Fort Union
July 26, 1882
After a two days of marching Johnson and what was left of his men were finally back at Fort union. The wounded were scattered all around the hospital as the doctors were overwhelmed being. Those not injured or only slightly went straight to their barracks for some much-needed rest, while some immediately went to sleep, others decided to drown themselves with a bottle of whiskey.
After cleaning himself up and dawning a fresh uniform, Johnson was in his quarters staring at the empty glass in front of him as he contemplated everything that had happened. He had started to file a report to send to the war office but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't bring himself to focus.
A knock on the door brought him back to reality, while pouring himself another glass of whiskey he shouted, "ENTER."
Walking into the room Johnson heard a voice he hadn't been expecting, "well this is certainly a sight I wasn't expecting to see," Gen Marlowe said as he saw his newest officer downing another glass of whiskey. It took a min but when Johnson realized who was there, he immediately jumped to attention while narrowly avoiding falling on his ass. He was saved having to explain himself when Marlowe said, "as you were Col, after everything that has happened, I'll join you," Marlowe said as he poured himself a glass of whiskey. After a couple shots of whiskey Marlowe asked, "what happened in Santa Fe, Col."
Downing another glass of whiskey Johnson spoke up, "we held our position for two days after the Saderans arrived, they bombarded us with flaming arrows and stones, but we held our ground. On the third day, they finally charged our positions in a full-frontal assault, we fired at them with the artillery causing heavy casualties, but they kept coming. Another wall of arrows hit us, then these beast-like creatures charged our lines, we killed many of them, but they just kept coming and before we knew it, they breached our lines and killed a lot of good men. It wasn't long after the line was breached that I found out the enemy was in the process of encircling us, so I ordered a full retreat while I personally led the rear guard."
Having poured himself another glass of whiskey Marlowe nodded as he stood up from the table, "get some rest Col, you and your men have earned that, tomorrow we'll discuss what to do next. Oh, and one more thing while you were engaging the enemy in Santa Fe, Fort Grant was overrun." With a quick salute Marlowe left and Johnson did as he was ordered but not before pouring another glass of whiskey before laying down.
The next morning shortly after breakfast, Johnson and Gen Marlowe began discussing their next move. "The war office is demanding we take immediate action against the Saderans and retake the territory, Fort Bowie reported sighting the enemy marching in their direction, however the enemies movements has been slowed from constant Apache attacks," Marlowe said having been bombarded by the war office and the president.
"We must attack now, my warriors are demanding blood," Manuelito said wanting vengeance for the slaughter of his people.
"I agree that we need to retake the territory taken sir, but now is not the time to go on the offensive, we don't have enough men or supplies," Johnson said as he looked over the map of the territory.
"Then what do you suggest we do Col," Marlowe and Manuelito asked at the same time.
"We need to fall back to Fort Stanton," Johnson said surprising Marlowe and angering Manuelito.
"Col, are you suggesting that we abandon, the largest fort in the territory."
"No General, I know that with plenty of men and supplies we could hold our own against the Saderan army, and I have a plan. What we need right now is time."
Both Manuelito and Marlowe are confused by this, "Explain," Marlowe asked.
"With all due respect General, I would like to hold off on explaining my plan until we have a chance to speak with the remaining fort commanders and any of the tribes that are willing to help us in this fight."
Nodding Marlowe asked, "very well Col, what do you propose we do for the time being."
"We already know that the Apache and the Navajo are fighting, and I sent a message to the commander of Fort Bowie to contact the Apache to see if they'll consider hearing us out. We also need to contact the Kiowa and the Comanche."
"Leave the Comanche to me Col, I know someone who might be able to help us with the Comanche. But I have my doubts about the Kiowa, they've been restricted to the reservation for the last 7 years and I doubt the war office will agree to arming the Kiowa."
"We have to try sir, everything rests on getting as many allies on our side, because if we fail to push the enemy back, they'll target the Kiowa either way.
Very well," Marlowe said as he explained that he needed to leave.
