is disabled, and he is forced to make for shore. Callenburgh attempts to follow up on his success by making a push towards the port, and in the process disables another French CruRon, but the fire from the fortress, the already sustained damage, and the remaining French ships lead him to judge that a continue move on the port at Brest is too risky and he withdraws.

Casualties of the Battle of Brest

Dutch
1 Heavy BatRon heavily damaged [4 turns, 8 points]
1 Batron damaged [2 turns, 3 points]
1 BatRon Sunk
2 CruRons Sunk
1 CruRon heavily damaged [3 turns, 2.5 points]
1 PatRon Sunk

French
1 BatRon sunk
1 BatRon heavily damaged [4 turns, 5 points]
1 CruRon heavily damaged [3 turns, 2.5 points]
1 CruRon sunk

The VOC ships under his command split; he uses his writ as Admiral of the Maze to force one of the BatRons to return to Amsterdam with the lone remaining PatRon and the salvaged hulks of what he could, while the other (undamaged) BatRon continues its voyage south. The French, meanwhile, have seen the core of their Atlantic fleet either destroyed or heavily mauled and the Admiralty refuses to move forward with the plan to embark the army until reinforcements arrive—the French army commander, the impetuous Eugene de Savoy, eager to prove his skills as a military commander, angrily threatens du Casse but is unable to get the sailor to budge. As neither fleet truly commands the seas after the battle, skeleton crews of the ships which were not sent straight to the bottom [ships which otherwise rolled low enough to be captured] are able to steer them back to friendly waters rather than falling into the hands of their enemies.

Meanwhile, in the Mediterranean, the Franco-Neapolitan Navy is tasked with securing the sea, keeping an eye on the Hapsburg fleet in Venice, and hampering Dutch access for trade. Though many of the Dutch trading vessels can evade the Bourbon fleet, either by jetting out into the North Atlantic or taking refuge in friendly ports (such as those of Spain, Austria, or most of the Italian principalities) the French are able to capture enough to make the Stadtholder’s coffers take notice [2 Dutch Commercial Vessels captured]. Another Bourbon fleet, bearing forces of its own, also departs from Naples bearing soldiers and supplies, and this one is able to break out of the Mediterranean without being accosted by the Dutch, though unaware of the fate of their counterpart fleet.

Naval Forces in European Theater, End of Summer 1711

Dutch

Amsterdam (Callenburgh)
2 Heavy BatRons
1 Heavy BatRon, heavily damaged
1 BatRon, damaged
1 CruRon
1 CruRon heavily damaged
2 PatRons

France

Brest (du Casse)
1 BatRon, heavily damaged
2 CruRons
1 CruRon, heavily damaged
2 PatRons

Naples (de Châteaurenault)
3 Heavy BatRons
7 BatRons
2 CruRons
2 PatRons

[Galveston Bay]

Church bells are ordered rung throughout France and proclamations read announcing the victory over the Dutch invasion attempt of Brest and the brave fight conducted by Admiral du Casse and his officers, sailors and marines as well as the defenders of Fortress Brest. Captured Dutch flags (taken from wreckage that drifts ashore) are taken to Paris for display. A service of memorial is ordered in Paris and Brest for the brave officers and men who were lost in the battle defending the sacred soil of France from Dutch invasion.

[TLS]

South African Campaign

Fall (Southern Spring), 1711

King Philippe sends the Savoyard Prince, Eugene, south to join the Neapolitan army. The two CruRons left in the Atlantic are thus dispatched to race down the African coast and attempt to meet with the larger, lumbering Neapolitan fleet. Though the Italians have a substantial head start, they are forced to stop for supplies in Brazil and are tasked with taking the Dutch trading post at Walvis Bay, both delaying their arrival in Southern Africa. The Neapolitan fleet arrives in Durban by mid-October, with Eugene a few weeks behind.

When he arrives in mid-November he finds that the French colony is under extreme duress. Armed with old Dutch firearms the local tribes have become increasingly hostile, with Bourbon troops unable to move more than 5 miles from the Fortress without coming under harassment. Attempts to sally into the interior to attack the kraals of the local tribes are frustrated by their tactics of dissipating into the wilderness. Casualties are not necessarily high, but with the already disheveled outpost needing support even before this the governor is forced to take steps to consolidate units otherwise in need of support. (4 infantry remnants reduce to 2 through attrition, merged into 1 battalion, 1 cavalry remnant destroyed) Though shipments of supplies from Brazil and the Yemen have become a little more regular, staving off the threat of absolute starvation, the denial of local resources has left the French colony on edge.

Eugene, bearing orders to take the Dutch fortress at Cape Town, believes that the best course of action to secure the French colony is to attack the contagion at the source. The high activity of local tribes (as well as the limitations of the fleet’s transportation capacity of 4 transports) means that he is unable to depopulate the colony of its entire garrison, but he does take most of it with him to attack the Dutch further down the coast. The Dutch, meanwhile, have anticipated the potential of a French attack (particularly after reports of the attack on Walvis Bay and sightings of the French fleet going round the Cape) and withdrawn their forces to the Fortress.

French forces land down the coast in early December and Eugene leads them to besiege the peninsula. The Dutch garrison is bolstered by the presence of part of the VOC’s European squadron (the BatRon which went south after the Battle of Brest), though still heavily outnumbered by the Bourbon fleet.

Battle of Cape Town, December 14

Dutch
-1 Fortress
-1 Militia Brigade
-2 Infantry Battalions
-1 BatRon
-2 CruRon

Bourbons (under the command of Eugene de Savoy, Great Captain)
-1 Hv BatRon
-2 BatRon
-2 CruRon
-1 Infantry Brigade
-6 Infantry Battalions

The VOC fleet makes to buy as much time as possible for the defenders, seeking to draw the fire of the large Bourbon fleet long enough to repulse the attack. Though the Dutch are fighting from an entrenched position, Eugene is an able tactician with a greater force (Eugene, as a GC, negates the Dutch defensive roll bonus, but the Dutch still get a FF turn for fighting from a fortress position).

The Dutch and Bourbon fleets engage with ferocity, though the initial exchanges catch the worst of the Dutch (the Dutch BatRon suffers 4 hits, drops to 1 health and this is severely limited, while the French Heavy BatRon is only hit once, while in the 2nd turn neither fleet can land a single shot. SAD.) In the shadow of Table Mountain, meanwhile, the Dutch defenders open fire from their defensive positions against the French and score a critical hit, though not without suffering heavy losses of their own (during FF turn the Neapolitan Infantry Brigade is shattered, as well as 1 Infantry Battalion, Dutch lose 2 infantry regiments shattered). Eugene regroups and makes another push on the fortress, and again is able to score a hit at the cost of losses (loses 2 infantry battalions and inflicts 1 militia shattered on the Dutch).

