To the regular army and "civilized people" like Adams, guerrillas were an unstable element. If they didn't genuinely need guerrillas to resist the British army, they fundamentally wouldn't be willing to cooperate with them at all. The prejudice later Americans held against guerrillas perhaps began at this time.
So, even though Adams knew that restricting guerrilla activities might have a very negative impact on General Greene's frontal battle, once he learned that incorporating guerrillas would also ensure grain production, he still unhesitatingly decided to limit their actions.
The governor of North Carolina was in a similar situation and immediately echoed Adams' sentiment. The other governors, of course, understood what the two meant and nodded in agreement.
America had fertile land. Many fields previously used for cash crops, now with tobacco and cotton unsellable and piled high, essentially didn't need replanting. They could now be directly converted to grain production. For plantations along the East Sea, this might be difficult due to a lack of manpower, but villages and plantations near the Appalachian Mountains could absolutely recruit refugees fleeing the East Coast at any time to smoothly complete grain production.
In America, as long as grain production was prioritized, a true food crisis generally wouldn't occur.
"Charles, how should we handle the Boston campaign? Albany has already mobilized troops. What does General Washington require us to cooperate with?" Hancock spoke, shifting the topic to the issue they had initially planned to discuss.
"I think it's more important right now to immediately figure out why the British Navy is shelling our harbor," Charles brought up another topic.
"The shelling of the harbor should be preparation for their attack on Boston. This might be a long-planned operation. Didn't the army from Albany also mobilize for an attack? I guess they definitely want a combined sea and land attack to capture Boston," Adams, the civilian official who relatively understood military matters, was the first to guess.
"The British army from Albany mobilized, of course, to capture Boston," General Sullivan said calmly.
This was something everyone could see, no need for guessing.
"The problem is their Navy. If it were to cooperate with the army's attack on Boston, then they should shell when the Albany troops begin their offensive. If that were the case, our eight hundred regular army in Boston would fundamentally be unable to cope with a two-pronged attack simultaneously and would surely be occupied by the British army immediately. But now, they are shelling before the army arrives, which not only has limited effect but also exposes their presence. It's absolutely illogical," Charles shook his head.
"Then what do you mean?" Hancock asked, puzzled.
"That's it! It's the harbor, the dockyards, the ships! They must be after our warships!" General Sullivan suddenly exclaimed.
"Exactly! I think the biggest possibility is that our warships, still under construction, were discovered by the British Navy. Otherwise, they wouldn't shell the harbor at this time. If it were merely to damage Boston Harbor with a surprise attack, it would be far less effective than taking Boston with a combined assault! But now, as soon as they get the news, they immediately act, preemptively destroying those cruisers nearing completion in our dockyards. That would inflict significant damage on us," Charles supported Sullivan's guess.
"Fortunately! They only attacked Boston. If they had attacked..." Jefferson was about to lament when he suddenly remembered that today's meeting was an expanded military conference. Some secrets couldn't be revealed, so he stopped halfway through his sentence.
"Haha! Since Boston has been exposed, the other two places won't be safe either. If the British army didn't investigate, we could have kept them safe for a few more months. But once they purposefully and targetedly investigate, with the number of British spies we have here, they will surely find out immediately," Charles noticed Jefferson's sense of secrecy but smiled at his approach.
"At least keep it safe for a few more days!" Jefferson still wasn't going to reveal it.
"Given that the British army has discovered we are building warships and is preparing to send the Navy to shell and destroy them, what we should do most is immediately strengthen the defenses of the other two ports to prevent what happened in Boston from happening again!" Charles affirmed.
Fortunately, they had received Washington's reminder earlier and had the large battleships manufactured in New York and Philadelphia. Otherwise, the losses this time would have been more than just a few cruisers.
Many other members present at the Continental Congress were unaware of the plan to build large warships, but hearing the conversation between Charles and Jefferson, they gained a general understanding of the situation. Fortunately, these individuals were also of no low caliber; they didn't clamor for Charles to reveal the shipbuilding locations. Instead, upon hearing Charles' request, they stated:
"Everyone knows the importance of the Navy. For security reasons, we can choose not to know the shipbuilding locations, but regarding the protection of the dockyards, please allow us to help. Only by uniting can we better protect our Navy."
Charles and Jefferson exchanged smiles.
In reality, the only ports truly worth protecting now were New York and Philadelphia, and they fundamentally didn't need help from other states. As for other ports, while they had protective value, it was ultimately unnecessary to waste effort on those places.
"The Military and Ordnance Committee naturally has arrangements for this matter, so there's no need for everyone to worry. The incident in Boston was unavoidable; after all, its onshore fortifications were simply too few. As long as the British army intended to attack, it was fundamentally impossible to defend. However, we have built strong defensive fortifications in our other ports, so everyone need not worry. We will certainly be able to build the best warships and let our Navy dominate the western coast of the ocean!" Charles assured.
These civilian officials, such as governors and Councilors, should not be allowed to cause trouble.
"Cough, cough..." General Sullivan, who was standing nearby, couldn't bear it any longer and had to speak up himself:
"Councilor Godfrey, and gentlemen, what should we do about the British army in Albany? We can't just stand by and watch them capture Boston, can we?"
