alternatehistory.com

7 July

Congress orders a ban on military training involving the use of gunpowder for the duration of the ceasefire, based on Ordnance Department figures which show that their supply is extremely limited.
Plans are also put in place for what to do if the war resumes - one idea mooted is to ram a single large army through to Richmond, though this would be rather difficult with the Potomac essentially under Confederate control and no viable jumping off points. It would also entail stripping most regions entirely of their line troops - at this point the Union cannot hope to outnumber the Confederacy alone without shipments of arms which have not yet been manufactured - and entail considerable risk to say the least!


8 July

After a spectacular high speed crossing of the Atlantic by RMS Scotia, the news of the ceasefire arrives in Plymouth and is telegraphed to London. Palmerston is pleased, and the process of arranging the peace conference begins - thanks to the proliferation of the telegraph, Napoleon III has agreed to mediate within hours and Russia is being contacted about doing the same. Messages also go to Spain, and the peace conference is tentatively suggested to take place at Havana - subject to American approval.

Meanwhile, in the Confederate states, the ceasefire has meant that the government has a chance to actually govern properly (rather than existing in war crisis mode). For example, a fiery debate takes place on the ideal court structure for a confederation of states - the concept being reached that any court at the highest levels can only address cases which cannot be settled internally within a single state, and that that court of the highest levels should involve the deliberation of judges drawn from the individual states. That is, the Confederate "supreme" court is in fact the chief justices of the individual states acting as a combined body.
This system has several advantages, one of which being that it's not the one the Union uses!