At sea, the battle takes a stronger turn for the Bourbons, as during a final exchange they are able to catastrophically destroy the Dutch BatRon while suffering less damage in return (Dutch BatRon sunk, French H BatRon reduced to sub-50%). On shore, however, Eugene’s forces make a strong push that is repulsed with ease by the Dutch fortress (2 French infantry battalions shattered, no Dutch loses) and he is forced to call off his attack, opting instead to settle into siege positions. The battle now turns primarily to the sea.

The Bourbon fleet continues to press the attack, seeking to, if not secure Cape Town’s surrender, at the very least leave it hopeless in the face of a blockade and siege. The Fortresses cannons turn to engage the Bourbon fleet, while the CruRons focus their fire on their Heavy BatRon. In the exchange, the Dutch are able to knock out the Bourbon Heavy BatRon, but in return suffer another catastrophic loss of their own CruRon. The remaining VOC ship, seeing that the day is irrevocably lost, makes a break for open waters. The Bourbons unleash on it as it tries to peel away, but are only able to knock out one of the ships (1 hit), while the others make to the East.

Recognizing the difficulty of reducing the fortress from the sea at this point, the naval commander elects to instead place Cape Town under blockade. Eugene’s attempt to force a quick surrender of the fortress has failed, but the post is now isolated from the world at large, with the nearest Dutch garrisons thousands of miles away. The Bourbon fleet splits itself, sending the 2 CruRons back to Europe as it is under orders to also escort the 4 impressed merchant fleets back to Europe, but retains in a strong position to continue the siege--and awaits the return of the Indian Ocean fleet to bolster its numbers.

Casualties of the Battle of Cape Town

Dutch
-1 BatRon sunk
-1 CruRon sunk
-2 Infantry regiments shattered, reduced to 1
-1 Militia brigade destroyed

Bourbons
-Heavy BatRon sunk
-1 Infantry brigade reduced to 1 battalion
-5 infantry brigades reduced to 2 battalions, 1 remnant

Forces in Theater, end of 1711

Dutch

Cape Town
-1 Fortress
-1 Infantry Battalion

Bourbons

Caronville
-1 Fortress
-1 Infantry Battalion
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Cape Town
-4 Infantry Battalions
-1 Infantry battalion Remnant
-2 BatRons

Walvis Bay
-1 Infantry Brigade

[TLS]

Caribbean Campaign

Fall, 1711

As Hurricane season winds down the Dutch move to take advantage of their temporary naval superiority in the region. The French fleets which usually cycled through the region were combined and damaged at the Battle of Brest, giving the Dutch an opportunity to move against the sole French presence remaining in the region: the Fortress of Martinique.

In early October, the Dutch West India Squadron leaves its port at Curacao and heads straight to Martinique. The island, though without naval protection, is hardly unprotected: a French fortress and infantry battalion man the walls. The Dutch, however, aim to utilize their naval power to soften the fortress for an attack by land.

Battle of Martinique, October 18-19

Dutch
-2 BatRons
-2 CruRons
-3 PatRons
-1 Infantry Brigade

French
-1 Fortress
-1 Infantry Battalion

Due to the islands size and the strategic placement of the French fortress’ guns, the Dutch are unable to affect a landing until they have silenced the French guns. A grueling duel between the two sides thus ensues; over the better part of a day, and into the night, the fleet and the fortress exchange fire. The Dutch fleet is eventually able to silence the French guns, but not before having suffered heavy losses of its own (1 BatRon sunk, 1 BatRon damaged).

The silencing of the guns, however, was only part of the battle. Taking their Infantry Brigade and a battalion of marines, the Dutch go ashore in an attempt to seize the island. The French, though without their fortress, can take up positions in the rubble of the ruined defenses (no French FF, but still defensive roll bonus; French fortress is reduced to an infantry battalion for the purposes of ground combat). The fighting is a long and hard slog, and the French give as good as they get for each inch of ground they surrender. Eventually, the Dutch superiority in numbers and weaponry is able to turn the tide, but only because the exhausted French are under blockade and surrounded (over the course of the two turns each side loses 1 unit shattered. At the end of turn two, both armies are completely shattered, but the Dutch have the island under blockade and their brigade is reduced to a battalion, leaving them with effectively 1 battalion left on the field, while the French battalions have been reduced to remnants).

The French have thus lost their only major outpost in the Caribbean proper, but the West India company has suffered heavy losses in the attempt.

Casualties of the Battle of Martinique

Dutch
-1 BatRon sunk
-1 BatRon damaged, 2 turns, 3 points to repair
-1 Infantry Brigade shattered, reduced to a battalion
-1 marine brigade shattered, (1 turn, 1 point to replace marines in WIC fleet)

French
-1 Fortress destroyed
-1 Infantry battalion shattered, captured

Forces in Theater, end of 1711

Dutch

Martinique
-1 Infantry Battalion
-1 BatRon, damaged
-2 CruRon
-3 PatRon

Curacao
-1 Fortress

French

Florida
-2 fortresses
-5 infantry battalions
-2 cavalry regiments

[Galveston Bay]

French situation end of year (both wars)
Gained: Malta, Walvis Bay, Diego Suarez (?)
lost: Martinique
Military unit losses: 1 HBatRon, 1 BatRon, 1 CruRon, 1 Fortress, 2 Naples Infantry Brigades (1 of which is now a battalion), 4 French infantry battalions
(1 BatRon, 1 CruRon damaged needing repair plus personnel losses aboard the Med Fleet needing replacement)

Economic losses: (combined Naples/France) gained + 1.5 points but lost 1.2 points= net gain + 3 (or .05 depending on what happened to Diego Suarez)

[Galveston Bay]

Deployment French Forces as of January 1, 1712 (ooc: mainly to make life easier for the referee, the Dutch and Coalition would not necessarily have these details)

Naval Forces as of January 1712
at Brest (Admiral Du Casse is commander)
BatRon Normand, CruRon Hermione (both under repair)
(lost at Battle of Brest were BatRon Invincible, CruRon Grammont)
5 PatRon, 3 merchant flotilla (available for military use)

en route home (in South Atlantic) (arriving Bordeaux January 1712)
South Atlantic Fleet (Admiral Duguay-Trouin)
2 CruRon (CruRon Volontarie, CruRon Doquesne) covering merchant shipping returning home from Indian Ocean
(lost at Capetown was HvBatRon Royal Louis)

at Capetown/Reunion (half the fleet on station blockading Capetown, rest rotating to and from Reunion for fresh food and water, with PatRon acting as couriers and charting the coast)
Indian Ocean Fleet (Admiral Coetlogon)
4 BatRon, 4 CruRon, 1 PatRon ( BatRon Intrepide, BatRon Frederic, BatRon Intrepide, BatRon Frederic, CruRon Jean Bart, CruRon Tourville, CruRon Consolante, CruRon Julon plus 1 PatRon)

