A Confederate Musical!

First, I know a lot of you are going to find this idea appalling.

Listening to this,

and that other Lin Manuel Miranda work that is kinda well known, I was thinking of writing a TL where a second tier Confederate becomes first tier post war and 150 years later has a musical written about him.

Ones I had in mind were Patrick Cleburne, E. Porter Alexander, or Nathan Bedford Forrest.

I was wondering what ideas others might have.
 

Skallagrim

Banned
Hamilton was already first-tier (as far as renown is concerned) during his life. His star fell during his later life (due to scandal and lots of conflicts; he could be a very difficult guy) and dipped yet lower after his death (since his party collapsed and his political opponents ruled for quite some time). Hamilton's ideas had major influece later on, but often without them being properly attributed to him. Only later did his huge influence become obvious.

So, in short, you don't need an "unknown" Confederate, but rather a controversial one. We can't really predict who that will be. Fun idea: if the Cofederacy rises up to become successful in this ATL, a man involved in that (but detested by many contemporaries for his "Republican!" plans) would be... Longstreet. I can easily picture him going into politics after the war, setting up a lot of the institutional frame-work that will eventually be crucial to saving the ass-backward CSA from itself (or rather, from a bunch of impractical neo-aristocratic jerks), but being spurned for it during his life-time.

Fast-forward to the modern day, and scholars have adjected their opinion. Someone writes a musical about Longstreet.
 

Skallagrim

Banned
Nathan Bedford Forrest?

Controversial to us, sure, but would he be controversial to the Confederates?


or perhaps one of the Partisan Rangers, like Bloody Bill Anderson or even Jesse James...could be like a Confederate 'Oklahoma'

Stand Watie?

Given the right post-war events, you could possibly have some sort of western-themed musical featuring both Jesse James and Stand Watie. It would no doubt be wild.
 
Judah P. Benjamin? He would presumably have had a major part in the CSA's foreign affairs and perhaps later in his career he takes a stand against anti-Semitism. Or maybe he himself falls victim to a Dreyfuss-like conspiracy that causes a major scandal.
 
The Song of The South
A Confederate Musical
The Song of The South premiered today in Richmond Virginia, dividing audiences and critics alike. Fans of the musical champion its message of a simpler time of devotion and states rights as told through the eyes of Virginian born, Confederate general Robert E. Lee, while critics decry the glorification of figures like Robert E. Lee as being viewed through a rose-colored glass that blurs the lines between dramatization and historical revisionism.

(This is my take on a realistic Confederate musical)​
 
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Hard to find second-tier Confederates as all the ones who survived and plenty of the ones that were not ascended to first-tiers thanks to the devotions of their fanbase. I think Beauregard would be a glorious mess, because much like with Alexander Hamilton you would have to decide where do omit his "troubles" with his superiors and where do you drill down? I mean, even in the world of Confederate victory, someone like Beau would be controversial.

Or:
Judah P. Benjamin? He would presumably have had a major part in the CSA's foreign affairs and perhaps later in his career he takes a stand against anti-Semitism. Or maybe he himself falls victim to a Dreyfuss-like conspiracy that causes a major scandal.
Stop talking and take my money.
 
Cleburne seems like a good candidate.

He would be a good canidate otl, because of his success, his political enemies, his leaving Ireland at the height of the famine, his best friend being the type person to be killed backing reconstruction, the fact that his journal was stolen after he died, the fact that he told Hood to his face his tactics were stupid and then ordered into a suicidal charge.

Atl, just maybe.

Edit: He was engaged to be married when he died.
 
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