Not Another Confederate Victory TL: Divided Californias

[Anaxagoras]

I don't think it is at all realistic to imagine California seceding in 1861. There was a lot of noise made by pro-South Californians, but the state was solidly for the Union as a whole.

[frlmerrin]

I don't think it is at all realistic to imagine California seceding in 1861. There was a lot of noise made by pro-South Californians, but the state was solidly for the Union as a whole.

Whist it is perfectly reasonable to suggest that a Californian scessession in 1861 is unrealistic the suggestion that the state was solidly for the Union is actually risible. Less than half of the population* of the state around was American born (48.5%) and of those that were foreign born the majority had been resident for less than ten years. Of those that were American born a significant number were in favour of the Confederacy, a few more independence and a very large number were considerably more concerned with making a new life for themselves than national politics. Thus assuming 20% of the American born population is underage and of those that are left 30% are indifferent and 20% support the Confederacy we get (1-.2)*(1-.5)*48.5 = 19.4% are supportive of the Union. Adding to that figure perhaps 20% of the foreign born mostly British and northern Europeans gives a total of just 29.7% in favour of the Union.

*This discounts the 50,000+ aboriginal indians that were the subjects of slavery, ethnic clensing, ghetoisation and genocidal wars perpetrated by the white Californians. They certainly were not 'solidly for the Union'.

[Malta Shah]

Originally Posted by frlmerrin

If you really want an independent California coming out of the ACW you need a Trent Affair war with the British and it needs to get serious.

Would the British really go as far as the West Coast?

[Rush Tarquin]

Originally Posted by King of Malta

Would the British really go as far as the West Coast?

A previous thread on that topic:

http://www.alternatehistory.com/disc...d.php?t=236166

[frlmerrin]

The British fought the seven years war on a global scale using the Royal Navy.

The Crimean war was also fought on multiple far-flung fronts, the Crimea, the Sea of Azov, the Baltic, the White Sea and in the Pacific and on Kamchatka. Esquimalt, the potential primary base of opertations against California in a Trent war was used as a hospital station for operations on the other side of the Pacific at Kamchatka.

Give the way they fought why would the British hesitate to attempit an occupation of California?