2cd Anglo-Spanish War of 1860

## **Backstory**

The origins of the war begins in California of 1848 when gold was first discovered by a British settler named *James Wilson Marshall.* Other settlers from British colonies such as Canada and the twin American colonies began moving to California in large numbers. This eventually led to the *Raid of Red Bluff* by a Californian Revolutionary Movement called the *Black Hawks* who wanted California to be independent and there was a good reason as well. The leader in the Californian Movement *Mark Twain* was jailed in 1858 for his Radical Newspaper *The Daily Francisco.* Others in the movement were jailed and repressed by the Spanish minority there which caused more racial tentions between the Higher Spanish Ruling Class and the Lower Anglo-Saxon classes. The problem got worse in December of 1859 where a British Diplomat named *George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough* was killed in a local gunfight where Spanish policemen gunned the Diplomat and several bystanders including women and children which left over 5 people dead and 6 people wounded. The problem with this is that the Diplomat was of higher British Noblity and very well respected among Europe. Britain hearing the news demanded an apology and those policemen involved to be executed for the murding of women and children. Spain declined and said the policemen were hero’s protecting the people from a riot. This of course was not true as it was infact a peaceful protest against the Spanish. *Churchill’s* body was thrown into a mass grave and burnt as they thought he was a British Immigrant. This soured relations between Spain and Britain, and the final Nail in the Coffen hit when Spain banned British Immigrantion to California threatening to shoot them on sight and the Immigrants already there were facing forced deportation by the Spanish which caused uproar in Parliment forcing the British to delcare war on Spain on *September 5th 1860* for distreatment of British and murdering of an British Offical and the mass crisis in California.

## **War-1860**

### **Californian Front**

The Californians already angry at the Government overthrew the Spanish at Eurkea while British Troops led by General Sherman began their advance into Nevada and California in December as both sides were slow to react at the first couple months of the war where only 1 major battle happened in Eureka.

### **Texan Front**

As the sitution was like California the British did march into Amarlillo where the city fell easily to 20,000 British regulars. The Spanish already feared a war ever since 1859 had soldiers on the defensive in the Red River not allowing any troop movements to pass which led the British to be stuck at the moment. The Spanish led 75,000 regluars down into Lousiana as Shreveport, and Lake Charles fell to the Spanish overwhelming the British at first while the Spanish Navy would hurt the British Coast in the Gulf of Mexico due to British ships being stationed in New England and other colonies while they began to make their way down. The *Battle of Layayette* would occur as the Spanish would continue their advance seeming to poise to attack New Orleans.

### **Latin American Front**

The Spanish would pounce on British Colonies in Guyana and Belize overwhelming the local British Gaurds. The Spanish trying to land 500 troops on the Falklands would get replused by the British navy in the *Battle of Port Stephans.* Similar missions occured in Jamacia and British Colonies in the Caribbean as the Spanish would successfully overrun all the British Colonies there besides the Bahamas.

### **African Skirmishes**

Spanish settlers in Modern day Liberia would be forced to run due to the Britsh reinforcing their African colonies before the war even begun causing distraught in the Spanish African colonies were Spain would never recover due to their colonies in the Golden Coast, Kongo, and East Africa all being taken by the British while Belgium would enter the war on the British side being the only country at the time who would join. An *Berber revolt* would occur in Morroco catching the Spanish off guard as their supply route was being threatened by Beber rebels who would use the Atlas Mountains to hurt the Spanish which was great for the British.

### **European front**

The British would fortify Malta and Cyprus as Gibraltar would fall to the Spanish within Months but the British navy would do numbers on the Spanish Fleet near Malta defeating them. Other than that no other conflict did occur besides an minor Irish revolt who was quickly crushed.