After Marlowe's departure Johnson spoke with Chief Manuelito, "at present I have men out collecting supplies for the forts defense and several more located in Pecos along the south of the mountain range all the way to Las Vegas. Unfortunately, I have no doubt in my mind that the enemy commander will send a second force to attack the same way he did in Santa Fe. If you and your men are willing id like for you to spread out along this mountain pass here and keep watch for a second force that could attack from the north." While Manuelito wanted to avenge his people, he agreed to this and with some soldiers accompanying him to prevent panic among the civilians in the area, the Navajo warriors set off.
After issuing further orders to the forts garrison and assembling a small troop Johnson rode south from Fort union, to hopefully plan for a meeting at Fort Stanton that will determine the future of the Territory.
Santa Fe
It had been several days since the imperial army drove the barbarians out of the town and the empire continued to claim dominion over their new lands with every victory. Many legionnaires and conscripts were still celebrating but the time for celebration was over. Despite the enormous losses, the army was still ready for battle and morale was higher than it had ever been, while many more slaves had been taken and sent back to Falmart to be sold in the markets some were kept around as loyal servants to the nobility while the rest were used as forced labor.
While looking through a mountain of information that had been found after the capture of this town. News that his southern army was now marching on another fort was promising, all things considered Gaius was in a good mood.
Gaius was planning for his next attack against what he had recently learned was the largest fort in the area, as well as a massive supply depot for the men in blue. With its capture he would cut off all supplies to the barbarians and only have one enemy fort left to deal with, a victory that would secure his place in history as Sadera's greatest General.
Fort Stanton
August 2, 1882
What should've been a hard days ride turned into a weeklong game of cat and mouse, for the skies were constantly being patrolled by the enemies flying beasts. The surrounding area between Fort Union and Fort Stanton was swarming with enemy scouts and raiding parties from Albuquerque, as was discovered when Johnson and his troop arrived in the town of Santa Rosa. It was a sight that would forever haunt Johnson and his men, arriving at the town which was on fire many of the towns folk were found dead.
Finally arriving at Fort Stanton, Johnson was greeted by the commanding officer and told that the commanders from Forts Bayard, Cummings and Selden along with the Apache would be arriving the next day. After getting cleaned up Johnson was invited to dinner with the fort commander which he happily accepted, albeit reluctantly since the commander was rather laid back, believing that all the defeats of the army would never have happened had he been in command.
The next morning Johnson had just finished his breakfast when a ruckus outside caught his attention, outside the commanders of the remaining forts and the Apache had finally arrived, although many of the soldiers were keeping a tight grip on their rifles. After receiving word that General Marlowe was one his way, the meeting was scheduled for later in the evening, in the meantime talks with the Mescalero Apache were less than productive as they were not interested in talking.
After hours of waiting and intense negotiations with the Mescalero, who agreed to at least hear what needed to be said. When Gen Marlowe finally arrived the meeting commenced, "Gentleman welcome, Johnson said taking a deep breathe, and again you have my sincerest gratitude for at least hearing what I have to say," Johnson stated as he made eye contact with all the tribal leaders. "I'm going to get straight to the point, the New Mexico Territory is under threat of being overrun and Arizona to follow, over half the territory is under Saderan control." Most of the officers nodded, already aware of this fact.
"According to the most recent reports, enemy forces have been sighted near Fort Bowie which means it's only a matter of time before the enemy strikes. If Fort Bowie falls, Fort Bayard, Fort Cummings and Fort Selden will be our only means of holding off the enemy here in the south."
"My men are ready for a fight, we will push them back," the commander of Fort Cummings said proudly.
"I admire your enthusiasm but now is not the time to get cocky, this enemy is determined to take everything, and it doesn't matt…"
"Why should we care about the affairs of white man, you have taken and destroy our lands but when others come to take it from you, you claim to need our help." One of the tribal leaders said he was not convinced.
