The Second Reconstruction-A Post-Civil War Kaiserreich USA Quest

[X] Concentrate forces and push on Chicago to knock the CSA out of the war

Enlightened Centrism shall PREVAIL

[X] Concentrate forces and push on Chicago to knock the CSA out of the war

[X] Concentrate forces and push on Chicago to knock the CSA out of the war

I support a MacArthur coup only so the senate can reenact what happened to Caesar, complete with togas and knives.

[X] Concentrate forces and push on Chicago to knock the CSA out of the war

Time to see if we can strangle this socialist revolution in the crib.

[X] Concentrate forces and push on Chicago to knock the CSA out of the war

While the Steel Belt Socialist Rebellions have been smaller and much less organized than the Longist revolts, the Steel Belt Socialists are the bigger, snowballing long term threat as they can potentially take control of the majority of the nation's industry, railroad hubs, and population. With enough time to organize themselves, the socialists would certainly be victorious due to their control of Northern industry. The only real way for the Federal Government to be victorious is to leverage its control over the existing governments and standing professional army to crush the Socialist communes before the Socialists can form a proper army and then turning on the less industrialized South.

Our main concern should be can we successfully take Chicago or not? Marching on the Socialists when the Longists appear the more dangerous threat will lose us some support from the left wing of Olson coalition, anger the AFL leadership that just abandoned Reed and want the Federal forces turned south, and a failed march on Chicago could drive some left-wing supporters of Olson into the arms of the Socialist rebels instead. The U.S. Army of the era was not very big and was considered a joke compared to the armies of the European great powers. On the other hand, even an unimpressive professional army can easily cut through poorly trained militia if properly concentrated and supplied. Additionally, the Socialists have failed to turn most of the Governorships and National Guard forces of the Steel Belt to the red cause unlike in the Kaiserreich game in a three-way scenario.

[X] Coordinate with the US Navy to launch an offensive along the Mississippi to seize New Orleans

BoredStudent1414 said:

Our main concern should be can we successfully take Chicago or not? Marching on the Socialists when the Longists appear the more dangerous threat will lose us some support from the left wing of Olson coalition, anger the AFL leadership that just abandoned Reed and want the Federal forces turned south

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It very much seems like the board has chosen its bandwagon. These are all problems with a northern offensive, and when it bites us in the ass, it will only make things worse.

Edit: It really is something that workers rising against governments that are actively gunning them down are viewed as more of a threat than a faction that actually has formal political control over an entire region of the country, has a much better organized paramilitary organization, has the financial backing of the wealthiest men in the country, and will likely get massive amounts of deserters not just in the rank and file military but also in the chain of command.

Like... you guys are showing some biases.

And I'm not surprised at all.

I think Sturmie has the right of it, the Reds in New York City are screwed unless they hold any parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania because we can trap them on the Island and starve them out if we have to.

Firm control of Chicago will prevent the CSA from getting control of a major Rail hub and also let us drive a wedge between the areas they have the most control over. They are the most disorganized group at the moment so we should strike while we have the advantage. The Capital is surrounded by States that have stayed loyal so we should be relatively secure their for now as well.


[X] Concentrate forces and push on Chicago to knock the CSA out of the war

[X] Coordinate with the US Navy to launch an offensive along the Mississippi to seize New Orleans

I care not the calculus of war, my eternal hatred for the Dixie must be slated

[X] Concentrate forces and push on Chicago to knock the CSA out of the war

We must not lose the Industrial Heart of America

Friends, straight from the source

Tjakari said:

It very much seems like the board has chosen its bandwagon. These are all problems with a northern offensive, and when it bites us in the ass, it will only make things worse.

Edit: It really is something that workers rising against governments that are actively gunning them down are viewed as more of a threat than a faction that actually has formal political control over an entire region of the country, has a much better organized paramilitary organization, has the financial backing of the wealthiest men in the country, and will likely get massive amounts of deserters not just in the rank and file military but also in the chain of command.

Like... you guys are showing some biases.

And I'm not surprised at all.

