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Chapter 69 Rise of the Confederacy
Chapter 69 Rise of the Confederacy
"Those who deny freedom unto others deserve it not for themselves."- Senator Abraham Lincoln 1859
"When I took power in Washington, I stood in horror as I watched the nation slowly fall apart. The cancer of America that is the Republicans and the Emancipators have slowly corrupted our once great nation over the past decade. They seek to destroy our constitutional right of slavery. They seek to ruin the foundation of state's rights that we hold so dear. Just as Thomas Jefferson called for freedom against the tyranny of King George, so to must we move forward with independence against the failed product that is the United States. The Confederacy is the future, and lead it to greatness I shall."- Inauguration speech of Confederate President Robert Toombs 1861
"Yeah... I'm going to let Seguin take this mess on the border. So long, I'll be off hunting Buffalo on the range!"- President Davy Crockett 1861
In the aftermath of the election of Abraham Lincoln, the near entirety of the Southern United States went wild with fury. After all this was coming from a region that had refused to even put this man on the ballot, therefore they did not expect that there would be any possibility of Lincoln getting elected. In the immediate days there was lots of blame shifting such as that of Seymour for throwing away the Northern vote, Bell and the Constitutional Union for taking away the critical border states, and the North in general for being a bunch of slave-loving Yankees in the eyes of the south. Even though Lincoln said multiple times on the campaign trail that he was willing to compromise, the South would not listen as they saw March 4th as the incoming of a tyrant to rule the nation. While there have been many controversial or debated elections in America since 1860, the 1932 election of Huey Long to office being commonly shown, none of the reactions of the other sides paled to the Deep South. As soon as the results were announced in Washington, many of the Southern Senators and Representatives quit for their homes states even if they were reelected. President Robert Toombs seeing that he would become a Lame Duck President, decided to vacate the White House immediately with his family in protest along with a good majority of the United States cabinet who had been replaced with southern men under Toombs. What was left in the halls of Congress was a rump coalition of Republicans and Northern Democrats. Many of those left behind in Washington along with the rest of the North were expecting the South's reaction to the greatest extent one of a government shutdown. What they got instead was far worse than anyone could've imagined. And it all started in the heart of Dixie, South Carolina.
As one of the original Thirteen Colonies, South Carolina had played an important role in the foundation of the United States early on. Over time South Carolina became surpassed in importance by other states with greater population or economies such as New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Still South Carolina formed an integral part of the nation's agricultural network with its large cash crop cultivation of Indigo, Rice, Tobacco, and Cotton. Over time South Carolina leaned heavily towards the camp of the Jeffersonian Democrats and develop a perceived need to lead much of the South in the fight for State's rights. An important example of this before the Civil War was the Nullification Crisis during the Jackson presidency where John Calhoun lead South Carolina in a near insurrection against Washington over the passing of the so-called "abominable tariffs". The situation died down with Jackson threatening federal troop intervention but eventually the government had relented with the lowering of tariffs, making it seem like a win for the people of South Carolina. Over time South Carolina also became dependent on slavery so much to the point that in the 1860 census it had a 1:3 population ratio of whites to slaves, the highest of any state within the Union. South Carolina's reputation in the rest of the United States continually decreased over the years with multiple acts such as the Van Buren assassination and the Caning of Sumner portraying South Carolinans as backwards savage radicals. That did not matter to the people of South Carolina as they saw themselves as the proper image for the honorable ways of the south. Naturally with these characteristics it would of course be South Carolina to advocate for secession. As early as three days after the election was when secession sentiment was brewing as the South Carolina legislature convened in Charleston to pass a bill that would condemn Abraham Lincoln's election as an hostile Act that would threaten the Union (never mind that they were the ones to threaten it with secession). Over the course of the next month prominent religious, social, and political leaders across the state gathered within Charleston, almost all of whom in favor of an act of secession from the United States. According to the viewpoint of South Carolina they were more than justified in doing so as the Constitution never held an clause against secession and Thomas Jefferson's Deceleration of Independence stated itself that in times of great need the people had total justification to overthrow a corrupt and tyrannical government. The tipping point came on December 14th when the South Carolina legislature convened a secession convention at the South Carolina Institute in Charleston, the same exact place where the 1860 DNC convention had taken place. Over the next few days the assembled delegates had compiled a list of complaints and grievances that stated that the federal government had gained too much power and violated the constitution in relation to state's rights. Though in reality most of these grievances were about Slavery as South Carolina was entirely dependent on the plantation system and about 70% of its economy included slaves in one form or another. Despite the wishes of many across the nation for reconciliation, South Carolina truly began the path towards the civil war when all 169 state delegates voted unanimously in favor of secession on December 18th. South Carolina seceded from the Union and became its own country, while other states looked on and took inspiration.
