Capture the St. Louis Arsenal and get more than anyone could have imagined!

In this arsenal, the army of the Federation has stockpiled 60,000 smoothbore guns and millions of brown paper-wrapped bullets, as well as dozens of artillery pieces and thousands of shells and a large amount of gunpowder. St. Louis City is the middle reaches of the Mississippi River, the middle rail hub of the newly built railroad from Chicago to Kansas City, and most of the Union Army is stationed west of the Mississippi River, so most of the arms transported by ship and rail are hoarded here, resulting in a large amount of arms being captured.

Governor Jackson was overjoyed to learn of the captured weapons, but at the same time he was worried about how much the captives would give him. However, what he didn't expect was that the regiment commander surnamed Li, through Lu Ernan, directly handed over 60,000 smoothbore guns, 10,000 smoothbore guns and bullets to him, and asked him to form the Irish Independence Army in Missouri. At this point, Jackson was able to massively expand his troops.

Meanwhile, former Governor Sterling Price came to St. Louis and asked for some guns, having just formed a militia close to the Confederate States from places like Ellisville, with nearly 6,000 men.

Li Xinglong and Lu Ernan directly distributed 10,000 smoothbore guns and matching ammunition to Sterling Price's army.

Price was very grateful, and together with Governor Jackson and others, he returned to Jefferson City, convened a congress, and officially issued a proclamation announcing Missouri's secession from the American Union. However, because of Governor Jackson's connections, he wanted to turn Missouri into an independent area for Irish people, so Missouri did not declare its accession to the Confederate States. But former Governor Sterling Price insisted that he wanted to join the Confederate States, and after some disputes between the two sides, they almost got into infighting, but fortunately they were stopped by Li Xinglong and Lu Ernan.

Price eventually garrisoned the city of St. Louis with 3,000 militiamen willing to follow him. Li Xinglong led the captive army to take a boat, carrying 10,000 smoothbore guns, bullets and gunpowder, etc., and went up the Kansas River to Kansas City. The remaining 30,000 smoothbore guns and ammunition were escorted by Lu Ernan and more than 100 soldiers of the Capture Army, loaded on several ships, and transported down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, St. Louisiana, where they were handed over to the Confederate States for transportation to the battlefield in the northeast.

Not long after Lu Ernan and others left St. Louis City, Madison, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis City, ushered in the federal government's newly appointed Missouri theater commander Brigadier General Nathanel Leon, who was a captain officer of the U.S. Second Infantry Regiment a month ago, was directly promoted to brigadier general, and led 10,000 federal troops gathered from President Lincoln's hometown of Illinois to rush to the Mississippi River, collect boats, send sappers to build pontoon bridges, and cross the river directly.

Price was unprepared and did not yet know that the Union troops had crossed the river. Just like the scene when the captives attacked the federal army half a month ago, Brigadier General Leon led the federal army to attack the city of St. Louis soon. Price's 3,000 militia was routed, and he had to flee along the upper Kansas River with more than 1,400 militiamen. Leon personally led 2,000 Union soldiers in pursuit, and Price was completely defeated, leaving only a few hundred men to flee to Sullivan in central Missouri.

Brigadier General Leon left 2,000 Union soldiers in St. Louis and led more than 7,000 men to attack Jefferson, the capital of Missouri. At this time, in addition to the 5,000 Irish Independence Army formed by Governor Jackson himself, and the 3,000 Missouri militia left by Price, the two sides had the same strength, weapons and equipment, and the level of training was almost the same, that is, they basically had no military training.

Both sides are very clumsy in firing at each other, there is no tactic or anything to speak of, and there is a loss for each other. In the end, seeing that he could not take advantage, Brigadier General Leon led more than 4,000 men to retreat to St. Louis City, while Jackson's side also lost nearly a thousand troops. The war in Missouri was at a standstill.

The western part of Virginia is a strategic point of contention because of its long border with Ohio, the Baltimore-Ohio Pakistan-Ohio railroad line passing through it, and the Ohio River flowing through the region's border. At the beginning of May, 5,000 troops of the Confederate Powers under the command of General Robert Garnett entered the area and first seized the area west of the Harpers Ferry, directly cutting off the Pakistan-Russia railway line, making it impossible for the federal troops to move quickly through the Pakistan-Russia railway. In desperation, the Federal War Department appointed Major General George McClellan to set out from Ohio, organized a 20,000-strong Ohio militia into the western border of Virginia, and sent an advance force to cross the Ohio River in mid-May, occupy Grafton on the Pakistan-Russia line, and continue southward.