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I have advocated strongly in favor of labor throughout this quest, but the fact is that the CSA has been declared and all that connects New England and our section of the Eastern Seaboard is Kentucky. This war cannot be prosecuted with the Union in 2 pieces. We cannot afford to gamble on the possibility that the CSA will simply sputter out, if we lose control of the Steel Belt cities, the CSA will be able to consolidate and gain strength much faster than we will be able to as a proportion. It would take years of effort to dislodge them presuming we were able to at all. Kentucky would certainly be crushed in a vice between the CSA and AUS, and we would lose much if our ability to directly influence and make policy in the west. The war would be extended for 2 or 3 years at a minimum. I don't blame workers for reacting to Pinkertons and Minutemen gunning them down, but the fact is the time for negotiation has passed with the declaration of a second revolution and we straight up cannot meaningfully prosecute a war against the AUS if the CSA is able to consolidate in the Steel Belt. The AFL has departed and that isn't something they can take back.

Moving down the Carolinas is crossing river after river after river backed by the Appalachian Mountains. To get into most of the AUS from the West means having to cross the Mississippi River, a titanic task.

If it were in a less geographically catastrophic position like the Northwest or New England, by all means I would advocate a cordon and no offensive action, but the CSA even just as a series of Communes in the Midwest occupies every single major east west rail-line left to us barring the one in Kentucky.

The AUS is already essentially a fully formed proto-state, the CSA for now remains a series of disconnected cities that in many cases have not even seized capitals and state governments yet. We absolutely have the ability to strangle the CSA before it can consolidate, the AUS is a fait accompli. Capturing New Orleans has little material value when we do not control most of the Mississippi watershed, crushing the CSA now fundamentally changes the character of the war from an agonizing 3-way grind to a reasonably certain and comparatively brief long term outcome against the AUS.

[X] Concentrate forces and push on Chicago to knock the CSA out of the war

This wasn't what I had in mind initially, but I think the arguments in favor of it are convincing. I'll add my assessment of the international situation. There isn't really a major outside power who's willing and able to back Long - the Canadians and the Entente have no reason to, the Germans theoretically could but this would not be a good look and I doubt the Kaiser is looking to pick a fight given the situation in Europe and the fact that we helped stabilize the legations back in the Hoover administration. The socialists, however, have lots of willing and able international backers - if British, French and possibly even Mexican smuggled supplies haven't already started flowing in, they will soon. Striking hard and fast before the CSA can stabilize not only makes military sense but is also our best chance of the Internationale not finding an excuse for intervention. Nobody wants to fight that war, whatever your politics.

Tjakari said:

Edit: It really is something that workers rising against governments that are actively gunning them down are viewed as more of a threat than a faction that actually has formal political control over an entire region of the country, has a much better organized paramilitary organization, has the financial backing of the wealthiest men in the country, and will likely get massive amounts of deserters not just in the rank and file military but also in the chain of command.

Like... you guys are showing some biases.

And I'm not surprised at all.

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My guiding question in voting to focus on the Steel Belt and CSA first was this: "which one is the easier target, the AUS or the CSA?" We are at war with both factions after we called for mobilization against the Longists and the Syndicalists defected to Reed. With the AFL unions splitting from the CSA, I can see no real way to reconcile the CSA with our Feds, and so war it is.

However, the calculation may have changed with the information Astra Myst relayed to us.

Do we:
1. Fight with National Guard defectors and mobilized Red Guards on the Great Plains as we try to secure rail lines, and prevent the cities from consolidating control over the countryside.
2. Fight with National Guard defectors and mobilized Longist militias, and potentially Navy defectors, through the rivers and swamps of the South.
3. Wait patiently to mobilize, and see where the Steel Belt and South fall down with respect to defections.

I am most dubious about going down South for one simple reason: the waterways map.

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However.

There is a critical reason to focus on the Longists instead: it may draw their attention away from Texas, who declared for us. I'm still shocked that Cactus Jack came through for us in the end as he did but. Goddamn. That goofy, brilliant bastard did it.

And I don't want to let him down.

[] Coordinate with the US Navy to launch an offensive along the Mississippi to seize New Orleans

While we will have to deal with defectors if we can keep the CSA divided and stuck to the cities they have declared Communes in then we have a good chance of dealing with them before they can get any real momentum.

[X] Concentrate forces and push on Chicago to knock the CSA out of the war

Curse Reed and his gang

[X] Concentrate forces and push on Chicago to knock the CSA out of the war

Torn here,what's more fun: a long drawn out fight with Long or going Sherman on the Steel belt, eventually? Both are distinctly cool possibilities…