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South Carolina, the Rebel State
When news of the South Carolina secession spread throughout the nation the other southern states started acting in a frenzy over the news. While there had been several threats of secession from the Union since the days of the Articles of Confederation, no state had ever dared to actually try and implement it, that is until now. All across the south state legislatures began the process of forming state conventions on the proposition of seceding from the Union and whether or not to join South Carolina in the possibility of forming a new nation. However, the actual consensus of the South was far from united and as the Confederate state composition after Sumner shows, was not enough to convince all the states to leave the Union. Of the states where slavery was legal, Delaware and Maryland where the ones who were most loyal to the Union as they had voted for Lincoln in the election and had very few slaves with most of their economies set on industry, so there were few economic issues there. Within the South there was also a divide between what is called the Deep South and the Border States. The Border states consist of states along or near the Mason-Dixon line with the makeup generally composed of Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and North Carolina. Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia had all voted for the Constitutional Union party in large majorities as their states did not rely on a plantation economy and had large minorities of the general population who were opposed to slavery. When state conventions took place in these three states there was no clear consensus on a desire to secede as the delegates were mostly against Lincoln and the Republicans but were reluctant to secede without any clear assurance that there would be a clear path to independence. North Carolina had voted for Toombs in a clear majority as well as Missouri, however both states had large segments of country farmers who were in clear favor of the Union and had not built up large plantation economies, this being the greater case for Missouri. Arkansas had also voted for Toombs in a large majority but unlike the others were in somewhat of a weird state as they were neither largely dependent on slavery nor against it, being mostly apathetic. Still Arkansas was considered to be a traditional part of the South and as such were sympathetic to the cause of their southern brethren. Thus all the states mentioned above decided to declare for neutrality immediately after the secession of South Carolina, waiting to see which way the wind would blow.
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The Virginia State secession Convention
In the case of the Deep South it was the complete opposite. The states of Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama were all states that had relied heavily either on the plantations system or slaves in general. The main reason slavery had spread throughout the south and was so extensive back then being mainly due to the existence of one cash crop, cotton. Back in the days before the Industrial Revolution most clothes had to be made by hand and usually were made through the wool of various animals such as sheep wool, cow leather, silk byproducts from silk worms, and other exotic animals such as the llama. While cotton made cloth was in existence it was increasingly rare and expensive due to the fact that cotton had to be plucked from the fields individually and the process of discarding the seeds and various other parts of it taking hours on end, making it economically unprofitable. This all changed in the turn of the 18th century with Eli Whitney's cotton gin and the creation of the British textile system. With these two revolutionary means of production cotton had become a profitable crop that could be sold in tons, extending the life of slavery throughout the south. Indeed Cotton had been the main export of the south for decades as it helped the United States to lead the world in cotton production and sent materials to both New England and European textiles. With the Deep South being reliant on cotton meant a huge reliance on slavery, something that could not go away under the new Lincoln administration. One by one the various states of the Deep South began to secede in January of 1861 with Georgia being the second; followed by Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana. Many prominent members of the Democratic party had been from this region and upon hearing word of their states secession had left Washington entirety to take up roles in these new countries. Several previously powerhouses in the U.S congress became new leaders of these rebellious states such as Jefferson Davis, John C. Breckenridge, Judah P. Benjamin, and Alexander Stephens. A surprising new addition in the middle of January would also become part of the secession party with the state of the Bahamas voting to enact secession. While never really being considered a part of the true south through its recent British roots and different lifestyle, the Bahamas had become slowly colonized by southern plantation and slave owners over the course of the 1850's to the point where around 3/4ths were of Dixie origin. Unfortunately this would prove bad tidings for the population as a majority of the Bahamas citizens had been freed blacks who had settled there in the wake of British manumission, several hundred having been escapees from America who were promptly arrested and reintroduced into slavery. In the short five years since the Bahamas became a state, slavery had been reintroduced as a critical part of society with thousands of slaves being transported to the islands and sugar plantations rising up once again. In December when a secession convention had been called, all free blacks had been barred from the meeting with it being made up purely of Dixie delegates and British citizens left over after the Oregon War, the latter very much eager to leave the Union. With this clear majority secession had been enacted on January 14th and protests by free blacks over the matter were met with brutal force. At first though with the advent of secession these various states were unsure of whether or not to unify into a new country or simply become independent nations on their own as the thirteen colonies had acted in the wake of the American Revolution. No matter what the intentions of the new rebels were though there was no going back and they were committed to the cause of independence.
