A Glorious Union or America: the New Sparta

If we add terms similar to OTL:

18. The Imperial Presidency - Philip Kearny Jr; 1869-1877
19. The Busted Flush Presidency; ROUSSEAU 1877-1881
20. The Best of the Bad Men HOOKER 1881-1885
21. The Presidency of Anger Interrupted HANCOCK 1885-1886 (dies as in OTL)
22. The Accidental Presidency WALLACE 1886-1889?????"

Remember Lincoln is the 16th President so that would make Kearny the 17th President not the 18th. Following the list we have

17 The Imperial Presidency - Philip Kearny Jr;
18 The Busted Flush Presidency;
19 The Best of the Bad Men
20 The Presidency of Anger Interrupted
21 The Accidental Presidency
22 The Presidency of Velvet and Iron - Lew Wallace as per Chapter 89
7. The Hangman. CUSTER

You may want to fix the fact you quoted me....

Anyway, I realise what I did there when typing. I went straight fir KJearney = Grant, forgetting that there is no Johnson ascendency via Lincoln assassination.

SO, yeah. oops.
 
You may want to fix the fact you quoted me....

Anyway, I realise what I did there when typing. I went straight fir KJearney = Grant, forgetting that there is no Johnson ascendency via Lincoln assassination.

SO, yeah. oops.

Well as it turns out, it would seem from recent comments from TheKnightIrish that you may have been right that the Accidental President is intended to be Wallace and the numbering in Chapter 89 may be destined for a retcon
 
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If we're strictly going by the nicknames for each presidency, rather than who's necessarily attached to them...

Imperial Presidency
- A massive expansion of the authority of the presidency is a likely outcome of this, continuing with the trend from TTL's Civil War, as is a much earlier entry of the United States into foreign adventurism and even colonialism ITTL. Given the possible hints towards an earlier rapprochement with European powers, it's also certain that many will not feel comfortable cozying up to foreign monarchies; republican pride is something deeply ingrained in many Americans.

Busted Flush - I suspect, based on the hagiography that seems to surround him by the present day ITTL, that Kearny is likely to overall be remembered as a good president, maybe even a great one. The usage of 'busted flush,' to me, suggests that someone in his administration that seems promising is likely to squander whatever political capital is left to them or is continually marred by scandal, leaving them with little recourse to continue his legacy.

Best of the Bad Men - Due to the fallout of what might be a one-term presidency, or a continuous humiliation in the headlines for eight years, we're likely to see everyone throw their hat in the ring to run for office and as the title suggests the U.S. will end up with someone who isn't great but things could've ended up much worse in hindsight.

Anger Interrupted - Rather hard to glean what might be meant by this. It could mean anger at some domestic issue - economic downturn is likely, but a war going south is a possible secondary option - that is capitalized on by some firebrand. Given their successor, however, I'm guessing that they never get to do anything and they either die from some illness in office or are assassinated.

Accidental Presidency - Someone ends up in charge who never really thought they'd land in the driver's seat. Pretty self-explanatory.

Velvet and Iron - Given the meaning of the idiom, this is likely a fairly stable presidency and might even catch foreign governments off guard in its willfulness. It isn't necessarily a rejection of the previous administration's positions; it might even be an affirmation of them, whatever they are.

Hangman - Perhaps the most mysterious of them all. While its easiest reading is that of an executioner, it doesn't have to be domestically related. Given the fact we know that at some point the U.S. gets involved in a major war that has them humiliated abroad c. the early 20th century (the conflict in China?), it might be related to the idea of effectively ordering men to their death.

Imperial Presidency: If it means the same as it did in the 1960s, Kearny is going to expand the Presidential powers far beyond those the Founders intended. Most of the Founders believed Congress would always be the primary force in government, with the President mainly executing their will. Ever since FDR, that trend has reversed course, with the President gaining more and more influence over policy, law, and the direction of the country. Perhaps a forceful personality like Kearny, following someone like Lincoln who occasionally acted like a tyrant (the Greek version), dramatically expands the powers of the Presidency much earlier than IOTL.

