The sheriff of Florence City immediately reported the news that "the French Army might attack General Wilkinson" to Lieutenant Brandt of the state militia.
Brandt hurriedly led a few soldiers on horseback, trailing the French Army from afar. Sure enough, he found that after the French had marched a few miles along the Tennessee River, they stopped and began to cross over.
Although he didn’t know the position of Wilkinson’s corps, it was clear that the French army was not heading towards Huntsville.
So he sent messengers overnight to Tupelo, Corinth, and other places, attempting to contact General Wilkinson in those areas.
Lieutenant Brandt’s luck was good. Only two days later, he encountered an American patrol cavalry on the way to Tupelo.
In the temporary command post of the American Army in Halyville Village, Major Pike, upon hearing the cavalry’s report, urgently said, "General, we should withdraw to Tupelo immediately."
The village where they currently were had no cover, and if Napoleon’s main force arrived, they would quickly be encircled and annihilated.
In contrast, Tupelo had walls and watchtowers built for defense against the Indians, and supplies were more abundant, making it suitable for prolonged defense.
However, Wilkinson furrowed his brow and shook his head, "Do you remember our purpose here? It’s to secure Huntsville!
"If the French suddenly turn towards Huntsville now, the situation will become extremely passive."
Unknowingly, he had shifted the mission goal from "containing Napoleon’s main force in Tennessee" to "preventing the situation from worsening further."
Cold sweat beaded on Pike’s forehead, "But what if we’re attacked during the march..."
Wilkinson stood before the map for a long time before finally clenching his fist and said, "We can’t let Bonaparte lead us by the nose.
"Order the corps along the Alabama River to converge towards us. We’ll confront the French in the Sipsey River Valley!"
The Sipsey River Valley was just over a dozen miles south of them, with defensible terrain.
The American troops along the Alabama River combined still numbered four to five thousand. Wilkinson’s forces would still be twice Napoleon’s in a defensive battle, making it manageable.
Once Hampton’s army arrived from Huntsville, they could form a pincer movement against the French Army from the north and south.
Most importantly, keeping his forces in northern Alabama allowed for a quick reinforcement of Huntsville.
In case Napoleon deceitfully redirected to attack Huntsville midway, Wilkinson wouldn’t be left helpless.
That afternoon, Wilkinson’s corps, wary of the French Army under Dalmagne to the north, gradually moved towards the Sipsey River Valley.
Looking at the nearly deserted Halyville Village behind him, Wilkinson silently vowed that once the war was over, he would have Congress enact laws to severely punish those who went to California to search for gold!
If it weren’t for the gold rush depleting the population, his army would have at least 4,000 more soldiers, making this battle far less difficult.
While Wilkinson was meticulously preparing for a showdown with the French Army, his expected opponent ventured unchecked into the vast wilderness of northern Mississippi, heading west without turning back.
Indeed, Napoleon had no intention of annihilating Wilkinson’s main force, merely using Dalmagne’s thousand troops to hold them in place.
Nor did he charge towards Huntsville, since the Americans’ attention was focused there, making too many uncertain factors. Also, the Regent had previously mentioned not to ’tour’ the Eastern United States again, so occupying Huntsville was of little significance.
His true target was Adams Fort near Baton Rouge.
With significant forces dispatched to Alabama by Wilkinson, the American army along the Yazoo River had dwindled.
At this time, concentrating superior forces to break through Adams Fort would enable a junction with Major Brasser in Baton Rouge, where more than 1,300 soldiers resided, half of whom were elite white soldiers.
Moreover, Brasser had his beloved heavy artillery!
Once the connection with Baton Rouge was established, the logistical supply of the French Army would no longer be an issue.
Then, he could slowly maneuver with Wilkinson on the broad plains between Mississippi and Tennessee.
He had absolute confidence in tearing apart the American army within three months.
Half a month later.
Wilkinson had gathered over 8,000 soldiers but still awaited Napoleon’s arrival for a decisive battle.
And Hampton would cross the Cumberland Pass in three days, leaving Huntsville without any danger.
Could it be that the French Army had withdrawn to Louisiana?
If so, the U.S. strategy regarding Florida would be deemed a perfect success.
Just as he was secretly rejoicing, a courier rode hastily towards him, looking anxious. Before even stopping the horse, he handed a dispatch to Wilkinson’s attendant: "General, Adams Fort to the north is under siege by thousands of French troops... Major Burr requests immediate reinforcements!"
Wilkinson’s vision went black for a moment.
There were only about 1,200 soldiers around Adams Fort. If the French attacked from Baton Rouge, they would have to cross a large swamp, making such a force sufficient for defense. Like Major Burr’s previous difficulty in assaulting Baton Rouge.
However, the north side of Adams Fort was vast plains. When the fort was built, an attack from another direction wasn’t anticipated.
Wilkinson sighed in despair and told Major Pike, "Order the Third Infantry Regiment to cover, and everyone else should move immediately towards the Yazoo River."
With Huntsville secured, he could now freely deploy the main forces.
But he had obviously forgotten about Dalmagne.
The latter, during this period, hadn’t harassed the American Army much—truly due to the disparity in forces making encirclement easy—but had never strayed far.
Dalmagne brought with him more than half of the corps’ canned food, still having over a month’s worth of rations.
Upon detecting the American movement, he launched an attack immediately.
Meanwhile, the Alabama-based Indian Tribes quickly reported Wilkinson’s movements to Napoleon.
Just as the Count of Baton Rouge was eagerly deploying heavy artillery, hoping to give the Americans a "huge surprise," the Governor’s assistant of Louisiana arrived at his command center.
"What? You say, a ceasefire?!" Napoleon’s eyes widened at the newcomer.
"Yes, Your Excellency," the Governor’s Assistant nodded with a smile, "The diplomat from Washington arrived in New Orleans three days ago, and the ceasefire terms are very favorable to us. They include a promise not to infringe Florida, redrawing the borders of Florida and the Southern United States, and compensating all losses in Florida..."
Napoleon rather impolitely raised a hand to interrupt, "But, I haven’t yet had the decisive battle."
The Governor’s Assistant quickly explained, "Everyone knows that you have already sufficiently intimidated the Americans. Of course, another reason Washington is eager for a ceasefire is that their southern states have plunged into utter chaos."