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Georgia ordinance of secession (Left) Slavery in the Bahamas (Right)
Immediately after the various secessionist states had voted to leave the Union, the state Governors would take charge in place of the President and ordered state militias to be organized and round up any and all federal property such as army depots, naval bases, federal mints and posts offices throughout the state. Most of the situations where state confiscation had occurred the men occupying the offices would give it up peacefully and happily as these posts were filled by locals who were filled with secessionist sympathy. Of the federal assets that managed to escape Southern confiscation were several U.S Naval vessels that being manned by a majority of Yankees and officers who went to Annapolis, decided to skip harbor immediately after news broke out of secession and head towards New York to be on standby. There was also one major instillation that had defied confiscation by the secessionists, Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter was a fortress off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina named after Revolutionary War hero Thomas Sumter. Construction had begun in 1829 but stalled for several years and was barely halfway completed in 1846 when the Oregon War began. Due to the fear of another British invasion or blockade, after the war construction hurried with several slaves and members of the local population hurrying to finish it until it had become completed in 1854. Army Major Robert Anderson had begun this act of defiance in late December when he moved his garrison from the nearby ill-defended Fort Moultrie into Sumter after South Carolina started nationalizing the federal institutions. Although Major Anderson was a pro-slavery man from Kentucky, the Major held his oath of loyalty to the Union above all else and saw it his mission to defend the fort from the treasonous rebels. Anderson took two companies and all the canons from Moultrie to reinforce Sumter with the addition of the remaining 2/3rds of the garrison stationed, the rest including the commanding officer having left to join secession. As the highest ranking officer Anderson took command of the men stationed and prepared his troops for a long siege by storing rations and prepping defenses along the walls of the fort, at the same time Anderson used what little ships he had left to head to Washington and ask Lincoln for assistance. On January 31st, South Carolina Governor Francis Pickens sent an envoy to the fort demanding that the men surrender as the fort was South Carolina property and rightfully belonged to the state. Anderson replied in a rather tact response that the fort was property of the United States Army and the Federal government in Washington D.C, and that the only way he would leave would be if South Carolina renounced its secession and rejoined the Union. The furious Governor Pickens, having been humiliated by a man from Kentucky, ordered the State militia to begin a siege and for it to be headed by Colonel James Longstreet in the enforcement of the siege. When Longstreet demanded that Anderson surrender one final time, Anderson answered in defiance by launching a canon towards the harbor on February 4th. Thus began the siege of Fort Sumter that would eventually lead to the first battle of the Civil War.
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Major Robert Anderson (Left) Picture of Fort Sumter in 1860 (Right)
Back in Washington D.C the situation that resulted from the southern secession was one that could be described as organized panic. President Toombs and most of his cabinet was nowhere to be found while about 1/3rd of the United States congress was either in their home states to listen to the conventions or actively take part in the secessionist governments. At the head of a coalition of loyalist was Speaker of the House Nathaniel Banks who was the only Republican in Toombs cabinet and had to reside within the White House for the first couple of months after the election. Both Abraham Lincoln and William Seward had arrived in January in response to South Carolina's secession along with those of the other states and were shocked to find that Toombs had skipped out of town. What resulted was an uneasy period where no one was sure of what to do with the executive branch. While Toombs was no longer within Washington he was still the President of the United States and he had not taken part of the state conventions, there were rumors of course that he was in his home state of Georgia but it seemed that the man had gone off the radar as no source could pinpoint his location. Other members of the cabinet such as Secretary of State Buchanan had resigned to their home states of the North while some such as Attorney General Clement Clay had participated in their state's convention. It was a virtual embarrassment for the United States as several foreign ambassadors had relayed information to their home countries that the United States was collapsing. In order to try and contain the situation as much as possible, Banks formed a triumvirate along with Lincoln and Seward, both men still holding ranks in the Senate until confirmation, led the United States congress in drafting several bills to get ready for the upcoming Lincoln administration while new temporary appointees were being filled to positions in now understaffed posts such as the State and Justice Department. Major General Winfield Scott also ordered the rest of the federal units that had not joined the rebels to secure the nation's border with Canada while the Navy patrolled the coast, the War department having been fearful of a possible British invasion even though the UK was busy dealing with Asian affairs. The main priority for the Republican Triumvirate before Lincoln could become officially elected was the maintaining of Fort Sumter. While the U.S Army had every right to retaliate and drive the South Carolina militia away from the fort, the ongoing situation was incredibly delicate and many still hoped for a route that would lead away from war. Until a state of war existed with the southern states, all that could be done now was to send ships to supply the Fort Sumter garrison and order all state militias and federal regiments to act in a state of readiness. Lincoln and Seward sent out several letters and made pleas in national newspapers during this time, calling for national unity and proclaiming that they would be willing to compromise in the upcoming administration. Unfortunately these calls for American to remain a United States fell on deaf ears as the southern delegates started to begin the process of forming a new nation.