### **Asian stalemate**

There were two battles in Asia that would occur early in the war as the British and Spanish for the most part would leave Asia alone. The *Battle of the South China Sea* would occur but it was nothing more than a bunch of merchant ships fighting each other and it would have no winner. The Spanish would siege Hong Kong with Spanish ships blockcading it but this was quickly repulsed by other European countries fearing the Chinese would launch an invasion to take back the European terriorites in China so out of diplomatic pressure from Europe Spain was forced to leave and the Chinese coast would be delcared an safe zone from Naval combat.

## **1861**

### **Sherman’s fury**

General Sherman devised a plan to split the Spanish War effort as he was going to sweep California then focus all the man power on Texas but it did take slower than he expected. Sherman would defeat twice General Pedro de Ampudia in Salt Lake city and once again in Provo spearheading the efforts into Utah. After his Victory in Provo he would let General Forrest be in charge of the Nevada and Utah fronts as he would focus his attention on California. The British Navy would begin an bombarment of the California Coast as key Spanish Pacific ports would be destroyed leaving the coast at the mercy of the British.

### **Battle of New Orleans**

The Battle of New Orleans took place outside of New Orleans in a town named Kenner. The British reorganized themselves as a bunch of recruits and volunteers. A few people thought they would win but they did. A force of 50,000 in New Orleans verus Spain’s 70,000 seemed hopeless but it wasn’t. The Spanish on their way to New Orleans after capturing Houma would face resistance in the Marshes losing over 10,000 men to these attacks and their supply would be destroyed as the Spanish Navy did their best to resupply them but when the British Navy finally came the Spanish Navy had to go elsewhere to fight off the British. The exhausted, undersupplied, demoralizeds troops went into battle against the British in Kenner. The British did a marvelous job as they outflanked them finding holes between their lines after an artillery bombardment by the Brits and continuing to attack the supply line and the General in Charge of that was General Robert E. Lee who continued to attack and dismish the Spanish force all the way back to Texas into Beaumont with help from Clavery Colonel Stonewall Jackson as the Spanish force of 70,000 arriving into Orleans was left to a ragged 15,000 men besieged at Beaumont as it was Lee’s masterpiece as Britain begun to take note of the Southern General and soon people around the South saying *“Thank god for Master Lee.”*

### **Disaster at the canary islands**

The British wern’t so successful in other fronts notably losing 10,000 men in a failed invasion of the Canary Islands being repulsed by the Spanish already expecting the British to come due to their recent naval actions. The fort at the *Battle of Telde* held strong as the British distraught and defeated left to lick their wounds back to the Homeland.

## **1862**

### **Operation Ocelot**

*Operation Ocelot* one of the more notably actions in the war as it was led by British General Sherman as multiple landings would occur on the Californian coast in 4 major places with 100,000 troops partaking in these opertaions with coordinated with the Californian rebels led by Joseph Hooker who in the *Battle of San Francisco* defeated the stunned Spanish which were trying to figure out where the British troops landed and the Spanish communication line fell apart as the Spanish fleed to Fresno to reorganize from the defeating blow. Landings in Fort Bragg, Gualala, Santa Cruz and San Francisco itself managed to clear half of Northern California for the British as also General Forrest helping Sherman would organize his Cavalry troops to capture the key cities of Reno and Carson City which both fell within a day. By this time it seemed that Spain needed to send it’s Best General Santa Anna to help out if it weren't for McClellan’s move into Dallas.

### **Siege of Dallas**

With orders from High command General George B. McClellan defeated Spanish forces in the key town of Hendrix after spotting a hole in their defenses which would overwhelm the Spanish. McClellan’s 50,000 men approached Dallas, Texas as the cavalry would sweep around the side to cut off the Spanish forces leaving them with no supply, but luckly of the city’s 45,000 defenders 5,000 escaped the siege due to McClellan’s incompdence. For the rest of the year McClellan decided to wait it out in Dallas and other generals complained it was possible to overrun the Spanish early in the battle and not waste materials on the siege but nothless McClellan sat launching shells at the defenders. During this time in Beaumont General Lee was injured in an Horse accident where an surpised gun shot took the horse from under him leaving Lee to rest in the war for 3 years before he was ever battle ready.

