On the same day

The Legislature of Maine, the northernmost state in the United States, passed a resolution to formally separate from the United States on January 10, 1890, establish the Democratic Republic of Maine, and seek to join the United States as an independent state.

As soon as the news came out, everyone was in an uproar.

No one expected that it was Maine, a northern state in the United States that borders the Canadian province of New Brunsreal, with a population of only 1.314 million, accounting for 4.72% of the total population of the United States. It is a vast and sparsely populated northern state.

The state's capital is located in Portland, a famous port city on the north of the East Coast and one of the northern export ports of the Alabachian coalfield.

In recent years, due to the expansion of demand for newsprint, Maine has developed a number of wood pulp and paper mills, which have become one of the new economic pillars of the state.

I never expected that

It turned out to be the unobtrusive northern state of Maine that was the first to fire the first shot of the secession of independence, which shocked the entire North American continent after the news broke.

If you think about it, it makes sense.

The remote state of Maine is one of the traditional states in the New England region, where white conservatives are strong, very strongly influenced by the British, and the sky is far away.

Neither the federal government nor the French have a voice here, let alone a presence.

On the second day, January 11, 1890, President Benjamin Harrison of the United States of America made a public speech on the South Lawn of the White House, in which he lashed out at the actions of the Maine government;

"It's an irresponsible deserter"

'Seriously hurts the feelings of most Americans'

"All decisive measures will be taken to stop Maine from going further and further down the wrong path...... "Yunyun."

As a matter of fact

He could do nothing but verbally condemn him.

The U.S. federal government now has at its disposal the National Guard in Washington, D.C., with fewer than 4,200 troops. The infantry weapons and artillery of the Civil War period of more than twenty years ago are still used, and the equipment is very poor, and there is not even a uniform uniform.

The National Guard can take on the task of maintaining law and order in the area, but if you want to conquer Portland, which is more than 2,800 kilometers away, it is better to wash and sleep.

Even the most imaginative politicians would not dare to imagine that this team would travel more than 2,800 kilometers.

Most of these National Guards in Washington, D.C., are composed of small urban owners and farmers and workers in surrounding towns.

Because the government has no money, it takes care of all the equipment on its own, so to speak, it is an armed militia force organized by the government.

There was also no fixed salary to receive for membership in the National Guard, only a few meager allowances, and it was in arrears for a long time.

The only benefit is that there is a tax deduction.

Such a team was pulled out to expedition north to Portland, 2,800 kilometers away, and in the middle of the independent separatist states of Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, no matter how you look at it, it looks like a meat bun beating a dog...... There is no return.

So is it possible to go on an expedition by sea?

It is even more unlikely, the British, who have been fanning the flames in the United States, do not support it in the first place, and the Chinese consortium of the Tang Empire, which dominates more than 90% of the maritime shipping and most of the ports in the United States, has an even more ambiguous attitude.

To put it mildly, the White House can't even get together the ships to go on the expedition, and the treasury is even more empty, and it has to pay IOUs to shipping companies on credit.

President Benjamin Harrison has neither money nor an army, and his only weapon is to control the legislative power of the federal parliament. It's a pity that this thing has almost lost most of its original power in the current turmoil and division.

The command of the French Expeditionary Force in Baltimore also reacted strongly and told the White House;

"France is willing to continue to support the unity and stability of the United States, a policy that has not changed in the past 100 years and will not change in the next 100 years."

"The French army is ready to go on an expedition to divided Maine, just as it fought alongside the American government 100 years ago, to resolutely combat separatist attempts and preserve the traditional friendship between the two countries."

"Now, all we need is a cordial invitation......"

The French Expeditionary Force has no military base in Maine, nor does it have a garrison, and the closest military base to Maine is Dover, New Hampshire, where nearly 3,100 French troops are stationed.

However, the French army had enough of the hardships of rash action, and it was difficult for them to make a substantive response without the authorization and invitation of the US federal government.

If the name is not right, it will not be good, and there are complaints within the French army.

The cordial invitation that the French wanted to see did not come, and President Benjamin Harrison, while unwilling to see the United States divided, was not stupid enough to lure the wolf into the house and burn the war to Maine.