On February 4th 1861, delegates from the seven secessionist states made their way to the city of Montgomery Alabama where a convention had been proclaimed by Alabama Governor Andrew Moore for unity among the secessionists in the face of retaliation by the federal government. When the convention first began the idea on everyone's mind was more of a general military alliance of the states with each one maintaining its own independence. After some lengthy discussion with the veterans of the convention pointing out that independent action would never work against the might of the North and the federal government, it was agreed that all seven states present would unite into a new nation where their grievances would be met and they would be protected under a common sovereignty. For the next four days the convention went to work creating a new constitution and the legal framework for this new country. In most drafts of the constitution it was almost a carbon copy of the original United States one in 1787 along with all the passed amendment. There were major changes to the framework of the government however as great amounts of sovereignty had been given to the individual states of the new nation and slavery had its own clause in the new constitution where it was guaranteed, much like Texas. Due to the highly decentralized nature of the new government, the delegates decided to adopt the name the Confederate States of America as they declared themselves to be the true successors of the founding fathers. The Constitution was signed and drafted on February 8th with the main issue afterwords being the new leadership of the Confederacy. This had not been given time for debate because as soon as the last delegate had ratified the constitution, the doors to the convention hall bursted in a grand notion and all the delegates had turned to the new entrants where they were stunned to see President Robert Toombs, the man who's nation they had just signed to secede. After Lincoln's election Toombs had indeed spent the next three months in Georgia where his friend Alexander Stephens had been a participant of the state convention of secession. Toombs chose not to get directly involved however as he felt that a prime opportunity was needed for him to take control. At the announcement of the Montgomery Convention, Toombs managed to sneak into town incognito and when word of the new Confederate constitution being finalized was spread, Toombs decided that now was his chance to take charge and claim glory. Toombs walked to the podium in the center of the room to the stunned delegates where he began what many historians have called the infamous "Patriot's Speech." "My friends and fellow southern gentlemen. Last November the foolish masses of the North have betrayed our country and have chosen the tyrant Abraham Lincoln to enter office as my successor. Said election was merely the result of traitors within our ranks such as Seymour and Bell, for I was the one destined to continue the fight for the constitution. Now with Washington fallen to the sinful pack of devils that are the Republicans, I have chosen to abandon the hive of greed that is Washington and have chosen to join you, the real American people. For I am a patriot and I will fight for the rights of liberty and freedom." Toombs went on for another half hour in what was essentially an attempt to butter the delegates present to chose him as the President of the new nation. While the delegates present had been leaning towards Jefferson Davis as their leader, Toombs speech and apparent conviction of patriotism showed those present that he was the right man for the job. After all who better to be the President than the President? Thus Robert Toombs went down in the annals of history as the ultimate traitor to the United States, far surpassing that of Benedict Arnold. On February 9th Robert Toombs was officially chosen by the delegates as President of the Confederate States of America with Jefferson Davis taking the role of Vice President. The fires of treason had been lit and the hellish path to Sumter and Petersburg had begun.