Mediterranean Fleet (Marquis de Châteaurenault) at Naples as of January 1712
3 HvBatRons, 7 BatRons, 2 CruRons, plus 2 Naples Navy PatRons, 3 merchant flotillas (which are available for military use)

Merchant Marine at Sea (doing commerce)12 French (Lille, Marsailles, Bordeaux, Quebec)(3 French are in military service from Brest) 3 Naples (from Naples) w 2 captured Dutch, 1 Maltese seized (assume other got away) are in military service in the Med (based out of Malta for port purposes)

Land Forces
Overseas
South Africa (General Eugene of Savoy)(if he takes Capetown he gets promoted to Duc de Le Cap)
Capetown: 2 infantry battalions plus 1 Naples infantry battalion plus fleet support
Caronville: 1 fortress, 1 cavalry regiment, 1 infantry battalions
Walvis Bay: 1 Naples infantry brigade
Reunion: 1 fortress, 1 infantry battalion
Singapore: 1 fortress, 1 infantry battalion
Pondicherry: 1 depot, 3 colonial infantry battalions

Florida (Marquis de Beauharnois)
Florida Keys: Fortress Key West
South Florida: 2 infantry battalions (1 each Tampa, Miami)
East Florida: 2 infantry battalions (1 each Fort Carolin/Jacksonville, Potano/Gainesville)
West Florida: 1 infantry battalion (Tallahassee)
Pensacola: 1 fortress, 2 cavalry regiments

New France (includes Acadia, Quebec, Illinois, Hudson Bay) (Marquis de Vaudreuil)
Carentan (Halifax) 1 Fortress
Louisburg: 1 fortress
Quebec City: 1 fortress, 1 militia brigade
Port Royal: 1 militia brigade
Montreal: 1 infantry battalion
Fort Detroit: 1 infantry battalion
Montpelier (RL New Hampshire) 1 infantry battalion
Portland (RL Maine): 1 infantry battalion
St John (RL New Brunswick) 1 infantry battalion

Home Forces
English Channel Coast and border of Austrian Netherlands (Army de Marine)(Marshal de Villars)
Dunkirk: Fortress, 1 brigade (Calais and Dunkirk share a hex on the World in Flames map)
Calais: 1 infantry brigade
Lille: 2 Cavalry Brigades (patrolling border)
Soissons: 2 Cavalry Brigades (patrolling border)
Le Havre: 2 infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade
Boulogne: 1 infantry brigade
Cherbourg: 1 infantry brigade
St Malo 1 infantry brigade
Brest: Fortress, 3 infantry brigades
Lorient: 1 infantry brigade
St Nazaire: 1 infantry brigade
La Rochelle: 1 infantry brigade
(11 infantry brigades, 4 cavalry brigades, 2 fortresses)

Eastern Border (Duc de Tallard)
Verdun: Fortress, 1 infantry brigade
Belfort: Fortress, 1 infantry brigade
Metz: 1 cavalry brigade (patrolling border)
Strasbourg: 1 cavalry brigade (patrolling border)
(2 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry brigades, 2 fortresses)

Southern Border (Comte de Marsin)
Toulon: Fortress
Marseilles: 2 infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade
Toulouse: 3 infantry battalions
Bayonne: 3 infantry battalions
(1 fortress, 2 infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade, 6 infantry battalions)

Strategic Reserve: Paris (Versailles, Paris and Rennes each have 1 infantry brigade),

Southern Italy
Army:
security forces
1 fortress, 1 garrison brigade at Naples
1 depot, 1 garrison brigade at Taranto
1 infantry brigade at Malta
1 garrison brigade at Syracuse
1 garrison brigade at Palermo
garrison brigades function as a national police force

Mobile Army (Prince Leopold of Malta, newly promoted as formerly Leopold of Lorraine)
1 infantry brigade, 3 cavalry regiments (located at Naples as of the start of the year)

[Haneastic]

On January 3rd, the Kingdom of Ireland issues a declaration of war against the Dutch Republic, citing unspecified disputes between Irish and Dutch settlers along the colonial border. Few nobles are convinced by the reasoning, as the Irish declaration of war is widely seen as a purely naked attempt to expand their North American holdings.

The Irish government hastens to send emissaries to the various Lateran powers, reassuring them that the Irish war against the Dutch and the French is purely coincidental, and that the Irish will not seek out battle against the Lateran powers. The Irish declaration of war is merely to address grievances against the Dutch Republic. The Irish Kingdom also assures their clergymen that there will be nothing like the excesses of the French Kingdom, which King James makes clear he disapproves of.

[Kilani]

Commonwealth diplomats make it clear (via the Danish, as the Commonwealth does not have a permanent embassy or diplomat in Ireland) that unless the Kingdom of Ireland withdraws it's ultimatum, the Commonwealth will have no choice but to come to the defense of its Protestant co-religionists.

[Haneastic]

While the news from Europe has been one shocking turn of events after another, the Irish threats to the Dutch and the subsequent English ultimatum strike Dublin like a thunderbolt. While the Irish nobility were accepting of a war against a similar power distracted by another conflict, fighting the Dutch and the numerically superior English at the same time would be disastrous.

Within days of original declaration, it becomes clear that King James’ support is far less than he originally thought. The warmongering against the Dutch has riled up the Protestants, and the Catholics are often equally upset, as the war makes it seem as if the Irish are siding with the increasingly heretical French against the Pope.

Realizing the magnitude of the problem he faces, within a week of the original declaration (OOC: timing subject to change depending on TLS) Ireland renounces the declaration against the Dutch, claiming that new information has been received clarifying the clashes along the border which places the blame at the feet of local native tribes and exonerates the Dutch settlers.

Word is sent as fast as possible to the Irish crownlands, in order to avoid any embarrassing miscommunications or battles. The Irish, thoroughly embarrassed by the series of events, declares their intent to remain neutral, while King James begins to reshuffle his portfolio of advisers who advised him so poorly.

[Galveston Bay]

The French Ambassador in London initiates discussions with the English government regarding a peace treaty between France and the Netherlands.

The proposal is that France would get Capetown and the associated colony.  In exchange, the English would get Reunion Island (Isle de Bourbon), the Dutch retain Mauritius, and Walvis Bay would be returned to the Dutch crown.   In addition the Dutch would get Martinique and Guadalupe.

Dutch, French and English merchant ships would be able to trade at each others colonial possessions and homeland ports is also pushed for.

A private and secret proposal is also made that now is the time to end Habsburg dominion over the southern Netherlands and France emphasizes again it has no desire to annex any part of that.

[Kilani]

The Commonwealth seems amenable to being an intermediary, forwarding the French proposal to the Dutch and indicating that they find it acceptable.