In the United States, this big family can't go on, so let's get together and disperse! Leave the last incense love.

It seemed to understand the official attitude of the U.S. federal government, and then on February 27, 1890, Connecticut rejected the merger proposal of New York State, and co-opted Rhode Island to declare the establishment of the Connecticut Republic, becoming the second country to be divided.

On March 6, after a long period of overt and covert political games, it also received a commitment from the Tang Empire to support it alone.

After careful consideration, Pennsylvania officially rejected the enthusiastic wooing of New York State, and was not ready to live in partnership with Ohio, and planned to be completely independent.

Just two days before he was about to declare independence, Governor Richard Manuel's carriage was stabbed and killed by several gunmen as he left the state legislature.

This "parliamentary assassination" immediately caused an uproar in society, and then led to a series of serious consequences.

There was a lot of discussion in the media, most of whom pointed the finger at the French loan shark group, whose interests were seriously infringed, and a few people suspected that the federal government or New York State, which could not be united for the sake of unity, was secretly acting in trouble, and accused it of being behind the scenes.

Mr. Richard Manuel, the victim of the "parliamentary suicide", is the only governor of Italian descent in any state in the United States, and comes from a traditional Italian family that immigrated to the United States for more than 100 years, and is very influential in the local area.

His assassination caused ethnic rifts and mistrust in Pittsburgh, leading to a large-scale urban war that lasted for a year and three months.

Pittsburgh

On the evening of March 11

At this time, the sky has completely darkened, and although the long and cold winter has reached the beginning of spring, it is still powerful.

The cold wind howled through the streets, and only a few kerosene street lamps gave off a faint glow.

On the cold and windy streets, there were not many passers-by, and the few pedestrians who were the only pedestrians shrunk their necks and left quickly.

Outside a walled factory, from time to time someone hurriedly walked over, and after the three strong men at the door whispered a few times, they walked in quickly.

In the factory

Under the light of a few kerosene lamps, the factory was bustling with hundreds of emotional men, ranging from teenagers to dozens of years old, wearing peaked caps or flat-bottomed round hats on their heads, dressed as workers or ordinary citizens at the bottom.

The difference is that each of them has a weapon such as a spear and a short knife in his hand.

The militia was organized by the Italian-born factory owner Joe Bloni, who was speaking emotionally to the crowd and speaking loudly;

"Guys, we've been confirmed by conclusive information that the plot to kill Governor Richard was an atrocity orchestrated by the French, and now we need revenge.

It's not just for us, it's for Italy, for independence and freedom, for a more dignified life.

Governor Richard Manuel is the sole advocate for the interests of the people of Italian origin, he is affable, our brother and uncle, his own man from Lombardy.

The French tried to continue the brutal oppression of this state with despicable assassinations, and to make the French usurers eat with our blood and sweat, and turn this place into a North American colony.

We need to take up arms to resist and avenge Governor Richard, but also for the sake of the happiness of our children and grandchildren, so that they will no longer suffer oppression and suffering......"

Joe Bloni's speech was met with cheers from the audience, who shouted with enthusiasm and waving their weapons; "We're going to get revenge and kill those hateful Frenchmen!"

Joe Blonney was guarded by dozens of strong white men, all armed with two guns, one long and one short, and a short knife hanging from a leather bag at his waist, much better equipped than the ordinary militia.

Behind them, dozens of large boxes were full of old-fashioned smoothbore rifles, and many men who braved the cold wind to come to the factory quickly received rifles and bullets.

There's even some bread and water in large wooden barrels to fill the stomachs of those who haven't eaten.

As the crowd continued to gather, by more than nine o'clock, thousands of people had gathered in the long factory building, which seemed crowded.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Joe Blonney announced loudly; "Alright, folks, listen to me;

The attack on the French military base was an armed joint operation initiated by our Pittsburgh Railroad Workers Federation in liaison with the Chinese Chaoshan Chamber of Commerce, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce, the Pittsburgh Transportation Union, the Leather Handicraftsmen Chamber of Commerce and other organizations.