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Inauguration of Robert Toombs as President of the CSA in Montgomery (Left) First flag of the Confederacy (Center) Robert "Judas" Toombs and the Confederate cabinet (Right)
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Map of the Confederate States of America as of February 11th, 1861
"Those who deny freedom unto others deserve it not for themselves."- Senator Abraham Lincoln 1859
"When I took power in Washington, I stood in horror as I watched the nation slowly fall apart. The cancer of America that is the Republicans and the Emancipators have slowly corrupted our once great nation over the past decade. They seek to destroy our constitutional right of slavery. They seek to ruin the foundation of state's rights that we hold so dear. Just as Thomas Jefferson called for freedom against the tyranny of King George, so to must we move forward with independence against the failed product that is the United States. The Confederacy is the future, and lead it to greatness I shall."- Inauguration speech of Confederate President Robert Toombs 1861
"Yeah... I'm going to let Seguin take this mess on the border. So long, I'll be off hunting Buffalo on the range!"- President Davy Crockett 1861
In the aftermath of the election of Abraham Lincoln, the near entirety of the Southern United States went wild with fury. After all this was coming from a region that had refused to even put this man on the ballot, therefore they did not expect that there would be any possibility of Lincoln getting elected. In the immediate days there was lots of blame shifting such as that of Seymour for throwing away the Northern vote, Bell and the Constitutional Union for taking away the critical border states, and the North in general for being a bunch of slave-loving Yankees in the eyes of the south. Even though Lincoln said multiple times on the campaign trail that he was willing to compromise, the South would not listen as they saw March 4th as the incoming of a tyrant to rule the nation. While there have been many controversial or debated elections in America since 1860, the 1932 election of Huey Long to office being commonly shown, none of the reactions of the other sides paled to the Deep South. As soon as the results were announced in Washington, many of the Southern Senators and Representatives quit for their homes states even if they were reelected. President Robert Toombs seeing that he would become a Lame Duck President, decided to vacate the White House immediately with his family in protest along with a good majority of the United States cabinet who had been replaced with southern men under Toombs. What was left in the halls of Congress was a rump coalition of Republicans and Northern Democrats. Many of those left behind in Washington along with the rest of the North were expecting the South's reaction to the greatest extent one of a government shutdown. What they got instead was far worse than anyone could've imagined. And it all started in the heart of Dixie, South Carolina.
As one of the original Thirteen Colonies, South Carolina had played an important role in the foundation of the United States early on. Over time South Carolina became surpassed in importance by other states with greater population or economies such as New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Still South Carolina formed an integral part of the nation's agricultural network with its large cash crop cultivation of Indigo, Rice, Tobacco, and Cotton. Over time South Carolina leaned heavily towards the camp of the Jeffersonian Democrats and develop a perceived need to lead much of the South in the fight for State's rights. An important example of this before the Civil War was the Nullification Crisis during the Jackson presidency where John Calhoun lead South Carolina in a near insurrection against Washington over the passing of the so-called "abominable tariffs". The situation died down with Jackson threatening federal troop intervention but eventually the government had relented with the lowering of tariffs, making it seem like a win for the people of South Carolina. Over time South Carolina also became dependent on slavery so much to the point that in the 1860 census it had a 1:3 population ratio of whites to slaves, the highest of any state within the Union. South Carolina's reputation in the rest of the United States continually decreased over the years with multiple acts such as the Van Buren assassination and the Caning of Sumner portraying South Carolinans as backwards savage radicals. That did not matter to the people of South Carolina as they saw themselves as the proper image for the honorable ways of the south. Naturally with these characteristics it would of course be South Carolina to advocate for secession. As early as three days after the election was when secession sentiment was brewing as the South Carolina legislature convened in Charleston to pass a bill that would condemn Abraham Lincoln's election as an hostile Act that would threaten the Union (never mind that they were the ones to threaten it with secession). Over the course of the next month prominent religious, social, and political leaders across the state gathered within Charleston, almost all of whom in favor of an act of secession from the United States. According to the viewpoint of South Carolina they were more than justified in doing so as the Constitution never held an clause against secession and Thomas Jefferson's Deceleration of Independence stated itself that in times of great need the people had total justification to overthrow a corrupt and tyrannical government. The tipping point came on December 14th when the South Carolina legislature convened a secession convention at the South Carolina Institute in Charleston, the same exact place where the 1860 DNC convention had taken place. Over the next few days the assembled delegates had compiled a list of complaints and grievances that stated that the federal government had gained too much power and violated the constitution in relation to state's rights. Though in reality most of these grievances were about Slavery as South Carolina was entirely dependent on the plantation system and about 70% of its economy included slaves in one form or another. Despite the wishes of many across the nation for reconciliation, South Carolina truly began the path towards the civil war when all 169 state delegates voted unanimously in favor of secession on December 18th. South Carolina seceded from the Union and became its own country, while other states looked on and took inspiration.
