AHC: Three Way ACW

Just what it says on the tin. with a POD no later than December 17th, 1819, make a three-sided American Civil War take place. Bonus points if you use 12/17/1829 as the POD.
 
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I don't have a POD, but just an idea: make New England grow at a rapid rate so that Boston rivals New York. Cue Third Great Awakening right in the 1850s. New England becomes the religious kooks of the Union while the Deep South looks at John Brown, prominent abolitionist with distrust. The Midwest, New York, and Pennsylvania are more or less trying to calm the fires.

1860, a northerner is elected President. The south is furious, secedes and forms the Confederacy. New England is more than happy to go to war, but starts enlisting black soldiers to fight. The Federal Government won't let the colored soldiers into battle. Cue secession of the Federation of New England.

This leads to a New England front, definite British involvement (sequel to the War of 1812, essentially), pitched naval battles between the Federation, the Union, and the Confederacy, perhaps a three-way Battle of Philadelphia featuring General Lee, General Grant, and General Brown.
 
I don't have a POD, but just an idea: make New England grow at a rapid rate so that Boston rivals New York. Cue Third Great Awakening right in the 1850s. New England becomes the religious kooks of the Union while the Deep South looks at John Brown, prominent abolitionist with distrust. The Midwest, New York, and Pennsylvania are more or less trying to calm the fires.

1860, a northerner is elected President. The south is furious, secedes and forms the Confederacy. New England is more than happy to go to war, but starts enlisting black soldiers to fight. The Federal Government won't let the colored soldiers into battle. Cue secession of the Federation of New England.

This leads to a New England front, definite British involvement (sequel to the War of 1812, essentially), pitched naval battles between the Federation, the Union, and the Confederacy, perhaps a three-way Battle of Philadelphia featuring General Lee, General Grant, and General Brown.

I definitely like that idea..........perhaps we can get Canada to intervene as well?{Or do you plan to keep Canada totally British until 1867 or something?}
 

elder.wyrm

Banned
I don't have a POD, but just an idea: make New England grow at a rapid rate so that Boston rivals New York. Cue Third Great Awakening right in the 1850s. New England becomes the religious kooks of the Union while the Deep South looks at John Brown, prominent abolitionist with distrust. The Midwest, New York, and Pennsylvania are more or less trying to calm the fires.

1860, a northerner is elected President. The south is furious, secedes and forms the Confederacy. New England is more than happy to go to war, but starts enlisting black soldiers to fight. The Federal Government won't let the colored soldiers into battle. Cue secession of the Federation of New England.

This leads to a New England front, definite British involvement (sequel to the War of 1812, essentially), pitched naval battles between the Federation, the Union, and the Confederacy, perhaps a three-way Battle of Philadelphia featuring General Lee, General Grant, and General Brown.

This is more or less OTL until New England suddenly secedes. What's going on here? New England secedes because the Federal government won't let blacks fight?

I don't see the logic in this one?
 
I really like the idea of a near-theocratic New England... Although odds are they would side with the Condederacy (at least early on), as common compatriots against the oppresive Washington Regime.
 
This is more or less OTL until New England suddenly secedes. What's going on here? New England secedes because the Federal government won't let blacks fight?

I don't see the logic in this one?

Apparently you missed the beginning portion to the "New England secedes too" idea.

Two things have to happen between 1829 and 1861:
1. New England becomes more populous. We're talking Boston rivals New York City.
2. A Third Great Awakening in the 1850s concentrated in New England.

As mentioned above, this means New England has the manufacturing power and population to rival the Union and the Confederacy. This isn't just a large(r) population, it's a radical population like Roberto said "near theocratic New England." Perhaps bring in a "Christian Party" that runs their own candidate in 1860. Lincoln is still elected as the moderate candidate of the Republican Party, leaving New England as radicalized as the southern fire-eaters.

Radical populations don't exactly think rationally. The basic attitude in New England would happen like this:

November 1860 - Saddened that their Christian candidate is not elected.
December 1860 - Shocked and ready to grab their guns when SC secedes
March 1860 - Mild support for Lincoln since they're not going to be thrilled with the C.S.A.
April 1860 - Militant support for the Federal Government and a crusader-like call to fight against the evil of slavery. They form up companies of whites and blacks alike. Some of the more radical states such as Maine and Massachusetts allow MIXED companies :)eek:). Since there are Union states extremely uncomfortable with this (Missouri, Maryland, Kentucky, etc.) the Federal government politely asks New England to not do that. All it takes is one brief exchange of words for a religious politician to return back to Boston, or Hartford, or Providence and shout how Washington City has thrown it's lot in with Richmond and Sodom and Gomorrah. Next thing you know, there are delegates all up and down the Connecticut River Valley declaring the need for a new government that refuses evil.

EDIT: Obviously this basic TL assumes a significant butterfly net.

New England will be against slavery first and secession second. The Union will be against secession first and slavery second. The key difference is the religious factor. The higher population allows them to fight more realistically.

But those two things are important otherwise the New England scenario might as well be abandoned: a larger and a radicalized population.

Anyway, it seems like people like this idea. Do I smell a collaborative TL coming on?
 
As cool as Federal vs. Reb vs. Yankee is, I find it quite unlikely.

Alternate ideas:

* Mormons (the obvious second bunch of secessionists)

* Texans/west Confeds double-secede against the Old Guard thinking in Richmond

* Clement Vallandigham leads the Copperheads to cause Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri to secede.
 
Alternate ideas:

* Mormons (the obvious second bunch of secessionists)

* Texans/west Confeds double-secede against the Old Guard thinking in Richmond

* Clement Vallandigham leads the Copperheads to cause Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri to secede.
1. That would be cool, but I am not entirely sure how well they would do. I think the forces in the West alone would be sufficient to defeat them after mopping up the Confeds.

2. Extremely likely, but only after the Civil War is won. Otherwise, it's very unlikely, IMO.

3. I find this highly unlikely.

Oh, and bump. Thanks for the input, guys. :)
 
Or we could just one super civil war. Maybe because of the radical New Englanders they hate mormons even more. There are multiple attacks on the Mormons in Utah by these people. So when Deseret see's the Union falling apart they take it upon themselves to secede also. Throw in all these secessions at once and at least one is going to succeed.
 

67th Tigers

Banned
I definitely like that idea..........perhaps we can get Canada to intervene as well?{Or do you plan to keep Canada totally British until 1867 or something?}

???

When Canada drifted out of the "British Empire" or whatever is debatable. Probably not before the 1970's OTL
 
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