Assault and Battery

During chapter 8 part 2, we are told offhand that "Cochrane’s ironclads and mortar ships opened yet another bombardment of Portland’s battered forts" (on August 20)

The image this conveys is of the forts stoutly resisting bombardment that has been going on since June (when the landing took place) without being sufficiently reduced to allow the British into the harbour itself.
In fact, this would be very difficult indeed.

A Shipfull Of Soldiers

Even now, not all of the problems with the landing at Portland have been examined. We will now look into another new one - the simple matter of ship count.

Quod Erat Defendendus

"That was what was to be defended".




If there is one part of Burnished Rows of Steel which is more blatant than any other, it is the total lack of British or Canadian preparations for war (particularly when contrasted with the way the Union spends several months making preparations, including some they would have to have started before the OTL climbdown).

Clear The Way

Of the many engagements in which US troops defeat British ones (spoiler: almost all of them) one deserves examination for what it tells us about TFSmith's idea of tactics - at least, tactics employed by the British - and of the relative quality of infantry.

A Bridge Too Few - bridges and river crossings

Startling as it may seem, TFSmith manages to take the relatively niche topic of crossing a river and foul it up in new and interesting ways.

The War in Canada East

Now we have extensively examined the campaigning in Canada East before. However, there are some interesting facts to bear in mind which effect even those considerations.

What I intend to look at here is the progress of the campaign from its opening at Rouse Point, up till the Battle of Berthierville in September, and all that happens in between.

Ahead By A Century

At numerous places in Burnished Rows of Steel the author displays a dizzying lack of understanding of the tactics or logistical constrains of 19th century warfare.

An excellent number of examples exist in the TL for how the author doesn't quite grasp how armies and battles were carried out. Most interestingly, the Battle of Berthierville, his supposed "realistic" example of what it would look like when a Union army confronted a British army in 1862.