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South Carolina, the Rebel State
When news of the South Carolina secession spread throughout the nation the other southern states started acting in a frenzy over the news. While there had been several threats of secession from the Union since the days of the Articles of Confederation, no state had ever dared to actually try and implement it, that is until now. All across the south state legislatures began the process of forming state conventions on the proposition of seceding from the Union and whether or not to join South Carolina in the possibility of forming a new nation. However, the actual consensus of the South was far from united and as the Confederate state composition after Sumner shows, was not enough to convince all the states to leave the Union. Of the states where slavery was legal, Delaware and Maryland where the ones who were most loyal to the Union as they had voted for Lincoln in the election and had very few slaves with most of their economies set on industry, so there were few economic issues there. Within the South there was also a divide between what is called the Deep South and the Border States. The Border states consist of states along or near the Mason-Dixon line with the makeup generally composed of Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and North Carolina. Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia had all voted for the Constitutional Union party in large majorities as their states did not rely on a plantation economy and had large minorities of the general population who were opposed to slavery. When state conventions took place in these three states there was no clear consensus on a desire to secede as the delegates were mostly against Lincoln and the Republicans but were reluctant to secede without any clear assurance that there would be a clear path to independence. North Carolina had voted for Toombs in a clear majority as well as Missouri, however both states had large segments of country farmers who were in clear favor of the Union and had not built up large plantation economies, this being the greater case for Missouri. Arkansas had also voted for Toombs in a large majority but unlike the others were in somewhat of a weird state as they were neither largely dependent on slavery nor against it, being mostly apathetic. Still Arkansas was considered to be a traditional part of the South and as such were sympathetic to the cause of their southern brethren. Thus all the states mentioned above decided to declare for neutrality immediately after the secession of South Carolina, waiting to see which way the wind would blow.
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The Virginia State secession Convention
In the case of the Deep South it was the complete opposite. The states of Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama were all states that had relied heavily either on the plantations system or slaves in general. The main reason slavery had spread throughout the south and was so extensive back then being mainly due to the existence of one cash crop, cotton. Back in the days before the Industrial Revolution most clothes had to be made by hand and usually were made through the wool of various animals such as sheep wool, cow leather, silk byproducts from silk worms, and other exotic animals such as the llama. While cotton made cloth was in existence it was increasingly rare and expensive due to the fact that cotton had to be plucked from the fields individually and the process of discarding the seeds and various other parts of it taking hours on end, making it economically unprofitable. This all changed in the turn of the 18th century with Eli Whitney's cotton gin and the creation of the British textile system. With these two revolutionary means of production cotton had become a profitable crop that could be sold in tons, extending the life of slavery throughout the south. Indeed Cotton had been the main export of the south for decades as it helped the United States to lead the world in cotton production and sent materials to both New England and European textiles. With the Deep South being reliant on cotton meant a huge reliance on slavery, something that could not go away under the new Lincoln administration. One by one the various states of the Deep South began to secede in January of 1861 with Georgia being the second; followed by Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana. Many prominent members of the Democratic party had been from this region and upon hearing word of their states secession had left Washington entirety to take up roles in these new countries. Several previously powerhouses in the U.S congress became new leaders of these rebellious states such as Jefferson Davis, John C. Breckenridge, Judah P. Benjamin, and Alexander Stephens. A surprising new addition in the middle of January would also become part of the secession party with the state of the Bahamas voting to enact secession. While never really being considered a part of the true south through its recent British roots and different lifestyle, the Bahamas had become slowly colonized by southern plantation and slave owners over the course of the 1850's to the point where around 3/4ths were of Dixie origin. Unfortunately this would prove bad tidings for the population as a majority of the Bahamas citizens had been freed blacks who had settled there in the wake of British manumission, several hundred having been escapees from America who were promptly arrested and reintroduced into slavery. In the short five years since the Bahamas became a state, slavery had been reintroduced as a critical part of society with thousands of slaves being transported to the islands and sugar plantations rising up once again. In December when a secession convention had been called, all free blacks had been barred from the meeting with it being made up purely of Dixie delegates and British citizens left over after the Oregon War, the latter very much eager to leave the Union. With this clear majority secession had been enacted on January 14th and protests by free blacks over the matter were met with brutal force. At first though with the advent of secession these various states were unsure of whether or not to unify into a new country or simply become independent nations on their own as the thirteen colonies had acted in the wake of the American Revolution. No matter what the intentions of the new rebels were though there was no going back and they were committed to the cause of independence.
