Just when the American forces faced setbacks both at sea and on land, good news finally arrived from the ocean. After searching the seas for over half a month, the cruisers "Free Trade" and "Common Market" finally located a British squadron and engaged it in battle. They dealt a significant blow to the British—sinking two of their old-style battleships. However, under their cover, the remaining ships managed to escape, albeit with varying degrees of damage. It's estimated they won't be combat-ready for some time.
This battle highlighted that old wooden warships converted into steamships stood no chance against true ironclads. In the fight, the American (should be French, in context) 120mm caliber naval guns fired high-explosive shells that easily tore through the wooden hulls of the British ships, causing death with astonishing efficiency.
On the other hand, the British, despite upgrading their ships with steel rifled cannons, were limited by the original build of their old wooden vessels—not worth the investment to fully upgrade. They simply replaced the old iron cannons with steel ones, which were generally smaller and of limited firepower, unable to penetrate the armor of the "Free Trade" and "Common Market."
Additionally, the difference in speed meant the entire battle was akin to two French warships thrashing a retirement home—utterly one-sided.
Of course, the French sailors aboard the "Free Trade" and "Common Market" didn't see it that way. They were quite pleased with themselves since, according to the contract they signed with the Americans, they would receive a substantial combat bonus for every ton of British warships or vessels they sank or captured—a sum at least ten times what their American counterparts received. More importantly, the Americans promised to pay their wages in gold coins. Although in theory, a dollar bill is equivalent to a gold dollar, in times of American military setbacks, the bright yellow gold was far more appealing than the greenback.
Meanwhile, the Americans hurriedly gathered troops from other areas in an attempt to drive the British out of Cleveland.
But by then, the British had already received news of America's declaration of war, making foolishly loaded British ships a rarity without escorts. This was a disappointment for the French naval officers and sailors who had dreamed of striking it rich.
On another front, while General Isaac Brock awaited supplies in Cleveland, the Americans began amassing more troops around Pittsburgh, about two hundred kilometers from Cleveland. Smuggling ships, boldly flying the French flag, continuously entered New York, unloading various smuggled civilian weapons and ammunition. These supplies were quickly loaded onto trains and sent to Pittsburgh, preparing to counter the British forces that could leave Cleveland at any moment to march south towards Washington.
Additionally, a group of
"French advisors" was temporarily hired at a high price to assist the American forces. Officially, the French government did not acknowledge the presence of these advisors among the American forces; they were merely "volunteers" willing to help the Americans.
The inclusion of these French "volunteers" and the information they provided was an eye-opener for the American officers. However, it also made them increasingly concerned about the prospects of the war. They realized the vast gap between the American military and the armies of the European continent. There simply wasn't enough time to train the soldiers, let alone the officers, in new tactics.
General Isaac Brock soon received the reinforcements he had been waiting for. His forces now numbered twenty-five thousand, with both artillery and cavalry units strengthened. His superiors hoped he would march towards Washington to force the American forces into a decisive battle. Given the difficulty of mobilizing large numbers of troops domestically due to French interference, a prolonged war would likely exhaust the less populous and industrially weaker Canada first. Therefore, General Brock was urged to quickly defeat the American forces and force the United States into seeking peace. R