The Second American Civil War

[BrianP]

It has been a very slow day at work today, so I managed to type this out around the lunch hour. I wasn’t able to put a whole lot of research into it, so be gentle. If people here think it has potential, let me know and I’ll give it a more serious shot at making it more detailed adding battles and such.



1932

May 11 - A group of American World War I veterans, led by Walter N. Walters, left Oregon for Washington, D.C. The men wanted to lobby for an early payment of veteran bonuses, which were scheduled to be paid in 1945. There were tens of thousands of unemployed and starving veterans who needed the money to support their families. The group set out for the capital, and recruited more veterans as they went along.

June 15 - By this time, over 20,000 veterans, calling themselves the "Bonus Expeditionary Force," had arrived in Washington, setting up "Hooverville" camps in both the city and in Anacostia Flats, a swampy area outside of the city. The marchers were encouraged when word was passed the the House of Representatives had passed the Patman Veterans Bill, which would allow early payment of the bonuses.

June 17 - The U.S. Senate defeated the Patman Veterans Bill. Speaking on the steps of Congress to fellow veterans, Walter N. Walters stated "There is still hope! There are other methods of getting the things we need!" Over the next several weeks, the B.E.F. refused to leave Washington, and began to secretly arm themselves.

July 14 - Walter N. Walters named former Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler commander of the Bonus Expeditionary Force.

July 28 - President Hoover, convinced by General Douglas MacArthur that the marchers were Communists attempting to destroy the government, ordered the police to force the marchers to leave Washington. The police, led by Pelham D. Glassford, attacked the marchers within the city. Gunfire erupted, leaving nine marchers and twelve police officers dead. President Hoover declared martial law in Washington and ordered the mobiliztion of the 12th Infantry Regiment from Fort Howard, Maryland and the 3rd Cavalry Regiment from Fort Myer, Virginia and placed them under the command of General Douglas MacArthur. General MacArthur was ordered to remove the marchers from Washington with any amount of force necessary. In the afternoon, Army forces moved down Pennsylvania Avenue, attacking a beating marchers. The B.E.F. quickly withdrew to Anacostia Flats, where they were quickly mobilized and prepared for battle. Federal forces attacked the camp, and a bloody battle ensued. The camp was completely destroyed and total casualties for both sides were 1,040 killed or wounded, including several women and children. This was much more than President Hoover, or anyone else, had expected.

July 29 - Emergency meetings were held in Veterans of Foreign Wars halls all over the United States. Small groups of VFW militia began to be organized to join General Butler's forces, which had withdrawn to the mountains of West Virginia. President Hoover addressed Congress, and called the marchers "Communist rebels" who were determined to overthrow the U.S. government.

July 30 - President Hoover ordered General MacArthur to mobilize a force to enter West Virginia and crush the remainder of the B.E.F.

July 31 – Governor William G. Conley of West Virginia mobilized the National Guard and called for an emergency session of the state legislature, citing the reason as the threat of attack by Federal forces.

August 1 – Federal forces under General MacArthur proceeded to move towards the Virginia/West Virginia border.

August 2 – Virginia Governor John G. Pollard mobilized the National Guard, calls for a special session of the state legislature, and demanded that Federal forces withdraw from the state.

August 3 – General MacArthur launched an offensive into West Virginia, and is attacked by National Guard forces from both West Virginia and Virginia, as well as the B.E.F. After several hours of fierce fighting, General MacArthur was forced to withdraw. Both sides suffered a total of 849 casualties.

August 4 – The legislatures of West Virginia and Virginia passed ordinances of secession and selected delegates to meet in Richmond, Virginia.

August 6 – 9 – Delegates from both West Virginia and Virginia met and formed an independent Commonwealth of Virginia and demanded the withdrawal of U.S. Federal forces. Governor Pollard of Virginia was named President, and Governor Conley was named Vice-President.

August 9 – The National Guards of West Virginia ad Virginia, as well as the volunteers of the B.E.F., merged to form the Army of Virginia, under the command of Smedley Butler.

August 11 – U.S. forces launched a massive offensive into Virginia, quickly taking Richmond. The Government of Virginia relocated to Roanoke. Total casualties in the battle numbered 344.

August 15 – 16 – South Carolina and Alabama passed ordinances of secession.

August 20 – 22 – Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida passed ordinances of secession.

August 23 – Louisiana passed an ordinance of secession.

August 24 – The seceded states of South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana formed the Confederacy of Southern States. Montgomery, Alabama was named capital, and Huey P. Long of Louisiana was appointed President. The C.S.S. announced its full support of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

August 25 – Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland, and North Carolina all declared their neutrality, making it difficult for the C.S.S. to get supplies and troops to Virginia.
Alarmed by the events in the United States, British Prime Minister James R. McDonald offered to mediate between the three factions. Virginia and the C.S.S. showed interest, but President Hoover refused outright.