Busted Flush- Flush is five of the same suit. So, to my considerable surprise at such a swift rebound, perhaps a Democratic President.

Best of the Bad Men- Like the recent Republican or Democratic primaries (NOT TRYING TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT ANY OF THEM THEY'RE JUST VERY CROWDED FIELDS), perhaps there is no clear successor to the Busted Flush Presidency and so you have huge, confusing primaries and no one is really that good, but lucky for us we end up with the best of a series of bad, or at the very least mediocre, options.

Anger Interrupted- This sounds like domestic anger, perhaps a recession or economic panic or some political scandal, is interrupted by a foreign crisis. Nothing redirects anger and passion like a foreign enemy.

Accidental Presidency- See above

Velvet and Iron- Glove of Velvet, Fist of Iron. Probably a Bismarck of the New World (clumsy analogy I know). Someone who is excellent at the "soft" side of the Presidency, social issues, the economy, diplomacy etc., and the "hard" side, i.e. war.

Hangman - This one sounds pretty ominous. Like the US is looking for vengeance for something and this Presidency is pretty ruthless about it. Or handles a domestic issue particularly harshly?
 
I forgot - doesn’t it say somewhere that John McClernand gets propelled “to Washington”. He’s definitely one of the “bad men”...
 
I forgot - doesn’t it say somewhere that John McClernand gets propelled “to Washington”. He’s definitely one of the “bad men”...

From chapter 152

'Hurlbut sank with Clendenin anchored around his neck and McClernand was elected to the Captaincy-General almost by acclamation. The role would propel McClernand all the way to Washington, while the scandal would come close to wrecking the military careers of Adelbert Ames and William B. Hazen. For the immediate future however the scandal and its obvious source meant that McClernand would remain out of favour with the incoming president and his administration..."
 
From chapter 152

'Hurlbut sank with Clendenin anchored around his neck and McClernand was elected to the Captaincy-General almost by acclamation. The role would propel McClernand all the way to Washington, while the scandal would come close to wrecking the military careers of Adelbert Ames and William B. Hazen. For the immediate future however the scandal and its obvious source meant that McClernand would remain out of favour with the incoming president and his administration..."

And it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
 
Superb timeline, better than any published Civil War ATL that I've seen.

But you appear to have Schrodinger's Meade.

Chapter Seventy-Four

The Battle of Gettysburg
Day Three

<snip>

The timely warning brought forth George Meade himself at the head of Von Steinwehr’s XI Corps. Meade knowing the ground better than most at headquarters and keen to aid his own Corps rushed to their relief. Evans' division had already crested Wolf Hill as the XI Corps reached it foot at McAllisters Mill. In order to remedy this potential disaster Meade himself direct the leading division, Barlow’s, to the attack as von Steinwehr readied Webber’s and Schimmelfennig’s…

Casualties in Barlow’s Division were high as they contested the crest with Evans. Underwood’s brigade collapsed and raced down the hill through Devens’ brigade as it came up in support. As Barlow’s division withdrew, the attack was taken up by von Steinwehr’s “Dutchmen” – the brigades of Krzyzonowski, von Gilsa and von Amsberg. These Germans pushed back Evans’ South Carolinans but were flanked themselves as Evans committed his reserve – his sole brigade of North Carolinans under James Johnson Pettigrew. Against this threat, and as von Steinwehr steadied his Germans, Meade against led the rallied brigades of Devens (of Webber’s Division) and McLean (of Barlow’s) against Pettigrew. This counterattack succeeded. Evans could not maintain his attack nor indeed his position atop Wolf Hill under the pressure of XI Corps. However the success of XI Corps was marred by the wounding of General Meade. Having taken a wound to his arm in the first assault, he then sustained gunshot wounds to his stomach and left leg. Carried from the hill only after hearing from Barlow that the hill had been taken, Meade died before he reached the surgeons…

