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Volume One Chapter 773 Battle of Harrisburg

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    In September 1794, the situation of the Continental Army was excellent. With the capture of Pittsburgh, the Continental Congress seemed unstoppable in its revival, and Washington also formally established the Continental Army Headquarters in Pittsburgh.  ??Previously, the Continental Army did not have a stable headquarters, mainly because they had only one front, so there was no need to establish a unified headquarters.  But now, with the capture of Pittsburgh, the situation of the Continental Congress in North America has officially entered a new situation.  In Washington¡¯s vision, the future combat Continental Army will carry out a division of troops policy. At present, the British army is mainly concentrated in Virginia, and this is an opportunity for the Continental Army.  ?Pennsylvania, where Pittsburgh is located, borders Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and New York.  These areas are the essence of the British North American colonies. At present, the main force of the British army is concentrated in Virginia, and the remaining states will inevitably have empty defensive power. In this case, if the Continental Army deploys its main force on the Virginia border, and then detaches its troops to attack the remaining states,  Several states are being attacked, and from a strategic level, the Continental Army will have a great advantage.  But now Washington also knows that the British army will definitely not sit back and watch his strategic plan succeed.  In this way, Washington finally made the British army dare not move lightly through a battle.  In Washington¡¯s mind, the Continental Army¡¯s next target is the Harrisburg area in Pennsylvania!  Although Pittsburgh was previously the seat of the Governor's District, it was also the capital of Pennsylvania.  But I have to say that Pittsburgh's location is quite east.  It can be seen from the map of Pennsylvania that Harrisburg will become very important in the next phase of the battle.  Harrisburg and southwestern Pennsylvania are connected by roads in all directions.  It is one of the key points of north-south transportation in the British colonies.  And Harrisburg is also the eastern barrier of Philadelphia.  "After a week's rest, it's almost time. Gather the generals and we're going to take action!" Washington said proudly to the staff in the military tent.  And just when Washington was convening the generals in the Continental Army to start planning the next stage of the offensive, in Atlanta, Wharton Hall's personal representative was asking to see Bruneck in the Governor's Mansion.  "Your Excellency, the Governor, after the capture of Pittsburgh, the rebellion of the Continental Army has become a climate. This situation is not only unfavorable to our army, but also unfavorable to your country. Therefore, Sir Wharton Hall hopes to join forces with your country.  Suppress the Continental Army again! " This envoy is the third one sent to Atlanta after Wharton Hall landed in North America. The previous two envoys did not receive a positive reply from Bruneck.  "I can understand Sir Wodenhall's painstaking efforts, but please know that I did not receive instructions from Brandenburg to dispatch troops. Therefore, although I am the governor here, without orders from Brandenburg,  , I still have no right to send troops!" Bruneck said with a smile on his face.  Bruneck was able to laugh, but apparently the envoy couldn't laugh anymore.  After that, just like the previous two times, no matter what the envoy said, Bruneke was unmoved. Seeing this situation, the envoy had to return to Philadelphia sadly.  But wait until the Wharton Hall representative leaves.  Bruneck's expression changed, and he immediately summoned Scharnhorst and other officers as well as several government officials.  Originally, Scharnhorst was also going to Nashville with the troops.  But Bruneck kept him in Atalanta.  Bruneck actually had no other thoughts about leaving Scharnhorst behind. The main reason was to let Scharnhorst understand various matters of the pre-war government and military.  "Have the troops been deployed in place?" "Your Excellency Governor, please rest assured that our troops have arrived at various scheduled assembly points half a month ago!" Bruneck nodded and asked the government officials on the side: "Materials  How is the collection going? Is the logistics support line smooth? " "Your Excellency, we have gathered a large amount of logistics supplies in Nashville and other places where the army is gathered, which is enough to sustain the army for three months. In terms of the logistics support line, the government has mobilized  Five hundred large freight carriages have been renovated along the route. At the normal speed of these carriages, it only takes ten days to reach the farthest point of Nashville!¡± ¡°Very good!¡±  He nodded approvingly, then stood up and said to everyone in the room: "Start now, greatThe North American states belonging to the Kingdom of Ruth immediately entered a state of war. All officers immediately rushed to their respective units. According to the plan of the Governor's Mansion, on September 15th, a full-line offensive was launched against Pennsylvania!  " "Yes, Lord Governor!  ¡±?¡­ September 10, 1794  On the 5th, the Prussian Governor-General of North America brazenly dispatched troops. The First and Third Colonial Divisions, under the command of Scharnhorst, set out from Nashville and drove straight into Pennsylvania. Basically, they encountered no threatening obstructions along the way.  Under this situation, the Prussians captured Louisville, the capital of Kentucky, in just half a month. It was not until October 1st that Washington, who led the army to the Harrisburg area to confront the British army, learned.  News of the Prussians sending troops. In the Harrisburg area, Washington gathered all the elites of the Continental Army, as well as nearly 20,000 black slaves. This brought the Continental Army under Washington to 39,000 people.  