"20 years ago, my countrymen fought against each other, and we nearly destroyed each other in the process, however during the fighting the Saderans showed up and attacked both sides. It was during this fight that we were reminded that together we are strong divided we fall, which is why I have asked all of you here. The Saderans will not stop until they get what they want, they will kill any who stand in their way including your people as some of you already know," Manuelito and the Apache leaders look at each other understanding this to be the truth.
"What do you offer," Chief Puma of the Comanche asked as he had been listening quietly.
"I can't make you any promises, all I ask is that you help us in this fight, I know that we are still technically at war with each other, Johnson looked at the Apache and Comanche leaders. But none of it will matter if we don't join forces and stop this threat."
The chiefs looked amongst each other nodding while the representative of the Kiowa remained stoic, "Very well Col, what is your plan," Gen Marlowe said.
"Before I go into my plan, I think I see what the enemy commander is planning," Johnson said as he continued to look over the map.
"Please explain good sir," one of one of the officers asked.
"First to fall was Fort Wingate, and after a week word started coming in that Fort Defiance as well as several small towns within Arizona had gone silent, now one could argue that the telegraph lines went down. However, it was only a few days later that an emergency telegraph from Fort Apache and Albuquerque, just days after the 4th of July celebration, that we learned that there was an army on the march.
"Then, 2 weeks later the Saderan army marched on Santa Fe, as you all know the battle only lasted for 3 days. It was during this time while exchanging blows, Fort Grant was attacked and overrun."
While Johnson continued explaining what he believes to be the Saderans' plan of attack, a young private rushed in, handing Gen Marlowe a note from the telegraph office. "It's my belief that the enemy plans to take Fort Bowie…."
"You would be correct Col," Marlowe said as he handed Johnson the telegraph.
Lowering his head Johnson took a breather before continuing, "Gentlemen Fort Bowie is currently under attack and the Commander doesn't believe his men can hold for very long." Those present began to talk among themselves before Johnson spoke up again, "Should Fort Bowie fall and I'm willing to believe that to be the case, I believe the Saderans will then turn East to capture your Forts," Johnson said as he looked at the commanders of Fort Bayard, Cummings and Fort Selden. Should those forts fall to the enemy, along with Fort union then Fort Stanton will be where we make our last stand."
Based on the enemies' movements I'm inclined to believe their performing a massive Pincer maneuver, in which forces simultaneously attack both sides of an enemy formation. A good example would be the Battle of Cannae where the soldiers under the command of Hannibal surrounded and crushed a much larger, superior Roman army. And most recently during the Franco-Prussian war when Field Marshal Count Helmuth von Moltke, took advantage of a flanking maneuver the French were attempting, to catch the French in an encirclement.
"If this is truly what the enemy has in mind then what should we do," the Apache chief asked.
"I have a plan gentlemen, at present new Mexico is split in two, we hold everything from fort Union south to southwest of Albuquerque, as well as everything from the border with Arizona East. As we speak my men at Fort Union are reconstructing and Fortifying the old star fort."
"Why Col, the current fort is the largest in the territory," Marlowe asked.
"To put it simply sir, frontier forts, are designed like an open campus with places to house and feed soldiers. The army did not anticipate major assaults when it was decided to build most of our forts into frontier forts. As things stand the old star fort was built for siege warfare, plus the fort is a mile away from the mesa but still near the water supply at Wolf Creek."
"I also have men reoccupying Fort Bascom and reinforcing its defenses and I plan to set three defensive lines south from Fort Bascom. The first will be established in Santa Rosa, the second line at Fort Sumner. The last defensive line will be established at the east end of the Capitain mountains and run to the town of Hondo, which will be our last line of defense in the southeast to delay the enemy in the event that Fort Union Falls. However, my main concerns are fort Bayard and Fort Stanton, as I said before their designed as frontier forts and are not easily defended."
"Then what is it you suggest we do Col, fall back to a better defensive position," the commander of Bayard asked.
"No Col, you're going to recreate the confederate defenses at Vicksburg," this plan intrigued many of the officers.