View attachment 310002
Georgia ordinance of secession (Left) Slavery in the Bahamas (Right)
Immediately after the various secessionist states had voted to leave the Union, the state Governors would take charge in place of the President and ordered state militias to be organized and round up any and all federal property such as army depots, naval bases, federal mints and posts offices throughout the state. Most of the situations where state confiscation had occurred the men occupying the offices would give it up peacefully and happily as these posts were filled by locals who were filled with secessionist sympathy. Of the federal assets that managed to escape Southern confiscation were several U.S Naval vessels that being manned by a majority of Yankees and officers who went to Annapolis, decided to skip harbor immediately after news broke out of secession and head towards New York to be on standby. There was also one major instillation that had defied confiscation by the secessionists, Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter was a fortress off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina named after Revolutionary War hero Thomas Sumter. Construction had begun in 1829 but stalled for several years and was barely halfway completed in 1846 when the Oregon War began. Due to the fear of another British invasion or blockade, after the war construction hurried with several slaves and members of the local population hurrying to finish it until it had become completed in 1854. Army Major Robert Anderson had begun this act of defiance in late December when he moved his garrison from the nearby ill-defended Fort Moultrie into Sumter after South Carolina started nationalizing the federal institutions. Although Major Anderson was a pro-slavery man from Kentucky, the Major held his oath of loyalty to the Union above all else and saw it his mission to defend the fort from the treasonous rebels. Anderson took two companies and all the canons from Moultrie to reinforce Sumter with the addition of the remaining 2/3rds of the garrison stationed, the rest including the commanding officer having left to join secession. As the highest ranking officer Anderson took command of the men stationed and prepared his troops for a long siege by storing rations and prepping defenses along the walls of the fort, at the same time Anderson used what little ships he had left to head to Washington and ask Lincoln for assistance. On January 31st, South Carolina Governor Francis Pickens sent an envoy to the fort demanding that the men surrender as the fort was South Carolina property and rightfully belonged to the state. Anderson replied in a rather tact response that the fort was property of the United States Army and the Federal government in Washington D.C, and that the only way he would leave would be if South Carolina renounced its secession and rejoined the Union. The furious Governor Pickens, having been humiliated by a man from Kentucky, ordered the State militia to begin a siege and for it to be headed by Colonel James Longstreet in the enforcement of the siege. When Longstreet demanded that Anderson surrender one final time, Anderson answered in defiance by launching a canon towards the harbor on February 4th. Thus began the siege of Fort Sumter that would eventually lead to the first battle of the Civil War.
View attachment 310004Major Robert Anderson (Left) Picture of Fort Sumter in 1860 (Right)
Back in Washington D.C the situation that resulted from the southern secession was one that could be described as organized panic. President Toombs and most of his cabinet was nowhere to be found while about 1/3rd of the United States congress was either in their home states to listen to the conventions or actively take part in the secessionist governments. At the head of a coalition of loyalist was Speaker of the House Nathaniel Banks who was the only Republican in Toombs cabinet and had to reside within the White House for the first couple of months after the election. Both Abraham Lincoln and William Seward had arrived in January in response to South Carolina's secession along with those of the other states and were shocked to find that Toombs had skipped out of town. What resulted was an uneasy period where no one was sure of what to do with the executive branch. While Toombs was no longer within Washington he was still the President of the United States and he had not taken part of the state conventions, there were rumors of course that he was in his home state of Georgia but it seemed that the man had gone off the radar as no source could pinpoint his location. Other members of the cabinet such as Secretary of State Buchanan had resigned to their home states of the North while some such as Attorney General Clement Clay had participated in their state's convention. It was a virtual embarrassment for the United States as several foreign ambassadors had relayed information to their home countries that the United States was collapsing. In order to try and contain the situation as much as possible, Banks formed a triumvirate along with Lincoln and Seward, both men still holding ranks in the Senate until confirmation, led the United States congress in drafting several bills to get ready for the upcoming Lincoln administration while new temporary appointees were being filled to positions in now understaffed posts such as the State and Justice Department. Major General Winfield Scott also ordered the rest of the federal units that had not joined the rebels to secure the nation's border with Canada while the Navy patrolled the coast, the War department having been fearful of a possible British invasion even though the UK was busy dealing with Asian affairs. The main priority for the Republican Triumvirate before Lincoln could become officially elected was the maintaining of Fort Sumter. While the U.S Army had every right to retaliate and drive the South Carolina militia away from the fort, the ongoing situation was incredibly delicate and many still hoped for a route that would lead away from war. Until a state of war existed with the southern states, all that could be done now was to send ships to supply the Fort Sumter garrison and order all state militias and federal regiments to act in a state of readiness. Lincoln and Seward sent out several letters and made pleas in national newspapers during this time, calling for national unity and proclaiming that they would be willing to compromise in the upcoming administration. Unfortunately these calls for American to remain a United States fell on deaf ears as the southern delegates started to begin the process of forming a new nation.
