Hi people! So many posts, and so many folks!

Before updating, i'll answer someone.
I think the question about culture posed by Aegis Shield has already received some good replies, and it's not necessary that i add anything.
@bonscott: you made a good point in exposing the 1 pop reduction that inflict a city every time is captured. Yes, probably the definitive capture of Chicago will be less troublesome. About the insurance troops, they are nothing more that some cannons, 1 musket each stack, a few elite legions and 2 knights. But it's essential that those cities, expecially Atlanta, are promptly recaptured should they flip. The communication line cannot be broken.
@AndrewH & Aegis: thanx a lot for appreciating this game log! I'm honoured to see how much this story has become popular. Be assured that it will go on, regardless of the result.
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1170AD - Operation Dillinger
The phase 3 of operation Jessie James should have led to the annexation of Washington and Chicago. Although some serious damage has been delivered to America, no new territory has been conquered. This marks phase 3 as a failure.
New battle plans are drawn, this time less temerarious. The wounded stack of knights is moved back in the safety of Forte Diavolo and set to heal. The harassing stack of muskets and cannons is moved in the mountain SE of Washington, where it can safely bombard the american capital. An elite, full-power knight join the party. The combat settler advance north. Next turn it will be in enemy territory, where it will found a fort and rush barracks immediately.
Once these preliminary deployments are done, troops from south can move quickly from Forte Diavolo, then reach the Washington mountains in only 1 turn. This would prevent America from skirmishing against incoming troops, and grant wounded knights the ability to retreat and fortify in a friendly barracks in only 1 turn.
If nothing goes wrong, the new fort will be operative 2 turns from now, in time to grant healed knight a path to reach the Washington mountain in the same turn. According to this timeline, the attack on Washington should begin in the year 1200AD.
The goal of operation Dillinger is the capture of Washington. No further objectives are given for sure now, although a successive attack on Seattle is the preferred continuation, in order to deny every source of furs to Abe. However, different paths are yet to be excluded. An alternative would be going for the "capital hunt" in order to minimize flips. Obviously, the immediate availability of full-healed troops will be taken into account.
The insurance troops around Atlanta are augmented. It is essential to keep intact the communications between the front and the rest of the empire, or else reinforcements could not arrive quickly. Controlling Atlanta is now paramount, and there must be enough troops around to ensure a quick recapture should that city flip. New York and Philadelphia are less important, but a flip in those cities would be troublesome as well, since Forte Diavolo would be put at risk of flipping itself.
In the meantime, new units are arriving in the combat zone. Two muskets are available, and knights are on the way. A knight is rushed in Forte Pizza. And slaves continue to clean up some mess in the former aztec territory.
This map shows the details of the operation Dillinger. The blue spot is where the new fort will be founded. The solid blue border is the territory it will claim, note that Chicago would be deprived of an important source of food and is likely to starve: in case it's reduced to size 6 a couquest would be easier. The red lines, in different tones to put in evidence the different turns, represent the choosen path for an attack on Washington and, maybe, Seattle. The solid red border is the claimed land once Washington is captured. From there, an attack on Chicago may be led in only 1 turn.
Another update is around the corner, i'm playing the game right now. Stay tuned folks!