However, they also inform the French king that should the war continue much longer, the Commonwealth will act to protect what it perceives as its own interests in North America and the Carribean and in defense of their fellow republicans and co-religionists.

A matter they view entirely separately from the brewing fracas between the Whore of Rome and Paris.

[Lefty]

Dutch emissaries in London, upon hearing the proposal being hawked by French diplomats, note that they have not been consulted by the French king about a trade. Had the matter been brought up before an unwarranted assault on the Republic, the Seven Provinces would perhaps consider it. However, given this new king’s rash assault on Dutch colonies and, even considering the attack on their fellow Papists, the Dutch feel no desire to reward French hegemonic aggressions.

The emissaries believe that should England be interested in Reunion, the Dutch would welcome that war aim among others.

[Galveston Bay]

Dutch emissaries in London, upon hearing the proposal being hawked by French diplomats, note that they have not been consulted by the French king about a trade. Had the matter been brought up before an unwarranted assault on the Republic, the Seven Provinces would perhaps consider it. However, given this new king’s rash assault on Dutch colonies and, even considering the attack on their fellow Papists, the Dutch feel no desire to reward French hegemonic aggressions.

The emissaries believe that should England be interested in Reunion, the Dutch would welcome that war aim among others.

The French respond with the history of relations regarding Franco-Dutch cooperation, including the flat out refusal to trade Caribbean territories for Reunion a decade ago (territories subsequently sold to the Anglo-Irish) and the Dutch arming of Black Africans to attack White Christian settlers.

It should be noted that the Dutch have successfully taken Martinique but at a cost that would be considered very costly, has suffered defeat off Capetown and Brest, and all because the Dutch governor would rather kill Frenchmen by having natives attack them than share South Africa ... when the two French and Dutch colonies are over 1,000 miles apart.

There are real injuries inflicted by the Dutch on French people that led to this war.

This is the French offer. It allows the Dutch continued access to the Indian Ocean and their colonies in the East Indies and Ceylon, access (and treasure) they will lose when the French seize Capetown and have a fleet based there during time of war. The Dutch will gain Reunion, plus Martinique and Guadalupe in exchange for South Africa.

Or must more blood be shed?

As to the diplomatic approach, clearly third party mediation is called for based on the unsuccessful attempts at diplomacy the last 10 years and as go-betweens, the English had to be apprised of the French offer.

As to hegemony, it should be noted that Spain has far more income and a far larger empire than anyone else in Europe but yet the Dutch stood idly by while the Spanish gained the Imperial Crown and thus domination over Germany. Where were Dutch concerns about hegemony then? These are the same Spanish that the Dutch, along with the English AND French fought for generations when ruled by the Hapsburgs and when they controlled or occupied much of the Dutch Netherlands, as well as the Spanish Netherlands, had the very same empire that Spain does now, AND also had the Imperial Crown.

If Spain wins this war it will control southern Italy in addition to the territories above, and have control over Malta as well.. It will be in an unassailable position.

Perhaps the Dutch ambassador should familiarize himself with what the term hegemony means....

[Galveston Bay]

Dutch emissaries in London, upon hearing the proposal being hawked by French diplomats, note that they have not been consulted by the French king about a trade. Had the matter been brought up before an unwarranted assault on the Republic, the Seven Provinces would perhaps consider it. However, given this new king’s rash assault on Dutch colonies and, even considering the attack on their fellow Papists, the Dutch feel no desire to reward French hegemonic aggressions.

The emissaries believe that should England be interested in Reunion, the Dutch would welcome that war aim among others.

As a followup, the French Ambassador asks if the Dutch have a counteroffer in mind or is there no interest in negotiations

[Kilani]

As diplomats continue their back and forth in London, Cromwell the Elder (or perhaps his advisory council, depending on who you listen to) makes a decision. Satisfied that the Irish have apparently been cowed, a new policy is announced, moving forward: after the third week of January (to allow for word to spread) the English will no longer allow ships of war to transit the Channel via the Strait of Dover or to come east of Ushant or Scilly (unless blown off-course by storm or other acts of God; ships in distress will obviously be assisted). Nor will raids against merchant shipping in the Channel by any party be tolerated. Any such action by armed vessels flying the flag of the Dutch, French, or Austrians, will be considered as an act of war and aggression against the Republic.

Further, Dutch merchant shipping will be convoyed through the channel by Commonwealth warships and be allowed to use English channel ports to prepare for departure to the Indies or other ports of call and will be escorted into the Atlantic; attacks against such convoys will be regarded as attacks against the Commonwealth. However, Dutch warships will have to go via the North Sea.

[TLS]

South African Campaign

Winter (southern Summer), 1712

Cape Town remains under siege as the summer progresses, with the French blockade exacerbating the Dutch settlement’s position. The French commander, Eugene de Savoy, grows increasingly impatient as time goes on, frustrated by the doldrums of siege life and the tenacity of the Dutch garrison. Life is otherwise kind to the besieging French, however, and Eugene and his officers are able to find at least a lukewarm reception among the vineyards of nearby Franschhoek, settled by French Huguenots who emigrated from France following the Caribbean Bubble. By mid-March the siege has taken its toll on the settlement and the Dutch sue for terms; eager to be finished with his assignment at the end of the Earth (particularly as news of the European conflagration, including his ancestral homeland of Savoy) the Prince readily accepts: the Dutch defenders are allowed to return to the countryside to farm and otherwise proceed unmolested, and allowed to retain their small arms (not that there are any large ones) to fend off attacks by savages along the frontier. The Prince eagerly continues to request his return to Europe.

[TLS]

Caribbean Campaign

Winter, 1712

As soon as news of the war reaches the Caribbean, the armies of England and Spain spring into action. The Spanish Empire is larger, and more lethargic, but being the longest-standing colonial power means the Spanish have become used to periodic threats against their rule. The English, on the other hand, have been amassing troops in the New World for some time, unsure only of who they’d be used against. Though New Spain is further from Europe than New England, the Spanish benefit from the calmer waters. By the time news of the war reaches New Spain the troops are ready to be re-allocated throughout the Caribbean. Meanwhile, the English departure from Boston is delayed by poor weather and ice throughout much of January and early February (mid-winter during the Little Ice Age is not the best time to be launching maritime expeditions from New England) but are able to get under-way.

The Battle of Santo Domingo, March 27th

The English have amassed both a large battle-fleet and a sizeable expeditionary force for their campaign against the center of gravity in the Spanish Caribbean: Santo Domingo, the capital of Hispaniola. The Spanish anticipated an English attack against either Santo Domingo or Cuba, and have thus reinforced both, though this hedging of bets leaves neither island with a garrison larger than that of the attackers. The English disembark a few miles down the western coast, at the mouth of the Haina river—an attack from the east would be made more difficult by the fact that the Spanish fortress lies astride a river. The Spanish naval squadron in the Caribbean, being pitiful in size, is ordered to prioritize escorting merchant shipping away from the port, and the English are given orders to prioritize escorting the landing and blockading the city. As such, no naval battle ensues, and the English soon move to try to seize the fortress by force, as they are unwilling to let the ravages of tropical disease strike and render their army useless.