### **Great Battle of Biscany**

The Biggest Naval battle of the war happened in Biscany where the British would appoarch the Spanish as the British had an ace up their sleeve *Ironclads* which the British had two of the *HMS Georgetown* and the *HMS Cornwallis* which obliterated the Spanish fleet in the area with only two friagtes escaping making their way back to the Spanish coast. But Spain improvised as they began to learn from the Ironclads beginning to build their own hoping to have one by 1865.

## **1863**

### **Fall of Las Vegas**

Forrest would quickly take out the troops in nearby Moape diverting the Spanish troops to there to take action against him when unexpectly for the Spanish a force from the West mainly calvary would begin their quick march to Las Vegas where the Spanish seeing they have been deceived sent their forces backed only to be intercepted by a young calavry colonal named *George Custer* who defeated the Spanish and paving the way for Forrest’s victory at Las Vegas which eventually led to Sherman to focus all his firepower at Los Angeles or the City of Angels.

### **Santa Anna’s counter attack**

The Greatest Spanish General who ever lived at the time *Santa Anna* was sent against McClellan to break the siege of Dallas and this is what he did. Santa Anna knew McClellan was careful and not too quick so he organized a two sides breakthrough. Santa Anna sent his cavalry and some 15,000 troops to distract McClellan using tactics to seem like the 15,000 men were way more than that which freaked out McClellan. So McClellan sent a force of 30,000 after them which then Santa Anna’s troops who are more moblie kept on moving McClellan slowly away from Dallas when Santa Anna sent another force of 45,000 men against the 20,000 troops at Dallas. Santa Anna successfully broke the siege which saved over 20,000 troops who had been under siege for a year and most likely wouldn’t last longer. Then Santa turned his eyes on the 30,000 men McClellan had as he combined all his forces to force McClellan to retreat across the River and McClellan was sacked by parliment losing his job and replaced with General Meade.

### **European mayhem**

The British would do operation Dingo which a force of 30,000 men tried to land aat A Coruna but got repulsed by the city’s 25,000 defenders and cost the British 15,000 men nearly half of the force as the Spanish navy sooned jumped in to continued to hurt the British all the way till the actual British navy arrived. Spain responded by landing a force of 3,000 men in Ireland which was successful and the Spanish tried to start revolts which were quickly smashed by the British and the 3,000 troops never made it home. The Berber revolts would intensify as the Berber’s captured the key city of Rabat leaving Spain to send reinforcements of over 75,000 men to deal with them and they were eventually crushed as the Berber’s retreated to the Atlas mountains where they would remain for the remainder of the war.

## **1864**

### **Nearing Los Angeles**

Sherman who had been waiting for Las Vegas to fall began to muster up some 100,000 men combined with Forrest’s 50,000 men; they outnumbered the Spanish so Sherman decided to rush the Spanish at Fresno and Forrest defeated the Spanish at Fort Irwin despite the heat of the Californian desert. Sherman defeated the Spanish at *the battle of Visalia, and the battle of Santa Barbara.* Sherman decided to attack the Spanish stronghold of Bakersfield outnumbering the Spanish two to one as the Spanish fled all the way back to Los Angeles seeming they were going to fall but they weren't as *General Santa Anna* was reassigned to Los Angeles after the Spanish kept on losing and losing there and Texas was in a safe spot as the attack near Beaumont was replused so all sides held at a stalemate. Santa Anna’s 120,000 men faced Sherman’s 140,000 men and the battle was going to go down in history.

### **Stalemate at Red River**

Genearl Meade tried to cross the Red river twice in the Summer and Fall of 1864 and both times were repulsed, losing 30,000 men each. Both sides built up on defenses leaving the war at a stalemate in Texas where no side could not advance without losing thousands of men. The *Battle of the Praire* occurred in Northern Texas near Amarillo where Spain successfully took back the city from British hands and once again nothing happened at the Texan front after that.