"I recommend digging a series of trenches west of the fort along the riverbanks and south to prevent the enemy from flanking your positions, the mountains to the north will be a natural obstacle and any large army will have to go around. Should your defenses get overwhelmed, you'll be able to fall back towards Santa Rita and cross through lake valley to Fort Selden to reinforce their defenses."
Acknowledging this plan, the commander of fort Bayard began putting together orders to be sent back to Bayard to begin constructing defenses. "The current defenses of Fort Cummings should be adequate, Johnson said looking at the commander of the Fort. Since Fort Cummings is and Adobe Walled fort, your current defense plan should be enough to hold the enemy back for a while at least. My main concern is how you'll escape if the enemy overruns your defenses."
"You'll have this mountain range as good cover forcing the enemy to march around it and approach from the south, southeast. However, I recommend withdrawing all infantry to fort Selden and all available Cavalry report to Fort Cummings, that way if your unable to hold, a breakout can at least be possible."
"Once Fort bowie is overrun, I do believe the enemy forces at Fort Grant will march east to take Silver city first before marching to fort Bayard. While at the same time, the forces at Fort Bowie will most likely march east and take Lordsburg."
"Should Fort Bayard and Cummings fall, it will be absolutely vital that Fort Selden hold the line at all costs, since Selden is also an adobe walled Fort your current defense plan should also hold the enemy off for some time. My best guess is that when both armies meet up, they'll probably follow the rail line into Las Cruces and make their approach from the south. So, I recommend keeping an escape path to the north open along the Rio Grande and fallback to Fort Stanton. I'll have the commander from Fort Craig send troops south in the event you need assistance breaking out." With the plans for the remaining forts laid out all three commanders decided to return and prepare the defenses for the attack to come.
With the meeting concluded, the Comanche like the Kiowa Refused to help. While Chief Puma did understand the danger, he was not about to fight with those who were still his enemy and without a word the Comanche and Kiowa leadership left.
Despite this set back, preparations for the defenses and a battle plan still need to be made for Fort Stanton and the defensive line in Santa Rosa, Fort Sumner and Hondo. After several days of planning with the commander of Fort Stanton, General Marlowe and Col Johnson rode north along with over 1000 troops and cavalry, the 1000 strong infantry were left at Fort Sumner to add to the defense while the cavalry would take up the defensive line in Santa Rosa.
After another week's ride once again dodging enemy raiding parties and scouts, Marlowe and Johnson finally arrived back at Fort Union. Upon arriving both men were shown the work done to the star fort and both were very impressed with the work that had been accomplished. Not long after word arrived that Silver city and Lordsburg had fallen. Reports had also arrived that Union forces at Fort Bayard had tried to fight back but were pushed back to their incomplete defenses. Johnson knew it would only be a matter of time before Fort Bayard fell, but what he really wanted to know was when would the attack begin here, at Fort Union.
During the time Johnson spent at Fort Stanton, scouts from Fort Union had been observing Santa Fe. For the first week it was mostly quiet, with the enemy forces mostly celebrating and fortifying the town. Then thousands of reinforcements arrived throughout Santa Fe. It didn't take a military expert to realize that these were the forces that would eventually attack fort union, but the question that remained is, when would this attack come.
August 23, 1882
Fort Union
As the sun slowly rose the men of Fort Union continued adding more and more to the forts defense. One man who had fought in the civil war for the Confederacy suggested using landmines, a nasty anti-personnel device first used by the confederacy during the Siege of Yorktown in 1862. Johnson was intrigued by this plan and gave orders to have as many landmines as possible made. The only problem was there wasn't enough material to make the mines and still have enough ammunition to defend the Fort.
By chance or as some of the men would claim it was a gift from god, a massive wagon train overloaded with supplies for nearby mines down south was spotted and its supplies mostly the dynamite and anything else that could be useful was requisitioned for the forts defense. Some of the men got creative and stuffed empty whisky bottles with anything they could such as would splinters, rusty nails, broken glass anything that could kill or injure the enemy. Some men even buried bundles of dynamite in the ground and buried pebbles on top.