Spain
-1 Fortress
-1 Garrison Brigade
-3 Infantry Battalions

England
-3 BatRon
-4 PatRon
-4 CruRon
-2 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Regiment
-1 Infantry Battalion

With Santo Domingo recently reinforced, the defenders are able to put up a more spirited defense than anticipated by the English invaders. However, the English fleet pre-occupies the Spanish heavy guns, leaving them with only lightly-armed colonial troops to do battle with the landward attack (the Spanish have 4 units, who all only hit on 1s, while the English have two regiment-sized units and 2 brigades. Spain benefits from a FF turn and a defensive bonus, but it’s hard to score multiple hits with a 1/6 chance).

The loss of their heavy guns is made readily apparent in the first round of the battle, where the Spanish forces discharge their arms fairly uselessly while suffering casualties in return (first round: no Spanish hits, one English hit, Spanish inf battalion shattered). The Spanish luckily land meaningful volleys as the battle progresses (one Spanish Hit, English inf battalion shattered, no English hits) and the slog continues to wear on as both armies fumble around in their attempt to inflict casualties (third round: no hits).

The distraction of the English fleet seriously impedes the Fortress’ ability to defend itself, however, and this is made apparent as the battle works towards its crescendo (4th round: no Spanish hits, one English: 1 Spanish inf battalion shattered). Finally, superior English firepower is able to overwhelm the Spanish defenders, though at great cost: (Ground: 2 Spanish hits, 2 English hits: Spanish garrison and infantry battalion shattered, English Cav Regiment and Inf Brigade shattered; Naval: Spanish fortress reduced, English BatRon heavily damaged, won roll to not sink but requires heavy repairs)

Casualties of the Battle of Santo Domingo

Spain
-1 Fortress
-1 Garrison Brigade
-3 Infantry Battalions

England
-1 BatRon, heavily damaged [4 turns, 5 points]
-1 Infantry brigade shattered, reduced to battalion
-1 Cavalry regiment shattered, destroyed [tropical diseases are not good for wounds, remaining men split among other units to replace attrition]
-1 Infantry battalion shattered, destroyed [ibid.]

The English are thus able to capture one of Spain’s preeminent Caribbean fortresses, though at substantial cost to their expeditionary force. The Spanish presence on Hispaniola is not eradicated, as they retain a substantial garrison based out of the western half of the island, at both Puerto Príncipe (Port-au-Prince) and Santa Fé de Española (Léogâne, Haiti). However, the interior of the island is difficult to traverse, and the Spanish lack the naval capacity to affect a counter-landing.

Across the rest of the Caribbean the colonial war machines swing into action. The Dutch West India Company has leveraged substantial economic interests to raise more units in the region, while the French spend the Winter moving forces up the God-forsaken Florida peninsula and towards their northern frontier. All of the European parties make it well-known to the pirates of the region that letters of Marque are available, seeking to harness the region’s abundance in brigands. However, the campaigns against Henry Avery’s erstwhile Pirate Republic in the previous decade has depressed the number of available seamen, though those who do remain are more than willing to accept the officers of profit and plunder. (Game Note: Privateer maintenance needs to be paid by hiring countries come 1713, if still existent, but otherwise do not cost additional money.)

Forces in Caribbean Region, End of Winter 1712

Bourbon Alliance

England

Santo Domingo
-1 Infantry Brigade
-1 Infantry Battalion

Remainder of Caribbean
-1 Garrison Brigade [no combat value unless concentrated, except against sub-battalion sized marine units]
Naval (Santo Domingo)
-2 BatRon
-1 BatRon, heavily damaged
-4 PatRon
-4 CruRon
-1 Privateer PatRon

France

Pensacola
-1 Fortress
-4 Infantry Battalions
-2 Cavalry Regiments

Fort Caroline (Jacksonville
-1 Infantry Battalion

Keys
-1 Fortress

Naval (Florida Keys)
-5 PatRons
-2 Privateer Patrons

Lateran Coalition

Spain

New Castille:
- 1 Fortresses (Mexico City)
- 2 Depots (Mexico City, Cuba)
- 9 Colonial Garrisons (6 Mexico, 2 New Mexico, 1 Guatemala)
- 9 Infantry Battalions (Chihuahua, Vera Cruz, Acapulco, Monterrey, Antigua Guatemala, San Salvador, Santa Fe, San Antonio, El Paso)

Cuba:
- 1 Fortresses (Havana)
- 1 Depots (Havana)
- 1 Colonial Garrisons (1 Havana)
- 5 Infantry Battalions (2 Havana, 2 Santiago de Cuba, Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe (Camagüey, Cuba))

Hispaniola:
- 1 Colonial Garrison (Santa Fé de Española (Léogâne, Haiti))
- 3 Infantry Battalions (2 Port of Prince, Santa Fé de Española (Léogâne, Haiti))
- 1 Mercenary Bavarian Infantry Battalion (Santa Fé de Española (Léogâne, Haiti))

Puerto Rico:
- 1 Infantry Battalions

New Granada:
- 2 Fortresses (Panama, Portobello)
- 2 Depots (Bogota, Panama)
- 2 Colonial Garrisons (1 Panama, 1 New Granada)
- 5 Infantry Battalions (Bogota, Medellin, Caracas, Guayaquil, Maracaibo)

Naval
-12 PatRons (4 Havana, 1 San Juan, 1 Veracruz, 1 Acapulco, 1 Panama, 2 Portobello)

The Dutch West India Company

Curacao
-1 Fortress

Martinique
-1 Infantry Battalion

Naval (Curacao)
-1 BatRon, damaged (under repair, full strength Summer)
-2 CruRon
-3 PatRon
-3 Infantry Brigades (in training, ready Summer)
-1 Infantry Battalion (in training, ready Summer)
-2 Privateer PatRons

Austria

Leopoldsburg (New Orleans)
-1 Garrison Brigade
-1 Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Brigade

Naval
-1 CruRon
-2 PatRon

[Galveston Bay]

Spring 1712
Now that South Africa has been taken, the French again push forward a peace proposal

the Dutch get Martinique and Guadalupe in exchange for Capetown. France returns Mauritius and Walvis Bay. Both sides agree to peaceful trade. France agrees to support any Dutch ambitions in the Austrian Netherlands.

France notes that it has not expanded the war beyond its initial demands although it could have done so and still can. Why not have peace now. Surely the Dutch would prefer to return to their normal business.