August 26 – The National Guards of the states consisting of the C.S.S. are reorganized and renamed the Army of the Confederacy.

August 27 – The U.S. Navy began a blockade of ports in the Confederacy of Southern States.

August 28 – U.S. forces captured Charleston, West Virginia after a brief battle, resulting in only 100 casualties. The Army of Virginia consolidated its forces in and around Roanoke, in preparation for an attack on the temporary capital city.

August 29 – 30 – In a fierce and bloody battle, the Army of Virginia managed to hold Roanoke. Casualties numbered 2,180.

September 1 – The Army of Virginia launched a counter-offensive against Federal forces, re-taking Charleston. Casualties numbered 2,100.

September 12 – 15 – The Army of Virginia continues their offensive, taking Norfolk. Casualties for both sides totaled 1,292.

September 16 – After days of tense negotiations, Tennessee and North Carolina passed ordinances of secession and joined the Confederacy of Southern States. This allowed C.S.S. forces to link with the Army of Virginia.

September 17 – The Army of Virginia captured Richmond. There they halted their offensive, waiting for C.S.S. forces to link up and launch a possible attack on Washington, D.C.

September 24 – 25 – In an effort to divert C.S.S. efforts to aid Virginia, a contingent of Federal troops landed on the coast of Louisiana in Plaquemines Parish, and moved northwards towards New Orleans.

September 30 – Federal forces attacked New Orleans, but were easily defeated by C.S.S. defenders. The total number of casualties numbered 345. The entire U.S. contingent was killed or captured.

October 3 – 4 – Virginia and C.S.S. forces launched a massive offensive on Washington, D.C. The U.S. had been anticipating the attack, and therefore well prepared. The defenses were formidable and the attack failed. Total casualties on both sides numbered 7,197.

October 5 – Dismayed by his sense of failure and the casualties suffered in the war, President Hoover begins to have a nervous breakdown and resigns. Vice-President Charles Curtis was sworn in, and expresses his desire for peace negotiations to begin.

October 8 – President Curtis relieved General MacArthur of his command as a cease-fire is declared.

October 22 – President Curtis of the United States, President Long of the C.S.S., and President Pollard of Virginia meet in Hampton Roads, Virginia to begin peace negotiations. The talks are mediated by Prime Minister McDonald of the United Kingdom.

October 27 – The Treaty of Hampton Roads was signed, ending the Second American Civil War. Some terms of the treaty included:

-Amnesty for all participants in the rebellion
-Compensation from the United States to the families of those killed
-Compensation from the United States to re-build destroyed areas of Virginia, West Virginia, and Louisiana.
-Readmission of Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Tennessee into the Union without penalty.
-Full participation in the upcoming Presidential election (re-scheduled for December 7).
-Full payment of bonuses to veterans of World War I.

November 7 – 28 – Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Tennessee were re-admitted into the Union.

December 7 – Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Charles Curtis in the 1932 Presidential election.

Short Term Effects - 1930's

- President Roosevelt defeated Charles Curtis in the 1932 election, allthough at a much slimer margin than he defeated Hoover with in OTL.
- The Great Depression hits the United States harder, forcing President Roosevelt to enact a more radical New Deal plan.
- President Roosevelt named Huey P. Long as Secretary of Commerce and James G. Pollard Secretary of Labor.
- President Roosevelt was re-elected in 1936 in a landslide victory with Huey Long as Vice-President.
- Thanks to President Roosevelt's good and strong leadership, the United States manages to make it through the 1930's intact.

Mid Term Effects - 1940's - 1990's

- Huey P. Long was elected President in 1940 and 1944
- With the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, World War II served to unify the nation and finally bring it out of the Great Depression.
- The U.S. Government still treated the south with kid gloves, so segregation continued into the 1970's and no Civil Rights Act was passed until 1977. In some cases, it was not fully implemented until 1981.
- By 1995, everything is pretty much as it is in OTL, with the exception of race relations, which look more like they did in 1975.

Long Term Effects - 2000's

- In 2005, things are much as they are in OTL. The U.S. Governement is still dealing with racial equality although progress was repidly made.
- In 1990, President George H.W. Bush declared the 1990's to be the "Decade of Reconcellation," seeking to imporove cooperation, communication, and interaction between the federal and state governments.

