Westmoreland War
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 Mareyland | |||||||
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The Westmoreland War was a conflict in the mid-19th century fought between the Vionna-Frankenlischian colony of New Columbia and the young Republic of Mareyland over border disputes. By far the largest in a series of short border wars between the two, the Westmoreland War finally ended the long-lasting border disputes centered around the Lannachee River mostly in New Columbia's favour at the Treaty of Sirenport.
Border Disputes
Diplomatic negotiations between the Imperial administration in New Columbia and the government of Mareyland over the Lannachee River and its surrounding areas had been held sporadically since the late 1820s, however, due to the negligible authority of New Columbian diplomats and the constantly-changing priorities of the Mareylander government, the talks were almost entirely fruitless. Talks broke down entirely with the election of expansionist George Clayton as Mareylander president in 1840 and the bubbling tension was escalated severely when the Clayton administration declared the incorporation of the entire Lannachee River region as the Westmoreland Territory at the end of the year. The declaration of the Westmoreland Territory Charter on 12th December 1840 was met with horror in New Adeleux. The proposed territory included all of the disputed region, even extending into the range of several New Columbian trapping posts. A complaint was lodged with the Mareylander State Department but no response was received. Governor-General the Earl of Casellaine requested instruction from the Colonial Office and was advised only to open fresh talks with the Mareylander government. The Imperial government did not consider the threat seriously and the number of Imperial forces in New Columbia actually declined over the course of the next month.
At the start of 1841, diplomatic overtures from the New Columbian administration were rebuffed by Clayton's government. Throughout January and February of that year, no less than seven settlement proposals from New Adeleux were rejected as unsuitable and the permanent colonial mission in Leesburg was recalled by Lord Casellaine on 28th February after Clayton refused to meet with the Imperial minister, Lady Adelaide Stracken. Popular opinion towards Clayton's government in Mareyland was sky-high and in March, his government went a step further by calling up militia forces in the counties neighboring the Westmoreland Territory, along with a small force of army pioneers, to construct a series of small forts in the new territory to assert Mareylander control over the region. This was considered a serious threat in New Adeleux and Lord Casellaine made an immediate request for Imperial troops and the intervention of the Foreign Ministry. With other threats closer to home, Frankenlisch was only willing to send a single battalion: 2nd Battalion, Hardying's Regiment. Lady Stracken returned to Leesburg along with experienced Imperial diplomat Sir Walter Wekkens to make a final attempt at a settlement but were so insulted in their brief meeting with President Clayton that they broke off talks on the first day. Lady Stracken's official report to the Colonial and Foreign offices recommended the launching of a punitive expedition against Mareyland to force them to the table but the lack of military force in New Columbia made an immediate expedition impossible.
While a parliamentary committee was formed in Frankenlisch to discuss the issue of the Westmoreland Territory, the Mareylander government moved to expand their influence even further. In addition to their network of outposts and redoubts that had been built in the Lannachee River region they built Fort Proud (named after its commander, Major Jonathon Proud) to act as the center of their military efforts in the region. Though consisting only of a timber palisade and a large blockhouse, the construction essentially finalised the expansion of Mareylander control over the region and they swiftly followed up the coup by expelling all New Columbian trapping posts from the Lannachee region and confiscating their goods. These actions were completed by the end of March 1841 and saw Mareyland complete their main goal entirely: the establishment of effective control over the Westmoreland Territory.
Forces
Main article: Forces of the Westmoreland War