With the defenses coming together, Johnson was speaking with Gen Marlowe when a telegraph arrived. Without even looking at the message and with a slight nod of the runners head Johnson already knew what the message said. With a salute the runner ran back to the telegraph office, looking at the message Johnson cursed to himself, as he finally got the answer to the question he had been asking for some time, Fort Bayard had been overrun.
Turning to Gen Marlowe Johnson said, "General, Fort Bayard has fallen."
"I had a feeling that was the case Col, but there's nothing we can do about that now except keep preparing our defenses."
While Marlowe and Johnson continued discussing details about the forts defense a nearby lookout shouted, "RIDERS INCOMING." Johnson and Marlowe walked outside as a troop of cavalry arrived along with over 50 volunteers to aid in the forts defense. Even better the troops came baring gifts 4 Gatling guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition, and extra artillery mostly Hotchkiss mountain guns and several parrot guns and a couple napoleon 12 pounders for using grapeshot.
With the defenses complete all the men could do was wait for the upcoming attack, many were anxious but there was more than a few that were scared but determined to fight. As the day was ending Gen Marlowe called all the men to attention with a big announcement, "Bugler sound Recall," as the bugle sounded the men came rushing to the parade ground and stood at attention. With the forts garrison present Marlowe looked around before speaking, "Men I know your scared, I know your anxious and ready for a fight, some of you are asking yourself, why you're the ones here and not somewhere else."
Johnson listened closely as Marlowe patted several of the young privates on the shoulder reassuringly, "soon we will be fighting for our very survival, some of you already know what to expect as you have faced this enemy before. Among the men several nodded, for those of you who don't know, listen up and listen well for it could save your life."
With that said Marlowe stepped aside and Johnson stepped forward, "the Saderan empire, Johnson said in a low tone, we don't know much about them, and we know even less about where they come from. What we do know is that they thrive on conquest, each one of their soldiers is trained hard to be a blood thirsty killer. They will not hesitate even for a second to kill you, even if you surrender, they see us a barbarians to be conquered, enslaved and stepped on. They claim their here to bring culture and civilization to us."
"They are the barbarians, they believe us to be weak, cowardly because we use rifles that can kill a man from a distance rather than using a sword. Well, if they wish to conquer us, then they will have to kill us first, for we will never give up and we will never surrender."
All around the parade grounds men cheered while many cursed the Saderans as cowards. "This will be the biggest challenge we've faced since the war, with that said we cannot underestimate our enemy, they may use swords and spears, but they still outnumber us, we must hold our position at all costs and if it becomes necessary die defending this ground."
When Johnson finished, several riders were spotted to the south riding fast towards the fort. Coming to quick stop one rider jumped off his horse and rushed to Gen Marlowe, as he did two more riders were spotted riding fast from the north. "General word from Santa Fe, the enemy is on the march and will arrive in two days if they don't destroy nearby towns and settlements.
As the scout relayed his message the other two riders came to a stop, "General Navajo scouts have spotted enemy forces marching up the pass and should arrive in two days."
"Very well, order all your men back to the fort on the double and station lookouts in Watrous and La Cueva, they'll be our early warning."
"Yes sir," with a quick salute both parties rode off.
Dismissing the Garrison, Gen Marlowe talks to Johnson, "You've done very well for someone as young as yourself Col."
"Thank you, sir, the men and fortifications are almost ready, and we will be ready when the enemy attacks."
Marlowe smiled, "that's good to hear col but you won't be here for the battle," with a confused look Johnson was about to ask the gen what he meant but was stopped as Marlowe continued. "I'll be taking charge of the defense of Fort Union Col, I've been in command here for many years, it's become my home and home to many here." Johnson understood this but did not understand why he was going to be excluded from the fight.
"As of this moment I'm handing over command of New Mexico to you." Johnson was at a loss and didn't understand why he was being placed in command, but Marlowe smiled and simply explained to him, that throughout everything that has happened he was the one coordinating every move and it's because of his prior experience with this enemy, that he is being placed in overall command.