And Kentucky is also in turmoil. As the common homeland of Federal President Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis of the Confederate States, Governor Beria Megovin took control of the parliament and announced that he would remain neutral, but as the situation developed, after Missouri announced its secession from the Northern Union, his thinking slowly began to change, after all, except for the north, the east, west and south were enemy-occupied areas, and Maygovin did not want Kentucky to become the main battlefield for both sides.

With Maygovern's acquiescence, the railroad from Louisville, Kentucky, to Nashville, Tennessee, Confederate states, became the main conduit for Kentucky's military goods to the South. Not only that, but Governor Megovin also secretly allowed Confederate military representatives to recruit here, and many Kentuckians secretly entered the Tennessee border to join the Confederate army.

At this time, more and more members of the Kentucky legislature tended to be loyal to the Union, and in order to prevent a rebellion, the parliament formed the Home Self-Defense Force, and the governor of the Confederate States, Megovin, who was already preparing to fall to the Southern Union, also formed the Kentucky Self-Defense Force, and the two sides were in a stalemate.

........

Washington, D.C., White House.

Treasury Secretary Samon Chase accompanied a young major general in his forties, to Lincoln.

Lincoln raised his head, looked at the young general in front of him, and saw that the other party puffed up his chest meticulously, and couldn't help but nod, and said, "Mr. Chase, this is the student you recommended, who thinks he can be qualified to be the commander of the Virginia theater of operations of the Federation?" ”

Chase smiled and said, "Yes, Mr. President! This is Major General Owen McDowell, and I think he would be the most appropriate commander of the Virginia Theater of Operations to command the Northern Virginia Legion! ”

Seeing Lincoln listening, Chase continued: "McDowell studied at the Trouale Academy in France in his early years, graduated from the Federal Military Academy of the United States at the age of twenty, served as a second lieutenant in the First Artillery Corps of the United States, and later served as an adjutant to Major General John Wool during the Mexican-American War. He had a good approach to the training of soldiers and the offensive of artillery. ”

Lincoln nodded, expressed satisfaction, looked at McDowell, and said, "General McDowell, if I put the Northern Virginia Legion of more than 30,000 people under your command, can you capture Richmond in a month and occupy Virginia in a month and a half?" ”

McDowell hesitated.

Seeing this, Chase next to him hurriedly gave McDowell a look and said, "Mr. President, with McDowell's ability, as long as he leads the Northern Virginia Legion and gives priority to the supply of arms and logistics materials, there will be no problem at all in occupying Virginia within a month and a half!" ”

McDowell could only nod and said, "As long as the soldiers of the Northern Virginia Legion can train a little, I am confident that I can defeat the Southern rebels in a while!" ”

Lincoln was overjoyed, patted McDowell on the shoulder and said, "Good, great! As long as you can defeat the Southern rebels, maintain the unity of the Federation, and the logistical aspects such as arms and materials, you don't have to think about it, I will ask the War Department to prepare all for you. ”

After speaking, he said: "With Mr. Chase's relationship with you, their Ministry of Finance will also fully support you, and you don't have to worry about military salaries." I will appoint you as Commander of the Virginia Theater of Operations, but you must command your troops to launch a full-scale offensive as quickly as possible to capture Richmond and all of Virginia! You know, the Southern rebels have announced the relocation of their so-called capital to Richmond, the capital of Virginia, just 170 kilometers from Washington, and is a direct threat to the security of the federal capital! Therefore, Richmond must be captured as soon as possible! Moreover, this is also the best opportunity to strike quickly while the Southern rebels are moving the capital, and still have not established themselves in Richmond! I don't ask about the process, I just need to see the result, the result of defeating the rebels, I think, the entire 16 million people of the Northern Federation! ”

After hearing the president's words, McDowell felt the pressure, and looked at his teacher, Secretary of the Treasury Chase, as if asking for help, Chase ignored him directly, and said to President Lincoln: "Don't worry, Mr. President, McDowell will give you and the citizens of the entire Federation a perfect explanation!" ”