[General_Paul]

Why rejoin the Union when you just secured independence? In my mind, the Southerners would be totally enamored with their success. They just did in five months what General Lee and the entire South couldn't do in four years of active military conflict with the Union. In my mind, based on your series of events, this is what I believe might happen:


October 27 – The Treaty of Hampton Roads was signed, ending the Second American Civil War. Some terms of the treaty included:

-The United States hereby recognizes the secesion of, and subsuquent independence of the former states of Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana.
-Virginia and West Virginia hereby join the CSS government in recognition of the overall problems the CSS went through to ensure continued Virginian and West Virginian independence in the face of overwhelming opposition from the United States.
-The newly formed C.S.S will hereby recieve all benefits owed to the southern World War I veterans within one year of this treaty.
-The United States will evacuate any remaining forts, ports, or supply depots still under their jurisdiction.
-All United States government property within the bounds of the CSA will be given over to the Confederate Government immediatly. (There just went a ton of very valuable US Government property.)
-All US Government bases and the material within the hithermentioned bases are hereby CSA property and will be treated as such.
-The gold repository at Fort Knox will be split between the United States, and the C.S.S (Ya know, they might just rename themselves the CSA just to stick a thumb in the US's eye)
-The United States will pay for the reconstruction of the destroyed cities and battlefields in the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and any states where major combat was fought.
-The United States will pull all federal agents from the territories of the CSS within ten days of the signing of this treaty.

Short Term Impacts:

-Roosevelt wins the election with a larger margain of votes over his opponent.
-The South definately has trouble rebuilding

Mid-Term Effects (1932-1939):

-Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany are definately still a threat and a priority for the embattled United States.
-Roosevelt has to enact more radical New Deal Policies to get the nation back on its feet.
-The CSS, renamed CSA, rebuilds its shattered Virginian and West Virginian economies, but it takes time.
-The United States enters into a more radical rearmament phase to deter the CSA from any expansionist movements in Texas, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
-North Carolina is a huge garrison of US Army, Army Air Corps, Marine, and Naval units. The North Carolinians develop some what of a siege mentality, surrounded on all sides by the outwardly hostile CSS.
-The CSA Constitution is written up, and definately has a slant towards the rights of individual states (a la the original CSA) rather then the more large and cumbersome federal government that they just seceded from.
-Though former US citizens, the CSA signs a non-agression pact with Facsist Italy, and Nazi Germany to protect its sea lanes as the gray clouds of war gather on the horizon for the peoples of Europe.
-The CSA becomes more of a throw back to the mid 19th Century mentality of State, Honor, Duty, then the Nation, rather then the Nation coming first, and the state last.
-Most likely, in states like Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana we may see the re-institution of class and race based slavery or forced labor. Remember, this is the Jim Crow wielding, racist toting, KKK supporting 1930's deep south, not the gentrified Republican stronghold we have today.
-The KKK will have a definate power in the CSA for the next decade to come at least. This will most likely effect the CSA's decision to sign the non-agression pact with the Nazis.
-The CSA will be very VERY paranoid of the USA, and the rest of the world for quite some time. After that war, nobody's coming out unscathed.
-1939: When Hitler invades Poland, Huey P. Long orders the Confederate Army to pour over the border into Mexico. When the fight in Poland is over with in September, Hitler watches with joy as reports from the South come in of reports of the fall of Mexico City. The CSA chooses to annex Northern and Central Mexico, leaving the Yucatan Penninsula and the areas south of it as a Rump Mexican State.

Longer Mid Term Effects:

-When World War II starts up, Adolf Hitler meets with CSA President Huey P. Long in the capital of Richmond to discuss the war effort. The two men sign the "Richmond-Berlin" Treaty, giving the Kreigsmarine basing rights in Richmond

[BrianP]

I don't think Huey Long would want to get mixed up with the likes of Hitler. Long once responded to a reporter who asked about a comparison of him and Hitler; Long got angry and replied "Don't liken me to that sonofabitch. Anybody that lets his public policies be mixed up with religious prejudice is a plain Goddamn fool!" He also said of Hitler and his policies "I don't know much about Hitler, except this last thing. About the Jews - there has never been a country that put its heel down on the Jews that ever lived afterwards." Long did not like to associate himself with people he viewed as being a loser.

[CalBear]

All due respect, but this seems to be an ASB thread.

Perhaps you could have it moved.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by General_Paul

Longer Mid Term Effects:

-When World War II starts up, Adolf Hitler meets with CSA President Huey P. Long in the capital of Richmond to discuss the war effort. The two men sign the "Richmond-Berlin" Treaty, giving the Kreigsmarine basing rights in Richmond

I would think that the Kriegsmarine would rather base in Norfolk, which has a large naval base and other extensive harbor facilities rather than steam up the James River to Richmond. That's assuming basing rights would even be given.