[TLS]

Caribbean Campaign

Spring, 1712

After the loss of their fortress at Santo Domingo, the Spanish are on the backfoot for the early part of the turn. The English split their fleet in two, and based out of Santo Domingo and Key West, respectively, the English fleets engage in a series of raids and feints to throw the Caribbean into disarray. The Spanish do not have any BatRons in the region at the beginning of the turn, and the Spanish naval presence is limited to PatRons on escort duties. Between these fleets, the French PatRons, and the allied Privateers, they are able to score sizeable capture hits on the Spanish, though not without losses (Game Effect: 2 Spanish Commercial Fleets captured, 2 Spanish PatRons sunk, 1 French PatRon sunk).

The tide begins to turn towards the Spanish when, in mid-May, a sizeable contingent from the Spanish Battlefleet arrives. The fleet stops in San Juan before making for Santo Domingo, with an aim to clear the English fleet from the waters and put the isolated outpost under blockade.

Battle of the Mouth of the Ozama, May 20

England
-1 BatRon
-2 CruRon
-2 PatRon

Spain
-4 BatRon
-5 CruRon
-5 PatRon

The English fleet, thus divided, is at a fatal disadvantage against the Spanish. The poor gunwork of the English sailors does not help matters, and in the opening salvos of the battle the mismatch becomes clearly evident (England lands 1 hit against 1 Spanish BatRon, the Spanish BatRons and CruRons focus fire on the English BatRon and sink it). The English support vessels are unable to effectively keep up the battle on their own and are soon overwhelmed by the Spanish firepower (in 2nd turn the English don’t land a single shot, the Spanish land sufficient to disable both CruRons and both PatRons).

Casualties of the Battle of the Mouth of the Ozama

England
-1 BatRon sunk
-2 CruRons heavily damaged, captured [3 turns, 2.5 points]
-2 PatRons heavily damaged, scuttled

Spain
-1 BatRon, lightly damaged [1 point, 1 turn to repair]

Rather than seek out the rest of the English fleet, the Spanish move to secure the island once more. While keeping the army at Santo Domingo under bombardment and blockade, the fleet moves much of the Spanish garrison on the western shore of the island back to the environs of Santo Domingo itself. Complemented by two brigades of marines, the city is surrounded, cut off, and besieged. The English commander faces an impossible situation: he is under constant bombardment by the Spanish guns and desperately low on supplies, he attempts to force a break, gambling that if he can dispel the Spanish he can make across the island for rescue by the English or French fleets based out of southern Florida (the English got a siege fail roll for June, and rather than surrender the English decide to make a fight of it)

2nd Battle of Santo Domingo

England
-1 Infantry Brigade
-1 Infantry Battalion

Spain
-3 Infantry Battalions
-2 Marine Infantry Battalions

The English sally opens weakly; they are unable to meaningfully impact the Spanish lines, while their break for cover results in losses by the weaker component (1 English infantry battalion shattered). Determined to leverage their superior firepower otherwise, the English keep up the attack, but are still unable to make it through. The English are able to at least inflict injuries on the Spanish this time, but the Spanish counterattack ends up with the English being beaten back to within the shattered walls of the fortress, up against the river, and, eventually, to surrender.

Casualties of the 2nd Battle of Santo Domingo

England
-1 Infantry Brigade shattered, captured
-1 Infantry Battalion shattered, captured

Spain
-1 Infantry Battalion shattered, disbanded

Elsewhere, along the Gulf Coast, the French take their combined forces from Pensacola and push along the coast towards the Austrian colony of Filippia, based out of their capital at Leopoldsburg (RL New Orleans). Though the going is slow through the swampy coastal region, the French are able to march relatively unopposed save for a token Austrian garrison into the town of Mobile. The demographics of the colony have changed in the 20+ years since the handover to Austrian control, but much of that change is closer to the colonial capital. As such, the primarily French population of Mobile is more or less welcoming of the French forces, and the French receive as warm a reception they could expect in a town of fairly meager resources.

Forces in Caribbean Region, End of Spring 1712

Bourbon Alliance

England

Barbados
-1 Infantry Brigade

Naval (Key West)
-1 BatRon
-1 BatRon, heavily damaged
-2 PatRon
-2 CruRon
-1 Privateer PatRon

France

Pensacola
-1 Fortress

Fort Caroline (Jacksonville)
-1 Infantry Battalion

Mobile
-4 Infantry Battalions
-2 Cavalry Regiments

Keys
-1 Fortress

Naval (Florida Keys)
-4 PatRons
-2 Privateer Patrons

Lateran Coalition

Spain

New Castille:
- 1 Fortresses (Mexico City)
- 2 Depots (Mexico City, Cuba)
- 9 Colonial Garrisons (6 Mexico, 2 New Mexico, 1 Guatemala)
- 9 Infantry Battalions (Chihuahua, Vera Cruz, Acapulco, Monterrey, Antigua Guatemala, San Salvador, Santa Fe, San Antonio, El Paso)

Cuba:
- 1 Fortresses (Havana)
- 1 Depots (Havana)
- 1 Colonial Garrisons (1 Havana)
- 5 Infantry Battalions (2 Havana, 2 Santiago de Cuba, Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe (Camagüey, Cuba))

Hispaniola:
- 1 Colonial Garrison (Santa Fé de Española (Léogâne, Haiti))
- 2 Infantry Battalions (Santo Domingo)
- 1 Mercenary Bavarian Infantry Battalion (Puerto Principe (Port-au-Prince))

Puerto Rico:
- 1 Infantry Battalions

New Granada:
- 2 Fortresses (Panama, Portobello)
- 2 Depots (Bogota, Panama)
- 2 Colonial Garrisons (1 Panama, 1 New Granada)
- 5 Infantry Battalions (Bogota, Medellin, Caracas, Guayaquil, Maracaibo)

Naval
-10 PatRons (2 Havana, 1 San Juan, 1 Veracruz, 1 Acapulco, 1 Panama, 2 Portobello)

Santo Domingo
-3 BatRons
-1 BatRon, lightly damaged
-5 CruRon
-2 CruRon, heavily damaged
-5 PatRon

The Dutch West India Company

Curacao
-1 Fortress

Martinique
-1 Infantry Battalion

Naval (Curacao)
-1 BatRon
-2 CruRon
-3 PatRon
-3 Infantry Brigades
-1 Infantry Battalion
-2 Privateer PatRons

Austria

Leopoldsburg (New Orleans)
-1 Garrison Brigade
-1 Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Brigade

Naval
-1 CruRon
-2 PatRon

[TLS]

Caribbean Campaign

Summer, 1712

With hurricane season fast approaching, the arrayed forces in the region begin their fight against the clock. The French fleet based out of Key West is recalled to the European theater at the start of the season, leaving behind only the privateers to continue running amok in the fertile Caribbean seas. However, the Spanish are thus left with a preponderance of naval power in the region—the English Azores Squadron has been tasked with reinforcing the English fleet sheltering in place at Key West, but it a considerably further distance from the Azores than from Santo Domingo to reach the French naval station.