Chapter Ninety

Day One - The Coosa Runs Red

<snip>

From "U.S. Grant - Hero of Three Wars" by John W. Eisenhower
Edison 1953

“It is from John A. Logan that the controversial quote, often mangled in subsequent publications, emerges. It a letter to his wife Logan stated that during his conversation with Grant he had confided “Jack this might be the hardest damn day of my life” [underlining is the editors emphasis] to which Logan replied “it would have been a hard day in any man’s life and had been the last for a good many fine ones”. Logan did not know Grant very well personally, perhaps not well enough to be familiar with the fact that Grant never swore. Perhaps the quote is hyperbole on Logan’s part or perhaps in truth the death of one friend and the injury of another moved Grant to such an utterance. With no other witnesses or sources we cannot be sure…

Eugene Carr’s XIII Corps arrived in the night near Glencoe. Both Grant and Bragg had yet to fully deploy two corps (Ord and Carr, Cleburne and Churchill) into battle. Both planned to utilise their full force come the morning with Grant resolved to force Bragg from the river and with Bragg planning to fall on Grant’s exposed right flank. Little did either man know, that at midnight an exhausted Joe Hooker rode with a silent George Meade and Israel Richardson (asleep as he was “conveniently” strapped to his horse because of ongoing difficulties resulting from his leg wound) only 15 miles from the rear of Bragg’s army. Hooker’s much reduced Army of the Cumberland, now numbering only seven divisions, was force marching south through the night on the Ridgeville and Norton roads to the sound of the guns…”

Chapter Ninety-Two

Day Two – Blue or Gray: Hooker Arrives
<snip>

From “Fighting Joe Hooker” by Herbert Walter
Buffalo 1999

Hooker had regained some of his natural ebulliency. His men were very tired but if the sounds emanating from the south were anything to go by, the rebels and Grant had each other firmly by the throat. He grandly pronounced to his assembled generals, Meade, Richardson, Butterfield, Warren and GrangerNo man will consider the day as ended, until the battle it brings has been won and the enemy before us defeated”…
 
Superb timeline, better than any published Civil War ATL that I've seen.

But you appear to have Schrodinger's Meade.

It is definitely George Thomas not George Meade as per the map attached to THIS POST. Hooker's Corps Commanders at this point were Thomas (XIV), Richardson (XXI) and Granger (XXIII). Hooker had left XX Corps behind, following the death of Sheridan, on his march to support Grant.

I will change the posts later for correct the point.

Thanks FIVER!
 
The chapter above is by no means a list. I do however know the fate of all (yes all!) Confederate General officers so if you have a burning question ask. Many of those proscribed will show up later in the story in Mexico, Brazil etc etc.

Perhaps I missed it, but what were TTL's fates of James Longstreet, Allegheny Johnson, AP Hill, DH Hill, Richard Ewell, Fitzhugh Lee, Custis Lee, and Rooney Lee.
 
Chapter One Hundred and Forty Eight

The Great Exodus Part II - The Blue Eyed Prophet and the Promised Land


From “Viva Magruder! – The Early Days of the Anglo Community in Mexico” by D. Foster Wilkins
University of Vancouver 1985


“The largest settlement was Carlotta (the exilados grise always spelt the Empress’ name with two “l”s), which had been a town originally known as Cordoba. Given the number of American exiles during the first two years further settlements were established at Coatepec (now known to history as Coat’n’peg), and Tres Valles (Three Valleys). Significant exile communities could also been found in Mexico City, Tampico, Veracruz (at the right season – it was many years before the pioneering work of Doctor Holliday eased the threat of the “yellowjack”), and Tuxpan…

Interesting Easter egg.
 