On February 4th 1861, delegates from the seven secessionist states made their way to the city of Montgomery Alabama where a convention had been proclaimed by Alabama Governor Andrew Moore for unity among the secessionists in the face of retaliation by the federal government. When the convention first began the idea on everyone's mind was more of a general military alliance of the states with each one maintaining its own independence. After some lengthy discussion with the veterans of the convention pointing out that independent action would never work against the might of the North and the federal government, it was agreed that all seven states present would unite into a new nation where their grievances would be met and they would be protected under a common sovereignty. For the next four days the convention went to work creating a new constitution and the legal framework for this new country. In most drafts of the constitution it was almost a carbon copy of the original United States one in 1787 along with all the passed amendment. There were major changes to the framework of the government however as great amounts of sovereignty had been given to the individual states of the new nation and slavery had its own clause in the new constitution where it was guaranteed, much like Texas. Due to the highly decentralized nature of the new government, the delegates decided to adopt the name the Confederate States of America as they declared themselves to be the true successors of the founding fathers. The Constitution was signed and drafted on February 8th with the main issue afterwords being the new leadership of the Confederacy. This had not been given time for debate because as soon as the last delegate had ratified the constitution, the doors to the convention hall bursted in a grand notion and all the delegates had turned to the new entrants where they were stunned to see President Robert Toombs, the man who's nation they had just signed to secede. After Lincoln's election Toombs had indeed spent the next three months in Georgia where his friend Alexander Stephens had been a participant of the state convention of secession. Toombs chose not to get directly involved however as he felt that a prime opportunity was needed for him to take control. At the announcement of the Montgomery Convention, Toombs managed to sneak into town incognito and when word of the new Confederate constitution being finalized was spread, Toombs decided that now was his chance to take charge and claim glory. Toombs walked to the podium in the center of the room to the stunned delegates where he began what many historians have called the infamous "Patriot's Speech." "My friends and fellow southern gentlemen. Last November the foolish masses of the North have betrayed our country and have chosen the tyrant Abraham Lincoln to enter office as my successor. Said election was merely the result of traitors within our ranks such as Seymour and Bell, for I was the one destined to continue the fight for the constitution. Now with Washington fallen to the sinful pack of devils that are the Republicans, I have chosen to abandon the hive of greed that is Washington and have chosen to join you, the real American people. For I am a patriot and I will fight for the rights of liberty and freedom." Toombs went on for another half hour in what was essentially an attempt to butter the delegates present to chose him as the President of the new nation. While the delegates present had been leaning towards Jefferson Davis as their leader, Toombs speech and apparent conviction of patriotism showed those present that he was the right man for the job. After all who better to be the President than the President? Thus Robert Toombs went down in the annals of history as the ultimate traitor to the United States, far surpassing that of Benedict Arnold. On February 9th Robert Toombs was officially chosen by the delegates as President of the Confederate States of America with Jefferson Davis taking the role of Vice President. The fires of treason had been lit and the hellish path to Sumter and Petersburg had begun.
View attachment 310006
Inauguration of Robert Toombs as President of the CSA in Montgomery (Left) First flag of the Confederacy (Center) Robert "Judas" Toombs and the Confederate cabinet (Right)
View attachment 310007
Map of the Confederate States of America as of February 11th, 1861
- Kaiser Chris
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