"What if...US France War 1865" Topic

Of possible interest?

See here

link

Armand

Yes! Fascinating, thanks Armand…

Wow, yes, what fun!

Is there a link to the rest of it? OBs look great, but seems like there was some background?

Just spitballing, a more aggressive France might well have allowed the Trans-Mississippi department (Kirby Smithdom) to survive the collapse of the CSA. Another Republic of Texas is reasonable, maybe with a lot of Louisiana and Arkansas included. So US allies to Mexico, vs Texas and France?

My main doubt would be whether the French navy was strong enough to defeat the USN in 1865. But a great scenario creator for 1:600 naval games. USN would have included the Atlanta and the Tennessee.

Anybody know the strength of the French fleet in 1865?

Okay, yes, France had a lot of ironclads. Wowza.

French Warships on the Mexican West Coast, 1861-1866

jstor.org/stable/3635229

The French fleet in 1860:

link

LA MARINE EN FRANCE ET AUX ETATS-UNIS EN 1865

link

LA RENAISSANCE DE LA MARINE MILITAIRE FRANÇAISE SOUS NAPOLÉON III

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Marine française et interventions extérieures, 1815-1870

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Les Français dans la guerre de Sécession, 1861-1865

link

Armand

Thanks!

A votre service mon ami…

Armand

Fun scenarios to be had in this. A moi, la Legion!!!

(smile)

Armand

Another interesting project…

1860's Russian Invasion of the USA and Canada

novobyzantium.blogspot.com

Armand

I'm trying to get my friends with Franco Prussian French, Foreign Legion and YS Cavalry interested in a Major Dundee +++ campaign.

Major Dundee, indeed the ridiculous unhistorical full of errors French ORBAT is of the same historical level of knowledge and credibility than Hollywood Dundee against French Lancers in Mexico…

the "Voltiguers" (usual), Regiment of "Turcos" (?!) the Shoemakers "de Afrique" (copied from the US "Corps de Afrique" I assume), 2 Regiments of French foot Sepoys (Sipahis) instead of horsed Spahis (2 of the 3 regiments should be in Mexico, leaving Algeria almost empty of cavalry while none of them took part in a major conflict like the war of 1870-71 less some detached scouts squadrons only!) the "Sipahis" at that time were only 4 sepoys companies in French India
the "Voltiguers Artillery batteries"(?!) – something new for me, I knew it existed in Spain some Cazadores de Artilleria or elsewhere Artillery Fusiliers but never heard of these ones in the French Army…and best final with a '53rd' and '25th Hussars' for a cavalry branch reaching only the 9th Hussars under Napoléon III, 14th under the First Empire and the 17th in 400 years of its whole History not to mention to see French Cuirassiers Dragoons and Lancers in a theater other than Europe, confusing the French Army with the British Army sending their Dragoons or Lancers Overseas

after such weird fourth dimensional unhistorical Expeditionnary force the Mexicans are treated with some kind of portospanish or lusitano-español dialect : "Cacadores" (Caçadores in portuguese – Cazadores in spanish) and "Lancerios" [Lanceros in spanish or Lanceiros in portuguese) even a Regiment of "Regulares" that is to say maybe moroccan colonial troops sent by Spain who knows,
one thing is to distinguish the Mexican troops by regulars vs "irregulars", guardia nacional and militia, but another to think it is a right terminology to name their regiments and battalions, for another mysterious reason they have both 'Chasseurs' and 'Cacadores' units maybe according to the level of knowledge in french and portuguese of the Mexican spanish-speaking soldiers…

one day someone could explain us why nonsense what if topics are mixed with 'serious' (in theory) historical forums