Civil War

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

(December 15, 2026)

An explosion rocks the earth as a bomb hits the ground near Major Hammer's temporary HQ. He only flinches slightly from the shockwave of the explosion.

As General Simmering had hoped, Alabama and Florida joining the fight in Mississippi had proved enough to turn the tide. After several days of combat, with the US forces being pushed back, the commanders in DC had decided to pull their troops back, fearful of Alabama and Florida committing any more troops to the fight, or more reinforcements coming from Texas. The rebel commanders had ordered their troops to remain in place rather than pursue the retreating US troops, not wanting to be drawn into any kind of trap, and also still against pushing their aggression against loyalist forces too far. However, the US Air Force had continued bombing operations against the rebel forces in Mississippi, in part to prevent a pursuit from taking place. Rebel fighter aircraft had been doing what they could to keep US fighters away from the ground forces, but the bombings had still caused some heavy casualties.

Major Hammer waits for the sound of jet engines to fade before he makes his way out of the house. As he exits the house, he looks around at the shattered remains of the houses that line the street, which is itself cratered in many places, and finds himself sighing a bit.

Although the 1st Armored Division and its reinforcements had driven the US forces out of Jackson, it had come at a heavy cost. The Greater Jackson area, which had a population of around 600,000 prior to the battle, now stood at a population of just under 100,000, with the rest of the population forced to evacuate or driven out by the fierce combat. Some had fled to other areas of Mississippi, while others had fled west to Louisiana or north to Tennessee. On top of the number of people who had fled the metro area, the area had suffered massive damage. Over half of all buildings in the Jackson metro area had suffered damage, and 90 percent of all roads had suffered damage that would temporarily make it impossible for their use by wheeled vehicles.

Sadly, the Jackson metro area was not the only part of Mississippi that had suffered damage in the campaign. The city of Meridian had taken some major damage when the troops from Alabama and Florida took the city on their way to Jackson and had to engage defending loyalist troops in the process. The city of Hattiesburg had been bombed by the US Air Force to try and destroy the regiment of Florida troops that had been sent to capture the city. Several more cities in the northern half of Mississippi had also sustained damage from the battles between the 101st Airborne and rebel units. In addition, airstrikes by both sides had caused some further damage to key infrastructure in other cities.

Although the rebels had driven US forces out of Mississippi, Mississippi had paid a price for the victory. Although civilian casualties were actually relatively light, the state had suffered much damage. Its capital and accompanying metro area lay mostly in ruins, and across the entire state, almost a third of the state's population of nearly 3 million people had been displaced from their homes by the fighting, and key supportive infrastructure had been destroyed. Mississippi had suffered a great blow to its prosperity, and would take years of rebuilding to return to what it once had been.

However, the devastation had one slight benefit from the rebels' point of view. Local authorities had managed to confirm that civilian casualties lay under 5,000. However, the destruction wrought on their homeland meant that the people of Mississippi now had a lot of rage, and thankfully, almost all of it was focused on the federal government. It now seemed a given that soon enough, Mississippi would be the next state to join the rebels.

However, as he looks at the damage on the street, Major Hammer feels a great sense of sorrow. It shouldn't have to take destruction like this to convince people to stand up for what's right. Hopefully, soon enough, the country will see the president for what he is and stand up to his tyranny.