Napoleon in 1812 - Chapter 39

Chapter 39

7. Gold Rush – 3

August 4th, 1812.

Virginia, U.S.A., exactly 20 days after Napoleon’s army won the Russian expedition and signed the Treaty of Druskininkai.

“Dear Voters of Virginia! You may have heard the words of Candidate DeWitt Clinton, 111 who criticizes what the federal government has done in the past. Yes, none of his comments make sense at a glance. Obviously, our federal government has not assuaged the loss of voters who have suffered significant material damage from the war with Britain. I deeply reflect on that point.”

Thomas Jefferson 21 had doubled the territory of the United States by purchasing the vast land of Louisiana from France.

James Madison Jr.,131 the former Secretary of State, had won the last presidential election and had become the fourth president of the United States, and was now frankly acknowledging the mistakes of the federal government in his speech for a second term.

“DeWitt Clinton came up with the bill that he talked about at the Congressional Nomination Convention as a campaign pledge. At first glance, it seems to be a reasonable measure for the continuation and efficiency of the war against Britain, but it is only a smokescreen operation for federal dictatorship after fixing the administration of the war system. If the bill is passed, the autonomy and diversity of each state, which is both the legitimacy of the United States itself and its foundation, will disappear like snow in the middle of summer.”

A huge war for European hegemony was in full swing in the Old World, but another war was being fought in the New World: the United States presidential election. Madison Jr., who was also the leader of the Democratic-Republican Party, finished a passionate speech appealing for unity among supporters, criticizing his rival DeWitt Clinton’s pledges and actions.

Madison Jr. stepped down from the podium, receiving cheers and applause from voters. His face, which gave his supporters faith and trust with a confident facial expression anytime, anywhere, was now hardened like a Da Vinci’s plaster statue.

He asked the secretary who was next to him.

“By now, the voters’ reaction to Elbridge Gerry’s[41 speech in Pennsylvania must have been heard. How was the atmosphere there?”

“The enthusiastic supporters are still following the Democratic Republican Party and the President. However, the expressions of citizens working in the commerce and industry were not very bright.”

“God damn it! It’s the same here!”

Madison Jr. grabbed his forehead as if he had a headache.

The war with Britain ahead of the presidential election was a critical blow to the economy of the northeastern United States. As a friend of France, the United States was one of the countries that blocked trade with Britain, but in fact, there was a considerable amount of traffic between the United States and the United Kingdom through various smuggling routes.

The smuggling trade was fueling the economies of northeastern states such as Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Virginia, which resulted in the Royal Navy’s press gang incident against U.S. sailors.

The U.S. federal government strongly protested but the British officials consistently feigned ignorance. Afterwards, the war broke out as it became known to the Iroquois and other native tribes of the New World that Britain would provide them with various weapons on the condition that they were hostile to the United States.

When the war broke out between the United States and Britain, all smuggling routes were cut off and the economies of the northeastern states were severely depressed. It was not surprising that there were more voters criticizing the federal government in this area. The departure of the middle class, which formed the center of his supporters, was an inevitable bad news for Madison Jr.

“At this rate, we can’t guarantee our victory in the presidential election. The vice president candidate said that a major change in the international situation was needed to shake the whole election.”

Adams Carlin, a Democratic Republican campaign adviser, said.

But President Madison Jr. shook his head.

“But we can’t stop a war that has already begun. The time to call for reconciliation and peace is over.”

What would happen if they signed a peace treaty with Britain in this situation? It would be ridiculous to have appealed to the ruling party and the federal government to empower the government to overcome this national crisis. If they proposed a cease-fire now, they would have to make huge concessions to the British, which could be even deadlier in the upcoming elections.

“Aren’t there any remaining countries on the European continent that are still fighting against Britain? Whatever the occasion, the United States has begun a war with Britain as they wished. I think it’s time to receive a diplomatic reward for that.”

‘That’s true. How can we get back the public opinion of the voters in the Northeast?”

“With the removal of the Milan Decree.[5] Without it, American businesses would be able to find a new way out.”

In 1807, the Milan Decree, issued by the French Emperor Napoleon, was an announcement that allowed indiscriminate capture and disposal of ships of all nationalities carrying British goods.

The United States and other neutral countries suffered greatly from this French-centered protectionism aimed at strengthening Britain’s isolation. Nevertheless, the result was that now all ships bound for France were being attacked by the British navy, and it had become so natural that they even attacked and ripped off French governmentapproved fishing boats.

France had long wanted the United States to hit Britain. That was why they had supported the independence of the United States in the American Revolutionary War. Now, as they wished, the U.S.-British war had begun and was forcing Britain to fight on two fronts. In return, Adams Carlin offered to make a deal with France so that American ships could be treated as exceptions in the Milan Decree.

