Back-translated into English (credit for the back translation goes to Lisa Tang Liu), the first two sentences read: In the midst of the United Provinces of America's War of Independence, in a place called "Baltimore" that was the capital city of "Maryland," a province within the United Provinces, a most awe-inspiring new club was established.
Here’s the first sentence of the original French: Pendant la guerre fédérale des États-Unis, un nouveau club très influent s'établit dans la ville de Baltimore, en plein Maryland.