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Four The Emperor's Coat-tails Part One
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Four

The Emperor's Coat-tails
Part One

From "A Summary of the Elections in the Transition from the Second to the Third Party System" by Prof. James Gilmore
Mississippi State 1964

“The gubernatorial elections throughout 1868 would both predict and replicate the results of the national election of that year. Veterans of the Civil War were very much the flavor across the country…

With the tapping of James S. Wadsworth for a cabinet role, a fresh face was needed in New York. A National Unionist was elected but he was anything but a fresh face: John A. Dix was a 70 year old former volunteer major-general. A War Democrat, he had no difficultly wearing the mantle of National Unionism…

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John A. Dix of New York and Joshua Chamberlain of Maine

In Maine it was the 40 year old hero of Union Mills and Kings Mountain, Joshua Chamberlain, who would win the governorship for the National Unionists. Unlike Dix, Chamberlain was a Republican to his fingertips, but he idolized Phil Kearny and was a great advocate of the spirit of unity that National Unionism espoused…

Wisconsin returned Lucius Fairchild. He did not wear the cloak of National Unionism but still proudly called himself a Republican. The word unspoken was ‘radical’ and he was a staunch supporter of the principles of proscription and confiscation…

It was not entirely a story of combat veterans in 1868. John Quincy Adams II had been a colonel on Governor Andrews’ staff in Maine but had never seen a moment’s action or a day’s drill. Although a conservative Republican at the start of the war he had become increasingly horrified with the outrages perpetrated by the rebels during the war. “His principles vied with sentiments” according to his biographer. In such a mind he was of course drawn to the compromise that national Unionism offered. “Like a loving parent we invite the Southerners to repent and be embraced in forgiveness but we reserve the right to chastise the unrepentant unremittingly” (John Quincy Adams II in his election address)…

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John Quincy Adams II of Massachusetts

A man alone, Joel Parker of New Jersey, was the only Democrat governor elected in 1868. He would be the last Democratic governor there for some time in what would become “The Kearny State”…

Of perhaps more significance was that 1868 saw the first elections for governor in the South since the re-establishment of state government in the former rebel states…

In Texas, German Americans united with the Tejanos to elect Frederick ‘Fritz’ Tegener. A bear of a man, Tegener had founded the Union Loyal League in Texas at the outset of the war. Barely escaping Texas with his life he had returned upon the peace to become a leader of the pro-union immigrant rump. The fact that huge numbers of former Texas voters had been proscribed, voluntarily fled into exile, or simply had not applied to take the oath of alligience following the renunciation of their American citizenship during the war meant that Texas was fought over by native Unionists, German and Polish immigrants, Tejanos and freedmen. The Tejano-German alliance under Tegener stole a march on his rivals and he was elected as a Republican. The turbulent state of Texas meant however that he had to “sleep with a pistol under the pillow and shotgun under the bed” (Galveston Union Courier)…

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Fritz Tegener of Texas

In Arkansas the tiny community of freedmen made up nearly a quarter of the reduced electorate in 1868. Many rebels were reluctant to apply to the Courts to take the oath of allegiance in fear that they might cause the Office of Proscription might look again at their file. This presented Joseph Brooks, a fiery preacher and former chaplain of a Negro regiment of Fighting Lambs fame to take office. A radical Republican he would, in later terms, be one of the first senior politicians to be influenced by the works of Selah Merrill and early communalism…

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Joseph Brooks of Arkansas and Andre Cailloux of Louisiana

Andre Cailloux would become the first Negro elected to a generalship in the history of the Union. He would not be the last. Injured hero of the Louisiana Native Guard; holder of the Kearny Cross; and, uniquely, a former Confederate Lieutenant, he defeated Dan Sickles picked man, Henry Tremain, to become the National Unionist candidate for and then governor of Louisiana…

