The Conquest of America

Cleveland Moffett

Imaginary War Library - Science Fiction and Fantasy Military SF Novel War _bleiler _isfdb

Publisher: George H. Doran

Published: Jan 2, 1916

Description:

1529. THE CONQUEST OF AMERICA. A ROMANCE OF DISASTER
AND VICTORY: U.S.A., 1921 A.D. BASED ON EXTRACTS
FROM THE DIARY OF JAMES E LANGSTON, WAR CORRESPONDENT
OF THE "LONDON TIMES." George H. 'Doran;
New York, 1916. Ill by W. T. Benda and Albert Herter.
(McClure's Magazine, May-August 1915, as "The Conquest
of America in 1921") A survey of the invasion
of America, presented in personalized reportage by
a journalist who must surely be the most relentless
name dropper in literature. Almost every living
historical American of note enters the story at one
time or another, together with scores of not so important
Americans, including the illustrating artist
Albert Herter. * The narrative is preceded by a
long, very jingoistic preface by the author. * On
April 27, 1921 the Germans in an undeclared war unexpectedly
block the Panama Canal by sinking a steam
ship in the Gatun Locks. The result is that the
larger portion of the American fleet, which has just
passed through the canal, is trapped in the Pacific
for several months. In a short naval battle the
Germans destroy the remaining American Atlantic
fleet. Their troop transports encounter no further
resistance at sea. A declaration of war follows. *
A German army of 150,000 men led by General von Hindenburg
lands on Long Island. Against it stands
American General Leonard Wood, with far inferior
American forces. The Germans, advancing steadily,
defeat the .Americans in the Battle of Brooklyn.
General Wood's demolition of the Brooklyn Bridge
does not impede the Germans greatly, for New York
City is soon in their hands. As elsewhere, the
Germans demand cash indemnities in gold, requiring
one billion dollars for New York, taking as hostages
John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J. P. Morgan,
and Cornelius Vanderbilt. * The Germans govern New
York City harshly, executing hostages or violators
of regulations without much hesitation. * A second
German army of 150,000 men lands under the Crown
Prince, Count von Zeppelin, and General von Kluck.
America is now forced to abandon New England, and,
as the Germans continue to advance, seizing the
important Atlantic and Gulf ports, to move the seat
of government to Chicago. Some strong resistance
takes place at Boston, but it is soon squelched.
After Philadelphia is taken, the Americans sue for
peace and ask for a truce. * This comes to nothing,
for the Germans (as the narrator knows from conversations
with the Crown Prince) will not be satisfied
to withdraw on receipt of an indemnity alone; they
want to absorb the east coast of the United States
as a German province and develop it on the basis of
Kultur. The Americans cannot accept this, and the
war breaks out again. * Science now enters the
picture. Nikola Tesla draws up a plan for attacking
the German fleet with radio-controlled torpedoes.
It fails. Edison announces that he has a better
plan, but the Germans abduct him and hold him
incommunicado, while they land a third army under
General Mackensen. * The situation is now desperate,
and it seems as if surrender is inevitable.
There is, it is true, one victory, when a German army
was lured into a battlefield mined with Standard
Oil's petroleum stocks, which were then ignited. In
this incident, a whole army was destroyed, and Hindenburg
and the Crown Prince were captured. But
this is not enough. There are still two large German
armies in the field, against whom there is no
real resistance. * Salvation comes from Edison, whom
the Americans have rescued. He supervises the use
of improved torpedoes that destroy the German fleet
and render possible the capture of transports bearing
a fourth German army. * In Europe, too, the
situation changes. Since the French and Russians
have attacked Germany, the Germans are glad to
withdraw from America. The peace treaties that
follow simply reaffirm the status quo before the
invasion. * During the narrative the reporter drops
some self-contradictory hints about the historical
World War One. The Germans seem to have won the
war, annexing Belgium as a province, while the British
lost Gibraltar and Suez. Yet Moffett also
speaks of British troops forcing their way victoriously
into Germany. * The author's very high opinion
of the German crown prince was not shared by his
contemporaries or successors. * Other personalities
who appear in fairly important roles in the story
are Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Mayor
James Michael Curley of Boston, and Lord Kitchener,
who appears as a military observer. * A curiosity
because of the Who's Who aspect, but less interesting
than many other imaginary wars.