IMAGI-NATIONS ; PART 7.

 THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE.   THE BATTLE IN THE NORTH AND PEACE.

As negotiations with the Russians for a peace treaty came to a conclusion in June 1861 word reached the UNION government of a French and German expedition moving south into the territory claimed by the UNION in the general direction of Chicago. The UNION government decided the threat had to be met forcefully and therefore deployed the new 3rd and 4th armies to Chicago with instructions to establish a new military base just north of Chicago to be called Fort Kearney. Over the following couple of months UNION forces completed their move north establishing a substantial tented basecamp and sending patrols out to determine the position and strength of the invading force.

In early September UNION patrols located the French and German expedition about 100 miles north east of Chicago and confirmed the force numbered less than 2000 men. Immediately the UNION  3rd army moved forward to intercept the enemy. The UNION commanders realised that sending the whole 3rd army was not necessary, however the structure of the UNION army did not permit deployment of only a part of an army, this clearly was an issue that would require action in the near future. On the morning of 15 September the two forces met in a skirmish which soon developed into a battle. The UNION army hugely outnumbered the French and Germans and quickly routed the invading force taking many prisoners with only a very few survivors fleeing back north.

The French and German governments were outraged by news of the destruction of their expedition and uttered dire threats of retribution. However they knew full well that not only did the UNION now clearly possess a substantial and well equipped army but the distances involved seriously hampered the mounting of a full scale invasion of the UNION. Any French and German invasion force would not only have to be supplied from within their respective countries as their colony just did not have the resources to support such a military expedition but also a railway would be needed.

With that conclusion also came the realisation that their colony may now actually be under threat from the UNION. Such a change in priorities  clearly required a different approach so the two governments sent word to the UNION of their desire for a peace treaty and the establishment of formal borders between the UNION and the French/German colony. The UNION had no desire at that time to expand their territory so accepted the French and German offer. Talks started and quickly agreed a formal border almost precisely along the line proposed by the UNION. The treaty was signed on 1st December 1861 and German and French prisoners were returned.

With the new treaty the borders of the UNION had now been finalised on all frontiers and the existence of the new nation had been begrudgingly recognised. Although the UNION was under no illusions as to the unfriendly relations that now existed with Russia, France and Germany, the War of Independence was over and the UNION could now look forward to a period of dynamic growth and prosperity under the shield of a powerful army.

With that in mind it was decided to construct two more military bases so that each UNION army could be accommodated in a strategically important location. As a result 1st army was located in the original militia training base now to be called Fort Sill outside Rio Diego where it could support 2nd army in Fort Leavenworth facing Ukraine, 3rd army moved to a new base called Fort Reno near Denver supporting  4th army  based in Fort Kearney facing the French and German colony.

In an effort by the French and Germans to strengthen the status of their colony and provide some sort of quasi independence it was now been renamed The Federation and given a  French and German dominated puppet government.