Battle of Key West, July 14

England
-1 French Fortress
-1 BatRon
-1 BatRon, heavily damaged
-2 PatRon
-2 CruRon

Spain
-3 BatRons
-5 CruRon
-5 PatRon

Leaving their damaged ships behind at Santo Domingo, the Spanish seek to destroy the English fleet left in the Caribbean. Said fleet is hunkering within range of the French fortress at Key West and is even worse off than it seems; the heavily damaged BatRon is essentially just a stationary cannon platform. The English are determined to make the Spanish pay, knowing that every loss they inflict on the Spanish here will make the job of the Azores Squadron that much easier.

The English fleet scrambles to form a line against the attacking Spanish under the cover of the powerful French fortress guns. English fire is generally ineffective in the opening round of combat, save for a key blow by one of the English CruRons (English roll only 1 hit, but that then hits a crit, sinking a Spanish CruRon). The Spanish gunners are apparently in better form, tearing into the English ships anchored in the tropical waters (Spain lands 7 hits; 3 against the BatRons, sinking the heavily damaged one and inflicting 2 hits on the other, while 3 hits land against the 2 CruRons, two of which are crits, sinking both, and 1 hit lands on the PatRons, also a crit, sinking one of the English PatRons) and reducing the fleet substantially.

The remaining English ships decide that a break for open waters is their best bet, seeking to fight through the Spanish fleet and head north to New England. The English escape attempt is thwarted due to the overwhelming concentration of fire on the remaining ships, sending both the BatRon and PatRon to the depths (the BatRon suffers 4 hits, one more than its limit, sinking it, while the PatRon is also sunk) but not before striking a heavy blow on the Spanish (the BatRon rolls 2 hits on one of the Spanish BatRons, but one of those hits is a crit, sinking the BatRon, while the PatRon strikes a Spanish PatRon, which fails its save roll and sinks).

Casualties of the Battle of Key West

England
-2 BatRons sunk
-2 PatRons sunk
-2 CruRons sunks

Spain
-1 BatRon sunk
-1 CruRon sunk
-1 PatRon sunk

The Spanish withdraw from within range of the French guns back to Santo Domingo, providing cover for moves to reinforce the island of Hispaniola with more of the garrison based in Mexico. Spanish and Dutch naval superiority is short-lived, however, as by late August another English fleet—commanded by Admiral Byng—arrives at the scene of the recent English defeat.

Meanwhile, on land, the Austrian colony at Leopoldsburg breathes a sigh of relief when it learns that the French army, rather than massing at Mobile, has largely withdrawn back into French Florida. The colony is simmering with tension between the old family French colonists and many of the parvenu Austrian settlers (largely from the low countries, but some actual Austrians) and thus the garrison largely keeps itself occupied in maintaining order. This peace is shattered when, in early September, a French warband descends the Mississippi on canoes and overwhelms the token garrison of the town of Roterpol (RL Baton Rouge). The Austrian presence in the region is on shaky ground, but the militia and the Austrian infantry regiment are mobilized to take the settlement back from the French interlopers.

The Battle of Roterpol, September 9
France
-1 Infantry Battalion

Austria
-1 Infantry Battalion
-1 Militia Brigade

The Austrian commander is aware that the militia under his command are shaky; not only are they unaccustomed to standing battle, but there are reports of dissent in the ranks due to the fighting against the old colonial power. The presence of more recent migrants helps, but the main thing keeping the militia in the field is the presence of regular Austrian soldiers (the Austrian militia will break and run if the Austrian infantry battalion is disabled). The French have had some time to prepare themselves for the attack from the south, and thus have thrown up earthworks and other impromptu barricades to fight back the Austrian attackers (France gets an FF turn).

The battle along the muddy banks of the Mississippi is not particularly long or gruesome, but it does mark the first time that European armies have done battle against each other in the swampy lower reaches of the Mississippi. The sustained fire from the French defenders proves too much for the Austrian militia, who break and run after barely half an hour of combat. The Austrian regulars, however, are steeled for the work ahead, and push on, breaking through the French defenses and re-capturing the settlement. (France rolled a 1 for FF turn, and then rolled to hit the militia, and a 4 for MF, Austria rolled a 1 for MF turn). The French attackers, isolated at the end of the river and with no way to effectively sail back up, are isolated and captured.

Casualties of the Battle of Roterpol

France
-1 Infantry Battalion

Austria
-1 Militia Brigade

The gains for privateers and pirates this season are not particularly impressive. With the removal of the French fleet the pirates are left on their own and are generally ineffective; the Dutch and Austrians have dedicated substantially larger naval vessels to escort duty, while the Spanish have established a series of PatRon squadrons to escort shipping. The pirates are, however, able to capture one 1 Dutch WIC commercial vessel, though they lose a PatRon in the process.

Results from Raiding
-1 Dutch WIC Commercial Fleet captured
-1 French Privateer sunk

Forces in Caribbean Region, End of Spring 1712

Bourbon Alliance

England

Barbados
-1 Infantry Brigade

Naval (Key West)
-4 English BatRon
-2 English CruRon
-2 English PatRon

France

Pensacola
-1 Fortress
-3 Infantry Battalions

Fort Caroline (Jacksonville)
-1 Infantry Battalion

Potano (Gainesville)
-2 Cavalry Regiments

Mobile
-1 Infantry Battalion

Keys
-1 Fortress

Naval (Florida Keys)
-1 Privateer PatRons

Lateran Coalition[

Spain

New Castille:
- 1 Fortresses (Mexico City)
- 2 Depots (Mexico City, Cuba)
- 9 Colonial Garrisons (6 Mexico, 2 New Mexico, 1 Guatemala)
- 5 Infantry Battalions (Vera Cruz, Acapulco, Santa Fe, San Antonio, El Paso)

Cuba:
- 1 Fortresses (Havana)
- 1 Depots (Havana)
- 1 Colonial Garrisons (1 Havana)
- 5 Infantry Battalions (2 Havana, 2 Santiago de Cuba, Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe (Camagüey, Cuba))

Hispaniola:
- 1 Colonial Garrison (Santa Fé de Española (Léogâne, Haiti))
- 6 Infantry Battalions (4 Santo Domingo, Puerto Principe (Port-au-Prince), Santa Fé de Española)
- 1 Mercenary Bavarian Infantry Battalion (Puerto Principe)