Unable to find “one honest man” (Jackson Chronicle) in Mississippi the National Union Party of Mississippi turned to a Northerner who, having served ably on Albion P. Howe’s staff, had done much to improve life in Jackson – Doctor Latimer McCook. A member of the huge McCook clan of Ohio (his branch was called the ‘Tribe of Dan’) McCook had worked wonders in sanitation and disease prevention during the military governorship. He now faced the daunting task of dealing with a state in flux. Originally divided into three contending camps of disenfranchised former rebels, white unionists and freedmen, Mississippi had suffered badly with partisan violence after the peace. The result had been a flight of former rebels either into exile or to other more accommodating states and territories. This was balanced by an influx of freedmen and their families from Georgia, Alabama and western Tennessee. Little did he know it, but Dr. McCook was fast becoming the governor of the second majority Negro state in the Union…

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Dr. Latimer McCook - one of several McCooks who would rise to high office

William Hugh Smith’s election in Alabama made the freedmen there nervous. A former slave-owner he had opposed secession on purely practical grounds. Having raised and led the 1st Alabama Union Cavalry and ridden with McClernand he had the army’s seal of approval. However, though he wore the mantle of National Unionism, he quickly came to be viewed by the freedmen of his state as a barely concealed conservative Democrat. His perceived prejudice against Negroes and his preference for the most transparent spinners encouraged many freedmen to move to Mississippi, South Carolina and further afield…

In Georgia Joshua Hill was elected governor. While a committed unionist himself many in his family were not. Although initially reluctant to run because of his concerns about the enfranchisement of freedmen it has subsequently been argued he ran in order to protect his crippled son (injured under Cleburne in Hooker’s advance on Atlanta) from proscription. Forced to associate with the Negro leaders of National Unionism in his state did not sit well with him and he ultimately only served one term...

The Bureau of Collectors saw their man in Florida, Harrison Reed, elected to the governor’s mansion. At the time his opponents claimed he had misused public funds to buy his election. Of course he had been responsible for distributing some confiscated rebel property to the freedmen of the state and therefore the lines between his duties and bribery of the electorate were ‘naturally’ confused…

Born in Alabama, raised in Kentucky William Birney would become governor of South Carolina. In a state where almost the entire white population had been disenfranchised because of their rebellion it was the freedmen who elected their National Unionist governor. Initially reluctant to nominate one of their own the Negro leadership of the party sought a Southern white who would be happy to carry the standard in South Carolina. Birney was a fierce partisan of the freedmen’s cause having led Negro regiments and brigades from their formation in the war. He would be an incredibly popular governor of the state but he would also be the last white governor of that state…

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William Birney- "A southerner fit to be governor" (attributed to Israel Richardson)

John Milton Worth was only free to become governor of North Carolina because General Hancock had ensured a more liberal hand in the state. Proscription was a less resorted to remedy and the Courts seemed happier administering the oath of alligience. John M. Worth therefore did not join his brother in exile, but as he was only a junior officer in the state reserves during the Rebellion he was quickly rehabilitated. This was in no small part to his history as an anti-secessionist Union man before the war. North Carolina was, alongside Alabama, the least secure state to be a freedman in, and thus many moved south to the other Carolina…

Perhaps the most surprising successful candidate for governor was in Virginia. The political class in Virginia had been wiped out by proscription. The many spinners who had revolved around the military administration were loath to run lest their record be re-examined by the Office of Proscription. The spinners needed a popular but benign candidate to clothe in the National Unionism otherwise the freedmen might elect some radical republican. General John Sedgwick had been a popular governor during his military tenure in that state. Why risk change was the question the spinners asked. A delegation of Richmond notables was deputised to approach the General to request he run for the office. Initially reluctant, the Connecticuter had his patriotism pled to. His friends in the army also advised him to take advantage of the opportunity. Thus Uncle John became the Governor of Virginia. Who could have imagined but a mere 8 years before that Virginia would elect an anti-slavery Yankee as governor...”

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Virginia would settle for 'Uncle John' Sedgwick as governor for another four years
 
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