If it was successful, it could soothe the minds of the merchants and traders in the northeastern United States who were currently unhappy with the federal government.

“That’s a good idea. Let’s do it.”

Anyway, France, which lost all its colonies and bridgeshead in the New World and almost severed its naval power, was not a threat to the United States, so what France could want from the United States was limited in this situation.

At best, the French would ask for financial aid, war supplies, or a commitment to strengthen the offensive against the British colonies in the New World. Madison Jr. could easily accept such conditions because they were in accordance with the U.S. national interest. He had no political reason to oppose the abolition of the edict because it could be wrapped up as his own achievement.

Thus an American delegation was formed to be send to France.

Napoleon, who had been preparing for another expedition while staying in Paris, was asked to receive one more group of guests. They were the U.S. Ambassador, William Dinsmore, and U.S. federal envoys.

The first time they asked for an audience was on September 12th, but Napoleon delayed the reception because he was leading reforms to clean up the ruins of the Empire. As the situation inside France stabilized, the federal government’s delegations asked for an audience again.

Napoleon greeted them with the Chief of Staff, Bessières,[6the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hugues-Bernard Maret, and other secretaries and officials. It was September 16th, when some measures were taken to pressure capitalists and financiers who made unfair tax gains using public opinion and to take some of their assets back to the state coffers.

“I salute the great Emperor of the Empire.”

“Long time no see, Ambassador Dinsmore.”

Ambassador William Dinsmore, who had a brief chat with Napoleon, delivered the position of the U.S. administration. In short, the West wanted an easing of the Milan Decree for U.S. ships. The U.S. was currently at war with Britain in the New World, so it was an acceptable demand for France with the same enemy. But nothing was free in international diplomacy.

The Ambassador Dinsmore took a forward-looking stance as if he did not expect what Napoleon was going to demand in return, and asked him to say what he wanted. The U.S. envoys stepped down for a while and Napoleon, his staff, and officials began to discuss between themselves. In this situation, what kind of thing should they ask?

“At this point, it’s best to get financial support from U.S. government bills and government bonds.”

Napoleon’s secretary was an expert on finance and expenditure.

Although they were diligently filling up the empty coffers, no matter how much money they had gathered, the reality was that it was still insufficient. In particular, the Iberian expedition, which Napoleon was currently planning, was really eating money.

“We could borrow some battleships and sailors from the U.S. navy. How about having them break the British coastal blockade?”

The naval command staff wanted to reclaim the French costs, which were blocked by the British. However, it was not certain that the British navy could be defeated with the help of the United States. Various opinions came out, but nothing stood out. Most of them were unfeasible or unhelpful to France’s national interest.

Napoleon briefly fell into thought as he listened to the arguments between the officials and his staff.

‘Come to think of it, America has benefited a lot from the changed history. They bought Louisiana at a bargain price, and gained a foothold to expand to the West.’

When he first heard that Nabot of this world had handed Louisiana over to the United States at the ridiculous price of 75 million francs, he cursed him again, but later he concluded that it was hard to dismiss it as such a wrong judgment.

In the other world, the French Republic did not carry out unreasonable maritime operations such as the Egyptian expedition or the Battle of Trafalgar, and France was able to have as much naval power as Britain because Napoleon was in power.

Therefore, France was able to project enough influence and military power on its colonies across the ocean, and the new U.S. did not dare to cross Louisiana, France’s New World territory. On the other hand, France here had repeatedly fought, and its naval power had already been destroyed. Moreover, the British navy had become incredibly strong, so it was impossible to manage a land far away like in the New World.

As the situation in France had changed, so had the attitude of the United States. As a country composed of migrants who came after being pushed by European landlords, the land-hungry U.S. aimed to expand its territory toward the French colony. It was perhaps natural that Nabot of this world felt that he owed the United States, which had to keep Britain in check outside Europe, and decided to sell Louisiana.

‘But 75 million francs were too cheap, no matter how much I think about it. If the negotiations were successful, the U.S. federal government would have at least guaranteed bonds, development rights and mining rights in Louisiana and in the west of the New World. Anyway, if the products from this great continent are fully utilized, the hegemony of the world may turn to the United States in the future… Hmm?’

Just in time, a very good idea crossed Napoleon’s mind.

He immediately called the U.S. Ambassador William Dinsmore.

TL notes

[1] DeWitt Clinton

[2] Thomas Jefferson

[3] James Madison

[4] Elbridge Gerry

[5] Milan Decree

[6] Jean-Baptiste Bessières