Boston had endured many battles without significant damage. Even with the British Navy shelling the harbor and dockyards this time, it hadn't caused much overall damage to the city. It remained a very strategically important city to defend. Moreover, for most people in America, as the site of the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre, it had always been seen by many radicals as the heartland. If it were simply allowed to be occupied by the British army, these representatives would face immense public pressure.
Influenced by those around him, Jefferson immediately stated:
"Of course, we cannot sit by and watch Boston fall, Charles. What is your opinion? How many people should we send to rescue it?"
Democratic members like Samuel Adams and other radicals sitting near him all clamored for Charles to immediately send troops for the rescue.
Charles was very helpless. He had already tried to divert attention with the food shortage issue at the beginning. He hadn't expected these people to still be so eager to send troops.
"Gentlemen, I firmly agree to send troops to support Boston, but I must say that I have no troops at hand," Charles spread his hands. "Of the five thousand regular Continental army in Philadelphia, General Washington transferred two thousand to Virginia last year, and they have only just been replenished. These five thousand are the minimum required to defend Philadelphia. If we were to send one or two thousand from Philadelphia to rescue Boston, they would very likely be annihilated on the way by the superior British army coming from Albany. So, this time, it mainly depends on General Washington's performance!"
—
This was a fact. Philadelphia's population had dwindled significantly during the last British siege. Since most had relocated to Pittsburgh, Charles had no intention of forcibly recalling them. Now, Philadelphia faced a substantial shortage of recruits. Furthermore, to avoid disrupting basic grain and industrial production, no more conscription could be made from the city's surroundings.
"New York only has just over ten thousand regular army and militia. If manpower were diverted to rescue Boston, New York's own defenses would be vulnerable, and..." Sullivan left the rest unsaid.
Moreover, there were two large battleships and many other warships under construction in the New York Harbor dockyards. If some soldiers were transferred away and the British Navy broke into New York Harbor, the losses would be immense.
Those in the know, such as Hancock, Jefferson, and Charles, all nodded in agreement.
"Can't you Philadelphia assemble more militia?" Adams interjected.
He felt very indignant that they were unwilling or unable to rescue. Was Boston just to wait to be captured by the British army? However, as soon as he spoke, he knew he had asked the wrong question. He had just said that conscription would disrupt grain production, so how could he bring it up again?
Indeed, Charles immediately said with displeasure:
"Conscription will definitely disrupt our grain production in Philadelphia. In fact, what I most wish for is to get back the two thousand Continental army borrowed by you in Virginia."
"Uh..." Adams was immediately speechless.
Although Virginia hadn't yet started fighting, the number of troops it faced was greater than the British army in Albany to the north. If General Greene hadn't foresightedly separated the Hessian army and the British army, and simultaneously allowed a large number of guerrillas to harass and tie them down, it would probably have been impossible to resist the British army in Virginia and North Carolina.
General Greene's forces had always been crying out for insufficiency. Now that guerrilla activities were restricted, if more regular army forces were drawn from him, the General would probably march directly to Richmond and conscript all the officials who agreed to such a thing onto the battlefield.
Of course, Charles also knew this situation; transferring troops was just talk.
He even speculated that, given the British army's half-year coordination results, once they attacked, it would certainly be an all-out offensive, with simultaneous battles in the north and south. Now the Continental Congress was discussing the northern campaign, but perhaps fighting had already begun in the south.
"Actually, we could also form some foreign volunteers and mercenaries to aid Boston," Jefferson suddenly interjected.
"Foreign mercenaries?" Charles was momentarily stunned.
"Yes, I heard that in Pittsburgh, there are many foreign explorers and adventurers from France, Spain, Portugal, and even Britain. They all want to find work in Pittsburgh or sell treasures discovered in the West there. These people are mostly desperadoes; as long as they are paid, they should be very willing to serve as mercenaries. And now, in Philadelphia, New York, and even Boston, there are many foreign friends who have come from Europe voluntarily to support our righteous cause. They are also very willing to form a volunteer force for free to participate in our war with Britain. Although this force will not be very numerous, it should still be one or two thousand strong, which can be considered a help," Jefferson sighed.
From his heart, he was not willing to form such two teams.
"If that's the case, then my Pittsburgh can also spare a few hundred men. My Erie Canal Company has already begun operations, and the New York State Canal they are digging is a waterway directly facing Albany. Many of the canal workers involved in the excavation were former members of the Western Expeditionary Force from Pittsburgh. They can switch their pickaxes for rifles at any time and harass Albany City from the west of Albany," Charles also offered a suggestion.
"Boston is the pioneer city of our American Revolution. What it lacks least are passionate youths. We can order Boston's commander to distribute weapons to those passionate youths and let them voluntarily participate in the battle. I believe such young people will certainly be able to achieve some merit in defending Boston," Hancock, a participant in the Continental Congress, also thought of a fighting force.
This would hardly be just a little merit, Charles sighed. These fanatical youths were basically fearless individuals who had once charged forward through the British army's hail of bullets during the Boston Massacre. With their participation in the battle, the British army would definitely pay a heavy price if they intended to take Boston with a few thousand regular army.
Indeed, everyone had many ideas once they started talking. With one suggestion after another, many good solutions quickly emerged.
Charles calculated roughly that he could provide four to five thousand reinforcements for Boston across various fronts.
Although they were mostly irregular troops with limited combat effectiveness, combined with Boston's existing armed forces and General Washington in New York, who would surely spare some armed forces for reinforcement, defending Boston was no longer impossible.