Part 5 - A Nation is Born
Part 5 - A Nation is Born
Winter, 1864
After the signing of the Canadian Declaration of Independence, the rebellion began to pick up momentum. By the end of February, the revolution was no longer a ragged group of freedom fighters, as an interim government was set up. The Canadians became organized, and as a result of the organization, they felt more secure and calm, allowing them to be smarter and less rash. March 23rd through the 27th saw an organized assault against British forces, driving them further northwest from the lands of Free Canada. Throughout April the Canadians continued their push and bid for freedom, following in the footsteps of the American Revolution and sending officials of their interim government to Europe for aid.
They also made unofficial visits, including visits to Ireland and Scotland, spreading rumors that the Canadian Revolution was not going as well as the British were saying. More importantly than that, they made proclamations around Europe as well as in North America that if any man wished to join their cause and help fight the British, they would be given full rights, citizenship, and land or money depending on which the fighter preferred. This drew much attention, especially in the areas of Ireland and Scotland, as well as with some slaves in the United States who did not trust the government to truly free them.
On April 14th, a British official disrupted President Lincoln's plans to attend a play to ask the President for assistance or in the least, not to acknowledge the Canadian claim as an actual country. After five hours of discussion, President Lincoln's decision was pretty much as it had been throughout the meeting: the United States was already at war, and could not assist the British in any way, even if they wanted to. Lastly, the President told the British official that it was none of the U.S.' business to get involved, since it was the British's problem to deal with. The next day in secret, the President authorized the U.S. to deploy small garrisons of recently recruited black irregulars to "help defend the U.S./Canada border." In actuality, they were ordered to assist the Canadians in any way they could. For the rest of the war, tales of the black fighters of Satchel's Troops would spread throughout Canada and become part of military legend. From their defense of a small missionary (reportedly full of orphans and widows, in actuality an arms depot) in northern Quebec from a British force ten times their size, to the true stories of their outfoxing and ambushing British forces with guerilla tactics and not ever losing a single member of the squad to a bullet.
With the leaves beginning to turn as summer surrendered its warmth to the chill of winter in the fall of 1864, so were many British strongholds surrendering to the Canadian Revolution. In September Canadian forces began to raise a new standard when going into battle in addition to the flags of whichever part of Canada they were from. The flag was a simple white maple leaf in a field of crimson. Said to be inspired by the beauty of Canadian autumns, it was in actuality inspired by something else. In the early part of the war, when rebels went to British-occupied cities, they often went under the guise of maple sugar and syrup traders. From that sprung the use of a painted white maple leaf sewn to the inside of jacket sleeves as a way to prove to other rebels that you were indeed a friend of Canada. September also saw the first acknowledgement of other nations of Canada as its own nation, first by of France and then soon Mexico and Spain.
Great Britain was on the proverbail ropes, with Canada continuing its onslaught of devastating attacks that left British forces primarily in the Newfoundland area. In October, urged by the Canadian interim government, Francine Morgan again met with President Lincoln and asked for one last favor. Canada wanted to strike at the island of Newfoundland, one of the last British strongholds and they needed help. President Lincoln at first politely refused, thinking Canada wished the use of U.S. naval ships, but Francine explained different. They did not want U.S. naval ships at all. The President agreed to help, but in reconciliation, Canada had to give the U.S. primary fishing and whaling rights in some Canadian waters.
October 30th, All Hallow's Eve morn was unusually foggy and made it difficult for British sentries on the Isle of Newfoundland to see. When they began to see forms in the slowly breaking fog, they initially became alarmed and thought they were under assault from a Canadian naval force. With great relief they saw as the ships drew nearer that the ships were primarily merchant, whaling and fishing ships, with not a single enemy ship among them. Though it was an abnormally large amount of ships that would cause mostly mooring issues, they merely thought it was ships trying to get in a last trip to the island before the rough winter weather hit. As the ships docked, it was not the usual merchants who left the ships to try and make a profit. Instead, thousands of Canadian forces who had been tightly packed into the ships streamed out and immediately began to siege the unsuspecting island. Within a few days, the last major fighting on the island had ceased and within a few weeks Canadian forces in mainland Newfoundland had siezed the last of the are as that the British controlled.
Defeated and with Canada being recognized by other countries as its own nation, Great Britain had no recourse but to acknowledge Canada in the famed Treaty of Ottawa and began to withdraw its forces from what was now by law Canadian territory. With victory their's and support coming in from other countries in the form of new trade and money to get back on their feet, a free Canadian government picked its first Prime Minister in January, 1865. Though many wanted Francine to be the Prime Minister, she turned it down and instead focused on helping the efforts to get Montreal rebuilt. After the U.S. defeated the Confederates in 1865, the U.S. also helped Canada rebuild, but they primarily focused on the still existing rift in their nation.
Some of the actual whaling vessels that were a part of the great Canadian naval force that attacked Newfoundland island.
You'll see.