On the other side of the Continental Army were 22,000 British troops led by Worden Hall. Harrisburg was now in the hands of the British. There were 2,000 British troops stationed in the city, and Worden Hall personally led two.  Ten thousand troops were stationed under the city of Harrisburg. ¡°How could the damn Prussians choose to send troops at this time!  "Washington's face was full of anger when he learned the news. Although the Continental Army has been greatly expanded, the total strength is less than 60,000. After Washington took away 39,000 people, he actually used  There are only 11,000 Continental troops left in other areas, and 4,000 of them have been formed into the Northern Expedition by Washington and have rushed to Scranton ahead of Washington, where they will launch an attack on Connecticut.  Offensive. There are still 3,000 men formed by Washington to go south. These 3,000 men will invade Maryland from Hagerstown. In this way, the actual number of troops deployed within the control of the Continental Congress is only 10,000.  . Among them, 2,000 were stationed in Columbus, 3,000 were stationed in Pittsburgh, and the remaining 5,000 were scattered in various cities under the control of the Continental Congress. Once the Prussian army set foot on the territory of the Continental Congress,  It means that they have almost no decent opponents. This is an extremely dangerous signal for Washington, because once the Prussians take their retreat, the Continental Army led by Washington will be in danger of collapse.  Defeat the British as soon as possible or else.  Once Ohio State or Pittsburgh loses, our previous battle results will be ruined!  "Washington made up his mind, and he looked fiercely at the British garrison outside Harrisburg. Unlike the Continental Army, when the British learned about the Prussian troops, almost the entire British garrison became a  A sea of ??joy. British people with a little common sense know that the Prussian army's march route is completely heading towards the back road of the Continental Army. This also means that once Washington is delayed by the British army and cannot return, then the Continental Army will  Not only will they lose the land they previously captured, but they will also face the danger of being attacked by the Prussian army and the British army. But there is one person who is incompatible with the current atmosphere in the British camp. This person is the British commander Wharton Hall.  , the Prussians sending troops is a good news, but in Wharton Hall's view, the timing of the Prussians sending troops at this time can be called cruel. The main force of the Continental Army has already assembled in the Harrisburg area.  Judging from the speed of Prussia's march, it may only take twenty days to set foot in the area controlled by the Continental Congress. In this case, there is not much time left for Washington. That is to say, if Washington cannot do so at the latest.  If the British army is defeated and returned to rescue within a month, the situation will change drastically, and the strategy previously achieved by the Continental Congress will be lost immediately. To be honest, after learning the news of the Prussian troops, Walton Howe.  The first thought that flashed through my mind was to make peace with the Continental Army so that the Continental Army could go back and fight the Prussians. But then, this idea was abandoned by Walton Hall, even though Walton Hall was not a fool.  At this moment, I sent someone to tell Washington my thoughts on peace. Maybe Washington would not believe it. After all, the Prussians were enemies to Washington, but the British were even more serious enemies. If Washington really trusted Walton Hall's leadership.  If the army returns to the division, who knows whether the British will pursue the Continental Army in the future.The Continental Army, which had incorporated many new recruits, lost all its soldiers without warning and was severely defeated.  Therefore, if you want to make peace with Washington, you can, but you must provide reasons that convince Washington.  But now, this reason is obviously missing, because the Prussians sent troops to fight the rebellion at the invitation of the British.  "We must let the Continental Army taste the pain and let them know that they will not get any advantages in the Harrisburg area. Only in this way can the Continental Army understand that if they want to preserve their victory, they can only return to the division and fight with Prussia.  Let¡¯s fight it out!¡± At the British military meeting, Wodenhall said frankly to a group of British officers.  In early September 1794, in the Harrisburg area, the Continental Army and the British Army engaged in the largest battle since the beginning of the war in North America. The total number of troops invested by both sides reached more than 60,000.  Washington ordered his trusted general Nicholas to lead 5,000 elite soldiers and 10,000 newly recruited black soldiers as the vanguard of the entire army to enter the battlefield from the northwest.  Opposite Nicholas were four thousand British troops led by British general Alberta.  Nicholas took advantage of his own strength and used elite soldiers to open a gap in the British defense line.  Then he ordered 10,000 poorly equipped black soldiers to be divided into five groups and join the battle.  ?????????These black people may be poorly equipped, and some of them are even half-clothed, but for these black slaves,  If the Continental Army were defeated, they would be enslaved again. It was with this idea in mind that these black soldiers broke out with strong combat effectiveness.  This idea had been instilled into the minds of all black soldiers by officers at all levels in the Continental Army before the war.  The black soldiers who joined the battle in five batches swarmed into the gap in the British army's line. Although most of them had crude cold weapons in their hands, under the encouragement of the officers, they still fought fiercely with the British army without fear of death.  