Puerto Rico:
- 1 Infantry Battalions

New Granada:
- 2 Fortresses (Panama, Portobello)
- 2 Depots (Bogota, Panama)
- 2 Colonial Garrisons (1 Panama, 1 New Granada)
- 5 Infantry Battalions (Bogota, Medellin, Caracas, Guayaquil, Maracaibo)

Naval
-10 PatRons (2 Havana, 1 San Juan, 1 Veracruz, 1 Acapulco, 1 Panama, 2 Portobello)

Havana
-2 BatRons
-1 BatRon, lightly damaged
-4 CruRon
-2 CruRon, heavily damaged
-4 PatRon

The Dutch West India Company

Curacao
-1 Fortress

Martinique
-1 Infantry Brigade

Aruba, St Maartin, Bonaire, Saba, Suriname
-5 Infantry Battalions (1 each)

Naval (Curacao)
-1 BatRon
-2 CruRon
-3 PatRon
-1 Infantry Brigades
-2 Privateer PatRons

Austria

Leopoldsburg (New Orleans)
-1 Garrison Brigade

Roterpol (Baton Rouge)
-1 Infantry Battalion

Naval
-1 CruRon
-2 PatRon

[TLS]

Indian Ocean Campaign

Spring-Summer, 1712

With the fall of Cape Town, the Dutch East India Company finds itself isolated in the Indian Ocean. The loss of the Cape is not necessarily a death knell—most of the company’s activities and profits are derived from inter-Asian trade—but there is great concern that the loss of the Cape only presages further attacks by the French King into their territory. The VOC is determined to make the French pay for their transgressions, and thus sets on a series of attacks to purge the Far East of the French presence.

The first move made by the Dutch comes in early May, when fleet appears off the coast of Bourbon (Reunion). The French have depleted their naval presence in the region to establish the chokehold around the Cape, and expect the Dutch to be far away. In a sense, they’re right, as only one of the ships off the coast of Reunion flies the Dutch flag. The rest belong to the Sultan of Zanzibar, who has been bribed by the Dutch (at considerable expense, he is still a pirate at heart, after all) to throw in with the Dutch cause—seeking to establish hegemony over the entire East African coast.

The Zanzibaris are wise enough to know that an attack on the fortress of Bourbon by sea with their fleet would be, if not suicidal, at least incredibly costly. As such they sail by the French island to reinforce the Dutch island of Mauritius with an infantry brigade (TL 2.5) before continuing on their way. The fleet primarily sets off on a series of raiding actions, moving to intercept Portuguese and French shipping unwise enough to move through the Strait of Mozambique. The Zanzibari fleet focuses on establishing primacy over the Mozambican coast, battering the tiny Portuguese presence into submission and capturing 1 Portuguese Commercial Fleet. Otherwise, the fleet remains focused on providing a nuisance rather than engaging in battle.

Much further to the east, news of the war reaches the VOC governor general in Batavia in early Spring. He is thrilled by the update; the growing French presence on his turf has been a cause of increasing consternation, and he finally has a carte blanche to eliminate the French presence in the Far East. By the end of Spring he has raised an army to occupy the fortress, and the combined VOC Fleet and Army sails from Batavia to the tip of the Malay peninsula.

Battle of Singapore, August 27

France
-1 Fortress
-1 Infantry Battalion

VOC
-3 BatRon
-2 CruRon
-2 PatRon
-2 Infantry Brigades
-1 Infantry Battalion

The fortress of Singapore guards a vibrant trading post and village along the Singapura river, on the southwest side of the island. The Dutch land their army at the mouth of the Jurong river, out of range of the French guns, before they make their plan of attack. The fleet moves to distract and reduce the French fortress to allow the ground-based forces the opportunity they need to take the French position (France gets an FF roll and defensive bonus, but Fortress is engaged with the naval forces).

The French forces, even distracted, inflict casualties on the attacking Dutch army, and the Dutch infantry battalion is overwhelmed by the defensive fire of the French guns. The two VOC infantry brigades, however, keep up the attack, and overcome the French defenders. Torn between fighting the battle at sea and at land, the Fortress is unable to resist the attacking force, and falls. (France rolled a 1 on FF turn, 3 on MF turn, Dutch rolled a 1,3 on MF turn, which with defensive bonus was 2,4, enough to take the fort. Dutch suffer one hit to BatRon from Fortress fire.)

Casualties of the Battle of Singapore

France
-1 Fortress
-1 Infantry Battalion

VOC
-1 Infantry battalion
-1 BatRon lightly damaged [1 point, 1 turn]

The VOC fleet continues its tour of the orient when it sends a smaller detachment to the mouth of the Chao Phraya river, downstream from the Thai trading post of Krung Thep and far south of the Thai capital at Ayutthaya. The Dutch send a marine landing party ashore to seize control of the French factory. The Thai are unwilling to risk an armed confrontation with the powerful VOC, and allow the Europeans to squabble amongst themselves. The Thai King guarantees the personal safety of the French factors, and though the Dutch are allowed to take control of the factory the French are personal guests of the Thai king in Ayutthaya.

In India, news of the war is met with trepidation by the small European trade posts on the Subcontinent. Though they slowly begin plans for offensive action, to the relief of the French news arrives shortly after that the trade post of Pondicherry has been sold to the English. The Dutch are less than happy that their rivals are back in the Indian subcontinent, but lack the military capacity to effect a de facto halt in the transfer. As the Dutch and English are still engaged in a shadow war—seeking to maintain the fiction they are at war without risking the attendant colonial conflagration—the threat of war on the subcontinent appears to diminish.

Forces in Theater, end of Summer, 1712

Pro-Bourbon

Fixed Positions
-2 Fortress (Durban, Reunion)

Caronville (Durban)
-1 Infantry Battalion
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Cape Town
-1 Infantry Brigade
-4 Infantry Battalions
-2 BatRons
-2 CruRon
-1 PatRon

Pondicherry
-3 French Infantry Battalions

Lateran Coalition

Fixed Positions
-6 Fortress (Makassar, Zanzibar, Ceylon, Batavia, Trincomalee, Cochin)
-3 Garrison Brigades (Mombasa, Somaliland, Cabo Delgado)

Zanzibar
-1 Zanzibari Infantry Brigade (TL 3)
-1 Zanzibari Cavalry Regiment (TL 3)
-1 Zanzibari Infantry Brigades  (TL 2.5)
-1 Zanzibari Cavalry Brigades (TL 2.5)

Mauritius
-1 Zanzibari Infantry Brigade (TL 2.5)
-1 VOC CruRon

Ceylon
-2 VOC Infantry Battalions
-3 VOC CruRon
-1 VOC PatRon

Cochin
-2 VOC CruRon

Batavia
-2 VOC Infantry Brigades
-1 VOC Infantry Battalion
-3 VOC BatRon
-1 VOC BatRon, lightly damaged
-3 VOC CruRon
-2 VOC PatRon

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