A week later, Treasury Secretary Chase and Secretary of War Simon Cameron came to the president's office. Chase preemptively said to Lincoln, "Mr. President, your wise decision has saved the Union!" ”

Lincoln was a little strange: "Mr. Chase, I don't understand what you mean. ”

"Mr. President, what Minister Chase means is that you have appointed a good commander!" War Secretary Cameron took over and explained, "Three days ago, General McDowell led the vanguard of the Northern Virginia Corps across the Potomac River from Washington to capture the cities of Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia. The border troops of the southern rebels were completely outnumbered and retreated aggressively. As of yesterday evening, more than 12,000 Union soldiers had entered Northern Virginia. It is possible that today, General McDowell will lead his troops to capture Fairfax. If this continues, it will take less than half a month to attack Richmond. ”

When Lincoln heard the news of the war, he was overjoyed and complained, "Is it true? Why didn't you report it to me earlier! Minister Cameron, in the future, whenever there is news of the war in the War Department, you must report it to me as soon as possible, no matter how late it is, understand? ”

Cameron hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Lincoln directly ordered: "The War Department has ordered that after all five divisions of McDowell's Northern Virginia Regiment have entered Virginia, first seize Manassas, an important transportation hub south of Washington, which is the center of the railroad and must be controlled in order to clear the way to Richmond." Then the Federation waited for their good news. ”

.........

Richmond, the capital of Virginia.

The Confederate States had officially designated Richmond as its capital, and a Confederate government cadre had just moved from Montmaree to Richmond. Numerous Confederate troops also moved north, concentrating in Virginia, especially around Richmond.

Davis rushed to Richmond and directly set the original city hall as the presidential palace, and moved in without any decoration or anything else.

Soon after, Davis issued a presidential decree in the name of the Confederate States of America, appointing the "Five Tiger Generals":

Brigadier General Samuel Cooper is Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Union State;

Brigadier General Albert Sidney Johnston Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Confederate Army and Commander of the Western Theater of Operations;

Colonel Robert Lee as General Adviser to the President for the Military;

Major General Joseph Egresdon Johnston Commander of the Eastern Virginia Theater of Operations.

Brigadier General Pierre Beauregarde is the commander of the West Virginia theater of operations.

At the same time, news came that the troops of the Northern Union were marching south from Washington to attack Manassas. Colonel Robert Lee suggested that President Davis send two troops to besiege the incoming enemy, so President Davis first sent Brigadier General Borlegard, commander of the West Virginia Theater of Operations, to lead the newly formed 20,000 soldiers of the Portmark Regiment to take the lead in capturing Manassas and blocking the attack of the Northern Army. Later, Maj. Gen. Joseph Johnston, commander of the Eastern Virginia Theater of Operations, was appointed to lead the 12,000 men of the also newly formed Shenandoa Corps, stationed between Richmond and Washington, near the Portmack River, to defend Northern Virginia.

Davis was very pleased with the arrangement.

Manassas is strategically important as a railroad junction in northern Virginia, connecting the two ends of the Blue Ridge at its northernmost point, and Manassas is the only gap.

As long as the Confederate forces in the south controlled the gap, they could use the railroad to quickly deploy their troops in front of and behind the mountain peaks, and concentrate their forces against the threat of the Northern Union. The army of the North could only attack Major General Joseph Johnston and Brigadier General Borigard at the same time, seize the gap or sabotage the railway. As long as the Northern Union army comes to attack, the two forces can flank the east and west and encircle the enemy army.

The atmosphere of war is getting stronger and stronger!

With the completion of the first Northern state militia call-ups, more than 75,000 militias have been assembled, including more than 20,000 from Washington to the Portmark River and occupy Arlington and Alexandria, gaining a foothold in Virginia. At the same time, the new conscription of volunteers ordered by the president in early May also received enthusiastic responses from countless young people from the north.

By the end of June, the five divisions of the Northern Virginia Regiment, a total of more than 37,000 soldiers, had finally gathered and entered the area of the Portmark River in Virginia, and the commander General McDowell was finally unable to resist the pressure from Washington, under the accusations of countless northern newspapers and congressmen, of course, the most important thing was that under the repeated urging of President Lincoln and the War Department, General McDowell could no longer delay on the pretext that the soldiers were not gathered and lacked training, and he could only issue orders to attack, Attack in groups around Manassas.