1850 American Gold Tycoon.

Chapter 647: The Northern Army’s Dilemma

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

Ames knew a little about the situation on the Western Front, and 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 law issued by the pseudo-American Republic government, the pseudo-American Republic government's ambition to control the central border areas has been clearly revealed.

In the entire central frontier region, the most important hub city 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 for the Union Army on the Western Front.

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

"Just tell me what you need and I will do my best to satisfy you." Seeing that Ames did not underestimate the enemy, McClellan nodded with great satisfaction.

After all, he was a classmate of the Western Army cadets at West Point Military Academy, so 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 military academy students during his teaching at West Point. These Chinese military academy students left a very good impression on McClellan. Especially the Chinese military academy students who graduated in 1856, two of them graduated with the first and second place, and Ames was the third of that graduating class.

To be fair, Ames was already good enough, and if he had been in any other class, he would have most likely graduated first place from West Point.

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

To be honest, when McClellan first taught these yellow-skinned, black-eyed students at West Point, he was still resistant, thinking that these Chinese, who looked very similar to Indians, were weak and stupid and could not graduate from West Point, which would have a negative impact on the school's reputation. However, these students were very motivated and graduated with relatively good grades.

"Here are the guns and ammunition our regiment needs. Please have a look." Ames came prepared and presented a list with both hands. "Our regiment's guns are old and of different models. 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 had not participated in a high-intensity war for many years, and its military equipment was in disrepair. Even the standard firearms used by its 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment were not only old, but also had inconsistent models, which was a big problem during the war.

In fact, the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment is not an isolated case, and the interests involved behind it are quite 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 weapons produced or authorized by the state do not meet the standards, the troops who receive the weapons can only accept it with a pinch of their noses.

The procurement of the American army followed the bidding system during the War of Independence. This system can save military expenditure, but it also has many chronic 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 the quality can be imagined.

The officers of the Federal Army naturally knew the drawbacks, and not all Federal Army officers were in cahoots with the arms dealers.

For example, in 1841, Lieutenant Colonel George Burke of the Navy refused to accept the gunboat delivered by the Washington Navy Yard on the grounds that there were 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, he ultimately lost the case.

The only units in the Union Army that had uniform weapons and equipment were the dozen or so standing regiments before the war. In this regard, the Confederate Army was in a much better situation than the Northern Army, at least in the early stages of the war. Because there was only one large arsenal in the South that could provide the Confederate Army with mass-produced weapons, the Confederate Army had no choice.

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

"Sir, this is a telegram from General Mason." After Ames left, the adjutant handed a telegram to McClellan.

McClellan only glanced at the message, then crumpled it up and threw it into the trash can.

Mason's telegrams requesting reinforcements had been sent to him more than once, but at the moment there were more new recruits than veterans in Omaha, and McClellan could not allocate any 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 fail to effectively prevent the Western Army from advancing eastward. If Omaha is lost, the entire Western Front will collapse.

McClellan was not ignorant of the relationship between the Kearny Fortress Group and Omaha. But he also knew that once the troops were surrounded in Kearny, it would be difficult to withdraw, and there was even a risk of being annihilated by the Western Army. At this time, sending more troops to the Kearny Fortress Group would undoubtedly be a waste of precious manpower.

Compared with the gain or loss of a fort or a city, McClellan believed that maintaining the manpower was more important.

As long as the second batch of 10 mobilized soldiers completed their training and were able to fight in the field, he could block the Western Army in the North Platte Valley even at the cost of human lives.

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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 the Junggar train to North Platte.

The commander-in-chief of the North Platte front is Kruger, who is a qualified product of the Prussian military education system. He is not very good, 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 something that the Federation and the Confederation cannot give.

Kruger is a veteran figure in the National Defense Forces of the American Republic, while the Federal Army and the Confederate Army each have their own officer corps, making it difficult for outsiders to gain a foothold.

The reason why Liang Yao chose to go to the front line in person was because this battle was too important for the new republic.

Secondly, the composition of the troops participating in this war was quite complex and diverse. Not only were there standing military forces expanded from the original Western Brigade, but there were also militias from various places, the newly trained Mongolian cavalry regiment, the Solon cavalry battalion, and even Indian tribal armed forces. With such a complex composition of troops, he was the only one in the entire West who could control the situation.

Thirdly, being on the front line means being able to accurately learn about the battle situation on the front line at the first time so as to make the best decision.

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

(End of this chapter)