United States (Empire: Total War)

For other appearances of this faction in the Total War series, see United States.

Flag of the United States under a Monarchy

Flag of the United States under a Republic

The United States is an emergent faction in  Empire: Total War. This faction can only be unlocked in the Grand Campaign upon completion of the Road to Independence campaign.

Description

The United States of America is a nation forged in the fires of revolution and rebellion against a British monarch seen as distant, foreign and tyrannical.

After the French and Indian Wars, the British government took an entirely unreasonable line: the American colonists should pay taxes to contribute to the navy and army that helped defend them. After all, those colonial fellows enjoyed the benefits of peace, protected by Britain's expensive soldiers and sailors. The colonists had other views. The British responded with political stupidity and military ineptitude.

Aided, once they had rebelled, by the French Bourbons (who, for reasons of their own, had every wish to see Britain preoccupied by war and then humiliated by seditious rebels), the Americans faced down Britain. The struggle split countries, cities, towns, even families, but it united the nation.

In its wake, the revolution left behind a new kind of nation, a republic where men choose their own destinies, and are not subject to the whims of kings. This spirit of independence is a source of strength: it is an idea worth defending! It is also a source of weakness, for Americans cherish the right to do as they think best. This is not necessarily a good thing in an army.

America now has a future of boundless possibilities. A continent stretches away to the West, and no one is entirely sure what is to be found there. The Atlantic swell washes against the eastern seaboard, and beckons American seamen onwards: trade and adventure lie that way too. There may still be scores to settle with the British in Canada, or ambitious nations from Europe to discourage. There is much to do, if this newest and boldest of nations is to survive and prosper.

General Information

The United States is unique as it is the only playable emergent faction in the game by default, and is the only emergent faction that is also a major faction.

The United states is free to expand and become economically rich on the American continent. It has to tie a few enemies up before it becomes a world power: Great Britain still retains some lands to the north, and the French and Spanish both have considerable holdings in the Americas. Finally, there are the various Native American factions.

United States Campaign

The Starting Position for US campaign.

Goals

Capture 22 total territories, including the 7 specific territories below, by Late 1825

• Texas (Owned by the Pueblo Nations)
• Pennsylvania (Owned by U.S. [It is the U.S. starting capital])
• Upper Louisiana (Owned by France)
• New Mexico (Owned by Spain)
• Florida (Owned by Spain)
• New France (Owned by Great Britain)
• Michigan Territory (Owned by the Iroquois Confederacy)

Starting Position

Campaign starts in 1783

Regions

• Falmouth, Maine
• Boston, Confederation of New England
• Albany, New York 
• Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Annapolis, Maryland
• Williamsburg, Virginia
• Charleston, Carolinas
• Savannah, Georgia

Unit Roster

The United States has average line infantry, with the same statistics as minor faction line infantry and colonial line infantry. It also has access to a pool of unique line infantry and cavalry with the Elite Units of America DLC. By default, United States Provincial Cavalry have the good stamina bonus, making them somewhat superior to their counterparts and useful as a substitute for light cavalry--although they are correspondingly slightly more expensive. The United States has unique light infantry: Long Rifle Men and Legion of the United States, the latter being oversized light infantry regiments similar in function to Prussian Frei-korps. Unusually, the United States can train US Marines--somewhat undersized guard regiments--in regions that have a Naval College to complement their standard guard roster. The United States also have Minutemen, somewhat superior militiamen with good concealment abilities and only marginally more expensive than regular militia.

The United States has access to the standard European roster of artillery units, with no strengths and weaknesses to speak of.

Along with Great Britain, United States are one of only two factions to have a unique ship: the USS Constitution, a powerful and durable 24-pounder Frigate. Their ships are also somewhat better than most other faction's ships (with a better reloading speed and morale), with the exceptions of Great Britain and France. Generally, ships built by the United States have 10 more reloading skill, and 1 more morale. Unlike Great Britain and France, however, their ships' costs are mostly not more expensive than average. 

General Information

Once it emerges, the United States generally becomes a dominant regional player in the Americas, annexing Native American factions and developing a formidable military. It rarely expands outside of the Americas, however.

Unusually, the A.I for the United States tends to field large numbers of light infantry and riflemen, particularly if the Elite Units of America DLC is installed.

Trivia

• The flag used by the United States under Absolute Monarchy or Constitutional Monarchy is a fictional flag consisting of the basic layout of the Betsy Ross flag, but displaying a monarchical crown instead of 13 stars.
• The flag used by the United States under Republic is the Betsy Ross flag.