battle.  After the Alberta troops were attracted by the black soldiers.  Nicholas quietly mobilized his main force that he had previously deployed on the battlefield.  Suddenly, the British army led by Alberta was under the fierce attack of these black slaves, and the battle line began to shake violently uncontrollably.  And at this time.  While Nicholas attracted the attention of the British army, Washington used the concealment of the Moron Heights occupied by Nicholas to mobilize 3,000 soldiers and concentrated them on the right flank of the British army.  At this time, I saw that all the troops under Alberta's command were shaken.  Wharton Hall urgently mobilized 3,000 British soldiers to reinforce Alberta.  And just after Wharton Hall sent reinforcements to Alberta.  Washington personally led 20,000 troops on the battlefield.  The army led by Washington entered the battlefield from the west. Seeing the arrival of the main force of the Continental Army, Wharton Hall personally led an army of 10,000 to block the front of Washington's army.  As a result, Wharton Hall actually only had a reserve team of 3,000 men left in his main formation.  With the reinforcements of 3,000 British troops, Alberta gradually began to stabilize the situation. After all, although they were caught off guard by the black slaves, the British troops were elite after all, and in terms of weapons and equipment.  These British troops had a great advantage.  Seeing that the reinforced British troops were gradually stabilizing their front line, Nicholas was not in a hurry.  Instead, he immediately ordered his main elite troops to enter the battlefield from the gap between the Alberta troops and the reinforcing British troops.  More than 4,000 well-equipped Continental Army troops were put into the battlefield, which directly put the Alberta troops in danger of being cut off from the middle.  A crisis looms over Alberta.  As a last resort, Alberta once again turned to Wharton Hall for help.  At this time, the main force of the Continental Army led by Wharton Hall and Washington was in full swing. Even though Washington had a huge military advantage, he still could not get an advantage in the face of the battle line composed of elite British soldiers.  The battle continued until four o'clock in the afternoon. After Alberta sent six messengers to ask for reinforcements, the helpless Wharton Hall had to mobilize 1,500 people from the 3,000 reserves originally left behind to reinforce the Alberta station.  department.  For Wharton Hall, this is the limit of what he can do.  ¡°On the Alberta side, the British army is actually struggling.  "Let the artillery fire one more round at the gathering point of those niggas!" "But General, after a day's battle, many artillery pieces have reached their limit. If they fire one more round, I'm afraid these artillery pieces will be useless!" From the telescope  After seeing the black slaves of the Continental Army being accidentally squeezed into a low-lying area, Alberta was overjoyed and said to the staff officer beside her:"What nonsense? Immediately order the artillery fire. Even if all the artillery is disabled, as long as we can blast dozens of shells on the heads of those niggas, we will win!" After that, under the order of Alberta, the artillery had to be fired again.  The cannon was loaded with ammunition.  In fact, as Alberta said, this is indeed the best opportunity for the British army. After the new British army joined, the black soldiers who had been fighting for at least three hours gradually began to show signs of failure.  Under the slow squeeze of the army, more than 4,000 black soldiers gathered on a piece of land of less than half a hectare.  The Alberta unit has more than thirty artillery pieces. After these artillery fires were fired under the order of Alberta, they instantly dealt a devastating blow to the morale of the black soldiers belonging to the Continental Army.  After a round of shelling, although 15 of the more than 30 artillery pieces exploded, and it also caused nearly 100 casualties among the British artillery, the results after the shelling were huge. The Continental Army that was suddenly bombarded was temporarily stunned.  The time actually collapsed.  This scene not only made Alberta happy, but also exceeded Nicholas's expectations.  "No damn retreat! No retreat!" Nicholas, who was standing on a high ground and commanding, kept waving the saber in his hand and shouted at the black soldiers who were fleeing across the mountains and plains.  "Your Excellency General, it is very difficult for these black slaves to persist for such a long time!" Indeed, as the officer next to Nicholas said, these black slaves were able to endure huge casualties.  It is very difficult to last for a day in the battle. Even most white soldiers cannot do this.  But in Nikolai¡¯s view, this is not enough.  But just as he was speaking, the morale of the British army suddenly rose to a higher level because of the defeat of the black soldiers of the Continental Army. Then these British soldiers launched a counterattack against the Continental Army.  The Continental Army, which had previously been inserted into the British army, also suffered heavy casualties under this counterattack.  "Damn it, order the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 8th regiments to break out immediately and request reinforcements from the Marshal!" As a last resort, Nicholas could only order the Continental Army inserted into the British formation to break out.  .  At six o'clock in the afternoon, both the Continental Army and the British Army were exhausted. As a last resort, both sides had to withdraw their troops and return to their camps.  However, on the entire battlefield, the three thousand Continental Army that had lurked on the right flank of the British army did not retreat, but quietly lurked.  (To be continued)
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