Chapter 1038: The Stubborn Spaniards
After leveling a string of harsh curses at the stubborn Spaniards, Anthony Wayne ordered a full-scale offensive against Baton Rouge.
Although the American forces held a clear numerical advantage, Elcano had spent the past few months meticulously constructing five or six defensive lines to the north of the city. With the Spanish now fully committed to a desperate defense, the Americans found it impossible to break through in a short amount of time.
Two days later, while Wayne was directing a suicide squad to storm the outermost enemy line, a messenger suddenly rushed to his side to report. "General, Mr. Wilson, the 'Mayor' of Natchez, is here to see you on a matter of extreme urgency."
Wayne could not help but knit his brows.
Natchez, known as Fort Rosalie during the French colonial period in Louisiana, was the largest American settlement on the lower Mississippi River.
While a formal city had not yet been established there, the interim government of the Mississippi Territory had appointed a special administrator due to the high population. Everyone had taken to calling him the Mayor.
For this mayor to travel all the way to the front lines personally, something catastrophic must have occurred.
Wayne glanced at his troops, who were on the verge of seizing the Spanish defensive line, and told the messenger, "Tell him to wait a moment..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Mayor Wilson, drenched in sweat, came running into the temporary command post. He gave a hurried, shallow bow and cried out, "General Wayne, you must send reinforcements to the Port of New Orleans immediately! In the last few days, we have already lost thirteen ships..."
Wayne felt a sudden wave of vertigo wash over him.
'Are these Indians insane?' Plundering goods was one thing, but burning the docks was another matter entirely.
'What could they possibly gain from that?'
He quickly cut off these pointless musings. After all, there was no limit to what savages might do.
With a dark expression, he looked at Wilson. "As you can see, the Spaniards are blocking my path."
"You could try to negotiate with them."
"Negotiate. Yes, negotiate!" Wayne nodded. "They surely wouldn't want to see the port reduced to ashes either."
An hour later.
The thunder of cannons outside Baton Rouge fell silent for a moment. Wayne and the Governor of Louisiana, Elcano, agreed to meet in the no-man's-land between the two armies.
After Wayne explained the situation at the Port of New Orleans, the Spanish Governor slightly nudged aside the heavy shield blocking his front—the Americans had often used negotiations as a pretense to snipe enemy officers during their war with the British—and shouted, "Do not think you can trick me into leaving Baton Rouge."
He continued firmly, "Even if the port is destroyed, His Majesty the King will provide the funds to rebuild it. But if I allow you to occupy New Orleans, I will certainly be dismissed from my post, or perhaps even face a court-martial."
"Go back, General. My brave soldiers will hold this ground until the very last moment!"
Wayne was nearly driven to madness by anxiety. The Spaniard was prepared to let both sides suffer!
He knew all too well that if the port were burned, it would take at least four or five months to complete the reconstruction.
Until then, all trade along the Mississippi River would grind to a halt. Currently, the entire American economic model relied on exports to Europe. No trade meant no income.
He didn't need four months; within a single month, a massive number of Americans in the region would be bankrupt. Two months later, the population of settlers on the eastern bank of the Mississippi could shrivel by a third!
He roared at Elcano, "We don't have to do this! Fine, I will retreat west of Chickasaw. You can even send men to supervise our march."
"Just go and deal with those damn Indians first!"
Chickasaw was over 160 kilometers away from Baton Rouge. A round trip would take about a month. He was showing absolute sincerity.
However, Elcano only left him with one final remark: "If you have nothing else to say, then let us continue our dialogue through the thunder of cannons." With that, he turned and retreated into the city.
This was the tactic Joseph had devised to save Baton Rouge.
Spain only had 14,000 settlers along the Mississippi. Including slaves and mixed-blood vassals, the total population was only about 38,000.
The Louisiana government could easily grit its teeth and spend a few tens of thousands of escudos to maintain their livelihoods.
On the other hand, the Americans on the eastern bank of the Mississippi numbered between two and three hundred thousand, most of whom were pioneers who had answered the American government's call for westward expansion.
Given the state of American finances, they absolutely lacked the funds to subsidize so many people.
Once these pioneers went bankrupt, they would have no choice but to return to the eastern United States to find a living.
America's control over the Mississippi region would be drastically weakened, and the Indians and Spaniards would follow closely behind to occupy those lands.
This would be a devastating blow to America's plans for westward expansion.
Therefore, in this game of chicken, the Americans were destined to be the ones who blinked first.
Furthermore, Elcano felt quite secure in his heart.
He knew that the Indians would not actually burn down the Port of New Orleans.
Even the merchant ships being plundered were mostly American—the Indians had likely been instructed to "accidentally" avoid Spanish vessels.
The battle for Baton Rouge resumed.
However, over the following two days, officials from Woodville, Memphis, and other areas arrived at the front lines, pleading with Brigadier General Wayne to reinforce the Port of New Orleans as quickly as possible.
Finally, Paul Gallagher, the secretary of the Mississippi territorial government, arrived. He was the second-in-command of the regional administration.
Inside the officer's tent, Gallagher spoke to Wayne with a grim face. "The Indians burned three merchant ships a few days ago. The Governor is worried they might do something even more catastrophic at any moment."
Wayne only gripped the hilt of his saber, remaining silent. He was already personally directing the assaults, but at the current pace, it would take at least a month to capture Baton Rouge.
Gallagher sighed. "The Governor has officially submitted a proposal to the Federal Congress to sign a truce with the Spaniards in exchange for them stabilizing the situation in New Orleans."
Wayne remained silent. A truce meant that his previous string of victories would be for naught. The Spaniards would surely reinforce their defensive lines along the Mississippi. The next time they wanted to seize New Orleans, they would have to pay a much higher price.
Gallagher handed him a document. "These are the negotiation terms drafted by the Governor. See if there is anything else you wish to add."
The following afternoon at two o'clock.
Inside the church of Baton Rouge, the Americans and Spaniards signed a ceasefire agreement with remarkable efficiency.
The agreement stipulated that Wayne's militia would be disbanded immediately to return to their respective states. Furthermore, Woodville and Natchez were to be designated as demilitarized buffer zones—in reality, these western regions were not legally American territory, and they had no right to station troops there in the first place.
In return, Elcano was to lead his army to New Orleans within a week to restore maritime traffic as quickly as possible.
Beyond that, the Americans managed to secure a minor concession: a ten-percent increase in the number of American vessels allowed to navigate the Mississippi River.
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