Third Anglo-Virginian War

Third Anglo-Virginian War
Date 18 April 1874- 11 February 1875 Location Salvatia Result British Victory
Belligerents
Republic of Virginia	United Kingdom
	New England
	Canada

The Third Anglo-Virginian War (1874-1875) was a conflict between the Republic of Virginia and the United Kingdom and its allies over the ownership of Salvatia in West Africa. Salvatia was colonized by Black Virginians who followed Zoekerism. The war ended in British victory and Salvatia would become part of the British Empire. The fallout from the war would result in the Economic Collapse in Virginia and the end of the Second Republic of Virginia.

Background

Virginia became an independent nation following the Second Anglo-Virginian War (1852-1854) against the United Kingdom. Relations between the two countries had been strained since despite healthy trade. Virginia was left with a large free black population along with a minor Dutch speaking population. Race relations were tense and the spread of Zoerkerism did not help. Zoerkerism is a religion that mixes Protestantism and various traditional West African religious beliefs. Their beliefs center around a supreme creator, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as well as the pursuit for truth, freedom, and homeland. Zoerkerism was meet with hostility by black and white Virginia, but continued to develop. By the late 1860s, Zoerkerist made up the majority of Black Virginians and Prime Minister Richard Churchill expanded religious freedoms to the group in political alliance with Piet de Kotter, the self exiled Zoerkerist spiritual leader in 1867. In exchange, his congregation would continue their support Churchill's party, the Rationalists, in elections.

Churchill had other plans as well. He wanted to expand Virginian influence abroad and supported the Zoerkerist pursuit of a new homeland. So long as Virginia had some control over it. Between the British colonies of Gambia and Sierra Leone, Salvatia was founded in 1868 by 400 Black Virginians led by 'Red' Benjamin Walker. Walker was a close associate of de Kotter with strict orders to convert the natives and if failing to force them off their land. Many scholars doubt Walker's claims as de Kotter showed himself to be openminded while Protector of South Tussenland. Either way, Walker followed those orders. As the natives were primarily Sunni Muslims, with a small Catholic minority, they did not accept the Zoerkerist conversion efforts. Both sides would soon respond in violence and were evenly matched. However, anther wave of colonists would arrive a long with soldiers led by Colonel Anthony Clarke of the African Expedition Force (AEF)

Clarke did not support Zoerkerism nor wished to help Black Virginians for their sack. He did however invest heavily into the Virginian African Company (VAC) and needed Salvatia to turn a profit. He began a brutal campaign down the coast throughout 1868 to pacify native resistance in the region. He was successful for the most part, but Clarke would bedridden by a fever and die on 12 January 1869. The town of Clarke would be named in his honor.

BY 1874, there were nearly 10,000 colonist in Salvatia and dozens of minor settlements across the coast. Though the only major ones were Clarke, Grandchurch and Port Victoria. Clarke was the military stronghold of the colony. The colony's arsenal and command center was in the town. General Matthew Washington, who had resigned from Parliament and accepted a commission following Clarke's death, set up his residency there. Grandchurch was the first place the Zoerkerist colonists arrived and they treated it as a holy city. They made pilgrimages to it and traveled to it for special holidays. Port Victoria was the largest port in the colony. Salvatia held large deposits of gold that attracted colonists to abandon homesteads to instead mine for gold. Walker condemned those who did but Washington and other VAC officials only saw the profit the gold could gain. The British noticed this too and along with fears of a strong Virginian colony divided their colonies in West Africa, they were ready to fight.

The spread of Zoerkerism into Sierra Leone caused social upheaval in the British colony. Miners who had gone to Salvatia for wealth and work were converted and brought their new faith back home. This caused opposition to British rule resulting in the Port Loko riot in which 8 Sierra Leonean were killed. Though the sect represented a insignificante amount of people it was enough to alarm the British and prepare for war.

Invasion of Salvatia

The war would begin on 18 April 1874 with the British invasion as they crossed the Salutia River. The British forces were under the command of Major General James Outran. It was compromised of 1,000 white soldiers and 1,650 African auxiliaries. The AEF had only 800 soldiers, but the colony could muster another 2,000 militiamen Walker promised. When Washington received reports of the British invasions he at first dismissed it. Washington was celebrating the birthday of his second-in-command, Lt. Colonel Arthur Douglas, that evening and was by several accounts inebriated. However the next morning, when the mayor of New Jamestown arrived, exhausted and gave gruesome details of the the city's destructions, he wrote back to Virginia and prepared for war.

Prime Minister George Smith had established his second government (Smith II). His popularity and that of the Passionists was waning. However, after Lord Augustus Loftus, British Ambassador to Virginia delivered the declaration of war to the PM Smith, war fever swept across the nation. The new Minister of War, Stephen Fuller, during a speech in Jamestown cried, "10,000 soldiers, 1,000 vessels and 1 month and Africa will be ours." Thousands of young men did enlist for a year of service. Many hoped instead of moving north to attack New England.

Outran wrote to Washington with the demands of the British government. They were the withdrawal of all AEF soldiers, removal of all Zoerkerist, and the renouncing of Virginian claims to Salvatia. He promised to give Washington time to think despite the numerical advantage the British had. Some scholars have argued that Outran was trying to starve the Virginians out as the British blockaded or that he thought Washington would give into the demands. On 24 May, Outran continued his march taking Amherst and New Elegasthaven by 3 June.

The first and only engagement between Washington and Outran occurred at the Battle of Mansoa River on 8 June. Washington's forces had marched to Charlottesville to engage Outran. Not wishing to hide in the city, Washington went on the offensive.