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 playable in 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 government seen as distant, foreign and tyrannical by many Americans.

After the French and Indian Wars, the British government took an 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 sent more troops but largely tried to ignore the rebels.

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 becomes a major faction.

The United states is now 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, especially the Native Americans.

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 with the Elite Units of America DLC. The DLC also provides some unique cavalry. 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 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 the exceptions of Great Britain and France: most American ships boast a +10 reload speed over their rivals (though inferior to Great Britain's +15), along with better than average hull strength and morale. In addition, some American ships are cheaper than average to build and maintain.

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. Additionally, their non-heavy cavalry all have good stamina, allowing them to run for longer, and for them to use regiments of horse in place of light cavalry, giving them a slight advantage.

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.