## **1865**

### **Battle of Los Angeles**

The biggest battle in the war happened in Los Angeles as General Sherman and General Santa Anna faced off. At first Sherman managed to get to the city outskirts but was pushed back by the wave of Spanish back to Santa Baraba where they held strong and for about a week each side stood still. Santa Anna left his side flank open as he continued to go after Sherman while the British were baiting him. General Sherman soon attacked the side flank with his cavalry making it to the outskirts of Los Angeles and Santa Anna retreated from his advance to prevent getting encircled and stood firm in Los Angeles as both sides exchanged artillery and urban warfare would begin as Los Angeles would be devastated. Californian General Hooker began to make the advance towards Chinatown which forced the Spanish to hold firmly destorying the orignial Chinatown completly. Sherman finally broke Santa Anna where a force encircled 10,000 men in one area of the city and forced them to surrender which Santa Anna was running out of Manpower. Meanwhile a rather unknown General at the time *General Grant* easily marched in Phoenix and began capturing Tucson at the same time. Los Angeles was under constant war for over 8 months when Santa Anna ran out of supply at a force of 40,000 men were trapped in Baja California while the rest 50,000 men fled to New Spain to make a defense in Sonora. Over 75,000 men died on both sides 45,000 Spainsh, and 30,000 British in which Los Angeles was far too gone and the citizens suffered.

### **Domination of the Seas**

The British and Spanish met again at the battle of the *Balearic Sea* which was a British victory as the Britsh seized the islands from Spain. The British managed to sink Spain’s new ironclad near A Coruna where the *HMS Georgetown* sank the *HRN Conqusitor* but the Georgetown was damaged and went back to England to get repaired. So the *HMS Cornwallis* ruled the waves as the Spanish would lose their control of their coast near their homeland. The brand new *HMS Victoria* and her fleet would descend upon the Gulf of Mexico wreaking havoc on Spanish ports ruining the Spanish Navy there as 10,000 men landed back in Jamacia to reclaim it for the crown and successfully won. *The HMS Victoria* would be sunk right off the coast of Central America in 1867 at the very end of the war.

### **Beginning of the End**

With Los Angeles won *General Grant* arrived in Texas at the end of the year and *General Lee* would be better as he would take up arms in Lousiana and finally *General Sherman* would be resigned to West Texas where he charged cross New Mexico winning left and right as *General Forrest* took over for him and *General Meade* was demoted to because of his failure to cause a breakthrough. The *HMS Victoria* raided the biggest port in Spanish Texas *San Tejas* in modern day Houston where the troops revolted against their officers but this revolt known as the *San Tejas Revolt* failed as it was crushed and more than 10,000 soldiers were sentenced to labour camps. By this newspaper’s in Spain could see the writing and demanded Spain to leave the war but that wasn’t going to happen for another 2 years.

### **Argentina’s Revolution**

A revolution broke out in Argentina backed by the British Government which allowed over 20,00 British troops to arrive in Argentina and nearly 30,000 revolutionarys took Buenos Aires as more revolts occurred in Rosario and Bahia as the Spanish were surprised by the revolution expecting one more up north as Peruvian, Columbian, and Mexican revolts were all crushed by the Government’s secret police and military. The British were sending supplies via friendly Portugese Brazil which the Spanish denounced Portugal but didn’t take any further action as they were bound to lose anyway.

## **1866**

### **Breakthrough at Clarksville**

*General Grant and General Lee* worked together as they broke through the defeneses in the Red river charging across Clarksville the sheer number of men surprised the Spanish as 50,000 men broke through and seized a beachead and advanced further with the use of cavalry and artillery. General Lee would resume the advance towards Beaumont again with a force of 30,000 roughed up men and this time Beaumont fell quickly as well as Longview in the North as by the end of the year Lee began his action towards San Tejas. Sherman begun a scorched earth policy in Texas advancing from the west destorying ranches taking loot, tearing up railroads and entire towns as they took Lubbock and Odessa as Sherman was determined to reach San Antonio as with cooperation with the other Generals he hoped to cut of the southern part of texas from the rest effectively encirclling the men up north. Dallas would fall as General Grant would overwhelm Santa Anna throwing men and men as the news in London called him a butcher but kept on throwing men on Santa Anna pushing him out of Dallas and Waco.

