Two Cleans

After the Britain fleet deployed, it first attacked the American batteries near Savannah.

The United States built a battery near Savannah, but it was quite old, and the guns on it were outdated—they were still using 76mm muzzle-loading rifled cannons. Of course, this was mainly because artillery had developed so rapidly in recent years. Just a few years ago, these cannons were already considered very advanced weapons.

Britain Army soldiers landed on a beach near the fort and began their assault. Meanwhile, naval warships began shelling the fort to cover the army's advance.

Most of the Georgia state troops had been transferred north to fight the Canada, leaving the forts severely understaffed. In fact, not only were there insufficient numbers of troops, but even the number of cannons was inadequate—when the Georgia state troops moved north, they took some of the smaller cannons from the forts with them.

Furthermore, since it was the weekend, many soldiers and officers were not on the forts. Therefore, the Britain captured the forts with almost no effort. Then, the Britain warships sailed directly into the harbor along the channel.

British Army transport ships docked directly at the port, and then Britain army soldiers with bayonets fixed on their rifles boarded the dock.

A small number of Georgia soldiers attempted to resist, but British Army warships immediately opened fire with their close-range guns, effectively crushing their resistance.

Large contingents of the British Army landed and quickly advanced into the city along the streets. Gunfire occasionally rang out in the city, but it quickly subsided. By around three o'clock in the afternoon, thanks to the successful raid, the British Army had taken control of the entire city.

The Britain then naturally adopted a "plunder" policy. Britain seized all the warehouses in the city and searched them thoroughly. Anything usable was loaded onto ships. As for the merchant ships in the port, those in good condition were directly "requisitioned." Those not needed were not wasted. The Britain used their temporarily conscripted United States laborers to demolish many buildings in the city, then loaded the dismantled bricks and other debris onto these ships.

The Britain stayed in Savannah for three days, looting almost everything they could. Meanwhile, more than 10,000 Georgia state soldiers, hastily conscripted by the state, began to gradually approach Savannah.

General Arthur Wellesley used those few days to prepare a makeshift Joseph Defense outside the city. Then the United States charged in headfirst, suffering heavy losses.

Georgia then issued a general mobilization order, commanding all men aged 15 to 60 to come forward with their own weapons and prepare to resist the Britain invasion. However, they did not intend to rush in immediately to reclaim lost territory, but rather to prevent the British Army from penetrating deeper into the interior and launching an attack on Atlanta.

Neither General Nelson nor General Arthur Wellesley actually intended to venture hundreds of kilometers inland to burn Atlanta down. If possible, it would be better to leave the city for the United States to burn themselves. However, considering that in this timeline, the course of United States development is completely different from the original history, Atlanta most likely escaped a devastating fire.

Four days later, the Britain had essentially completed their plunder of Savannah. They then drove all the United States out of the city and began the second step of their plan—"burn it all down." After driving out the residents again, the Britain set dozens of fires in the city, and the entire city quickly burst into flames.

By this time, most of the Britain ships, including those they had requisitioned, had left the port. The cavalrymen who had lit the fire boarded the last few transport ships, which then also left the port. Once the last transport ships had left, the Britain sailed those that were loaded with bricks and stones and were in poor condition to some important locations in the port, anchored them, and then used a small time bomb to blow open the bottom of the ships, causing them to sink in these most critical locations in the waterway, creating artificial reefs.

After these ships sank, the Britain sent out small boats to drop mines in the harbor and waterways before finally leaving Savannah, which was burning fiercely, satisfied.

No, the Britain weren't entirely satisfied. Because the France had been watching from the sidelines, they were forced to be more restrained in their actions. For example, they first evicted the citizens from the city before setting it on fire. And according to the original plan... in short, the "Three Alls Policy" became a "Two Alls Policy," a full third less, which was extremely unsettling.

News of the Britain capture of Savannah quickly spread throughout the United States via the wiretelegraph system. This news naturally reached the front lines in Cleveland as well, throwing the American troops surrounding the Cleveland into chaos.

