America, A City on a Hill: The Presidency of Joseph Smith Jr. and Beyond

Perhaps the Kentucky Tennessee border somewhere. In OTL Kentucky was nuetral for like a year. The whole states opinion on slavery and secession went right down the middle.

Here Kentucky out right voted for the man the South hates. I could see southern reactionaries start a border shootout that starts the whole thing.
 
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What about Arkansas it seems that succession Missouri's kind of border locked, it'll be first to fall.
 
Gods and Generals
March 5, 1845: Washington D.C.:



Winfield Scott, Commanding General of the United States Army, sat across from his Commander-in-Chief. He like many, many others did not have a high opinion of Joseph Smith as a man. Mainly due to the strange religious sect he led. With that said however, Smith was still the President and he'd still taken an oath to serve him.

“Thank you for coming to see me, General Scott, I assume you know why I called you here,” Smith said.

“I have a good idea, it's about those states trying to secede from the Union,” Scott practically spat the words. The people of the United States had voted for Smith, if there had been secession like this every time an election went a way some states didn't like, the United States would have ceased to exist long ago.

“Indeed, they are demanding that we give up Federal property to them. In particular Fort Pickens in Florida. As far as I'm concerned, as far as the law is concerned Florida is still a United States territory, not even a state. I will not give it up so easily,” Smith said.

“Are you certain that is a good idea, Mr. President? We would have to reinforce the port by sea. To supply it through land would mean marching troops through rebellious territory and escalating an already tense situation,” Scott said.

“I am well aware of the difficulties, General, but we cannot show weakness to those who would undermine our great nation. We simply cannot give into their demands. If we did they would simply demand more,” Smith replied.

“If we do not had over the fort the rebels will try to take it by force. There will be war,” Scott cautioned.

“I fear that a war is inevitable, General, the Confederates, as they call themselves will not rejoin us peaceably, and we cannot in good conscience let them go, it would only cause more problems for our country in the future, for the moment however I only wish to keep hold of our property. Perhaps if we show them that we will not back down they will see reason,” Smith said.

“Mr. President, I understand your position, but if it does come to war I fear that more states will join the Confederates,”

“I see, fear not, General Scott, no matter what happens, the Lord our God stands with the United Sates, we will emerge victorious and whole,” Smith said.

“I hope so, Mr. President, I truly do,” Scott said.



March 5, 1845, Montgomery, Alabama, Confederate States of America:



Confederate President Anson Jones, would have much rather been back in his home state of Texas, but Montgomery had been agreed upon as the capital so here he was. That said he still had a soft spot for his home, and that was what the current meeting. Across from him sat a the man Jones wanted to lead the new Confederate Army, Zachary Taylor.

“General Taylor, I wish to offer you command of the new Confederate Army, I trust there are no objections? You've proven yourself to be a capable military man, and being a slave holder, your appointment will appease many states,” Jones said.

“No, sir, I thank you for the honor,” Taylor said.

“Good, I also want to give you your first assignment, you are to take men to Texas and secure the Nueces strip,” Jones said.

“With all due respect, Mr. President, shouldn't we be focusing on the Yankees instead of the Mexicans? I don't think that Mormon firebrand in Washington is just going to give in to our demands,” Taylor said.

“I wouldn't worry too much, General, the Mexicans couldn't beat Texas alone. I doubt they would challenge the whole of the Confederacy,” Jones said with a laugh, “As for Joseph Smith, the man claims to see visions. He probably expects God to punish us. I'm sure God likes us good Christians more,” Jones said.

“And if it does come to war with the Yankees?” Taylor asked.

“Then will lick the damnyankees and their heathen President.”
 
Welcome back! I'm looking forward to reading more of this timeline!
Glad to get back to it, this is going to be one of the toughest parts of the timeline. Wars always are. The United States is going to have very different borders TTL.
 
Glad to see this back!

Thomas Grover was one of my principle ancestors that converted during the late 1830's.

He was a river boat captain along the Mississippi River. In OTL as the saints moved west he oversaw the fording of the Missouri and Platte rivers as the saints moved to Utah. In an argument over how to cross the Platte River, Thomas told then President Brigham Young "My pinky will forget more of how to navigate the water; than you will ever learn.

I could see him being an important part of the River Navy ITTL.
 
Glad to see this back!

Thomas Grover was one of my principle ancestors that converted during the late 1830's.

