1850 American Gold Tycoon

Chapter 647 The Dilemma of the Northern Army

"Yes, sir!" Ames accepted the task without complaint.

Ames knew a little about the situation on the Western Front. He did not think that Mason's brigade and the unfinished fortresses near Kearny could withstand the attack of the Western Army.

Judging from the land bill issued by the pseudo-American Republic government, the pseudo-American Republic government's ambition to control the central frontier region has been revealed.

And the most important hub city in the entire central frontier region is undoubtedly Omaha. Omaha is not only an important transportation hub on the Pacific Railway, but also the most important logistics center and military station of the Federal Army on the Western Front.

If he was the commander of the Western Army, he would definitely find a way to capture Omaha. McClellan's trust in him by having his 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment stationed in the western suburbs closer to the front line.

"Just ask for what you need, and I will try my best to satisfy you." McClellan nodded with great satisfaction when he saw that Ames did not underestimate the enemy.

After all, as someone who had been classmates with the Western Army cadets at West Point, he had some understanding of the Western Army.

Since 1853, many Chinese students have been admitted to West Point and Virginia Military Institute. McClellan had the honor of teaching several Chinese cadets during his teaching at West Point, and these Chinese cadets left a very good impression on McClellan. Especially the batch of Chinese cadets who graduated in 1856, two of them graduated with first and second place, and Ames was the third of that batch of graduates.

To be fair, Ames was already good enough. If he had been in any other class, he would have probably graduated from West Point with first place.

Without exception, these cadets who graduated from West Point and Virginia Military Institute from 1856 to 1860 are now serving in the Western Army. This is also the reason why McClellan did not despise the Western Army.

To be honest, when McClellan first brought these yellow-skinned and black-eyed students to West Point, he still had resistance. He thought that these Chinese who looked very similar to Indians were weak and stupid, and could not graduate from West Point smoothly, which would have a negative impact on the reputation of the school. However, these students were very competitive and graduated with relatively good grades.

"This is the guns and ammunition needed by our regiment. Please take a look." Ames came prepared and presented a list with both hands. "The guns of our regiment are old and the models are different. This is a very serious problem. I hope you can allocate a batch of guns of the same model to us from the armory."

The Northern Army has not participated in high-intensity wars for many years, and its weapons are slack. Even the standard guns used by his 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment are old and the models are not uniform. This is a big trouble in wartime.

In fact, the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment is not an isolated case, and the interests involved are also complicated.

Since the northern states have more developed industries, almost every state has its own military industry. Due to various unspeakable reasons, the reserve forces of each state have to give priority to purchasing firearms from their own state. Even if the relevant weapons produced and authorized by the state do not meet the standards, the troops that receive the weapons can only accept it with a pinch of the nose.

The procurement of the American army follows the bidding system during the War of Independence. This system can save military expenditures, but there are also many stubborn problems.

In order to win the bid, arms dealers often lower the price. With less money, the cost of military supplies provided to the military will naturally be reduced, and its quality can be imagined.

The officers of the federal army naturally know the drawbacks, and not all federal officers are in collusion with arms dealers.

For example, in 1841, Lieutenant Colonel George Burke of the Navy refused to accept the gunboats delivered by the Washington Navy Yard on the grounds of major quality problems, and took the Washington Navy Yard to court.

Although Lieutenant Colonel George Burkes provided relevant evidence and brought the chain with serious quality problems to court when he appeared in court, he still lost the case in the end.

The only troops in the federal army that could achieve qualified and unified weapons and equipment were the dozen regular regiments before the war.

In this regard, the situation of the Southern Army would be much better than that of the Northern Army, at least in the early stages of the war. Because there was only one large arsenal in the entire South that could provide the Southern Army with batches of standardized weapons, the Southern Army had no choice.

"Approved." McClellan glanced at the list provided by Ames and approved Ames' request.

"Sir, General Mason's telegram." After Ames left, the adjutant handed a telegram to McClellan.

McClellan only glanced at the telegram, crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the trash can.

Mason's telegram requesting reinforcements had been sent to him more than once, but at present, there were more new recruits and fewer veterans in Omaha, and McClellan could not withdraw extra troops to Mason.

Furthermore, in terms of strategic significance, Omaha is much more important than Kearny. If Kearny is lost, it will at most not be able to effectively prevent the Western Army from going east. If Omaha is lost, the entire Western Front will collapse.

As for the relationship between the Kearny Fortress Group and Omaha, McClellan is not ignorant of this. But he also knows that once the troops are surrounded in Kearny, it will be difficult to withdraw, and there is even a risk of being annihilated by the Western Army. At this time, reinforcing the Kearny Fortress Group is undoubtedly a waste of precious manpower.

Compared with the gains and losses of a fort and a city, McClellan believes that maintaining manpower is more important.

As long as the second batch of 100,000 mobilized soldiers complete their training and are able to fight in the field, he can block the Western Army in the North Platte Valley even if he has to sacrifice his life.

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After making up his mind to use military means to force the federal forces to withdraw from the central region, Liang Yao took a quasi-train to North Platte.

At present, the commander-in-chief of the North Platte front is Kruger. Kruger is a qualified product produced under the Prussian military education system. He cannot be said to be very excellent, but he is qualified and competent, and can guarantee the lower limit. After years of actual combat, Kruger also has the ability to command a large-scale battle.

In terms of loyalty, Kruger is also trustworthy. Moreover, Kruger's status and treatment in the American Republic are also what the Federation and the Confederation cannot give.

Kruger is a veteran-level figure in the National Defense Force of the American Republic, and the Federal Army and the Confederation Army have their own officer corps, and it is difficult for outsiders to gain a foothold in them.

The reason why Liang Yao chose to go to the front line in person is that this battle is too important for the new Republic.

Secondly, the composition of the troops participating in this war is relatively complex and diverse. There are not only standing military forces expanded from the original Western Brigade, but also militias from various places, the newly trained Mongolian Cavalry Regiment, the Solon Cavalry Battalion, and even Indian tribal armed forces. He is the only one in the entire West who can control such a complex force.

Thirdly, being on the front line can also accurately understand the situation on the front line in the first place, so as to make the best decision.

Fourthly, the presence of the highest commander in person on the front line can also boost the morale of the officers and soldiers on the front line to the greatest extent.