The Georgia legions demanded either an immediate all-out offensive on Cleveland to swiftly recapture it so they could return to defend their homeland, or a complete halt to the siege of Cleveland so they could immediately return to defend Georgia. The occupation of Cleveland by the Canadians was infuriating, but for the Georgia legions, Savannah was a hundred times more important than Cleveland, just as Georgia was a hundred times more important than Ohio.

Not only Georgia, but the soldiers of all the coastal states were filled with dread—if the Britain fleet could attack Georgia, they could attack South Carolina, then North Carolina, then Virginia, then Maryland and Delaware, and so on all the way to Massachusetts; anyone could be attacked.

A few days later, news arrived that the Britain had burned Savannah and continued their northward advance, causing increasing panic among the American troops besieging Cleveland. Rumors circulated that the Britain had wreaked havoc in Savannah, slaughtering everyone like Genghis Khan, and then setting the entire city ablaze. The fire was said to have burned for days, and not a single house in Savannah remained standing.

This news not only stirred up the soldiers in Georgia, but also panicked the soldiers in South Carolina and North Carolina, who were located north of Georgia. And now the Britain fleet had begun its northward march, with their cities becoming the next target for the Britain.

Therefore, the Georgia Legion's demands were the demands of all state soldiers. And even President Jefferson couldn't ignore such demands. Frankly, the United States president of this era held a far lower political standing domestically than in later generations. In later times, even a figure like Trump could find a thousand ways to get governors to obediently send money to his son-in-law. But in this era, he had absolutely no control over the state soldiers and governors. If the Georgia shouted "Georgia First" and simply left with their troops, he would be powerless to stop them.

President Jefferson then personally went to the front lines in Cleveland to speak with General Andrew Jackson, the commander of the U. S. Army outside Cleveland and also the commander of the Tennessee Army Corps, and Sevige, the chief advisor to the France advisory group, and to hear their opinions.

"In the current situation, having lost control of the seas along the coast, we can only turn to full-scale defense," Sevige said. "It's a pity that the United States failed to build a railway along the coast; if there had been such a railway, our defense of the seas would have been much easier."

As for your question, Mr. President, about whether we could retake Cleveland with a general offensive, I must say, it's impossible. It's beyond the capabilities of our army. Mr. President, the Britain defenses in Cleveland are a classic example of the 'Joseph Defense.' Even the France army would have to pay an enormous price to quickly break through such a defense. I don't mean to belittle the United States Army, but the French Army's training and equipment are superior to the U. S. Army's. If Mr. President insists on quickly resolving the Cleveland issue, then after resolving it, you will certainly not have enough troops available to reinforce the coastal defenses."

"So, General Jackson, what is your view on this issue?" President Jefferson asked again.

"A direct attack is impossible," General Andrew Jackson replied. Although he was a fierce and courageous man, after these days of fighting, he understood that charging straight at "Joseph Defense" would be tantamount to suicide.

"However, Mr. President, it would be dangerous for us to retreat. If the enemy takes advantage of the situation to launch a counterattack, our retreat will be very troublesome. But this is also an opportunity. In fact, we can take advantage of this opportunity. We can make a show of retreating, then set a trap, and let the pursuing Britain suffer a loss. Then we can retreat safely," General Andrew Jackson added.

"But that will take time. In fact, getting the soldiers back will take time in itself. Damage to our coastal cities is probably inevitable. Also, Your Excellency, I suggest that you order some mines as quickly as possible for the defense of the ports. Perhaps it won't be enough for the southern cities, but some northern ports, especially those inside the Chesapeake Bay, can be protected by mines if we act quickly enough," Colonel Sevige also suggested.

The Chesapeake Bay is a gulf where Atlantic Ocean extends from south to north into the Americas continent. It is 311 kilometers (193 miles) long and 540 kilometers (325 miles) wide, making it the largest bay in the United States. Many important United States cities, such as Washington, D. C., and the major port of Baltimore, are located here. The entrance to the bay is less than 20 kilometers wide, while the narrowest section in the middle is only about six kilometers wide. The navigable channel within this section is even narrower. With enough mines, it would have been entirely possible to block the Britain fleet from entering the Chesapeake Bay.