### **Forrest’s Rampage**

Forrestis most known for his total devastation of Sonora as he sees the Spanish there as lower people’s and dirt. Tijuana would be destroyed as the Spanish kept on moving and Mexcail fell as Forrest would leave 20,000 men to take out the rest of Baja California and Baja California was changed forever as 30,000 men stuck there after retreating surrendered to the British. Forrest captured Hermosillo and Guaymas before an desperate counter attack stopped General Forrest as he thought to wait out the rest of the year until the Texan front had been won as he sent off 40,000 men he sent 10,000 over to Texas to help out.

### **Argentina’s advance into Coroba**

Spain was slow to react to the revolt so the Argentians managed to capture Coroba but the Spanish managed to moblize 30,000 men in Santiago preparing for a possible attack and the Urugauy river held strong. The city of Concepcion was captured by an British offshore force of 5,000 who linked with the Argentine forces hoping to pass those Mountains before the Spanish could react. A further 10,000 troops backed by Argentina as the city of Montevideo was raided by the *HMS Victoria* who was at the time stationed at the Falklands. The *Victoria* raided the cities of Santiago, Lima and Montevideo while stationing itself in Brazilian ports and British offshore ports away from Spanish ships.

## **1867**

### **Advance into Uruguay**

The Argentians advanced into Uruguay after finding a weak point in the Uruguay River. The Spanish held strong though with 30,000 men fighting they managed to hold with a firm defense firing artilley at the Argentians.

### **Battle of Austin**

Grant after breakingthrough at Dallas and Waco with 50,000 men he begun marching towards Austin hoping to beat Sherman to San Antonio but the Spanish held strong at Austin as combat similar to Los Angeles begun but unlike Sherman, Grant kept on advancing no matter the cost and soon the Spanish were trapped and destroyed as Grant managed to link up with Sherman in San Antonio.

### **Siege of San Tejas**

San Tejas or Houston was encircled by Lee as an 1 month long siege occurred while the British navy came into the Harbour and they helped Lee as the Spanish surrendered and over 15,000 soldiers were captured after a fiery Artillery and calavry battle. Lee decided it was best to ignore Sherman and Grant’s race to San Antonio so he continued down the Texan coast only stopped whn he reached the Rio Grande as he advanced faster then the supply lines could keep up.

### **Sherman’s conquest of San Antonio**

Sherman and Grant arrived at the same time and decided it was best to work together though Sherman got the credit. Santa Anna stuck in San Antonio and knowing that he couldn’t escape held strong against 130,000 Union men vs 40,000 under equipped Spandarids so he surrendered as that marked one of the last battles of the war and soon an offical decleartion of surrender was sent to London by the Spanish Crown following the defeat of Santa Anna.

## **Treaty of San Francisco**

### **California**

Spain was forced to cede Nevada and California to the New California republic and Spain will pay the damage done to Los Angeles and for 5 years Spain and California can have an ethic transfer if the people want to. Utah is demoblized till 1890 on both the British and Spanish sides. California and Spain shall have an 20 year Non Agression Pact which expires in 1888 as both are free to attack each other then.

### **Texas**

The entire Texas border shall be demoblized and the port of San Tejas shall be leased to Great Britain until 1910 inwhich Britain shall give it back to Spain.

### **Europe**

Gibraltar shall be kept by the British and the Berber people shall be granted some autonomy by Spain. Spain shall pay 30 million dollars in damages to Britian and a 20 year non aggression pact shall be signed as well.

### **Other areas**

Argentina shall be granted independence and the borders shall be drawn on right when the treaty was signed and a 20 year Non aggression pact was signed following a guarantee by Great Britain.