Now for the pre-war mobilization, please guys check their weapons and ammunition, and report if there is a shortage.

Before the action

All guys are asked to remain silent in order to guarantee the suddenness of the start of the battle and to prevent the exposure of the target, which is essential for the success of our operation.

If you are ready, please come to the door in order and we will give everyone a strip of cloth, please tie this strip of cloth to your left arm.

We have prepared a total of 10 colors of cloth strips, which are red, yellow, green, blue, and white 5 monochrome strips, and red, yellow, green, blue, white, and black two-color strips, a total of 10 colors.

The monochrome team that gets the monochrome strip of cloth is the monochrome team, and there are 5 monochrome teams in total, and they are responsible for taking the lead in attacking after the battle starts.

The one who got the two-color cloth strip was the two-color team, and there were a total of 5 two-color teams, which temporarily stood still after the battle began, and entered the battle at any time according to the command.

Every 80~90 people form a team, do you see these people behind me? They are all veterans with rich combat experience, and they serve as captains and vice-captains, directing the guys to fight.

Now everyone come to the door to get the strips of cloth and form a team......"

Under the command of Joe Bloni, the armed militia soon lined up at the door to receive the strips, and after each formation formed a line, three experienced veterans took them out.

They will briefly familiarize themselves with the empty factory next door for about 10 minutes, and then set off at night to rush to the established location to prepare for the attack.

It was about 11 o'clock in the evening

The French barracks in the western suburbs of Detroit were dark, most of the soldiers had fallen asleep, and only a few patrols and sentries on duty hurried through the night from time to time.

After a few short, muffled sounds

A group of 7 French soldiers were hiding in the dark in the corner, and more than a dozen men in black suddenly came out, and their knives fell, all of which ended up with their lives.

"Alright, the patrols and sentries here are all settled, let's bring someone over quickly."

As soon as the words fell

From the darkness emerged a large black oppressive figure, accompanied by the chaotic sound of horses' hooves.

Take a closer look, good guys!

These militia forces went so far as to launch more than a dozen 12-pounder Napoleonic field guns and pull closer to a distance of about 30 meters from the French barracks wall, and then stopped.

Then the artillerymen began to get busy, quickly reloading gunpowder and shells, and in just two or three minutes they were ready.

"All of them, guys are paying attention...... Once you've blown down the wall, rush in and kill the French! ”

"Ready...... Fire! ”

At the sound of an order, more than a dozen artillery pieces opened fire at close range, and in the huge sound of "boom, boom, boom", the entire area of these thin masonry walls in the vicinity was blown open.

The collapse of the wall kicked up a cloud of smoke and dust, which was quickly dispersed by a strong cold wind, revealing neat rows of barracks dormitories deep inside the military base.

"Rush up and kill the French!"

Order

The black-pressed armed militia swarmed through the open wall, spreading out like a flood, and the shouts of killing were deafening.

Such a loud noise had already woken up the sleeping French soldiers, and many dazed French officers and soldiers ran out of the house in their underwear.

Then, when the French soldiers saw the crowd of black-pressed people rushing in, they immediately shouted in panic;

"Oh God, enemy attack, enemy attack......"

It's a pity that it was too late to react at this time, and the armed militia in front had already rushed to a close distance of dozens of meters, and hurriedly raised their guns to the front while running, and they didn't care if they hit or not.

In a messy "crackling" gunshot, many French officers and soldiers splattered blood on their bodies, were pierced by the blazing bullets, and fell to the ground in wailing.

The armed militiamen, who had finished firing a single bullet, did not continue to reload, but immediately drew their bayonets and put them on the barrels of their guns and began to charge with white knives.

In the melee at night, the white-knuckle charge is king.

Screams, shouts, and the occasional volley of gunfire filled the French barracks, intermittently for more than an hour, before they subsided.

At this time, the French military base was in flames, many houses were set on fire, and the forage field with military horses in the rear was also ignited, and the raging fire reflected the miserable scene after the war.

The paralysis of the French army contributed to this outright fiasco. And this led to the final withdrawal of the French expeditionary force from the United States, ending the military intervention, which is a later story.

(End of chapter)