Like the thread title says, here are just a couple of US-based what ifs I've been pondering.
1. What if the US lost the battle of New Orleans? From what I've learned, Jackson was left with only a token force to defend New Orleans, and he won because he bolstered his force with pirate mercenaries. It's not inconceivable that the pirates would take the money and sail away, leaving the US force at the mercy of the British. If that happened, what would become of the Louisiana Purchase and of US-British relations with a Hong Kong-esqe New Orleans around?
2. What if Grant had been captured at the battle of Belmont? Apparently he was nearly captured during his raid of Belmont (along the Mississippi River, adjacent to Columbus, KY), but saved when his horse tripped and fell, sliding down towards his boats. While it probably wouldn't lead to a Confederate victory in the ACW, how would it affect the war?
3. What if George Washington was killed during the French and Indian war? How would it have changed the French and Indian war itself (if he dies early on, the French could press their advantage and create a more costly war for the colonies), and later the ARW?
4. What if the Alamo had fallen in a matter of hours, not days? Would Santa Anna have been able to march on Washington-on-the-Brazos and capture the heads of the Texan Revolution? The only reason Sam Houston was able to win the battle of San Jacinto was due to the time the Alamo bought for him - would a Mexican-American war happen, and if so, who would win?
1. What if the US lost the battle of New Orleans? From what I've learned, Jackson was left with only a token force to defend New Orleans, and he won because he bolstered his force with pirate mercenaries. It's not inconceivable that the pirates would take the money and sail away, leaving the US force at the mercy of the British. If that happened, what would become of the Louisiana Purchase and of US-British relations with a Hong Kong-esqe New Orleans around?
2. What if Grant had been captured at the battle of Belmont? Apparently he was nearly captured during his raid of Belmont (along the Mississippi River, adjacent to Columbus, KY), but saved when his horse tripped and fell, sliding down towards his boats. While it probably wouldn't lead to a Confederate victory in the ACW, how would it affect the war?
3. What if George Washington was killed during the French and Indian war? How would it have changed the French and Indian war itself (if he dies early on, the French could press their advantage and create a more costly war for the colonies), and later the ARW?
4. What if the Alamo had fallen in a matter of hours, not days? Would Santa Anna have been able to march on Washington-on-the-Brazos and capture the heads of the Texan Revolution? The only reason Sam Houston was able to win the battle of San Jacinto was due to the time the Alamo bought for him - would a Mexican-American war happen, and if so, who would win?