He was a river boat captain along the Mississippi River. In OTL as the saints moved west he oversaw the fording of the Missouri and Platte rivers as the saints moved to Utah. In an argument over how to cross the Platte River, Thomas told then President Brigham Young "My pinky will forget more of how to navigate the water; than you will ever learn.

I could see him being an important part of the River Navy ITTL.
I'll see what I can do to incorporate him. Though to be honest I don't see the Saints migrating to Utah TTL for many reasons.
 
Oh I know that! I just brought him up due to his Naval experience and knowledge of the Mississippi River. That it could help you when troops begin to deploy and war strategies are devised.
 
Question for readers/those more knowledgeable than I: Would West Virginia still break away TTL?
They'd want to; there were political struggles with the eastern Virginian establishment for decades iOTL. The question is whether they could get the Virginia state legislature to consent - or if the federal government would recognize an ATL version of the Wheeling Convention as a Virginia state legislature (as iOTL).
 
I'll see what I can do to incorporate him. Though to be honest I don't see the Saints migrating to Utah TTL for many reasons.
You sure? Joseph Smith prophesied that they would live in the Rocky Mountains in 1842. Smith is smarter than to prophesy something and to purposely not have it happen.
 
You sure? Joseph Smith prophesied that they would live in the Rocky Mountains in 1842. Smith is smarter than to prophesy something and to purposely not have it happen.
Alright I'm just going to come out and say it: The United States is not going to own Utah TTL. If you'll notice they aren't at war with Mexico, so so Mexican cession. Honestly, the way I see things going they have no reason to leave Nauvoo. Just because I myself am a member of the faith, doesn't mean I'm going to railroad history. My personal religious beliefs may have inspired me to make this timeline, but I have to treat it as if God is not involved and let history play out. At worst he'd just have another "Prophetic moment", whether peope believe he's a prophet or not, hence the quotation maks, and statae that God has a new plan.
 
You sure? Joseph Smith prophesied that they would live in the Rocky Mountains in 1842. Smith is smarter than to prophesy something and to purposely not have it happen.
What's the wording? As you've said it, they could "live in the Rocky Mountains" as well as many other places, thanks to the westward wave of American expansion which would continue whether or not there's a Mexican war. Even if we disregard semi-legal settlers in Mexican territory (like California), there's still Oregon. Avoiding the Mexican War would intensify pressure there if anything, and having a Mormon-American colony in OTL Idaho still counts as "the Rocky Mountains."
 
What's the wording? As you've said it, they could "live in the Rocky Mountains" as well as many other places, thanks to the westward wave of American expansion which would continue whether or not there's a Mexican war. Even if we disregard semi-legal settlers in Mexican territory (like California), there's still Oregon. Avoiding the Mexican War would intensify pressure there if anything, and having a Mormon-American colony in OTL Idaho still counts as "the Rocky Mountains."
"I prophesied that the Saints would continue to suffer much affliction and would be driven to the Rocky Mountains, many would apostatize, others would be put to death by our persecutors or lose their lives in consequence of exposure or disease, and some of you will live to go and assist in making settlements and build cities and see the Saints become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains."

However there is contention about this prophecy:

Members of the LDS Church contend that this prophecy was fulfilled. Not long after Smith's death, the majority of Latter Day Saints followed Brigham Young in relocating to the Salt Lake Valley, where they established Salt Lake City and other settlements in Utah. Critics Jerald and Sandra Tanner claim that this alleged prophesy was inserted into Smith's History after his death and that it was written in handwriting that does not match Smith's.[36][37]
 
Okay so, I'm going to lay out the immediate plans so I can get opinions on plausibility:
  1. The Civil War is shorter than OTL, this is because the Confederacy will be fighting a two front war against the US and Mexico. I'm think roughly two years.
  2. The United States does annex Texas but with the border at the Nueces River (What Mexico claimed was the border OTL before the Mexican-American War)
  3. The United States gets 54 40, this is probably the most dubious part, but with a United States army with season veterans and Americans outnumbering British in the territory two to one, the British may just cut their loses.
  4. Warmer US-Mexico relations going forward, as either quasi or full allies.
  5. A large amount of African-American converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as Joseph Smith would be seen as something of a Lincolnesque figure TTL. This would make it near impossible to implement something like the Priesthood Ban once Smith dies.
 
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